Understand who you are and what position you play in the grand scheme of things.

Heads up for: owners, managers, leads, bossy staff (who think they are leaders).  Anyone who works and expects a commission or gratuities.   If you are a “1099” you classify as an Independent Contractor / Entrepreneur.  (Part III)

The Schumpeter Cookie recipe would look something like this:

Schumpeter has always been regarded as the most gifted and electrifying persona, in having  untapped the entrepreneurial psyche.  In his decades famous book of 1911, The Theory of Economic Development, he breaks, severs, and cuts himself away from all traditional thinking about business, enthroning the entrepreneur as the ultimate source of all economic progress. Vehemently insisting that entrepreneurs are not driven solely by aspirations of grandeur and wealth but motivated by the need and sheer will power to conquer: the unyielding impulse to fight, to improve and succeed for the pure pleasure, not of the revenues of success, but of success itself.  The joy of creating, of getting things done, or simply of exercising one’s energy and ingenuity.”

As noted in an Inc article by Thomas K. McCraw, “Schumpeter forever held the view that failure was a phase through which nearly all people must pass on the way to success.  The ability to take a punch, and then get up off the canvas to win the fight was... he thought, one of the defining characteristics of entrepreneurs.”

He held that successful innovation is “a feat not of intellect but of will.”  Schumpeter’s how-to books are gripping.  “But his basic lessons run deep - very deep - and they’re worth learning and thinking about.”

Now Back to Problem Solving:

Management ~ Most of the time managers are drowning and derailed in performing so called profit generated duties - duties that never actually produce profit. Identify if your organization possesses a Dilbert Principle:  Systematically move the most ineffective workers.  If they are not removable, place them where they can do the least amount of damage, like dishwashing, its a humbling experience!!!  Bad attitudes have been known to reverse themselves almost immediately after one shift.  Keep in mind that your crew may probably have a belly full of empty promises, parroted by undisciplined, ineffective or worse yet, invisible managers. 

If anyone “leads anyone else” they must foster a Paladin attitude by setting an exemplary example, or they need to meet with the same fate as Caesar’s ships (Part III). A Paladin, was a knightly or heroic champion.  Any determined advocate or defender of a noble cause.  I know a gazillion Paladin servers!!!

Crew ~ As it stands in this economy most of them are working for food.  It’s an ugly thing to say, yet it applies to many servers. FOH must rally together in an all out effort to improve, since they are directly engaged with the goose that lays the golden egg... the customer!  There are so many elements that can spell success or doom with this employee. If they don’t get it! If they are the least bit resistant to betterment of any kind.  They need to be retrained  and teamed with people who do get it.  Here is one simple tip your crew will appreciate. I’ll be featuring more in the next post.

* Tip:  Appearance ~  Hey, things are bad enough!  Does one really need to be told to shave or get a haircut?  Grooming is essential.  I know of a fine dining establishment which arranged for discount pricing for their employees with a barber/hair salon and it didn't cost them a thing. The employees were ecstatic!   To a server, saving a dime feels like saving a dollar!

Great looking wait staff ~

For those who know me... I just couldn't resist putting in #19!  I really do try to be a good girl but we all know that isn't remotely possible!  "I am what I am." .... The Popeye Principle!!!

Due to popular demand, I’ve been asked to continue the “Empty Restaurant Tables” segment.   Thank you again for all your emails.

Cheers, always grateful, Pen

Special Mention:

Visit, read and enjoy Bruce Buschel, restaurateur, writing in NYTimes.com’s “You’re the Boss blog”.  

Quote: “Endings are the enemy. Work is the ally, the process, the fits and the starts, the small victories, the substantial journey."  ~ --Bruce Buschel, restaurateur, writing in NYTimes.com's You're the Boss blog

To be continued in Part V.

Credit where credit is due: