What management style in business is more effective — to listen or to order? At the request of Psychologies, business coach Olga Mukhina follows the developments in the reality show “Make Me Tasty” on the Moscow 24 TV channel and advises participants on how to build relationships with each other in order to succeed.
I would like to compare the stories of two new restaurants in our project (“Riko” and Shaggingdog), but not from the position of which of them is better and more successful, but from the point of view of different approaches to business in general, to the organization of internal processes and attitude towards customers.
At the Riko restaurant, Arusya and her team are an example of full involvement in working towards a common goal. Yes, the restaurant is small, it employs only 3-4 people, including the business owner herself, but, at least for now, we do not see any overlap in work.
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Arusya frankly says: I only do the kitchen and the hall. The agreements take into account as much as possible what each of the partners knows how and loves to do (I doubt that Arusya could successfully deal with legal issues, and her young man could do the kitchen). I would like to note the determination of Arusya herself and her faith in herself, in the fact that everything should work out. At the same time, she has quite realistic expectations: the realization of a dream requires effort, nothing will happen by itself.
The only thing that is alarming is that Arusya and her colleagues in the restaurant are too involved at once in all processes together. Probably, the cook can also hang a garland on the terrace, and Arusya herself can participate in the installation of a sign — a typical story for a small establishment. But if Arusya plans to open other restaurants, such a model is unlikely to be successful — the energy of one owner will not be enough for several outlets, especially if her constant presence in the restaurant is required.
Katya (Shaggingdog restaurant) already has experience in opening and, most importantly, bringing the restaurant to the level of profitability, that is, she has already tested her own capabilities and is now using her previous experience in a new format. I feel more confident and, I can assume, more understanding of what pitfalls may arise in the way of a restaurateur at the first time of work. Katya has high requirements not only for herself, but also for the people working in the project. She believes that «those who fail do not work here.» But, as practice shows, there are no identical projects, even if we are talking about chain restaurants. I hope that Katya will be able to maintain a balance of «participation in business — delegation of authority to colleagues and partners.»
Different business formats continue to dictate different approaches and tactics in the daily operations of restaurants. I would like to draw attention to different tactics for winning new customers and making decisions.
Arusya realizes that she runs a small restaurant and focuses on winning loyal customers among her friends and neighbors. I think she will be glad to any visitor who comes to her restaurant, but she does not make wide advertising — it is important that the neighbors know you. There’s a law firm upstairs whose employees buy freshly baked bread — probably soon many of them will start coming to her for a business lunch and meeting with clients. There is an embassy of the Netherlands — Arusya prepares a letter to the «neighbor», inviting him to visit the restaurant, buys a gift and brings it personally.
Katya and her partners do not single out any one main target audience. They are rather focused on something else — if there is an interesting menu and high standards are observed in the work of everyone, then customers will not keep themselves waiting. Therefore, Katya probably attaches more importance to the concept and refinement of the menu than to attracting any particular group of customers.
In terms of decision making, we can also see different approaches. I want to emphasize once again: each of them has the right to exist and is not right or wrong. Everything is decided by the specific situation and the choice of optimal tactics in the circumstances. Arusya and her young man discuss the issue and make the final decision together. It is important for them to listen to each other. Arusya proposes changes in the text of the letter to the ambassador, agrees with the final version.
I got the impression that Katya does not have the habit of listening to the point of view of her partners and delving into it if her opinion initially differs from the others.
Formally, three people chose a black cod dish for the new menu. Katya pretty quickly came to her own conclusion, and she was no longer interested in the opinion of the others — she commented not on the options proposed by the chefs and their taste characteristics, but on the opinion of her colleagues about these options and their potential solutions. The point is not even to give the partners the opportunity to finish their thought, but to make them feel that their opinion is important and taken into account, even if the final decision did not coincide with the one proposed by them. I suspect that this is Katya’s typical behavior, it’s not for nothing that she herself says: “Then everyone will say that I am a vixen.”
Again, the directive style of interaction also has a right to exist and can be effective in certain situations. But if you ask colleagues to express their opinion, while not allowing them to fully voice the thought, immediately evaluate it and comment on it, give orders — in the future, you should expect that colleagues will stop offering ideas and will not express their opinion. And then Katya will have to almost single-handedly make all decisions. The potential problem is not that Katya uses a directive communication style, but that, apparently, this is the only style in which she is comfortable working.