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How to build a great culture

It is interesting to hear so many organizations talk about “Culture” and how they want to have a great culture.  Unfortunately so many companies talk about culture during the onboarding process but then fail to follow that up with action.  Our company needs to be one that follows that statement up with daily actions to prove to our team members that we walk the talk!  Below I have listed 11 steps to help create and maintain a “Culture of Greatness”.

  • 1. Everyone must know the vision.  I remember reading that when Kennedy was president and he was trying to get a man on the moon that even the janitor at NASA when asked what his job was said “to put a man on the moon.”  Talk about everyone knowing vision and goals.
  • 2. Everyone must know the rules.  We must be clear on what we expect from all members of our team.  We must be clear on what we expect to see as well as what we will not tolerate. 
  • 3. We must lead with a positive attitude.  As leaders we set the tone.  Our attitude will determine the direction and eventual destination of our company.
  • 4. We must serve others first.  Remember that no one cares about what you know, they first want to know if you care.  The best way to show others that you care is to serve others first.  We only succeed as a team if the individual team members are successful.  If we help others achieve their goals, we will naturally accomplish our goals.
  • 5. We need to be intentional.  We can work 100 hours a week and have a worse culture than if we worked 50 hours a week but made those 50 hours count.  We need to be clear and specific on all of our communication.  Use SMART goals when setting daily, weekly or monthly goals with the team.
  • 6. We must hold everyone accountable, including ourselves.  Setting goals is a waste of time if there is no accountability.  We need to be an organization where we can all help hold each other accountable.  As we give feedback and direction the course may change a bit but the end destination remains the same.  We need to stop giving and also stop allowing excuses.  One team member not performing has a negative impact on those that do perform.  
  • 7. We need to empower others.  Setting goals and giving feedback is what leads to empowerment.  We need to give our team members the vision, the goal and then the freedom to accomplish the task. 
  • 8. We must have a 360 degree view.  We need to learn from the past, be engaged in the present and realize the future impact every action we take  
  • 9. Remember that details matter.  This is what makes the difference between good and great companies.  Great companies do the little tasks that the good companies choose to ignore or say “good enough.”  Good enough is the true enemy of great.  
  • 10. We must show appreciation.  Use our scoop cards as the ultimate way to show appreciation for a job well done.  The more we can recognize and reward positive behavior the more it will most likely be repeated.  Remember to praise in public as much as possible.     
  • 11. We must be transparent & ask for feedback.  Team members in today’s culture want to work for a company where they feel like there is full transparency and where the have a voice. 
  • Please feel free to leave a comment with any other tips for creating a “culture of greatness”
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Hiring The Right Person

  • I wanted to talk a little bit about hiring today.  When you look at your business your #1 asset should be viewed as your people.  As odd as it sounds, our #1 job as an interviewer is to not hire the wrong person.  It is a lot easier at the end of the day to spend more time hiring the right person as opposed to spending all of your time and energy managing the wrong one.  How involved are you in the hiring process?  The hiring process shapes the direction of the store and ultimately your future.  Who is in charge of this key profit center?
  • I read that Steve Jobs personally interviewed 5,000 people while he was at Apple.  Talk about feeling that the future path of his company was driven by hiring the right people. 
  • There are many people that believe hiring the right people is even more important than the direction your company is going.  It doesn’t matter where you want to go if you have the wrong people you will never get there.  One common pitfall we face is that we often times have to hire under pressure.  This almost always leads to a poor hiring decision just to fill the position with a body.  We need to stay ahead of the game and always be hiring for the future.  This lets us be more selective in the type of person we think will fill the position.
  • One of the biggest mistakes that most of us make during an interview is that we are looking for reasons to hire the candidate so subconsciously we ignore some not so great answers.  Our brain hears what it wants to justify the hire.  We should go into every interview with the mindset of why I shouldn’t hire this candidate.  If we have this thought on our mind those questionable responses will stand out. Most people think that if they grant someone an interview they have to hire the person.  Great hiring decisions are all about eliminating the wrong candidate. 
  • If it isn’t a hell yes, it should be a no.  I heard this on a podcast once and it has stuck in my brain ever since.  Think about the person and decide if they are a “Hell Yes” applicant.  Remember by saying yes to a mediocre applicant may prevent you from even meeting a “Hell Yes” applicant. 
  • Some common phrases by an applicant to watch out for during the interview: I need a job, I need money, My parents want me to get a job, I left my last job because they didn’t appreciate me.  Be cautious if they are negative about past employers, or if they are unable to answer your questions.  I am amazed how many people will simply not answer an interview question.
  • Here are a few interview questions to ask potential job seekers to open up a bit:
  • 1.  Tell me what you feel is your biggest accomplishment to date.  (This works well even for teenagers with no prior job experience)  Ask them to walk you through the whole process from planning to executing to measuring results to final accomplishment. 
  • 2. Describe yourself as a brand.  Give me a 30 second commercial about yourself that would make me go out and hire you.  What sets your brand apart?  What do you stand for? 
  • 3. If you had $1 Million and you could start your own business, what would it be?  Why?  (This can give you a great insight into what really drives this person)
  • 4. How would you describe hard work?
  • 5. What do you expect from this job or working at this company?  In other words, what does this applicant feel entitled to by working here…
  • 6. Keep asking why.  Some interviews can go 30 minutes on 1 question.  After the initial answer ask a deeper question on the initial question.  Ask why this or why that?  Ask how this or how that?  Ask them to explain something in further detail.
  • Hopefully these few tips and questions can help us all build an amazing team!
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The Power of 2 Minutes

  • I wanted to post a quick idea surrounding the power of the 2 minute rule.  As people look to become more efficient and productive this is one tip that I like to suggest.  Create and follow your own set of two minute rules.  Below are a few 2 minute rules I believe can help you get more accomplished in your day.
  • 1. If a task takes less than 2 minutes, get it done.  Don’t put it on a list or try to delegate the item.  If it was someone else’s responsibility but it needs to get done, get it done then coach the other person as to why you had to take control.  Again you can remind them that it didn’t even take you two minutes to get it done.  This is one big difference between “try” and “do”.
  • 2. Meetings.  30 Two minute meetings will usually see better results than One 60 minute meeting.  Think about how many times you can direct and guide your team in under 2 minutes.  The other great part about this is that it feels informal and less like a critique.   
  • 3.  If you see it, coach it.  This is along the same lines but this also puts you on the clock to say something within 2 minutes of the incorrect behavior.  It has more impact if you can coach an item as it is being done incorrectly vs. talking to someone the next day.
  • 4. Negative thoughts.  If something goes wrong try to follow the two minute rule and after two minutes let it go and don’t let it bother you anymore.  There is no upside at all to remaining angry about something for days and days.  Remember every minute you spend mad is a minute lost in your life.
  • 5. Ask for a solution.  If a person comes to you with a problem and you are not sure if you have the time or the desire to deal with it ask them for a possible solution.  This also works well in a conflict situation.  Ask the person what they would like to see for the outcome.  If you like the idea it then turns into automatic delegation, if you don’t like the idea you can always say let me think about that and then follow up with an alternative solution.  
  • 6. Keep of a list of problems.  For one week keep a journal of every problem that someone brought to your attention.  It will take you only a few seconds to write each one down.  Decide if each problem really needs to be brought to you or could you redirect the person to someone else to help get a solution in the future. 
  • My goal is that you could have read this in under 2 minutes but I may have went a little over.  I hope these tips help you get more accomplished in the course of your day.
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“Effort” – Another item you can control!

  • “There is a remarkable difference between 99% and 100% commitment.”  This statement has been the signature on my email for almost 5 years.  Every time I communicate with someone via email I ask myself if what I just said or did lives up to this statement.  There has actually been a time or two where I have had to delete the signature line because I felt as though my actions would fall short of that statement.  At the same time there have been numerous times where I have rewritten the email or offered a different solution based on this simple statement.    
  • Last week we talked about choosing our attitude every day, this week we will discuss the other aspect of our life we have control over, effort.  Like our attitude, the amount of effort we put forth is in our hands.  Your chances of success and achieving great results are infinitely multiplied if you bring a positive attitude and 100% effort every day.  Like a positive attitude, 100% effort is a choice and does require some hard work.     
  • We all have 186 hours in every week.  Think about what you accomplish and how you feel at the end of each week.  How is it that some people accomplish great things and are in a great mood at the end of the week where others don’t accomplish anything and feel terrible about themselves at the end of the very same week?  The biggest difference between the two is the attitude and the effort put forth.  Below I will talk about 5 strategies to help explain how to achieve more at the end of the week by giving 100% effort.
  • 1. The first step in achieving 100% effort is “showing up“.  Whatever is expected of you for a given day, the number 1 thing we must to do achieve success is to show up.  Colin Cowherd once said on ESPN that “grinders win.”  This statement really hits home when I think about some of the great players and coaches that have achieved great success: Cal Ripken, Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan, Nick Saban, Vince Lombardi and Tiger Woods.  Think about what it took these people to reach the heights they have reached.  They were relentless and gave 100% effort every day to their craft.  They were laser focused on what they needed to do each and every day to improve.  I put Tiger Woods in this group because he really demonstrates both sides of the coin.  Think about his career when he was focused and had no distractions, he was on top of the world.  Now think about his career when he lost focus and stopped putting in 100% effort, he has faded into the pack.  
  • 2. Be present and engaged.  Just showing up is part of the battle.  Some people can work 80 hours a week but what do they really get done?  As I mentioned earlier we all only have 186 hours in each week, if we are going to spend time doing something we should try to get most out of our investment.  If we are present and engaged we tend to make better and more effective decisions and really have a pulse on the situation.
  • 3.  Work Up not Down.  When we talk about valuing our time and getting the most out of the time we put towards an activity, we need to remember to work up, not down.  Working down is the main way where we can put forth 100% effort and get nothing in return.  We need to make sure that we are focused on the tasks that will yield the greatest results.  As a leader, we need to make sure that we do not spend too much of our time working solely on team member tasks.  If we can direct, coach and give 5 team members 5 tasks to complete that would be equal to you trying to accomplish those 25 tasks on your own.  As you want to move up in an organization the person above you will notice two things: a) if they have to work down to help you complete your work OR b) if you are able to work up and help them achieve the desired results of the organization.   
  • 4.  Pay Attention To the Details.  The main difference between a good company and a great company is paying attention to the details.  Do you complete a task at 100% or do you just get it done by cutting a few corners?  This boils down to doing the right thing at the right time, the correct way it needs to be done.  Successful people are willing to do the little things that unsuccessful people let slide.  Often times the difference between a good guest interaction and great interaction is one little thing that other people may overlook.  Again, if you are going to spend your time completing a task, why not do it right?  
  • 5. Be Intentional.  The more intentional we can be with our direction, communication, coaching, goals and feedback, the more effective we are with our time.  This is how we can get 100% results out of our 100% effort.  As a leader we need everyone on the team working towards the same goal every day to achieve greatness.  If you feel yourself putting in 100% effort but not getting 100% results ask yourself why?  We have tendency to blame others, however it usually comes back to our lack of communication, direction and follow up.
  • Over the next few weeks I challenge you to practice these 5 tactics and see how you feel at the end of the week.  Please leave a reply and share some of your results.   
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1 Thing You Can Control – Your Attitude

  • When you wake up in the morning what is your initial thought?  Do you look forward to what your day will bring or do you dread what you have to do?  Do you feel in control of your future or do you feel trapped in your circumstances?  Keep reading to find out how you have the power to rewrite your script.  
  • As a human being we all have the power of choice.  Most importantly we have the power to choose our attitude every day.  Yes, this is a conscious choice we may need to make some days but with practice and repetition it does become more natural to choose a positive attitude no matter what the day will bring.  The law of attraction and self fulfillment is very true in the universe, if you choose a positive attitude towards a project it will most likely turn out positive.  In the same vein if you choose a negative attitude about the same project it will have a greater chance at failure.  Some people say they start with a positive attitude but it doesn’t last.  Some people say that they need help to remain positive.  Below I will discuss a 4 tips to help you stay in control & choose a positive attitude every day!
  • 1. Mindset.  I mentioned earlier that this is a mindset and that we can rewrite our script.  Every night when I go to bed I write in my “Freedom Journal” about what great things happened today and also why tomorrow will be great.  Then when I wake up in the morning I write about one thing that I am grateful for each day.  This little exercise over time can train your brain to begin and end day in positive territory.  From this point we simply choose to remain in positive territory.  During the day I try to thank and praise people along the way, looking for these positive actions during the day is my fuel to remain positive.  When we look and expect positive things to happen they often seem to happen more frequently. 
  • 2. “Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?”  This was the mantra of a fellow leader that I used to work with at a country club.  The profound truth in this statement is overwhelming.  As leaders we tend to forget or overlook how much control of a situation we have just by our thoughts and actions.  When you have a positive attitude others also seem to be in a good mood, when you have a negative attitude others hop on board and the day progressively gets worse. 
  • 3. Be the thermostat, not the thermometer.  As mentioned above, others will follow your lead.  As a leader we have the power to set the temperature of any situation by how we approach and react.  The worst thing we can do is adjust to the negative temperature set by others by either doing nothing or worse, joining in.  It is up to us to step in and change the temperature by adjusting our dial to positive.  Again, we ultimately have the final control of our own thermostat.  Sometimes the situation may be so bleak that we feel it isn’t changing but if we truly change the setting and keep it set we will start to see positive movement over time.
  • 4. “Glad to be here“.  John Foley was a Blue Angels fighter pilot and this short saying was said at the end of every meeting or discussion that took place among his group.  What a great way to set the tone and create a positive attitude every day.  Imagine if you ended every meeting by saying “glad to be here.”  Even if you had a disagreement the attitude was still in positive territory.  This again circles back to creating a positive mindset and helping to rewrite your own script.
  • Final thought to ask yourself: “Are YOU choosing the right attitude every day to be the best version of yourself as a leader?”
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Grateful vs. Hateful

  • One item that has an enormous impact on our life is our attitude and view point on everyday actions.  It is said that our beliefs become our thoughts, our thoughts become our words, our words become our actions and our actions become our reality.  It is amazing how much our lives can change by simply changing our initial beliefs as they can alter our entire life path and career opportunities.  At the root of it all, I believe it is boiled down to either having a grateful outlook or a hateful outlook on life’s daily activities. 
  • Whenever you are faced with a situation, are you grateful for the opportunity or hateful for what is required?  When you wake up in the morning are you grateful to be alive and have  family, friends and a job or are you hateful that your health, life and career may not be perfect or exactly as you had envisioned?  Do you find yourself saying that you “get to” do things or that you “have to” do things?  Just changing that one word from “have” to “get” can alter your beliefs, thoughts, words, actions and outcome of the task at hand and make it feel more enjoyable.  Other people will notice the change in your attitude as well and as we all know “attitudes are contagious.”  The more others feel good about themselves in your presence, the more they will want to spend time with you.  People want to feel good about who they are and what they do and they will naturally seek out those that bring out that feeling. 
  • The other aspect to think about is that grateful people tend to take responsibility and look for a solution to a problem where as hateful people tend to deflect blame, point fingers and tell everyone else why it is someone else’s fault.  This hateful side of the equation can be a morale killer for everyone involved and can have a lasting effect on a relationship. 
  • Here are 5 tips to help develop and keep a grateful mindset: 
  • 1. One thing I do is to write down 1 thing I am grateful for every morning when I wake up.  Over time this one action can help change your mindset.
  • 2. When you feel yourself saying or thinking “have to” change the sentence to include “get to”, even if you need to change the action and outcome a bit.
  • 3. Praise and thank others every day, make a list of 5 people you want to thank every week.  If you see an action that makes you feel good let the person know.  The best way to get an action to repeat itself is to mention it out loud.
  • 4. Take responsibility and offer solutions to problems.  Ask yourself what you could have done to prevent the issue from becoming a problem in the first place.
  • 5. Every night when you go to bed look back at the day and think about what amazing things happened and look ahead to tomorrow and list one reason why tomorrow will be great.
  • I am grateful for this opportunity to be able to share my thoughts and hopefully spark inspiration.  Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on this post. 
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#1 Mistake of Most Leaders

# 1 Mistake of Most Leaders

  • Communication, Communication, Communication
  • By far the #1 mistake almost every leader makes is under communication.  When surveyed 90% of all team members said they want better communication from their management team.  The two best ways to improve communication are to communicate more often and to be clear and specific with the communication.  When I say more often it reminds me of an interview I heard by an NBA coach once who said he has over 2800 meeting per year.  Most of these meetings were 30 seconds to 1 minute and he has to be very clear on what was expected.  His job was on the line and the game was potentially lost if the team didn’t produce results and follow his rapid / concise direction.  Imagine if millions of people were watching and waiting on what happened after one of your meetings?  Would they see change?  Would they say why did he do that play again?  Would you continue to keep the same players in the game if they couldn’t execute the play? 
  • 8 Steps to Improve Communication:
  • 1. Communicate more often.  Even though you think the team knows what to do and what is expected it is important to say it out loud.  People cannot read our minds, sometimes we think just because we have the clear vision in our minds that others see it the same way. 
  • 2. Repeat Yourself.  If you feel like you are repeating yourself you are on the right track.  Sometimes team members are like children in the fact that you have to tell them the same thing over and over again.  We need to remember that their top priority isn’t always our top priority when at work.  It is our job to keep communicating the top priority to keep everyone on track.
  • 3. Be Specific.  We need to be clear and concise.  We cannot hold anyone accountable if we were not crystal clear in our expectations.  Remember to us SMART goals / tactics when communicating. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound)
  • 4. Ask Questions.  This is one of my favorite tactics when communicating.  This helps create not only a two way conversation but it also lets us know if the other person is on the same page or not.  This tactic also works well when you are angry and do not want to appear as though you are reprimanding someone.  Start the conversation with a question.  Always try to start the question with either “What” or “How” to lead the conversation in a productive way.
  • 5. Give constant feedback.  I cannot stress this point enough.  In some cases we are great at communicating the vision, the plan or the goals but then we do not follow up and give feedback on their performance.  The first thing most people do after they go to a movie is give it a review.  Most team members think that they are doing a great job and that they are doing what is expected.  If we want more of a specific action we need to praise it, if we want less of a specific action we need to coach it.  Saying nothing is known as “Silent Approval”. 
  • 6. Can’t or Won’t.  This point can only be used after we have given clear direction and given feedback.  If you have a team member that continues to not follow direction we must determine if is a matter of “can’t” or “won’t”.  Did they know exactly what was expected? Did we repeat ourselves and ask them to repeat the task or policy? Can they physically do the task?  If we answer yes to all of the above questions we may enter the “won’t” side of the field.  This is when the team member flat out chooses not to do something.
  • 6. Change Plays.  It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.  If a play works, run it again.  If a play doesn’t work, don’t call it again.  Sounds simple yet the reality is that our team will run the same play over and over again until the leader / coach steps in to change the play.  Vince Lombardi once gave an entire coaching seminar on one play.  It had hundreds of variables based on what the other team did but the point is he coached, re-coached and perfected that play by tweaking it as needed to fit the current situation.  Sometimes we don’t need a whole new play, just a slight adjustment.
  • 7. Change positions.  Sometimes we just need to change positions.  We need to get the right people into the right position at the right time for maximum results.  Look at your deployment plan and ask yourself if you have “Aces in their places”. 
  • 8. Change players.  If we have tried all of the above tactics and we still seem to have issues with a certain team member it may be time to accept reality and remove them from the team.  It is amazing how much of an impact just one bad apple can have on the entire team.  The short term pain of holding someone accountable is way easier than the long term impact of letting it slide.  Again, we can only hold people accountable if we have clearly communicated our expectations.  
  • I hope these tactics help improve your daily results by increasing the level of communication.
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Welcome to my blog: Successful Restaurant Leadership

Welcome To My Blog: Successful Restaurant Leadership

  • My name is Jason Kveton and I am an entrepreneur / restaurateur in Phoenix, Arizona.  I currently own and operate 2 Culver’s restaurants with a third one under construction.  The purpose of this blog is to help give our leaders and others an insight into what I believe are the keys to successful restaurant leadership and the inspiration to execute them on a daily basis.  Feel free to share and reply to any of my posts with your personal stories.  I pride myself as a life long learner and look forward to getting as much inspiration from your stories as you are able to get from my experiences.  If you have any topics you would like to discuss please leave me a note.