ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - May 12, 2006

I've rather gotten used to this leisure life. Hard to think that tomorrow we start on the long road back. First a two-hour drive to Nice and a flight to Paris. Overnight at the airport and then a LONG day in the air before arriving back in Seattle on Sunday evening.

Some of you are old enough to remember an airline ad that said "Getting there is half the fun." That sure isn't the case anymore ... but BEING there is still worth the hassle. I recommend it highly.

RELAXIN’ ON THE RIVER
For the past week we have been enjoying our little stone house on the river outside of the town of L'Isle Sur la Sorgue in northern Provence. The river's source is only a few miles from here, so the water flows by steadily ... and crystal clear. Very relaxing.

This has been a good trip, but we are ready to get back to more of a routine and a few of the creature comforts that we realize we take for granted. Besides, I have all sorts of great new ideas and a couple of great events in June that I am anxious to get back to work on.

This has been our annual corporate meeting. Before you chuckle too much at that, you should realize that the only job the leader cannot delegate is the vision - - that sense of where we are going and what it is going to take to get us there. Vision comes when your mind is quiet, not in the middle of a 16-hour work day.

When your mind quiets down you tap into a flow of wisdom that is far deeper than anything you can access consciously. This is the realm of common sense, perspective and insight. This is where you see the bigger picture and the path to get you there. Never underestimate the business value of quiet time.

Follow along with the daily diary.

AN UNHAPPY CAMPER
A week ago a subscriber canceled his subscription to the EHC because, he said, it only consisted of where I am traveling, pitches to buy stuff, the survey and what did you learn from your staff today. He said that the tangible insights were rare and that he "considers it an insult to tell me how you are spending so much money when the rest of us are struggling just to pay the bills." Whew!

I gladly took him off the list ... but as with any complaint, there is always something to learn if you are willing to look for it. It occurred to me that if he misunderstood what I was doing, some of you might also have missed a point or two, so let me clarify a few things.

First of all, the idea behind putting out a newsletter at all is to create a stronger connection with the reader. Research has shown that by humanizing the writer (in this case, me ... for your newsletter, you), readers tend to identify more closely and are more loyal. The point here is that if you are going to put out a newsletter, whether in print or online, you should put a bit of yourself in there, warts and all. Don't make it all about you, of course, but don't be anonymous either.

Secondly, insights are where you find them. Things that get me thinking in new directions may be old hat to some of you ... and I have also had people say they were moved by things that I thought of as a throw-away comment. All I ever promise to do is give you my take on what I see, what I think it might mean and how it impacts my thinking. What you do with it is up to you. I don't even care if you agree with me or not. Often you won't ... but if I get you thinking, I feel I have accomplished something important.

Third, I do make offers to you ... and it would be irresponsible not to. You wouldn't put out your own newsletter without letting your readers know what you have for them ... would you? I trust there is enough other content to keep any commercial notes, such as they are, from dominating the message but the EHC is a free service and I do have a business to run ... just like you do.

Finally, despite the fact that my three weeks in Europe probably cost less than you spend taking the family to Disney World for a week (frequent flyer miles are a wonderful thing!), it is important to me ... and I think, to anyone working for themselves ... to arrange things so that their work supports the life they want to live. If you can't set things up that way, what's the point of being your own boss?

So if you are "struggling just to pay the bills" while others are living life the way you would like to, you shouldn't feel insulted, you should feel embarrassed. Get past your own ego , find out what they know that you don't and put it to work for you! Who's running your business anyway?

PS: Please let me know your thoughts on this ... no matter whether you agree with my thinking or not. All feedback helps the cause.

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
One of the projects that brings me back from the old country is the upcoming Leadership From the Inside Out program scheduled for June in Nashville. As you may recall, we offered a $500 early registration scholarship for anyone who applied before April 30th. That deadline, of course, has passed.

If I had been in the office, I would have sent out several reminder notices and done all those things you must do to nudge restaurant operators into stopping long enough to check out this amazing program. With me being on the road in Europe, that did not happen.

Rather than penalize you for lapses caused by my travel schedule, Robert Kausen and I have decided to extend the scholarship offer until I return from this trip on the 15th.

This means you only have UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT to take a look at the website and get a sense for what it is that we are offering. This will be the only time this year that we will offer this program ... and I promise the principles you will learn will change your life. They certainly changed mine.

This June, 36 operators will uncover their own secrets to creating an effortless organization and regaining control of their lives. Will you be among them?

The LIO Program is not at all like school ... or any other conference you have attended. The learning comes from your own insights rather than a canned curriculum. As your thinking starts to shift and your understanding deepens, you will become aware of more and more exciting new possibilities.

You certainly want to find out more about this unique program.

PS: We will not extend the scholarship offer a second time. Click on the link below and find out the whole story about Leadership From the Inside Out while you can still save some serious cash.

Click here to g et the whole story on LIO 2006.

THE MAY SURVEY
A couple of months ago we took a look at motivation and incentives. This month we look at Rewards and Recognition.

At first glance, these two topics might appear to be the same. Depending on your definitions, there certainly could be common elements ...but I want to approach it from the aspect of ongoing practices and policies that encourage excellence.

As usual, I will provide a compilation of all the responses to everyone who contributes to this project. Just click on the link below to participate in the April survey.

You can download copies of all past EHC surveys (http://www.restaurantdoctor.com/surveys.html) including the massive WOW Ideas collection.

Click here to add your thoughts to the May survey.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

In the past month I was moved to another dining area to learn the operation. A dining area supervisor was very disturbed an approached me about a part- timer being insubordinate with her. In listening to her, I realized that there is a lack of communication within this division between other staff and her and between her and the leadership of the division.

I couldn't offer any immediate remedies, but did offer to bring it up with the manager of the division who is also my supervisor. He has briefed me about this staff member as being a very challenging person to work with and he doesn't want to deal with it. There seems to be a unofficial consensus among all employees to avoid her as much as possible, akin to a lack of motivation with everyone as the leadership isn't interested in dealing with it.

Some staff believe in the manager with a deep sense of trust that he points in the right direction. When it's not pointed in the right direction it can mislead employees and giving them a false sense of being correct all the time. This employee finds it very challenging to go about supervising the servers during her shift.

It is also frustrating to me as I am unable to implement anything as far as telling employees what they should or shouldn't do. I can only make suggestions to the manager. -- Mohammed Zafar, UMass Dining Services, Amherst, MA

This is a great example of how the level of understanding of the leader impacts the performance of the organization ... for better or for worse. It is too easy to lay the blame for a problem with something going on "out there," either with another employee or a condition in the economy ... but it is never the truth.

Once you start to understand what makes people tick, you will begin to see common sense approaches to even the most difficult situations like the one Mohammed describes. Suddenly (or so it seems) the dynamics of the organization settle down and people start working smoothly together. Helping you gain this perspective is what the LIO Program is all about.

How do you accomplish something as staggering as this? It starts by listening ... with respect and humility. You start to ask better questions and listen more carefully to the answers. You realize that for things to change, it must start with you adopting a different perspective ... and you find that easier to do the more you practice it.

Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable -- management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question ... and you can add comments as often as you want. Just click on the link below and contribute your insights for the common good (and your own as well!)

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

WHERE’S WALDO?
Since people often ask, here are some upcoming public events where you can attend a seminar or an event with the Doc:
* May 22, NRA Show, Chicago, IL
* June 6-7, SYSCO Maryland, Baltimore & northern Virginia
* June 12-13, Leadership From the Inside Out, Nashville, TN
* June 20-22, Pizza Insight SuperConference, Las Vegas, NV
* Sept 13-14, Northeast Pizza Expo, Atlantic City, NJ
* Sept 20-21, Maryland Restaurant Expo, Baltimore, MD
* Sept 25-26, Super Summit 2006, Charleston, SC
* October 17, New Hampshire Hospitality Expo, Manchester, NH

Contact me for more details.

© 2006 Restaurant Doctor