In December 2001, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) published a special issue on Breakthrough Leadership. The define that as ‘leadership that breaks through old habits of thinking to forge new solutions to old problems…….it means breaking through interpersonal barriers that we erect against genuine human contact…..that breaks through the cynicism many people feel about their jobs and helps them find meaning and purpose in what they do….it breaks through the limits imposed by our doubts and fears to achieve more than we believed possible.”
This article and the session at our 2005 Franchisee conference provides ideas and tools to help achieve more than we thought possible! Even if they seem to be doing really well, we can always be better.
Interestingly, the editor of that HBR concludes, “tools...cannot help leader who lacks self knowledge. Ultimately, leadership is personal.”
LEADERSHIP IS PERSONAL
What does that mean? It means that the more we can connect at a heart level with others and inspire them with our character and our behaviors, the stronger a team we forge. I say this at the risk of sounding touchy feely (always a danger with female business speakers!) , but it would appear that these touch feely skills of emotional intelligence are critical for great leadership and business success and growth!
Emotional intelligence , a concept popularised by Daniel Goleman in his book of the same name, has been shown through rigorous research to improve results, often dramatically. It also demonstrates the overwhelming impact of a leaders ‘emotional style’ . Daniel Goleman goes so far as to say ‘ emotional intelligence is carried through an organization like electricity through wires…the leaders mood is quite literally contagious. “ And affects everything. And everyone.
CONNECTION, IT’S CRITICAL
Emotional intelligence is all being connected. Connection is a key to all life let alone business. Research shows us that people who are disconnected from themselves (head and heart disconnected, not knowing yourself) and others (heart to heart disconnect, perceived as distant, insincere or unauthentic) will die earlier of ALL causes.
Being connected not only helps you live longer and healthier but it improves business. Customers come back when they feel a special connection with your team; if your restaurant has a strong community connection and profile, you will have people supporting you over your competitors.
Your employees will work far more effectively and with initiative, loyalty and enthusiasm when they feel they know the real you, that you are authentic with them. It makes you trustworthy and reliable.
Connection is even more important for women who operate particularly strongly through this value, break a woman’s trust , make her feel disconnected from you and her family will never eat at your restaurant again!
Find ways to reconnect with yourself and others and watch your business transform. Some specific techniques that will help you to connect in all ways include:
Letting go, lightening up and not taking life so seriously; encouraging others to have that same spirit so your customers feel it when they come in; they discover a haven that lightens their spirit each time they visit your restaurant, so they want to return just because they feel good every time they do. Drop that baggage you have been carrying around forever, not only is it making you sick (literally) but it’s creating barriers between you and others. When you model for your team that attitude, they will adopt it as well.
Having fun at work, creating an environment where people really enjoy what they do and laugh often and out loud will generate more energy than you thought possible! It stops staff turnover and makes you an employer of choice, when people see they can have fun AND work professionally. Customers do not have a lot of fun every day, their lives are full of stress and strain. If you can make eating with the family a fun relaxing experience they will visit you far more often! It’s a secret weapon against the ‘big boys’. How often have you visited another fast food chain and been greeted with a happy, smiling team, not just one person - who seem to be having a great time; an environment which makes you feel good just to be around? That’s the secret weapon!
Greeting people differently!
Why not do something completely different? When you greet people with ‘hi how you doin’’ or ‘how are you’, you are one of millions! In fact, often you might just say ‘hello’ to people and they answer ‘fine thanks!’ because they are so used to people saying ‘hi how are you?’ that the fact you just said ‘hi’ doesn’t even register! Be different, stand out from everyone else and have everyone in your restaurant greet your guests with ‘hi, what’s the best thing that happened to you today?’! I know it’s different but it works! Use it at staff meetings to change the mood of the group; it creates an atmosphere of optimism and also makes people feel better because their chemical makeup changes when they recall happy events. Another secret weapon!
Make people’s eyes sparkle!
When someone is in love, enthusiastic, excited or motivated about something, what do their eyes do? They sparkle! Everyone knows this but rarely do leaders recognize that it is the best customer service tool there is! If you can have managers who make the team’s eyes sparkle, then that sparkle spreads out to the customers. If your team has a specific directive to make the eyes of everyone you meet sparkle, then imagine the positive effects! It’s so easy to make someone feel special, a simple comment on how they look, a sincere smile; a genuine enquiry about their day, these are all ways that can transform your restaurant into a positive spirited, optimistic and energized place. But….as the HBR pointed out, YOU have to do it first!
Acknowledge and recognize others, for ANY achievement.
Most leaders underestimate the power of recognition. It is the NUMBER ONE thing that people want in life. Everyone wants to feel they are special; that what they do is appreciated; they want people to notice if they put in special effort or do something above and beyond their job description. They want to feel cared for and that their contribution matters. How often do you do this? We need simple and new ways to build recognition into daily life so it becomes a part of the culture you are creating. I can’t write about this easily so we will be covering this in the presentation on our first morning.
Being Grateful as a way of living.
Gratitude is the antidote to misery, pessimism, depression, lethargy and a host of other unwanted behaviors. Your gratitude for the work your managers and employees do and for the opportunities you have had, will flow through directly and impact your team. When they live with an attitude of gratitude as Keith Harrell says (I know you know him!), they will work with an attitude of gratitude and the will make your life a LOT easier!
Right here Right now! is where I will be in March 2005 and I am looking forward to giving you a lot more skills of emotional intelligence, putting the heart and fun back into business, things that will give you a new perspective and new ideas to help you meet the challenges you face daily running busy and profitable restaurants in a world of heavy competition.
PS it would be ‘Right Here Right Now’ if I did not model everything we will be talking about, so get ready for a fun filled, information rich, eye sparkling, exciting and uplifting session!
