I was recently asked if I would like to participate in the nation capital’s upcoming 5K charity walk for women’s cancer, the Walk for Hope.

I spoke to my daughter Macey about it, and at the ripe old age of 7, she jumped at the chance to join! At the time, I had no idea how meaningful the opportunity to help would be to her, and our family as a whole. Immediately springing into action, my daughter customized her own charity web page, baked cookies for potential sponsors, and went door to door collecting offline donations in our neighborhood. She asked permission to call some of my contacts, she sent emails to family/friends, she reached out to her Brownie troop, spoke to her teacher, and was even invited to lunch with her principal today (WOW!).

Watching Macey through this process, I saw 3 powerful life lessons in play:

1. Treat a person as she is, and she will remain as she is. Treat her as she could be, and she will become what she should be.

2. Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.

3. Don’t coast just because you hit your goals (when she smashed her initial $1,000 goal with plenty of time remaining, she adjusted her goal to $2,500).

A very generous donor, Belfort Furniture, has offered to match every dollar her team raises. So Macey’s new pitch is, “A $5 donation turns into $10, and $10 CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!”

You can check out Macey’s personal page here and OF COURSE any donations would make her day, go to a great cause, and get her a step closer to her ultimate goal of raising $5,000!

A very proud dad!,

The most important decision we make in business is WHO we hire. These people instantly become the face of our business. Selecting the right people truly makes or breaks us.

Given the gravity of the situation, it surprises me how cavalier most operators are when checking references.

I recently asked a room of around 100 owners/managers how many had hired new staff in the last six months WITHOUT checking references. About 90 hands went up!

I have checked hundreds of references myself, and over 50% of all candidates are dropped from consideration after just 1 or 2 reference calls.

Here are 3 Tips for Checking References:

1.       Don’t waste your time speaking with references listed on the resume. You don’t think the applicant is going to list a person they haven’t prepped beforehand, do you? At the screening interview, establish some NEW references (make it the candidate’s responsibility to get a direct phone number and convenient time to call).

2.       Ask questions of the reference related to YOUR Core Values. e.g., “We are fanatical about cleanliness; how do you think Sara would hold up in our environment?”

3.       Finally, at the end of the reference call: “Given the benefit of hindsight, how would you have managed Mike differently?”

Reference calls should be upbeat and conversational – not a dry Q&A.

Getting this right will minimize the chance of hiring the wrong person.

Good luck!,

The recession has forced many of you to make serious cutbacks to weather the storm.

As it turns out, many of these fiscal cuts just “trimmed the fat” and still make sense for the bottom line. Getting back to peak operations will require some adjustment.

Sure, the economy is still less than ideal, but businesses I see ACCELERATING OUT OF THE RECESSION have begun to reinvest in the 3 areas that separate GOOD businesses from GREAT businesses:

1. MARKETING - How much time, energy and money did you spend last month introducing new business to your venue?
2. EDUCATION - How many hours were invested last month teaching your team how to better deliver to the customers you already have?
3. CELEBRATION - Who won team member of the quarter last month? When is your next staff outing planned for? How much FUN is it to work for you? Be honest!

The world of business does not stand still. Right now, your BUSINESS IS EITHER GROWING OR DECAYING!

Decay happens TO you. Growth must be done BY you.

Score your team on the 3 criteria above to get a sense of your acceleration.

Pedal to the metal!,

It has never been more important to be in tune with your customers. They are talking online and you better be listening (and in many cases responding)!

As a restaurant owner, I studied my competitors fiercely. Sometimes I learned ways to improve my business, and other times I witnessed evidence of what happens when corners are cut!

For those of you not using GOOGLE ALERTS to keep tabs on your business – and others – you need to start… TODAY.

This free service is akin to having a hundred (unpaid) employees constantly trolling the net to find any mention of your restaurants (or whatever key words you command it to look for). Google then emails you every time you are mentioned online.

NOW I suggest that you take this TWO STEPS FURTHER:

1. Assign 2-3 competitors to each member of your management team.

2. Have a 30-minute meeting twice a month and present to each other. What are customers RAVING about and COMPLAINING about?

Top operators have been doing this for years. It is now SIMPLE and AFFORDABLE for all.

Chart the feedback each month, and don’t forget to compare your own venue to the competition.

Finger on the pulse,

Yesterday morning I grabbed a coffee and a table at a Starbucks across from my hotel in NYC. The place was buzzing, a terrific vibe. The staff were having fun, the music was great, customers were engaged. I took a break from my emails and thought to myself, “Wow, this is why people pay $5 for a coffee.”

What a difference a day (and a supervisor) make! This morning I went to the same store, at the same time in the morning. Two of the three staff members from the day before were working, but the atmosphere and tempo were TOTALLY different. The venue seemed a little darker and even a little dirtier (as the staff were not hustling to keep tables clean). There were no smiles, no vibe.

Oddly enough, my $5 coffee didn’t seem to taste as good!

I had to ask one of the employees that worked the day before if SHE noticed the difference. She laughed and replied, “Of course I do. I am thankful that I only have to work with this supervisor a couple of times a week!”

It reminded me that people don’t quit jobs - THEY QUIT MANAGERS. And so do your customers.

Show me happy staff and I will show you happy customers. THE OPPOSITE IS ALSO TRUE.

Everyone is allowed to have a bad day – just make sure it doesn’t happen while they are getting paid to be the face of YOUR business.

High on caffeine!,