Leadership in a restaurant is the ability to make things happen by encouraging and channeling the contributions of others, taking a stand on addressing important issues, and acting as a catalyst for change and continuous improvement.
In the past, leadership was simpler. Yesterday’s managers could demand performance. Today’s managers are faced with more educated and democratically oriented workforce. Problems and opportunities are complex and challenging.
As a result, today’s managers must encourage and apply the contributions of all of the company’s human resources, both individually and in groups. You need the creativity and resourcefulness of everyone to find solutions and the commitment of all employees to implement these solutions effectively.
In this series I intend to focus in the following seven areas of leadership skills identified as essential to managerial success:
- Provide Direction: Fosters the development of a common vision; provides clear direction and priorities; clarifies roles and responsibilities.
- Lead courageously: Steps forward to address difficult issues; puts self on the line to deal with important problems; stands firm when necessary.
- Influence Others: Asserts own ideas and persuades others; gains support and commitment from others; mobilizes people to take action.
- Foster Teamwork: Builds effective teams committed to organizational goals; fosters collaboration among team members and among teams; uses teams to address relevant issues.
- Motivates Others: Encourages and empowers others to achieve; establishes challenging performance standards; creates enthusiasm, a feeling of investment, and a desire to excel.
- Coach and Develop Others: Accurately assesses strengths and development needs of employees; gives timely, specific feedback and helpful coaching; provides challenging assignments and opportunities for development.
- Champion Change: Challenges the status quo and champions new initiatives; acts as a catalyst of change and stimulates others to change; paves the way for needed changes; manages implementation effectively.
