Member Blog

At the end of January, I had the pleasure of speaking with our President Donna Herbel about various happenings with CHART. We spent nearly an hour discussing our membership and retention. For those of you that I have not met, I am going into my tenth year with CHART, but I have not been openly active for the past two years.

By now you probably know that micro-learning techniques can help overcome the ever-shortening attention span of our workforce, and increase absorption and retention of the material. Gone are the days of hour-long training videos, courses that cover a dozen competencies at once, and learners sitting at the computer for hours on end. With its minimalist focus on course length and competencies covered, micro-learning is quickly solving several historical challenges of e-learning.

Technology plays a major role in training our staff members today. Our new generation of employees have been exposed to a vast array of technology in their lives and education, and expect that their training at work be at a similar level to hold their interest. These learners are connected in so many ways, however, they are also easily distracted.

The age-old debate has flared up again: if you can only go to one CHART conference per year, should it be winter or summer? Recently I discussed that question via email with long-time member Gabe Hosler of Rubio’s Restaurants. I advocated for the winter conference at the Broadmoor, and Gabe (who serves on the CHART Board and will be overseeing the summer conference) thought that the latter event would prove more valuable for attendees. Here’s what we each had to say:

If there is one thing people know about me, it is that I am comfortable in front of people. Training, speaking, singing, participating, volunteering…I have no shame and often say I was born without the embarrassment gene. When I have the opportunity to train with my leadership team at work, I prepare like a mad woman. I memorize the material, incorporate examples, stories, and humor, and I psych myself up just before the ‘show’ to make sure my energy is high. However, I was reminded recently that sometimes no amount of preparation or enthusiasm on my part can win over a tough crowd…especially when I have not fully considered their various needs.

How do you find out if your mission, vision, and values messages are reaching all your employees? I learned this answer during my summer vacation. During my CHART Talks session in Charleston, I shared what I learned from visiting 200 GM's and 1,500 team members in 23 days.

Well, it’s happening again! Industry news reports that the pool of potential team members is SHRINKING. The sea of applicants now looks more like a wading pool. The hospitality industry is one of the largest employers of people in the United States, yet we continue to dip our toes in the same recycled pool of applicants. When a team member leaves, they end up at a competitor down the street, until the next new concept in town comes along. Eventually the original employer hires them back. HR and training professionals can help managers make better decisions when hiring new team members, and retaining the team members they have.

Happy New Year! The change of a calendar year invites celebration, reflection, and big plans for the year ahead. Recently, at the CHART Regional Training Forum (RTF) in Minneapolis, our guest speaker Vikas Narula, Creator and Co-Founder of Keyhubs, spoke on the power of networks on success in change initiatives and influence. As a result, one of my personal New Year’s resolutions is to be intentional about further expanding my networks, seeking diversity of thought, and synergy in ideas.

One hundred ten percent. Question: Is that number a) the amount of effort every pro athlete expends for their team or b) the average hourly employee turnover in the foodservice industry every year, according to TDn2K's People Report data? The wretched answer is: b). And it’s time we address this crisis head-on before the Gen Z labor pool passes the foodservice industry by like so many silos on a Wisconsin road trip.

Recently, CHART Past President Dr. Mike Hampton from Florida International University hosted a leader’s panel to “share insights on how we need to align higher education with the evolving needs of the industry brought about by the massive transformations taking place in global economies, markets, technologies, environment and other macro factors.” What an ambitious goal!

Add legs to your training effectiveness by utilizing simple, inexpensive ways to create "what is needed, where it’s needed, when it’s needed.” Gone are the days of the 3-inch training binders we had hoped new employees would read at least once. We now need to look at how employees are getting their information and use that technology to train and continually re-train them. During my CHART Talks session in Charleston, I shared the new app we created to engage our employees and share our culture. We put information, including our training videos, on the app so they can watch and learn in the palm of their hands. View my 9-minute video and get your entire team on the same page.

When I got my start in the world of hospitality training back in 1999, I was given a very tight budget in my role as Ivar’s Training Manager. For the different workshops I was tasked with creating, for example, the company would pay for the attendees’ time in the session, and I could use one of our banquet rooms without being charged, but those were the only costs that were covered. Everything else, including training props, flipcharts and easels, prizes, and snacks, were not included, so I either had to 1) pay for them myself, or 2) rely heavily on whatever free stuff I could get my hands on…and eventually I became pretty good at the latter option.