How (and Why) to Be a Beloved Manager
Posted by estiator at 11 September, at 14 : 58 PM Print
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach
Over the past several months, there has been a tectonic shift in the labor market. Spirited by the dearth of restaurant workers available to fill positions (due largely to outrageous unemployment benefits that make it more profitable to stay home than to return to work), restaurant workers have become increasingly demanding, disloyal, and indifferent to the needs of the business. They hold the cards, and, in many cases, they are playing them to win.
Frustrated managers and owners, then, are struggling to find a way to manage them as the familiar methods (particularly any that include disciplinary measures) are proving ineffective. In this climate, one of the most effective managers is the manager that is beloved by staff, provided he or she is beloved for the right reasons.
Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not advocating that managers lie down and allow everyone to do as they please. You can’t let the staff get away with murder, but at the same time, you can’t be a tyrant. Find the middle path.
That path begins by understanding that it’s more effective to lead people than to micromanage them. And take it one step further: It’s more effective to coach, encourage, and mentor individuals than to berate them and barrage them with constant corrections.
The key to becoming a beloved manager is in accepting the fact that staff love a manager who helps them to become their best selves. Most people aspire to something greater; it’s part of human nature. As such, understand each individual’s abilities and potential and help them to improve. Help them to achieve that potential. For some, it means moving up the ladder, and for others it means becoming more effective in the position they are in. For a server who has no potential to grow from their position, then, help them to grow within their position: Allow them to optimize their earning potential by providing better service, handling a larger section, and finding greater satisfaction in their job.
To be beloved, your staff has to trust that you have their interests and well-being at heart. They should understand that the business is your priority but that you are also committed to their individual needs. To accomplish this, understand that it is your mission to be a resource to them, someone from whom they can learn and to whom they can turn for answers. They need to know they can turn to you for support.
It’s more effective to coach, encourage, and mentor individuals than to berate them.
Again, staff love a leader and not a manager. And the best way to be a leader is to lead by example. Expect a lot from your staff, but show them how it’s no different for you. Don’t direct staff not to walk over straw wrappers on the floor if you won’t bend down to pick them up yourself. The best way to show them how they should be is to model the behavior for them without calling it out as such. The fallback position should always be for you to Do Things Right and Do the Right Thing. This is what you want from your staff, so this is what you have to demonstrate to them with your actions. Always.
A beloved manager doesn’t condescend to the staff; he or she respects their intelligence. A beloved manager is generous with compliments, with positive reinforcement, and with his/her time. Never allow yourself to be consumed with negativity. Keep negative thoughts about your individual staff members out of your head; they can read you, and you’ll lose your ability to reach them as a result. Don’t be petty about minor things. It’s very easy to get upset over every little thing, but it works against you.
Be generous. Every once in a while, do something nice and unexpected: Bring in a bowl of candy; give out a gift card. And be magnanimous: If a server worked a shift where he/she only had one or two tables, buy them lunch.
But be careful not to be a pushover, because they will lose respect for you. Don’t be a wimp; be strong in your convictions, as long as those convictions are beyond reproach. Treat everyone the same while also managing to their individual competency levels—strong servers get busier sections, and dependable people get better shifts. If a server calls out on Saturdays, then take them off Saturdays; they will be upset about it, but that’s on them.
The most important thing to remember is that it’s not all about YOU; your staff should understand that it’s about the guest first, and then about the staff.
Finally, don’t go about trying to get the staff to love you. That approach will only elicit a phony loyalty. You want the love to be genuine. To the point that they don’t want to disappoint you.
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.
