The Chophouse: The Motivation Of Employees

Leadership is a quality found among many, but a true leader goes above and beyond the task at hand. A true leader guides, motivates, and inspires others to achieve their greatest potential. When I was fifteen years old, I got my first job as a greeter at a local restaurant, The Chophouse. The Chophouse provided me with many opportunities to not only develop as an employee, but grow as a leader.
Working in a restaurant has it's ups and downs. One negative thing in particular is the constant rotation of workers. The majority of people working in food service are young, usually in high school or college. When I started at The Chophouse, there were about eleven other greeters. Six months later, that number had been cut in half. After a year, we were back up to about ten people, but only two of them had worked there when I first started. With such an unstable flow of employees, it's important that someone can be a guiding light to new staff members, especially those who haven’t had a job before. As more and more of my original coworkers left, it became increasingly apparent to me that I would need to make that responsibility my own.

Friday and Saturday nights are often ideal for eating out, but they come at a cost; they’re the busiest nights of the week.

Nights like these would call for our top personnel; the shifts typically had four greeters, with one in charge. Fortunately, I grew accustomed to these chaotic shifts, directing the others to ensure everything went smoothly. My job had several duties: answering phones, cleaning tables, resolving minor conflicts, and seating guests so as to be fair to the servers. Most of these tasks are done through careful delegation of the other greeters. In order to make sure these assignments are done right, it's important to know the capacity of your coworkers, a vital quality a leader should

possess.
Training new employees was an essential part of my job. I was frequently responsible for the development of our new staff, making sure they were comfortable with their job responsibilities. The greeters who haven’t been there very long tend to get stuck doing mundane tasks, often spending the shift wiping tables, taking reservations, and walking guests to their table. My goal when training new staff is to give them the tools they need to one day replace me. When you have the responsibility of teaching others, the last thing you want is for them to only be as half as good as they can be. If you aren’t allowing them to reach new heights, it will not only make your establishment look bad, your credibility will suffer.
Being a leader isn’t all about the work; getting to know your coworkers on a personal level is crucial. When you can establish common ground and develop a friendship with others, it allows for better communication and teamwork. A disorganized, stressful night can suddenly become a fun and easy-going evening. It’s equally important to create that relationship with the guests, especially those who come in regularly. Sometimes that means making small talk with those who come in by themselves or appeasing an angry individual. A happy customer is essential to a successful business.

My time at The Chophouse gave me the tools to be the leader I am today. It taught me how to bring a team together, recognize each one’s aptitudes, problem solve, and most importantly empower those around you .and so much more. This all comes back to one thing; leading others to be successful. This is ultimately my duty as a leader, as my success depends on the success of others.

EMPOWER