A note on Leadership inside the Food Industry. �LEADING THE LEADERS� When someone takes a job as a Manager, it is the most common idea at the time, that you know what to do and how to do it and the truth is that when you come into a new job, you are �new�. Your experience will accelerate and facilitate the process of learning but the reality is that you do not know much about the company, the policies and the particular goals that have been set up with a lot of work from the executives. During the training period, we show our capacity to learn, but the capacity to lead appears in the performance on the floor and the interaction with the people we manage. During this second process, having a good leader and a good team is important. Being accepted and integrated immediately to the team is basic to perform with efficiency. It is not difficult to believe that large companies end up tripping very often over their own policies as they forget to provide leadership to their managers. People with no direction will act the way they think is right and that is �too many choices�. We look back sometimes as Managers or Assistant Managers, and our initial encounters with the food industry, that looked full of opportunities. It is disappointing at times to hear how easy we can lose our jobs because we do not perform �as expected� when it is hard to know exactly what was expected to begin with. There is a saying that goes, �Practice what you preach� and truly, it is a hard task for many executives in large companies. They all go telling their management that �this should be done� or �that has to happen�, but at the same time they are so busy that they can not stop and show people how to do what they think they�re suppose to be doing. This is considering all the factors that could be an influence to an operation, good and bad influence. The proper exposure to the goals (cost and sales, etc..) and the reasons that motivate the top executives to look for those goals are the main weapons to build a good Management Team, one that makes sense at the time of operating our units providing results. The help, support, and mostly the exposure to what the company expects from each one of the new elements are essential. The constant motivation is important to get the best performance. Coaching, like in the major leagues, is to be there during training as well as at the stadium, with the team, and when someone has problems, do anything to save that player from becoming insecure, unstable, afraid. The reasons that make a manager afraid are basically the economic problems that could come from losing their jobs and that atmosphere also affects deeply their performance. But now, the way of thinking started changing and it is more important for the company to keep their management than to send them home. The challenge is that if we have a manager with poor performance, we need to find the way to bring him up to standards. The way we motivate to bring high morale inside our management is one of the main ingredients to build profitable units. Every Assistant Manager should be a prepared team member for a General Manager�s position, ready to handle all administrative, technical and human relation�s challenges of the business. Great benefits will come to our company from a concerned team, loyal to their company because of being trained and led with care. Good attitude and sense of urgency to prepare and perform our job translate in profit. Better service will bring repeat business and the well being will influence the creativity to promote and participate in better sales and cost control. Before: Risks and Survival inside a Company. Now: Love and respect for our jobs and care for our company. The successful attitude is contagious and runs down fast to the hourly levels. Training and direction can build leaders. The evaluation of the performance comes through various channels, QSC�s are the main ingredient of Headquarters evaluation for each unit. This is acceptable to a point, because the reality of things is that this evaluation tool often becomes a weapon against management or a legal coverage or else. It is not providing the ingredients to work with the units evaluating their particular needs and acting upon them. Unfortunately it will scare people so much that almost everyone is expecting to lose their heads anytime, in an undercover game. From my professional point of view, we get hundreds of QSC�s everyday here at our stores and our performance should be to the best of our abilities, at all times. The criteria of a person in particular over the multiple situations that a restaurant encounters on a daily basis, it is not reason to give warning notices and create fear between the loyal team that runs our stores. When we were hired, the company decided we were worth the trust to take a management position. A proposal could be to create a Training and Team Building project that concentrates on the management needs and evaluates the exposure that each one needs to become an expert in the company�s philosophy and policies, as well as the proper procedures in every administrative aspect of the operation. This project will also concentrate efforts on motivation and build a close relation with corporate. I believe, learning from Dr. Demming, Dr. Coby and other creators of the philosophy of participation (main ingredient of the ISO 9000 �9014 programs) that we need to create commitment within the groups directed by their own leaders, their managers. The opinions based on experience provided by all personnel and trained key hourly leaders are of great importance but the big item is the group commitment when the leaders build this participation. The way we could operate will be based on your direction and we will report directly to you. Nevertheless, the Regional Supervisor will participate providing the necessary information that will guide the program to assist the teams with their immediate needs. Further comments and development of my proposal can be provided to you upon request and I look forward to collaborating with the company to make a great place even better. If we direct some of the promotional budget giving direction to our teams, the promotions will work better and provide higher economic results. Good attitude and group discipline will reflect in labor savings. A motivated and concentrated team will have fewer accidents and will respect the programs. Motivation will create personal security for the members of our teams and they will work harder for the company goals. We can not just be full of expectations when we hire somebody. We need to �Lead the Leaders�. Carlos Marin. Marketing Director MexiGusto Group |