“ We don ’ t make people into leaders , but we influence people to do great things .”
2017 MVP AWARDS
“ We don ’ t make people into leaders , but we influence people to do great things .”
MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy : Leadership is influence . No more , no less . We don ’ t make people into leaders , but we influence people to do great things . Everyone is a leader to someone , whether that is a friend , co-worker , employee , child , or anyone you come in contact with in life . How many times have you regretted not taking the time to speak to someone , giving your child a few minutes of your precious time , giving an employee your undivided attention ( versus multitasking ), or not saying a kind word to someone in the military you pass , or not calling mom every week ? It ’ s leadership and you missed an opportunity to influence someone with just a little moment of your time . Second , you are only as good as your weakest link . When you take a young manager or leader and you get them to think about this , the reaction is amazing . Then ( if you and they are honest ), if they want to be a better leader they will do something about it . And they typically do .
Management method or style : Avoiding micromanaging at all cost . It ’ s not an environment that creates a positive culture or allows others to grow . I get that it can be effective in some businesses , but it ’ s not my style . I want people to have responsibility and to be held accountable , but they must be able to make decisions on their own to grow . Mistakes made ? Yes ,
Formative influences / events : Growing up in a small town of 1,200 people taught me a lot about real life and provided me with experiences and people who influenced my life forever . It taught me the importance of the simple things in life : hard work , church on Sundays , family meals , family values , freedom , and feeling safe — simple , yet meaningful times when you had the time to really get to know and care about others . The pace of life was not full of anxiety , but more about connecting with others . You had real friends for life and could count on them every day , for everything . Much different than today , but when you can live by these values , people are surprised and respond in a very positive manner . Values and respect were part of everyday life . It was safe ; it was real . Not all foods killed you and not everything was electronic . People were trusted and fun was had . I ’ ve moved 35 times since leaving this small town . My parents had a tough time keeping up with all my moving parts , but never did they discourage me from moving forward to the next opportunity . So influence # 1 for me ? Great parents and great support growing up ( except for my high school counselor who told me I was in the bottom three of the class and not to have any expectations on making anything good with life ). you can count on it and should expect some , but let them grow and learn and develop . I expect people to work hard , but I also expect to reward them for success throughout the company . We are all in this together . Also , trust in others , trust in society . Don ’ t judge . You have no idea what a person has been through . We all have a story to tell .
Greatest challenge : The rapidly changing environment with technology , employees , food trends , logistics , eating habits , leadership styles , changing strategies , changing designs , social media , and great effective leaders . Each of these , although uniquely different challenges , is important and worked on every day in our organization .
How do others describe you ? I honestly don ’ t know . I hope and believe they would describe me as passionate about life , about business , about food , about people , and that I have professional integrity and am a trusted leader they can depend on . Always available to all levels if something is needed . Maybe , trustworthy of others and I always try to see the good in people . They may also say I need to relax a bit more .
How do you hire and fire , train and retain ? Hiring is the toughest . It ’ s a gut feel for me .
PERSONAL
Key accomplishments : As a franchisee operator we have experienced continued year-over-year growth in both like sites and total sites for seven straight years . Typically , we outperform industry and brand averages , and when we partner with a brand it ’ s a partnership and agreement we uphold to the highest standard of the brand . It ’ s a must if you want to grow . And because we are both a franchisor and a franchisee , we understand how important this can be . To watch so many leaders grow and flourish in this industry from hourly positions to influential leaders . After 25 years , I have many on my team today who began in hourly functions and now hold key leadership roles .
Work week : It ’ s the restaurant business . When is it not seven days a week ?
What are you reading ? Franchise Times , Restaurant Business , Nation ’ s Restaurant News , Restaurant Finance Monitor , Transport Topics , the Bible .
Best advice you ever got : Work hard and keep your nose clean — from my father , a man who worked hard his entire life to support his kids and give them any opportunity he could . High integrity and
It ’ s looking someone in the eyes to get a sense of who they are , and it ’ s hiring attitude over experience . It ’ s hiring drive over knowing it all . At the end of the day I love folks who are stronger and smarter in their jobs than I could be . Everyone talks about the Millennials and how different they are , and how they must have a purpose for working in a job . Millennials are the future ; we just have to adapt some of our teaching habits to stay relevant and give them a reason and purpose to work for you . Training is never-ending and must happen every day . When we stop learning , we stop growing , and when we stop teaching we should find a career we can go get excited about again . Firing is not always tough . When you get to that point and have done everything in your power to give someone success and for whatever reason it does not fit , it should be no surprise to the individual you are asking to leave . You know in your gut it needs to happen . And as bad as it may feel at the time you feel better immediately when it ’ s done — and so do the other folks on the team , who probably felt it coming , too . If you are not improving from the bottom up , you are not improving . Sadly , firing is a necessary part of doing business . As long as you have done everything you can to help people before you fire them , many times you are doing both of you a favor .
hard work and saved every penny he could find , all in support of giving his kids a better opportunity . That and get food delivered to the table : hot food hot and cold food cold . It amazes me today how many people fail at this simple idea . It ’ s tough to execute every day , but when a restaurant does deliver this consistently they win . Last , our time here is short , what legacy do you want to leave ? Don ’ t wait to prepare for it or you will regret it . Life is brief .
What ’ s your passion in business ? People . There is nothing more enjoyable than to watch a young , talented person become passionate and grow into leadership positions . Or , if not growing into a leadership position , then just seeing people do incredible things at the level in life they are comfortable in . Not everyone must be a leader , but everyone can make a difference in others ’ lives . I see it every day . It drives me each and every day . It ’ s no different than watching your child grow and blossom into something special and you see it happen before your own eyes and happen very quickly . This should drive us all .
32 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE III , 2017