Culture Reset: Strengthening Your Business from the Inside Out—Session Recap from CHART Austin

This breakout session, Culture Reset: Strengthening Your Business from the Inside Out, was presented at CHART Austin by Braxton Luzier, Senior Manager, Learning & Communications, Blaze Pizza. 

Good culture drives engagement, performance, and retention. Here is how to optimize your restaurant's culture.

Phase 1: Define your culture
Culture is not concrete– it is always shifting between all members within the organization.

Start with the basics and use a lens approach to see your culture through different perspectives:

• team members
• management
• above restaurants positions
• happy employees
• unhappy employees

Identify the pros and cons and then you’ll see the gaps in the culture.

7 steps to leverage your talent to reset and enhance your culture:

1. Know Your Why: Before culture, you must know your own why. This is your purpose.
2. Core Values: Core values are the DNA of your culture, but... do you know your company's core values? Frequently changing or outdated core values lead to struggles in your culture.
3. Invest: Invest in new talent, invest your time and energy in developing employees.
4. What Matters?: Don’t just ask the c-suite or managers. Ask all employees what matters to them in their role.
5. Vision: Be bold! Ask all levels what kind of vision they have for the culture and pay attention to the variety of answers.
6. Behaviors: Don't only focus on the negative behaviors that detract from culture. Also pay attention to positive behaviors, as these are symptoms of culture at work.
7. Transparency: Don’t say transparency, live transparency. Transparency and inclusion create and foster trust.
   
   

Braxton Luzier presenting at CHART Austin Hospitality Training Conference, 2022

Phase 2: Take Action
Change, enhance, and support culture through programs.

Programs are opportunities to foster buy-in and trust within the organization and at the store level. Two examples of programs you can initiate:

1. Roadmaps for growth: Develop individuals and show them they can grow within your organization.
   
   • Create different roadmaps for different departments and different skillsets.
   • Empower employees to create their own roadmaps.
   • Train leaders to develop employees by their chosen roadmap.
   • Share roadmaps on your website and in the interview process to attract the best talent.
2. Recognition for engagement: Recognition shows employees what excellence looks like.
   
   • Tie recognition to core values.
   • Empower team members to recognize peers.
   • Encourage specific and authentic recognition.
   • Post recognition on social media and broadcast to other stores so that employees know what good behaviors look like and can be in on the celebration.
   • Consider implementing tokens like pins, stickers, or swag so positive culture is visible and can be celebrated on an ongoing basis.

Phase 3: Lead the Culture of Change
Be the change you want to see.

Don’t forget to audit yourself. Make a practice of checking in with yourself every day to ensure that you are leading intentionally.

Questions to ask yourself:

• How am I leading the change?
• What am I doing to enhance the change?
• Am I trying to redefine culture?

Phase 4: Measure Change
People > Data

Remember that culture is all about the people. To truly measure the change, connect with your team.

Ways to connect & measure change:

• Hold regular check-ins with team members.
• Send out anonymous surveys.
• Make space for conversations.
• Stay curious about every team member's experience.

Outside Looking In

A successful culture is noticeable to every guest who walks through the door. So, try to remove yourself and look from your guest's perspective. Invite all employees to do the same. This ties your company culture to every shift.