Lousy Refs and Noisy Parents

Each spring, soccer fields everywhere fill with excited teams enjoying great weather and the fun of running around trying to score goals. And while the stands are filled with many excited parents, there are many who seem to take the outcome far more seriously than the participants.

The referees tend to get quite an earful from some fans, as the refs are often quite young and essentially volunteering for this opportunity/abuse -- kind of like restaurant managers.

My kids have played soccer for about four years, and last weekend we had the best ref yet. At the beginning of the game, he told both coaches where they could and could not stand and told the parents of both teams that only the coach was allowed to address the referee.

During the game, he fairly and consistently called as many of the fouls and infractions as he could. At one point, a parent yelled to the ref that he had made an incorrect call. The ref stopped the game and warned the coach about the conduct of the fans. For the rest of the game, the fans never said another word to the official.

Compare this official’s behavior with other referees. They are often too intimidated to make a call, let some things slide, aren’t consistent in their calls, and let the parents and coaches continue to yell and complain. Finally, the game gets out of hand, and undoubtedly the losing team is complaining about the officiating, even if it had nothing to do with the outcome.

Now, think about how your managers are running your restaurants. Are their styles like the timid referee or the confident referee? Think of the fans at the soccer game as your restaurant employees. To become an effective leader and obtain the desired results, employ some of these strategies:

• Set the Standards. Many employees, like fans, will take advantage of a situation given to them. Clearly spell out the expectations of uniform compliance, timeliness, and productivity and manage them to ensure the goals set forth are achieved. People will behave within the framework provided as long as they know who is in charge. Hint: it’s you!
• Be Consistent. Employees, like fans, get frustrated by inconsistency of management. Simply put, consistency will eliminate confusion and griping.
• Address Non-performance. When an employee doesn’t perform to your standards, address it quickly. After all, the other employees are watching! Not acknowledging these issues penalizes your good employees. The referee who warned the coach about the parents had no other problems. The refs and managers who are afraid to confront issues have far more headaches to manage.

Finally, have fun for goodness sake! Use these guidelines and watch how much fun people can have as their performance improves. Action drives satisfaction, not the other way around. Set high standards, address non-performance, reward those who do perform, and watch what happens...success!

 

About the Author
TJ Schier is the president of Incentivize Solutions, former President of CHART (Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers), a noted industry speaker, and author of books and training videos that you can find at http://www.hospitalitytrainingvideos.com. Reach him by email at