A Message FROM THE CHAIRMAN
C
ompany culture is an important part of the success of
any business and it is an integral part of what makes
Buffalo Wild Wings® so special. The culture inside our
restaurants is fun and engaging. Other companies known
for their culture, such as Nike, Google or Zappos, offer free meals or
unlimited vacation days and in doing so are perceived as attractive
places to work. While we clearly do not operate with their margins
and these perks would be out of reach for us, we can operate in
such a way as to engage our team members by coaching in a manner
that treats them as a valued member of our team.
2016 Issue 1 |
THE
SCORE
2
Engagement
is a key component to developing a positive
company culture.
We need our
team members
to do more than
just show up and
complete tasks
every day — we
need them to care about the success of
the company. That can be a challenge, as
people are motivated in different ways
and not all of us are in the position to
dole out all sorts of perks to spark materialistic motivation. However, we are all in
the positon to create a positive environment: one that recognizes achievements,
supports growth and makes coming to
work every day more than a chore. It
doesn’t cost anything to provide on-going
positive, sincere feedback and appreciation. This is what we strive for in our
company.
There are unlimited and creative
ways to accomplish this and you’ll find
insight into how your colleagues are
accomplishing this inside this issue of The
SCORE. It is our hope these insights will
help you in promoting an even healthier
culture in your restaurants — from your
executive-level team members to those
greeting guests in your restaurants.
As chairman, I would be remiss if I
didn’t touch on the culture of our association. We, too, need our members to care
about the success of our organization
— to do more than just pay dues. This is
not the first time I have encouraged our
members to get involved in some way,
nor will it be the last. FBS offers benefits
to everyone, from the one-store operator
to a franchisee with 20 or more stores.
Likewise, we should all take advantage
of those benefits and provide feedback
on ways FBS can add to or improve upon
them.
There is no doubt that 2016 will
prove to be interesting. Some of us have
already survived extreme weather, we
are all bracing for the flurry of activities
brought on by this being a presidential election year and there are sure to
be a host of things we aren’t remotely
expecting. When circumstances around us
— personal or professional — get complicated or overwhelming, it can be easy to
let something like playing an active part
in your association fall to the wayside. But
just like we can’t afford to let something
as important as culture and engagement
slip in our own business, neither can we
with FBS. We must continually promote a
culture of participation.
Speaking of the upcoming election
and participation, Issue 2 of The SCORE
will focus on all things legislative. In
advance of that issue, I encourage you
to get involved in grassroots efforts to
advocate on issues vital to the success our
businesses, in any way you feel comfortable. I think it’s safe to say that most of
us would agree that Washington, D.C.
does NOT have a positive culture and as
voters, it is up to us to change that. But,
more on that next issue.
For now, take some time to think
about your company’s culture. If it’s not
where you want it to be, then seek out
ways to improve it because it starts at the
top. As for FBS, we rely on our members
to help us make this association the best,
most beneficial organization it can be and
we always welcome ideas on how we can
be better for you. Feel free to pass on your
thoughts on how we can improve our
culture and increase every member’s level
of engagement.
Wray Hutchinson