Constant, Gentle Pressure
Posted by estiator at 16 December, at 05 : 06 AM Print
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach
Ι tell them the same things over and over every day, and they still don’t do it right.” The complaint is one I hear over and over every day, and still, the managers and owners aren’t getting it—there are ways to get through to staff members and ways to create barriers that pretty much guarantee you’ll never get through.
The key to getting past this frustration and this complaint is to understand that, fundamentally, it is your job as a manager or as an owner to continually communicate, monitor and coach your team to meet your expectations. Restaurateru Danny Meyer, founder of Shake Shack and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group (Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Café, Blue Smoke), has through the course of his career become a guru for restaurant management. Meyer has described a phenomenon he calls his “saltshaker” theory.
In it, he posits that there are forces that conspire to displace the placement of the saltshaker on a table; forces that are natural and perhaps unintentional, but real nonetheless. An effective manager will not let this fact frustrate him or her, but recognize it and accomplish his/her primary job of establishing a culture of excellence in spite of that fact.
Meyer’s helpful approach can be summed up like this: Acknowledge that you will never stop giving the same directions over and over.
Don’t get frustrated by the fact that you will be repeating those instructions for the life of your career.
Don’t ever relent in giving those same direction, and don’t ever give up your efforts or diminish your standards, because when you do, you have given up on your business and it’s time to quit.
“Your staff and your guests are always moving your saltshaker off center,” he writes in his book, Setting the Table. “That’s their job. It is the job of life. It’s the law of entropy! Until you understand that, you’re going to get pissed off every time someone moves the saltshaker off center. It is not your job to get upset.”
“I send my managers an unequivocal message: I’m going to be extremely specific as to where every component on that tabletop belongs.”
According to Meyer, the job of a manager or owner is to move the shaker back each time and let staff members know exactly what you stand for. “Let them know what excellence looks like to you,” he writes. “And if you’re ever willing to let them decide where the center is, then I want you to give them the keys to the store.”
“Wherever your center lies, know it, name it, stick to it, and believe in it,” he asserts. “Everyone who works with you will know what matters to you and will respect and appreciate your unwavering values. …when you cede your core values to someone else, it’s time to quit.” Understanding the “saltshaker theory,” says Meyer, was the revelation behind the managerial style he calls “constant, gentle pressure.”
“It’s the way I return the saltshaker to the center each time life moves it,” he writes. “I send my managers an unequivocal message: I’m going to be extremely specific as to where every component on that tabletop belongs. I anticipate that outside forces, including you, will always conspire to change the table setting. Every time that happens, I’m going to move everything right back to the way it should be”. “That’s the constant aspect,” he insists. “I’ll never re-center the saltshaker in a way that denies you your dignity. That’s the gentle aspect. But standards are standards, and I’m constantly watching every table and pushing back on every saltshaker that’s moved, because excellent performance is paramount. That’s the pressure. Constant, gentle pressure is my preferred technique for leadership, guidance, and coaching. It’s the job of any business owner to be very clear as to the company’s nonnegotiable core values.”
Meyer’s style marries a Zen-like awareness with a firm, unwavering adherence to standards and an approach that recognizes an individual’s dignity. At the end, staff members can’t be frustrated, because you are managing to a standard they all understand. It’s communicated verbally, and in your own actions, and is embedded in your company’s culture. These facts make the pressure acceptable because, at the end of the day, when they look in the mirror, they can recognize where they fall short in meeting those standards. The pressure that you apply is tempered, then, by an internal admission and, hopefully, a self-applied pressure to uphold the restaurant’s standards and meet your expectations.
Constantine Kolitsas is the president of CNK Consulting, a restaurant consultant and coaching business. he can be reached at 203-947-6234 or at ckolitsas@gmail.com.
