Crisis Management Checklist

This checklist is an assessment tool for those responsible for developing a crisis management plan for their company. If you are able to answer the following questions and complete the following information, you will have begun the process of developing your own customized blueprint for crisis management. Begin to gather materials into a three-ring binder as you customize the plan to your organization.

Crisis Management Checklist (16)

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Three Critically Important Steps for Success

By Stephen C. Thomas

There are many steps to success. I suppose if you listed them all there might be hundreds is you counted all the experts and all their suggestions. I think that there are three critically important steps for success. Without these three, your chances are slim!

Believe in what you want.

You have to believe that the task you want to accomplish is achievable and worthwhile. If you do not believe that what you want to do is within your ability to achieve or that it is not something that you should be wasting your time on then stop right now. You have little chance of ever being successful.

Now the goal in mind may not be something that you personally want to do, it might be something from your boss, but if you cannot find some way to believe in it, you are doomed.

If you do not believe it is something that you can ever do, if it seems unreachable, then you have little chance of reaching it. You will constantly defeat yourself with negative thinking about how no one could ever do what you have in mind to do.

Our thoughts and our beliefs are two thirds of the factors that create our realities. If we believe that something is impossible and we think it is impossible, then for us, it is impossible. Henry Ford said that whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.

You must put action behind your belief.

I said that belief and thought were two thirds of what creates our reality. Action is the final third. You can believe something is true, something is achievable, until you are blue in the face and if you put no action toward that goal, it will most likely never happen.

Some people who are believers in the law of attraction think that all they have to do is put their order out into the universe and the cosmos, like an eternal bell boy will make it happen. Good luck! We have to work for the things we want. Even if it is something as simple as reaching out your hand to take it, you have to put out some effort.

If you believe that what you want to do is within your ability to do, then you must not only plan for how you are to accomplish this feat, you must put those plans into action. You have to put some effort into getting where you want to be. You have to have some backbone, not just a wishbone.

Self Discipline

The last thing you need is self discipline. You have to be strong enough to take the action needed. You have to be able to face the small failures, and yes there will be some, and go on. You have to be able to be strong enough to work past the obstacles that you will meet. Think about it! Have you ever done anything that did not have a few hurdles to jump over?

This discipline might be in a schedule that you refuse to miss or a plan or task that must be carried out before you sleep. It might be the routine of saying over and over to yourself what it is you want to do and how you will not let anything stop you. Without self discipline, you will crumble at the first sign of difficulty. Strengthen your resolve to see the task done!

There you have it! The three critically important steps to success in anything you want to do are belief, action and self discipline!

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Restaurant & Catering Super Summit January 13, 2010

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Effectively Manage Your Restaurant and Your Life.

Effectively Manage Your Restaurant and Your Life.

If you’re like most restaurant owners, you have more to do than
time to do it.

But too many Restaurant Owners get so wrapped up in their business, they forget to take care of the other aspects of their lives. And the results can be devastating! Families are neglected, friends are lost, and the physical and mental health of the restaurant owner declines. (Just to name a few.)

So here are some tips for being able to successfully manage your company and your life:

• Put systems into place- mistakes are made when processes are not systematized. When processes are consistent, fewer mistakes are made and there are fewer fires to put out.
• Take a day off- despite the temptation to work a 7-day week, take at least one day for yourself. You will see your productivity and your health improve. (Not to mention how happy your family will be to see you.)
• Go home- set a time schedule for yourself. Schedule the number of hours you will work and stick to that plan.
• Set your priorities- there’s always another crisis to solve. So be sure to make special occasions with friends and family a top priority. Don’t allow a restaurant “emergency” to hold you back. After all, there’s bound to be another one tomorrow.
• Automate your business- this is sometimes  an odd topic for restaurant owners, but there are many places to automate your restaurant and I am not just talking about the POS System. If you haven’t taken the time to realize the value of automation, do so soon. Places you can automate – Any recurring task like weekly emails or marketing mailers, costing your food, paying your bills can even be automated and save you a ton of time. With your business on auto-pilot you have more time for other things.

None of the stuff in this email is new to you. You know it all. But unless you are willing to take these suggestions to heart, you will never be able to effectively manage your life.

And remember, nobody ever lay on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time at the Restaurant!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics I present and their link to True Restaurant Success. Please do not hesitate to share – Leave a Comment

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How to Avoid Hiring Mistakes in Your Restaurant FOREVER!

Jonathan Munsell Interviews Hiring and Performance Expert Jay Henderson
In our conversation Jay reveals the 7 biggest hiring mistakes restaurant make and how to avoid them.  Plus Jay and Jonathan dive into the 9 Secrets to Great Hiring for Your Restaurant .  This is a don’t miss audio.  Have a pad and pen available because Jay gives it all away and if you are there to grab it you it you certainly will reap the rewards.

download to your MP3 or Ipod Right Click Here : How To Avoid Hiring Mistakes FOREVER

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An in-depth look at H1N1 flu

An in-depth look at H1N1 flu

Since the H1N1 flu was first identified in the spring of 2009, restaurants and small businesses around the world have sought to minimize the risks of the flu for their customers and their employees. The World Health Organization has declared a pandemic, and the U.S. government has issued guidelines to help businesses and consumers alike. Although H1N1 flu cannot be transmitted through food, the restaurant industry is tackling the pandemic full on. Many restaurants are offering hand sanitizer, providing more lenient leave schedules for employees and posting best practices. This H1N1 Flu Special Report offers information on what H1N1 is and what restaurants, consumers and the government are doing to protect against the pandemic. Part 1, published Tuesday, Sept. 29, offered an H1N1 overview, examples of how restaurants are responding and best practices ideas. Part 2, below, focuses on the government’s role, how consumers are responding and risk-management tactics.

Government

• Government issues H1N1 flu tips to small businesses
  After issuing H1N1 flu guidelines for larger businesses, the Obama administration offered similar advice to small businesses. New guidelines suggest that small-business owners consider telecommuting and lax leave policies as viable ways to ward off potential outbreaks at work. The Wall Street Journal/Washington Wire blog (9/14)
• Check out the guide for small businesses.
• Homeland Security: Send sick employees home
  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security advised businesses to send sick workers home to prevent the possible spread of H1N1 flu. “If an employee does become sick while at work, place the employee in a separate room or area until they can go home, away from other workers,” the federal H1N1 flu guidebook said. American City Business Journals/Phoenix (9/14)
• Find out what else the government is doing to combat H1N1 flu.

	Prepare for H1N1 with a Toolkit from NRA and Ecolab The National Restaurant Association and Ecolab have developed a toolkit to help restaurants fight H1N1 flu and help prevent spread of influenza among employees and guests. The toolkit provides information and guidelines to help prepare for and prevent a flu outbreak. BE PROACTIVE. Download the toolkit at www.restaurant.org/fluinfo/toolkit.cfm.

Consumer Response

• More adults worried about getting H1N1 flu, poll says
  A USA Today/Gallup poll of 1,007 U.S. adults found that more people were worried about H1N1 flu, with one in three saying they or a family member probably would get the flu, up from one in five in a May survey. About 17% of those polled said they were worried they would get the flu, up from 8% in June, and 55% now say they will get vaccinated, an increase of 9%. USA TODAY (9/1)
• Clinics tell flu patients to call before coming in
  Some clinics are trying to keep flu patients from spreading the virus by asking them to call first and not come in unless their illness turns severe. Clinics also are passing out face masks to staff and to all patients who show up with H1N1 symptoms, and HealthPartners hot-line nurses are prescribing antivirals for high-risk patients so they can go directly to the pharmacy. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (9/24)

Risk Management

• Disinfecting hands, surfaces can help stem spread of H1N1 flu
  Disinfecting bathroom fixtures, doorknobs and handrails in public places can go a long way in preventing the spread of H1N1 flu, writes Chris Wiant, CEO of Caring for Colorado Foundation in Denver. Also helpful is washing hands with hand sanitizers. USA TODAY (8/31)
• Strategies for coping with an H1N1 flu outbreak
  Many small-business owners worry how they will be able to keep their doors open if an H1N1 flu outbreak affects large numbers of their staff. Experts suggest they disinfect surfaces frequently, pay for employees’ flu shots and train workers to do one another’s jobs. The Wall Street Journal/The Associated Press (9/16)

NRA Resources

NRA offers H1N1 flu info center
The National Restaurant Association and Ecolab have developed a toolkit to help the restaurant industry fight H1N1 flu and prevent the spread of influenza viruses in restaurants. The toolkit includes information to help prepare for and prevent an influenza outbreak at your location. Listen to our webinar, H1N1: What You Need to Know About the Influenza Pandemic, and visit H1N1 Flu: Resources for Restaurateurs for more

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Turn Problems Inside Out When Seeking Solutions

Some problems require fresh, innovative thinking. One way to search for creative solutions is to remember the acronym SCAMPER:

• Substitute. Replace an element that’s part of the problem. Use a   different material, ingredient, or person and see what happens.
• Combine. Put elements together. If you can’t decide whether to use salt or pepper in a recipe, try both.
• Adapt. Look outside the problem for someone you can use to address it. Velcro was invented by someone who looked closely at how burrs stuck to clothing and adapted the idea.
• Minimize or maximize. Make something smaller or larger. Instead of targeting the mass market with a new product, for example, maybe you can find a small niche to sell it to.
• Put things to a different purpose. Look for a different application. Instead of an entrée, maybe what you’ve cooked could be an appetizer or dessert.
• Eliminate. Look for elements you don’t need. Often we include steps in a process out of habit, for example, whether they still serve the original purpose or not.
• Rearrange. Put the elements in a different order or reverse them completely. You spot what’s missing more easily in a new arrangement.

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Restaurant Success Secret #2

You Must Take Action on the Right Activities.

There are two parts to this.  Taking action is one thing.  Lots of people, especially in the restaurant business, are very good – they’re not lazy people – they work hard, long hours, so they’re doing lots of things.  But… You need to put all your effort and energy into the right activities.

You have to recognize that success is based on action, not ideas.  There’s no money in ideas, no money in the collection of them.  “You need to take the ideas and put them into action.  You need to take action on the ideas and get going on them.”  Pick one thing and focus on it and get that up and running and then move onto the next.

The more action you take, the more results that will come.  If you want massive success, you need to take massive action.  With massive action come mistakes and problems and even chaos.  You need to be all right with that – with lots of success comes chaos.

Don’t dwell on the failures.  Learn from them.  Recognize that there’s something that you did or didn’t do that got that result so you need to make a change or move on to the next thing.

You need to focus and figure out what you are spending your time on.  What are the right activities that are going to get me where I want to be the quickest?  Is being in my kitchen dicing carrots going to make me more money?  You need to look at what you’re doing and ask yourself if those are the activities that are going to lead to success.

It goes back to a comfort level in being busy, dealing with one crisis after another, thinking that’s your job.  It’s busy work.  Take a step back and say to yourself, are these the things – the things that I’m working on now – the things that are going to take me to where I want to go?  Are you the best person working on them?  How can you get yourself away from that so you can be working on the right activities?

Remember, there is chaos involved in great, successful businesses – controlled chaos.

Schwarzkopf said that, “A bad decision is better than no decision.  A bad decision gets you into action.  A bad decision can be fixed.  No decision leaves you immobile.  You can’t fix or improve a non-decision and inaction.”  At least you’re moving forward.  When you’re not doing anything, nothing happens.

Don’t be afraid of making decisions and moving forward, you can always adjust; but doing nothing can usually be the worst thing that you can do.

Without having a foundation, a desire to change, a willingness to confront the situation head on and being open-minded and willing to learn, and taking action on the right activities – the other stuff doesn’t matter.

These success clues are fundamental and part of a foundation that individuals can build upon to really have that success.

Side Note:
As we continue through these secrets you are going to find the actions “The Right Activities”. If there is anything that I can do for you it is provide you with step by step the right actions at the right time.  Whether it is through my extensive in depth done for you systems and checklists or the step by step promotions and the background to implement them quickly and effectively simply by changing “your restaurant” name and address and printing off the hundreds of done for you promotions… the right activities will lead you to success.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics I present and their link to True Restaurant Success. Please do not hesitate to share -  Leave a Comment

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Restaurant Success Secret #1.2

You Must Be Open-minded and Willing to Learn.

Many people come with preconceived notions and ideas that things have to be a certain way.      I have to price my menu a certain way.  I have to market like all the other restaurant owners.  I have to do things in a professional manner because my restaurant has lawyers as clients.  This really doesn’t matter.  You need to have an open-mind.  You need to open your mind to new ideas.

Consultants will tell you, for example, that you need to keep your food cost at such and such percentage.  The reality is there’s no link to having a 30% food cost and huge success in the restaurant business.  What you really need to think about is how much can I charge.  It’s not necessarily a multiple of what your costs are.

There are tons of preconceived notions – some from the restaurant industry, some we grew up with that we really need to open our mind and test.

Many entrepreneurs have this unquenchable desire to understand things.  We need to understand why and if someone can give us evidence why then we need to test it and move forward with it.  Don’t let your ideas or preconceived notions get in the way.

Success is an ongoing process.  You need to seek out sources and people and ideas to keep yourself moving forward and keep yourself fresh.

Opening your mind up to ideas and testing those assumptions is a huge part of one’s success.

Sometimes when we’re faced with great adversity we’re looking for help, and in turn we’re more humble.  When we turn things around and we’re making money, we become less open-minded, less humble, less willing to learn.  Don’t lose touch with what brought you to where you are.

You can never have too many ideas for your business.  You just need to select which ones are relevant for you.  You always need a constant flow of information and ideas to improve.  If you stop, your competition will catch up to you.

Be open-minded, willing to learn, prepared to challenge your preconceived myths and notions that you have about this business.

Side Note:
I experienced real success when I opened my mind to the ideas of others and when I finally reached out for help.  Once I got over the fact that I do not have all the answers and started talking to other restaurant owners is when it came together.  I invested in myself, I got a hold of the best materials at the time, spared no expense since at the end of the day I was investing to improve myself, my business and my family’s future.

I often like to say that I have earned the equivalent of a Harvard degree for the restaurant industry; my wife likes to point out that I have also paid for it.  At the end of the day, I still don’t have all the answers but most consider me to be an expert in restaurant start-up and growth.  I pride myself with having a ton of answers and the due diligence to research to always find the right answer.  When it comes to doing the hard work I have done it and will provide you with all the details of my experience so you can take the shortcuts and the easy road to success.

I am happy to share my experience and let you leapfrog everyone by applying what you learn.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics I present and their link to True Restaurant Success. Please do not hesitate to share - Leave a Comment

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Restaurant Success Secret #1.1

Responsibility and Accountability for Where You Are

There’s a big link between responsibility and success.  You can’t have great success without responsibility.  If you don’t take responsibility for your actions and where you are in your life, you can’t have success.  There’s a link.  The more successful you want to be, the more responsibility you have to take on.

What are individuals saying to themselves when they aren’t taking responsibility?  They’re blaming anything and everything.  They are providing excuses.  As an example, “My situation is different”, “I have this kind of a restaurant so none of this works for this kind of restaurant”, “The economy is bad”, “My cook left to go to the Kid Rock concert and never came back”, “The food prices have gone up”, “I can’t raise my prices”, “Applebee’s moved in next door”.

When you take responsibility it is a very important step to actually making a change.  It’s almost like a requirement.

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You can’t be successful without accepting responsibility.  Don’t give up.  Know there is a way.  You need that belief.

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You need to confront and recognize the way you’ve been doing things has gotten you to where you are, and if you want to get from there to the next level you need different actions, different thoughts, different resources, different tools.

The past is the past.  You can’t worry about it.  You can’t change it.  Right now – that’s where you’ve got to start.

Responsibility, a desire for change, and recognizing that you’ve got to do things and challenge some of your beliefs that you think about – your business, yourself, your life – what’s keeping you back from where you need to go?

The past does not equal the future.  Why not turn it around today?  Why not go ahead and achieve the success?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics I present and their link to True Restaurant Success. Please do not hesitate to share Leave a Comment

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