So, what gets you out of bed in the morning? Or would you rather just pull the covers up and stay in bed?
The day in and day out of our operations can be invigorating, exciting (in good ways) and motivating. It can also be taxing, exhausting and tedious. So how do you keep up the former and quell the latter?
One answer for reinvigoration: New Ideas. By handling your steady day in day out operations with new ideas - repackaging, renewing and refreshing – you can consistently stay upbeat for your endeavors. As an idea person, here are 3 suggestions today to help you re/claim and spread enthusiasm with new ideas.
1. Share Pre-Shift
The uber-valuable team time of pre-shift meetings is a gold mine of ideas. Make a plan to share and spread the responsibility of determining a list of relevant topics to cover. You’ll need to invest some time ahead of assignments to ensure the team follows a logical direction (seasonality, big annual events, holidays and the like) so it makes sense on a day-to-day basis for your team. Have them generate the list, asking all team members what they want to learn about and know for better enjoyment of their work. When it makes sense, you’ll all be more engaged with execution.
2. Repackage the Ideas You’ve Used Before
For example: Do you throw a St. Pat’s Day shindig? Then it’s time to meet for a rapid-fire 15-minute “New Ideas for St. Pat’s Party” meeting. Set it, require attendance for all staff (everyone has ideas: FOH, BOH, management, owners, vendors), and let people know they need to be prepared in advance with at least 2 new ideas or spins on what you’ve been doing. Encourage all ideas, meet to get them all out and collected, sort them later, and decide what fits.
3. Breathe. Stretch. Smile.
All three of these physical moves will help you stay refreshed and re-focus when the going gets tough. Or tedious. Or challenging. Making sure you take care of you first – helping your body take on the demanding challenges you face every day – will help you be stronger, clearer and have more fun.
There are myriad ways for us to stay engaged in our chosen hospitality profession. Employing tactics that help us meet the day with a smile and in style ripple out to everyone in the operation, including our guests.
Join me in March at the 2017 Nightclub & Bar Show to learn more ideas for re/invigoration of the every day. Bring ideas to share, walk away with a renewed enthusiasm for success. See you soon.
Ginger is a creative businessperson with a zest for the unique. She helps clients utilize what they already have and helps them generate new ideas that match their brand, based on her years of customer experiences and research. Her book, How To Market Beer To Women: Don’t Sell Me A Pink Hammer, is one example. Her TED talk is another. Read, watch, and find out more online: WomenEnjoyingBeer.com and GingerJohnson.com. Twitter @gingerjohnson