Eat'n Park Career Connection

What do you say when you talk to yourself?

What do you say-when you talk to yourself

Most people don’t realize it, but as we go about our daily lives we are constantly thinking about and interpreting the situations we find ourselves in. It’s as though we have an internal voice inside our head that determines how we perceive every situation. This is defined as an inner voice ‘self-talk‘, and it includes our conscious thoughts as well as our unconscious assumptions or beliefs.

This may come across as weird as most people associate talking to oneself with some sort of personality disorder, however when under pressure we do talk to ourselves and unfortunately sometimes it’s negative and self-defeating, and when working in an fast paced environment its easy to become stressed out and begin to think negatively of people, possible outcomes, and even ourselves.

Examples of negative self-talk

• “I’m going to fail for sure”
• “I didn’t play well”
• “I’m not going to meet my sales goal”
• “I’m not going to get this report out on time”

But according to psychologist Ben Martin, we can challenge our self defeating/negative self-talk by challenging the irrational parts and replacing them with more reasonable thoughts.  Here are a few ways to challenge some of our negative thoughts by asking questions.

Reality testing

• What is my evidence for and against my thinking?
• Are  my thoughts factual, or are they just my interpretations?
• Am  I jumping to negative conclusions?
• How can I find out if my thoughts are actually true?

Look for alternative explanations

• Are there any other ways that I could look at this situation?
• What else could this mean?
• If  I were being positive, how would I perceive this situation?

Putting it in perspective

• Is   this situation as bad as I am making out to be?
• What is the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it?
• What  is the best thing that could happen?
• What is most likely to happen?
• Is  there anything good about this situation?
• Will  this matter in five years time?

Use goal-directed thinking

• Is  thinking this way helping me to feel good or to achieve my goals?
• What can I do that will help me solve the problem?
• Is there something I can learn from this situation, to help me do it better      next time?

So remember when you hear those little gremlins talking- simply challenging yourself with these questions every time you catch yourself thinking something negative to yourself.

How to lead when You’re not the boss

According to the Harvard Business Journal, Opportunities to lead aren’t limited to times when you have formal authority over a particular team or venture. When you step forward and demonstrate leadership, you will contribute value to the project or enterprise–and strengthen your leadership skills

In their book Lateral Leadership: Getting Things Done When You’re Not the Boss (2nd ed., Profile Books, 2004), Harvard negotiation specialist Roger Fisher and coauthor Alan Sharp lay out a useful five-step method for leading when you are not formally in charge. Its steps can be applied to virtually any project you’re involved in or team or meeting you participate in.  I’ve listed an excerpt below- I hope you find these helpful.

1. Establish goals
People accomplish the most when they have a clear set of objectives. It follows that any group’s first order of business is to write down exactly what it hopes to achieve. The person who asks the question “Can we start by clarifying our goals here?”–and who then assumes the lead in discussing and drafting those goals–is automatically taking a leadership role, whatever his or her position.

2. Think systematically
Observe your next meeting: people typically plunge right into the topic at hand and start arguing over what to do. Effective leaders, by contrast, learn to think systematically–that is, they gather and lay out the necessary data, analyze the causes of the situation, and propose actions based on this analysis. In a group, leaders help keep participants focused by asking appropriate questions. Do we have the information we need to analyze this situation? Can we focus on figuring out the causes of the problem we’re trying to solve?

3. Learn from experience–while it’s happening
Teams often plow ahead on a project, then conduct a review at the end to
figure out what they learned. But it’s more effective for teams (or individuals) to learn as they go along.

Anyone who prompts the group to engage in regular minireviews and learn from them is playing a de facto leadership role. Why is this ongoing process more effective than an after-action review? The events are fresh in everyone’s mind. And the team can use what they learn from each minireview to make needed adjustments to their work processes or their goals.

4. Engage others
A high-performing team engages the efforts of every member, and effective team leaders seek out the best fit possible between members’ interests and the tasks that need doing. Suggest writing down a list of chores and matching them up with individuals or subgroups. If no one wants a particular task, brainstorm ways to make that task more interesting or challenging. Help draw out the group’s quieter members so that everyone feels a part of the overall project.

5. Provide feedback
If you’re not the boss, what kind of feedback can you provide? One thing that’s always valued is simple appreciation–”I thought you did a great job in there.” Sometimes, too, you’ll be in a position to help people improve their performance through coaching. Effective coaches ask a lot of questions: “How did you feel you did on this part of the project?” They recognize that people may try hard and fail anyway: “What made it hard to accomplish your part of the task?” They offer thoughtful suggestions for improvement, being careful to explain the observation and reasoning that lie behind them.

Being S.M.A.R.T. about Goal Setting

How do I set goals if I’ve never done that be before?

Fact: Setting goals in the workplace boosts employees forward by providing a focal point for efforts- and you set the tone for the type of goals and the level of difficulty of reaching those goals.

A balance between pushing your employees to achieve above-average results without making the goals impossible helps your business improve, however we’ve all been told that we should set goals, and we assume that we can – but most of us have never been taught how to set goals effectively so they are realistic and achievable.

 Here are some keys for setting realistic goals- S.M.A.R.T Goals

1.      Specific

Goals must call for specific actions, behaviors or events to be successfully met. Individuals must define their desired results within each goal statement using a proactive voice. For example, “I will increase my savings deposits by $50 per week in order to fund my summer trip to Europe.” Goals should contain not more than two sentences and should establish what, where and why.

2.      Measurable

Goals must be measurable to assure success. When setting goals, it is important to describe how each result will be measured. Set clear steps and timelines. Our action step involves increasing deposits by an established amount. Set measurable tracking points by establishing a weekly timeline. If goals are not measurable, individuals cannot track their progress. Goals set successfully always answer the question “How can I measure my success?”

3.      Achievable

Goals must be achievable. A person cannot become a doctor if he has not been graduated from medical school, nor can a business increase its sales if it does not have an advertising budget. A person must ask himself whether the goal is achievable with his current resources. When creating a goal, ask yourself whether you have the skills, tools and resources needed to achieve the goal.

4.      Realistic

Taking a realistic approach is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of successful goal setting. Goals challenge us to achieve or attain what is important to us. For us to maintain motivation levels and avoid frustration, goals must also be realistic. Realistic goals are honest goals. Goals established thoughtfully can challenge us, but are not set beyond our natural abilities. Setting realistic goals involves asking “Is this possible?”

5.      Timely

Successful goal setting must set forth measurable points for starting, ending, review and assessment. A successful goal has deadlines and endings. Open-ended goals often fail because individuals have not have set dates to review, measure and revise.

So remember if you just think about a goal it’s not physically real.  Write your goals down and look at them periodically to keep them visually at the front of your mind.

You’re one step closer….

How to Handle employees who are Negative in the Workplace

Some people radiate negativity. They don’t like their jobs or they don’t like their company. Their bosses are always jerks and they are constantly treated unjustly. The company is always going down the tube and customers are worthless. You know these negative Neds and Nellies – every organization has some – and you can best address their impact on you via avoidance.

So once I’ve identified who are negative coworkers- what should I do…

Tips for dealing with Consistently Negative coworkers

• Avoid spending time with a negative coworker.
• If you are forced, through your role in the company, to work with a negative person, set limits. Do not allow yourself to be drawn into negative discussions. Tell the negative coworker, you prefer to think about your job positively. Avoid providing a sympathetic audience for the negativity.
• Suggest the negative person seek assistance from human resources or their supervisor.
• If all else fails, talk to your own supervisor -your supervisor may have ideas, may be willing to address the negativity, and may address the issue with the negative person’s supervisor.

On the other hand, sometimes normally positive people are negative. Some of the time, too, their reasons for negativity are legitimate. You will take a completely different tack with these occasionally negative people. We’ll deal with both of these varieties of negativity from people.

How should I handle a person who legitimately has a reason to be negative….

• Listen to the employee or      coworker’s complaints until      you are certain that they feel heard out and listened to. Sometimes people      repeat negative sentiments over and over because they don’t feel like you      have really listened to them. Ask questions. Clarify their statements.      Make sure you have actively listened.

• Ask if they’d like your help to solve the problem. If they ask for help, provide advice or ideas for how the coworker can address the reason for their negativity- but know your limits when advising coworkers.

So remember if you decide to listen to coworkers’ negativity you should decide if the concerns are indeed legitimate and practice the courage of telling them that you care about their concerns of happiness – while empathizing on the job but also while remembering to correctly direct them to who can help them if you disagree with their predicament.

Why empathy in leadership matters

Most times, we tend to confuse empathy with sympathy; that to be empathetic means agreeing or relating to the feelings another person has regarding a given situation or individual.

SO what does empathy really mean?

In order to appreciate the role empathy plays in leadership, we first need to have a clear understanding of what empathy means. You can sense the emotions of those around you.  You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own.  Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective.-“Now, Discover Your Strengths”

Why does it matter for us to understand the needs of others?

By understanding others we can develop closer relationships with employees- understanding and providing employees with what they need to succeed, leaders can build a sense of trust, thereby strengthening the relationships they have with their employees and consequently, the relationships employees have with one another, leading to greater collaboration and improved productivity.  This so pertinent in any industry.

What traits/behaviors distinguish someone as empathetic?

Empathy requires:

• ·         Listening
• ·         Openess
• ·         Non-judgementalism
• ·         Emotional Intelligence

What do I get from empathizing with my employees

• You gain a greater awareness      of the needs of your employees.

• Empathy      allows you to create an environment of open communication and more      effective feedback.
• It      allows us to understand and explore problems employees face and how to      help them resolve them.

If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Staying Calm, Cool and Collected…Meshell

While Meshell was attending high school, the local schools decided to consolidate. This consolidation was going to send Meshell’s friends to different schools. Also, it would break up Meshell’s Scooby gang. Not wanting this to happen, the friends all decided to sign up for food service classes at the local vo-tech school. This strategy not only kept the friends together, Meshell enjoyed it so much she decided to make food service her career.

After graduating from IUP with a culinary degree, Meshell worked as a chef; but she soon decided she really wanted to interact with people more. Kitchens were fun but they didn’t create enough interaction with other folks. She soon decided to go back to IUP and graduated with a B. S. in Hospitality Management.

Always thinking ahead, Meshell interviewed and got a job with Eat’n Park restaurants before she even graduated. She breezed through her finals knowing she already had a job. She completed her management training in our restaurant in New Kensington. It didn’t take her long to be promoted to manager and then finally to General Manager.

Meshell said that everything looks so big when you are just starting out. She remembered the first time she was on shift when the power went out. She didn’t know what to do and thought that the restaurant would shut down. She was on the verge of freaking out when her DM called and calmed her down. They told her that she was fine and that these things happen. Now Meshell stays calm, cool and collected during storms, fires, tornadoes, no power or water. Stuff happens… you just need to keep calm and carry on.

Meshell’s advice to everyone is that you get out of everything what you put in it; you just can’t just get by. You need to put real effort into it, be motived and go after what you want. And don’t forget to stay calm, cool and collected.

How to have fun at work!

With summer fast approaching, the businesses of the restaurants will pick up, which can mean higher stress levels but can also mean more fun!

According to a William M. Mercer survey, only 29 percent of employers nationwide encourage humor as part of their company culture, and only eight percent have a policy of using fun to reduce employee stress. Yet, research at California State University Long Beach showed that people who have fun at work are more creative, more productive, work better with others and call in sick less often.

If people are having fun they are going to work harder, stay longer, maintain their composure in a crisis better, and take better care of your organization.

 Some quick tips

•  Make the Most of Your Commute. How do you spend your commute? Make it positive time. Use it for reading, writing, creative thinking, creative projects, listen to audio books, or, heck, write your own book! If you enjoy your commute, that happiness will spill over into how you feel at work.
•  Choose to enjoy your time at work. Find others who are enjoy having fun and spread good cheer it’s contagious and it grows. Try to avoid gossip and negative chat. It can be tempting, but it doesn’t serve anyone well, including yourself.
•  Conflicts with Others. Let your goal be “to make progress.” Don’t get caught up in trying to “be right” or to “win” the argument. That will just slow you down. In your mind ask yourself, “What will move this conflict forward right now?” And then get busy doing that.
• Motivate your Team. Learn about what motivates your employees. Use contests, games, food, prizes and other incentives to get the team excited about running a strong shift. Motivation keeps people upbeat and productive.
• Take  Your Vacation Time.  Try doing something different. If you always go on a trip, try taking a   more local vacation, and really get some good rest time. Or if you always  stay local, try visiting a new place. Variety is one of the keys to happiness.

Have Fun this summer Team!

The Power of Internships

The recruiting team at Eat’n Park Hospitality Group (ENPHG) is now fully engaged with recruiting restaurant management interns for our summer program. We have a very robust internship program. The interns have 10 weeks to be certified in departments, handle cash, complete product ordering and they get a chance to direct the entire team. They get the opportunity to manage an entire shift, sometimes, by themselves. At the end of the 10 weeks the interns present their projects to senior management in the Leadership Center of our corporate office. After the presentation we all go out to have a great dinner at Six Penn Kitchen. You can’t beat that for an internship.

Well all this planning for our summer internship go me think about the power of internships. If it is possible, do as many internships that you can. But don’t go over board. Make sure the are aligned with your long term career goals and they make sense.

Internships can:

Give you a great idea what it is like to work your  chosen field’s work environment. Don’t wait until you are done with  school, built up a lot of debt in school loans, and then decide you hate your chosen field. Either you will need to go back to school and create even more debit or you have to just suck it up and be someone where your don’t  enjoy.

• You will build your network. Get to know the folks you work with during your internship(s). You will never know when those  folks can support your job hunt. Just don’t forget to support those folks when you can.
• Build your resume. Internships offer your value resume building experiences. It doesn’t really matter how you get  experiences. You can gain experience by working, volunteering or by completing internships. It’s all still real live experience.

Batter Up Brittany

Brittany’s goal was to play softball on a winning team while earning a four year degree and enjoy her college life. And she did all three! She received her four year degree in business and accounting and was the designated hitter on her softball team, which won the nation championship 53 to 6. Brittany loved attending a smaller school where everyone knew your name. In between softball and school, she worked at two bars and a restaurant. She did everything from washing dishes, prepping, serving and bartending. She enjoyed working in the restaurants so much she decided that one day she would own her own sports bar in Colorado on the Vale. By the way, she loves to snow ski.

Brittany loves the people and the family atmosphere at Eat’n Park. She knows the CEO, Jeff Broadhurst, and has attended events with him. Her peer advisor, Erin, was greatly helpful; she could ask him how to do just about anything. He even showed her how to count dishes on his night off. Wow, what an awesome peer! Best of all, she gets to have fun and play softball with other Eat’n Park managers.

Brittany says to jump right in and learn as much as you can during training. Ask questions about everything, even if you think it’s a dumb question. Your General Manager, fellow managers and hourly team members can all be your teachers.

Brittany is working hard on being promoted to manager. Go Brittany! We know you’ll knock that one out of the park too!