10 Steps to Empowerment 6: Feedback

I once heard it said to seek first to understand, then be understood.  When giving feedback to your employees, this statement is very true.
Feedback is the lifeblood of the fast food industry, and quite possibly the most important tool in the manager’s arsenal.   Feedback should be immediate, tailored to the individual, and continuous.
Feedback that [...]

10 Steps to Empowerment 5: Knowledge

The fifth key to empowerment is to give employees the knowledge they need to do their jobs.  If they’ve been properly trained, they know their responsibilities, they know the standard of behavior, and they have the authority to do their jobs, what good is all of it if they are lacking in important facts with [...]

Messed Up Orders: Two Views

Helium has two essays on messed up orders in fast food restaurants. One says that the employee and the customer are to blame. This one says that only the employees are to blame.
You’d expect that since I’m a fast food employee, that I would side with the first article.  Frankly, I think the [...]

10 Steps to Empowerment 4: Training

In my previous posts on the topic of empowerment, I discussed clear definition of responsibility, authority, and the importance of high standards.  Nothing can bring these steps together as powerfully as a good training program.  Training, however, is the most neglected management duty in all of fast food.  More often than not, trainees are placed [...]

One Minute Praisings

I received word today that I’m going to transfer to a different location within my company.  This becomes the perfect time to use One Minute Praisings.
One Minute Praisings work like this:

Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how they are doing.
Praise [...]

Applying the Tricks of the One Minute Manager

Yesterday, I started to apply the tricks I learned in Dr. Blanchard’s book, The One Minute Manager.   I think that it was a little bit weird for my employees to be told exactly what I think of them and to always know their standing.  I know that this is something that isn’t seen too often [...]

Found at BK: A Card on Great Leaders

I found a card at Burger King on Saturday.  I have no idea where it came from, as I couldn’t find any related materials nearby.  It contained several good points about what a great leader is.  So I thought I’d share them.
Great leaders:

Surround themselves with the best people
Cast a positive shadow
They gain commitment, not compliance
Focus [...]

10 Steps to Empowerment 3: High Standards of Excellence

All too often fast food becomes an environment that tolerates mediocrity.  Most places I’ve worked at were filled with apathetic workers and managers that sat in the office all day and night.  Shortcuts were the norm.  The old-time employees knew the procedures, but no one actually followed them.  The new people never even learned procedures.
Does [...]

10 Steps to Empowerment 2: Delegating Authority

Many fast food managers hate to delegate authority. Fast food is typically an autocratic environment, with the manager barking orders and the employees droning about doing the manager’s bidding. It becomes tough when more than one manager is on duty, because then you have two people barking out orders to the same employee, [...]

One Minute Goal Setting

I finally started reading Ken Blanchard’s The One Minute Manager. My original idea for a book was to re-tool Blanchard’s work specifically for the fast food environment. But then I thought that I should write something a bit more academic for my first published material.
Now, reading The One Minute Manager has got me [...]