Shaun Hopkins Seminars UPDATE

Chick-fil-A Introduces Operator Coach Program

Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A had a simple idea: make a chicken sandwich. From its modest beginnings in Georgia, Chick-fil-A has grown into one of the largest privately owned restaurant chains in the United States. The first priority for Mr. Cathy and Chick-fil-A has always been to serve a higher calling. The company mission statement states that the organization exist "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." This mission of service is reflected in every corporate initiative, including their newly launched Operator Coach Program.

Chick-fil-A operates a corporate university at its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The premier program at the university is titled "Fundamentals of Restaurant Leadership" and the goal of this five-week program is to teach new operators every aspect of restaurant management. Chick-fil-A identified an opportunity in this program to improve its service to the new Operators by partnering the company's top restaurant Managers with its new Operators in a coaching relationship. The goal was to pass along the best practices of the best Operators to the new recruits. Chick-fil-A asked Shaun Hopkins Seminars to assist them with designing and delivering a two-day coaching skills workshop to meet this objective.

The Operator Coach Program was launched in the fall of 2005, attended by 40 of the company's top Operators. The theme of the program was to teach Coaches how to help their protégés learn how to be self-directed and self-sufficient. Since the Operator Coaches were assigned temporarily to their protégés, their primary coaching role is to help New Operators discover their own answers on how to be successful in their new role. Active listening and asking insightful questions were key skills practiced by the Coaches to achieve this goal. The Coach Operators were also provided with detailed checklists and procedures on how to conduct 30, 60, 90 and 120-day visits with their protégés.

The feedback from the program has been extremely positive. Operator Coaches report that they have built long-lasting and productive relationships with the New Operators. And the New Operators report that the Coaches have helped them discover the secrets to successfully operating a
Chick-fil-A restaurant. The Operator Coach Program is another example of how Chick-fil-A lives its mission of service to others.

For more information about the Operator Coach Program, contact information@ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

What's On

Training 2006 Conference & Expo, March 6-8, 2006 Orlando, Florida

Shaun presented two sessions at the Training 2006 Conference which was held at the Disney World Resort in Orlando. The topics were, Training Needs Analysis: Quick, Accurate and Complete, and Marketing Skills for Trainers: How to Promote Your Training Service. Both sessions were a tremendous success and Shaun received the following comments from the participants:

"It gave me the tools & skills to perform a quick training needs analysis.
Excellent presentation & group work. Awesome session."
"Best session I've attended this conference!"
"Another great Hopkins' session."
"Best break-out of the conference!"

Shaun also delivered the Marketing Skills for Trainers presentation at the ISPI International Conference in Dallas on April 9th to rave reviews and comments:

"This was great! Shaun keeps you engaged & provides excellent tools/skills to take back to the company."
"Excellent, relevant session."
"You were great! I appreciated all of the tips and tricks presented."
"Very valuable! Good mix of information, discussion & sharing of ideas!"

Book Review

The Go-Getter

By: Peter B. Kyne (ISBN 0-8050-0548-X)

Many of you have read "Who Moved My Cheese" and "The One-Minute Manager". These types of books are short, easy to read parables that provide lessons about management, leadership or motivation. Well, The Go-Getter, first published in 1921 is the story that started it all.

The Go-Getter is the story of Bill Peck, a retired, disabled World War I veteran who is looking for a job. By sheer will and determination, he lands a sales position with the Ricks Logging and Lumbering Company. The owner, "Cappie" Ricks is so impressed with Bill Peck's performance that he considers him to manage the company's Far East operation. However, in order for Bill to get the promotion, he must fulfill a challenge given to him by "Cappie" Ricks and prove that he is a "go-getter".

This 55-page engaging story is about two things: how to be a great leader ("Cappie" Ricks) and how to be a successful employee (Bill Peck). The leadership tips and techniques that worked when this book was written are just as applicable today. "Cappie" is the leader we all want to be: he cares about his staff, sets goals, delegates responsibility, motivates employees and rewards hard work and innovation. Bill is the employee that we all want to be: he rises to the challenge, comes up with creative solutions, takes responsibility for his actions and follows the motto, "it shall be done".

The Go-Getter should be required reading for every employee and manager. If this book doesn't focus your efforts on how to be both a great leader and great follower, no other book will.

Send me an email requesting this little gem and I will send it to you free of charge. Once you read it, I will grant you the Degree of the Blue Vase (read the book!).

Monthly Tip

How to Conduct a Performance Review

It's that time again! Time to meet with your staff and write the semi-annual performance review. What do I say? How do I say it? How will each person react? Planning is the key to conducting a successful performance review with your direct reports. By implementing the following steps, you will reduce the stress and uncertainty of this important management task:

Ask the employee to prepare for the meeting by doing a self-assessment of his or her performance
Gather your own information on the person's performance from different sources
Begin the meeting by outlining the agenda and outcomes
Ask the employee to share the self-assessment information
Listen carefully, ask questions and explore what the employee has shared
Share your evaluation of the employee's performance. Begin with the points that both you and the employee agree on
Outline facts, make sure that your evaluation is objective
Discuss how the employee can improve his or her performance
Ask the employee to summarize the decisions made in the meeting
Agree on the next steps that you
both will take.

Local Wisdom

"What is the best way to motivate our people?" I am asked this question by many clients in my training sessions. I just finished reading an article on this topic by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. Mr. Welch advises managers and executives to do four things: recognize individuals and teams for achievements, celebrate successes, clearly articulate the team's mission and finally, challenging employees.

Great advice from a great leader! I believe that there is another tool in the manager's toolbox that can be used to motivate employees; a tool that is inexpensive and even more powerful than the tips from Jack Welch. That tool is "face-time". No matter which client that I visit or which workshop that I conduct, the overwhelming majority of employees that I teach all say that they want more face-time with their managers.

My first job coming out of university was as a management trainee for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. After completing the one-year program of learning every job in the bank, I was sent out to a series of branches as the Administration Officer. Typically, I was posted to a branch for less than a year before moving on. One of my biggest challenges was motivating branch staff.

One of the rules of leadership that I learned during that time was that employees follow people, not ideas. Before influencing employees to achieve the mission, objectives and targets, leaders have to influence employees to follow them personally. Employees want to know how much you care about them as individuals. Leaders show how much they care by taking a personal interest in their staff, listening to their concerns, developing their skills and backing their decisions. The only way that a leader can do these things is by spending one-on-one face time with their staff.

Once your employees know that you care about them, they will follow you anywhere. Then you can recognize their accomplishments and celebrate their successes, together.