Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2012 | Page 38

MEGA

Reconnecting: with Tom Barnett
Best advice:
“Surround yourself with the best possible people.”

raises suspended for the past three years.
The up side, in addition to the fact that
he’s been able to spend more time with
his family, is that “We’ve been able to
keep everybody so far.”
One thing the economy hasn’t affected is his close working relationships.
“I’ve been so blessed with the two best
partners you could ever have. On the
Burger King side, Shelley Krispin has
been my partner for 30 years, and she

does the work of two or three people.
And in the Good Egg franchise, there’s
Charlie Syburg, who I’ve worked with
for 25 years. Our partnerships work because we truly trust and love each other
and we share Christian values.”
Another positive, says Barnett, is the
new ownership and management team at
Burger King corporate. “They are doing
a wonderful job of turning around and
revitalizing what had been a concept in a

four-year death spiral. They understand
the business and what it means to be
franchisee-driven. Operations are improving and products are greatly improving.”
With the same tenacious approach he
takes to business and life, Barnett says
he has worked hard to become a better
Christian and to demonstrate that in every
aspect of his life. “I’m very committed. I
have an ethical and moral responsibility
to treat everyone in a certain way. I’ve

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: My overriding business philosophy is that I can
prosper and grow only to the extent that first I can attract, motivate, and retain
exceptional people in each critical area, and second, to the extent that I am
willing to allow them to use their own initiative to exceed our mutually established goals.
Are you in the franchising, real estate, or customer service
business? I’m in all of those.
What gets you out of bed in the
morning? The possibilities of the day get
me out of bed. It’s a chance to build something or fix something.
What’s your passion in business? My
passion in business is to do the right thing. As
a really strong committed Christian, I need to
honor God with all I say and do and in all my
work and efforts.
Management method or style: I’m
always looking to the future, being proactive,
putting people in the right place and then getting out of the way. My 18-year-old son says,
“Dad gives me lots of freedom, great wide
boundaries. But I know what they are and I
don’t ever want to cross them.” I want our
team to be motivated and inspired and to feel
free enough to make honest mistakes.
Greatest challenge: Cash flow.

Personality: I’m extraordinarily driven and intensely goal-oriented. I am the
easiest, gentlest person to get along with but my standards and expectations
are very high.
How do others describe you? The same.
How do you hire and fire? At this point, all my key people have been
with me for at least 20 years, so I don’t hire
or fire anybody. I delegate that.

“My overriding
business philosophy
is that I can prosper
and grow only to the
extent that first I can
attract, motivate,
and retain
exceptional people in
each critical area.”

How close are you to operations?
Not very close. If I try to spread myself too thin, then I’m taking over somebody else’s job.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? Burger King has in the last six months gone more toward

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solid product advertising that says our great food is getting even better.

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue I, 2012

How do you train and retain? We train
thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly. The numberone cause for a person leaving a job is a feeling
of insecurity and inadequacy from lack of training. We retain our employees by honoring them
and showing them where their personal and professional goals can be met within our company.
Our average tenure for restaurant managers
exceeds 8 years, and we have several who have
been with us for more than 15.

How do you deal with problem employees? For a judgment failure—a bad
decision or lost temper—we will retrain,
motivate, a