by Bob Gershberg, CEO/Managing Partner, Wray Executive Search
The etymology of the word attitude is French, from Italian attitudine, literally, aptitude. Having morphed over the years, attitude is currently defined by Webster’s as follows:
a position assumed for a specific purpose <a threatening attitude>
a: a mental position with regard to a fact or state <a helpful attitude> b: a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state
a. a negative or hostile state of mind b: a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner
Define it as you may, one thing is for sure, attitude cannot be taught. We can modify behavior but not teach attitude. For decades, we restaurant operators were fond of hiring the “champagne” personality, albeit the bubbly got a bit flat during tighter talent pool periods.
Featuring George Tinsley, President & CEO of Tinsley Family Companies
by Rebecca Patt, Senior Vice President of Development, Wray Executive Search
You have been turning obstacles into opportunities throughout your personal and professional life. How would you tell your success story in just a few paragraphs?
I have lived and learned the principle that we should not be judged by where we start in life but rather how we live and where we finish. I started life from a challenging position of poverty and abandonment. Due to love and nurturing from my adopted family, caring people, and the grace of God, my life journey has propelled me to lofty heights of success and accomplishment.
I climbed the ladder of success first as a student, then as an athlete, becoming a three-time NCAA Division II college basketball champion and graduating college with the distinguished Oak & Ivy award for leadership. After graduation, the Oakland Oaks drafted me into the American Basketball Association, and I played professional basketball for three years. During this time, I got married and a few years later became a father. After my basketball career ended, I enjoyed a successful teaching, coaching, and corporate career.
Is There a Simple Explanation for the Negative Traffic Trend at Chain Restaurants?
by John Gordon, Principal & Founder, Pacific Management Consulting Group
We have heard it for years now: restaurants are running negative traffic. All of the publicly reported numbers say it except for the stars such as Chipotle (CMG), Popeyes the last two quarters and steakhouse brands like the One Group (STKS) and Ruth Chris (RUTH) historically. The chain restaurant trackers (Knapp Track, Black Box, Miller Pulse) see it as well. But why is this happening? Even in January 2020, with mild winter weather and better sales, “traffic” was still negative. See the January Black Box report for the latest context:
Why is traffic negative? The simple explanation is that people are eating at independents, or staying home, or that there are too many restaurants, Regarding independents, we have some visibility from the publicly traded food distribution houses such as Sysco (SYY), US Foods (USF) and others that the number of independents—they call them “local”- cases sold is up.
“Fun is one of the most important — and underrated — ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.”
~ Richard Branson
How One Question Helps Bring Your Leadership Signature to Life
By Art Petty
“This article appeared originally at SmartBrief on Leadership”
I love the idea of a “leadership signature” suggested in “5 Rules for Leading in a Digital World” in a recent issue of the MIT Sloan Management Review. After all, our signatures are unique representations of ourselves to the world, and the same can be said for our personal leadership styles.
The authors offer: “They need to know your leadership signature: who you are as a leader and how you view and approach the job.” I agree!
There’s just one problem with the idea. Almost all of us struggle to describe our leadership styles in something other than general statements or cliché-filled phrases. Imagine a prospective hire is sitting across from you and asks you the question, “How would you describe your leadership style?”
by Tom Rollert, Vice President, Wray Executive Search
At this point just about everyone has experienced candidate ghosting. You’ve either experienced it directly or through the retained search firm you are working with. Simply defined, “ghosting” is when a candidate who interviewed well and displayed great enthusiasm for the position disappears without a trace; doesn’t respond to voice mail, emails or texts. Ghosting can occur at any stage of a search, from first phone interview to onboarding day and it occurs at all levels, even to the C suite. Candidate ghosting is a fact of recruiting life and we’re dealing with it, but there is a new and more insidious kind of ghosting that has appeared: CLIENT GHOSTING.
Imagine the following scenario. A client clearly defines the position to be filled, impresses the search firm with the urgency of the search, signs the search agreement and pays the retainer only to turn communication into a nightmare after just two or three weeks into the search. Both contractually and ethically, the search firm continues to build a slate of applicable candidates and presents them to the client only to face the sound of crickets when attempting to follow up and arrange client interviews.
