Pizza Today_February 23 - 12

MIKE'S MONTHLY TIP
MIKE BAUSCH
The Value of a Leader
W
hy is it that you can
have two people with
relatively the same
age, background and acumen have
two vastly diff erent outcomes from
the same team? Th e straightforward
and non-simple answer is leadership.
Once you see them in action, is only
when you see whether or not they're
real leaders. You may have a hunch
that someone has leadership potential,
but it's never real until you see
results. A great leader isn't cheap, but
a leader pays for their salary multiple
times over. A leader has the vision to
ensure things get done consistently
and that they have a path to staying
consistently done, along with calling
an audible on stuff that's not working.
Leaders don't call it in because they
weren't told to change anything or try
harder.
Meanwhile, a manager only checks
the boxes. All great leaders are superb
managers. Th e reverse is not true.
Managers are doers, and there is
nothing wrong with that. You need
people who are doers, but doers are
not necessarily self-starters or visionaries
who see the forest through the
trees. Th at is a leader, and you need
leaders.
Never has leadership been more
important than today to guide in the
highly competitive environment what
it takes to let employees feel valued
and driven simultaneously. It's a
tightrope walk that takes vision daily.
In your restaurant right now, you
have leaders, and they might not be
supervisors. Your number one concern
regarding your workforce must be
nurturing leaders to take charge of
your restaurant and motivating them
to do so. With that said, great leaders
don't need motivation as much
as they need a go-ahead from you to
make moves and not get in trouble.
Th ey need the shackles taken off them.
Whomever you have that is shackled
right now, release it. Let your Mustangs
be Mustangs, and your mules
stay in place.
Th e leader leads by example, and the
most signifi cant defi ning characteristic
is that they own everything. Th ey take
pride and comfort in knowing that
they could have fi xed anything that
goes wrong, and that's why it angers
them. THEY OWN, therefore they
progress. Th e opposite of a leader
fi nds every reason to say why it's not
their fault or their responsibility. Th e
person who was absolutely not at fault
but still fi nds a reason to take some
responsibility feels comfortable knowing
they can control things. Th ey feel
empowered in fi xing things and hate
feeling like a helpless victim. Th at is
why they're a leader, and that is why
they will make themselves successful.
And you, in the process, promote these
people, curate these people because
they are your future.
Th ey are your future because this
leader can tend to their store, enhance
their crew, and get you on to your next
endeavor. Great leaders leave because
of apathetic managers and lazy owners.
If you think you are not lazy, remember
that the laziest thing you can do
is their job for them. Yes, when you
do others' work for them and don't
let them lead and develop, it's out of a
laziness not to spend time training and
instead a choice to live in fear of their
failure. As a result, this behavior never
lets them develop, or you get out of
your own way.
So for this new year, choose to
remove shackles, develop, train, believe
and grow.
MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini's Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch
12 / PIZZATODAY.COM / FEBRUARY 2023

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Pizza Today_February 23

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