As a senior manager, you have probably discovered through your career that a good way to think about your business responsibility is to review various mental models that create success. These models are well known and enjoy continued success under program initiatives defined as: Quality Management, ISO 9000, and Six Sigma. Of course, the common thread between these programs is that they are process driven. If you want a high quality result (customer satisfaction; productive employees, high margins, and return on equity) you will create it with a process designed to create that result. We would like to introduce you to cooking school management.
Think about what makes a successful restaurant. We know they have one of the highest capital requirements for start up, some of the lowest margins of all business types, have the highest failure rates, and are subject to the whims of consumer subjectivity and prevailing health fads. The ones that do make it figure out how to deliver good tasting food on a consistent basis within a budget of their target market. And, most importantly, they can adapt quickly when their customers require them to change. Applying a successful restaurant business model to your responsibility is, pun intended, food for thought.
Let’s review the components of a successful restaurant system. It starts with the passionate chef and/or the business owner. Passion for the business and the passion to serve customers is always the first component. Highest quality ingredients, well-defined recipes, and skilled (and highly engaged) kitchen workers, working with quality equipment (technology) in an orderly focused delivery process, creates the great tasting and well presented dish. Of course this product result is ordered and delivered by pleasant and efficient wait staff in an environment designed to create the desired eating experience – consistently – every meal at any hour every day. The final result is ‘positive word of mouth’ from customers – passed on to their family, friends, and social network. Success.
Now, think about your organization and how you stack up with these components. Start with your customers, or the future customers you would like to have, and work backwards in the system. Adopt a cooking school mindset to your existing delivery process and analyze your recipes (formula, method) that create your end product and or service. Create your own standards for each component and focus on proven delivery systems that supply consistency every time. Only the highest quality products, delivered with friendly helpful service, and at a competitive price point will win the day. So, put on your chef’s hat, pick a ‘low hanging fruit’ project, and contact one of the project providers to help you create your own cooking school. Bon Appetite.
GMO