The Bench

Football season is almost upon us again. High school, college and of course, the NFL. Do many amazing sports stories have come out of this one sport. I promise not to be political as the tone of the country is divided with the sport. For the record, Kurt Warner took the Cardinals to the Superbowl in the last game I watched start to finish. 

Regardless, the game, the team, and all aspects of the sport are synonymous with my chosen career, restaurants. 

So let's get to the bench.

Who did Brett Farve replace? Started with a Y and only diehard cheeseheads remember.  And Brady? Similarly, New England fans will know, his name is on the tip of my tongue. And Peyton, who took his place? 

In our business, we don't spend the big bucks to build a bench. The GM will be here for many years and in many cases, this is true. But not always. And definitely not in today's society. We are free agents by nature and quality managers are in short supply. It is only our loyalty or benefits package that keep us from jumping ship in Indy and heading to Denver. 

So what can a company do if Aaron Rodgers is not waiting in the wings? Or we don't have the resources to "buy" the next quarterback?

Build a bench. 

Our process starts with interviews and knowing what answers you want to hear.

Oversee all aspects of training. Train your trainers, teach and coach them, even empower them to make decisions that will benefit the restaurant. 

Invest your time into your people. Everyone is at a different place in their lives and some will grow more quickly than others. Keep an open mind and let some of the newest ones surprise you.

Here is the tough part. Teach someone to replace you. 

Why?

Tune in next time for the answer...