How to Empower Your Employees and Create Lasting Success

A few weeks back, I was speaking to a friend in the industry and asked what her biggest challenge was as a Director of Operations in a Multi-Unit Organization, and she said empowering their employees to act like owners. I have a client in Tucson who owns two businesses in food and beverage, and is expanding, who is struggling with the same thing.

These conversations have made me take a hard look back at my career and those around me who rose up to become leaders in the industry. They had one thing in common: they were empowered.

I have worked with many leaders during my career who have learned the art of empowering people; it takes time, trust, practice and guidance. During my time in management, I have always sought out the next supervisor, AGM, Executive Chef, GM, Sous Chef or Regional Manager. In many one-on-ones with the management teams I have led, I commonly asked the question: “Who is next on the bench?” Building a bench of leaders within any organization is essential to keeping your culture alive in a local organization—in my opinion.

I am currently reading the book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and resonate with his mindset, approach to hospitality, taking care of guests, and empowering his people. In Chapter 10, Will talks about how he strengthened his team and the guest experience by identifying people among his team who were passionate about different aspects of the restaurant.

He put someone in charge of the beer program who was just 21 years old. He also put someone in charge of CGS (China, Glass and Silverware), who changed out their glass racks and reduced the cost of glass by cutting down on breakage. Furthermore, he put someone in charge of their coffee, wine and cocktail programs to ensure that the quality of beverages perfectly complemented the quality of food being prepared in the kitchen.

I haven't finished reading the book, but I can only imagine that this empowerment of employees led to an enhanced experience in every area of the restaurant and increased trust, communication, employee engagement, retention, and loyalty.

One of my favorite personal stories of empowerment is about an incredible bartender and human, Adam Hodak. Adam was hired to be part of the opening team with me at Osteria Marco in 2007. Adam was described to me as a high-volume "beer and shot" bartender. Something sparked in Adam, while working at Osteria, and he started learning about classic cocktails and molecular gastronomy. Adam would play around with different ingredients, taste the staff on new cocktails for the menu, inspire other bartenders to create drinks, and create custom cocktails for our guests. Adam started participating in cocktail competitions, lighting up our palates with hot, spicy peppers whenever he could.

Adam went on to become the Beverage Director for Bonanno Concepts, became a Managing Partner and now owns his own bar in Denver called The L. 

Adam was not the bar manager at Osteria; he was a bartender who was passionate about learning more about cocktails, and we gave him the space and encouragement to do so.

If you are sitting at the table with your leaders asking, “Who is on the bench?” and they say “no one,” then I would call bullshit. Your leaders are either; not asking the right questions, having the right conversations with their team, or there is a bigger issue. Everyone has something to offer this world, and I bet if you spent 30 minutes getting to know that employee on a personal level, you would discover what that is and make your organization better.

What would your organization look like if you empowered your team to think like owners?

How to Find Relief from Anxiety

For the first time after abstaining from drinking, I struggled with mysterious sensations and a total lack of understanding as to why. These episodes occurred at random times for no apparent reason. My body felt like it was buzzing inside out; my vision could not zero in on single objects; my hustling mind seemed impossible to quiet or concentrate during activities such as car rides with hubby and shopping trips around Ikea (where I used to shop with a cocktail in my Yetti). Moreover, those anticipatory pre-work jitters that typically come off Sunday nights were amped up tenfold alongside an incessant heart thumping when headed to airports for vacations - it was frustrating.

At first, I shrugged off the signs of anxiety that were manifesting in my body and mind. But eventually they became so intense and persistent it scared me enough to want to get curious about potential solutions. I am firmly against medicating myself unless its absolutely necessary and really wanted to find a natural solution. 

After researching what could be causing my symptoms, I came across a definition for this condition: Anxiety is characterized by excessive worry & fear accompanied by physical discomfort such as rapid heartbeat and breathing, sweating, or feeling tiredness. Armed with knowledge about how to tackle these feelings naturally was an empowering way for me to understand how I could start to manage these feelings. 

I had heard of anxiety before, but was clueless about its effects and what to do for it. Unfortunately this led me to doubt anyone who mentioned being anxious or suffering from the condition - thinking they were making excuses to not follow up their obligations, like showing up for their shifts. But through further research, I discovered that reducing coffee intake might be a good remedy; something which came as quite a surprise given my moderate coffee consumption. I usually drank two cups in the morning followed by an espresso later on in the day when I was feeling stressed or had a long day ahead of me. 

After years of coffee consumption as a way to wake up, I decided to give it a break in order to see if there was any difference. Surprisingly, only 3 days without caffeine made me feel better - my racing mind slowed down and those jittery feelings inside disappeared. My breathing seemed deeper while focusing on tasks felt easier than before! 

Even today, when anxiety pops up from pushing myself too far or being under stress, cutting out coffee for 2 days does wonders for calming that feeling almost immediately. If you are interested in learning more, I’ve provided a resource for you below.

Tips on How to Manage Anxiety

WHO AM I

I am Christin Marvin. I am married to Tyler and fur-mom to three doodles (Chef, Maddie and Cooper). I grew up in a small-town in Missouri, lived in Colorado for the past 23 years and worked my way up in the restaurant industry, starting as a line cook and ending as a Regional Manager. 

I recently moved to Tucson, Arizona to be closer to family and embark on an entrepreneurial journey as a mental fitness coach and consultant for those in the hospitality industry. 

I believe there is a lack of leadership development in the restaurant industry and that leadership is lonely whether you are successful or not. My mission is to provide leaders with sustainable solutions they can apply both personally and professionally to live more fulfilled lives.

My story.

When I was just 15, my first job was a line cook at Barbosa's. Working at Barbosa’s taught me grit, patience, attention to detail and discipline. Through high school, I continued to explore various jobs in the retail industry and each job provided memorable experiences but showed me that working retail was not for me.

When I was 19, my first restaurant job in Colorado was working as a server at Outback in Colorado Springs. Yes, I still love that Bloomin’ Onion! This type of work fueled my competitive spirit and started to bring out my inner hustler and an extrovert I had never met. 

Eventually, I worked my way up to become one of the bartenders - until the bar manager and I started fighting over a guy. She cut my shifts, I went to the proprietor about it but with no resolution, said “fuck this,” and decided to look for another job. 

I was hired at The Broadmoor Hotel as a cocktail server in their newly renovated cigar lounge. Every day as part of their international student program, I had the chance to meet people from all around the world while also learning what makes up Five Star, Five Diamond property standards. It was an eye opening experience and opened a door for me where I’d soon fall in love with fine dining, wine, mixology and hospitality.

When I graduated college, I had no idea what I wanted to do but soon discovered that my marketing degree wasn't going to pay me the kind of salary I wanted. An opportunity soon came knocking: The Broadmoor's Food and Beverage Director suggested their management training program as a way for me to advance within the company. 

So at 21 years old, with little more than ambition in hand, I made it my mission to become GM by 24 – no small feat considering there were only male GMs back then (with one lone female managing golf operations).

After completing my manager training program, I was eager to start making a name for myself in the hospitality industry. So when an AGM position opened up at The Tavern at the hotel, I took it without hesitation. Shortly thereafter, three months of hard work as AGM paid off and they promoted me to GM back to the Cigar Lounge. 

Although unqualified for what lay ahead, that promotion led me to new career adventures such as joining the bar team at Summit's fine dining restaurant with master mixologists from New York teaching me about spirits and sommelier services while learning everything French cuisine related along the way.

At Summit, I met my first mentor, Michael, who worked for Danny Meyer, a restaurant idol of mine. Michael saw potential in me and offered me a job as the AGM of Summit. Working with Michael single handedly shaped my management style. He was supportive, held me accountable, taught me the value of one on one communication, the importance of following up and how to excel at operations. He invested in me. 

When he moved back to Boston, he advocated for me to be promoted to the GM role but now I know, it was not part of my plan. A more experienced GM was transferred in and I decided to give notice after Tyler and I agreed upon a move to Denver. Tyler was a wine rep at the time and the local restaurant scene was just starting to explode which was really exciting for both of us. It would be a win-win!

When we arrived in Denver, I accepted a GM role with the Bonanno Concepts. They were opening a brand new concept - an Osteria- no one had heard of at the time and not many could pronounce it then or now! Nonetheless, I grew fondness for it; from its team members to high volume service. 

This consequently drove me towards wanting more out my career there: by asking for promotions in events & HR roles coupled with declaring my ambition (to become restaurant owner before 30) made sure that absolutely nothing was stopping me reaching greater heights within the organization.

Working my way up the ladder, I got a chance to invest in Bonanno's latest venture: Lou's Food Bar. We had an incredible team and while we wanted it to work out - unfortunately, the concept was not what the neighborhood wanted. 

My first attempt at being a part owner of a restaurant failed and so did the restaurant. The pressure that came with being a co-owner was more than I realized. I stressed out about every little thing whether I had control over it or not. I decided it would be best for me (and Tyler) if I found something during daytime hours instead; which is how Snooze A.M Eatery became part of my life!

I knew the founders of Snooze and believed in their mission of taking care of their people, planet and community. I was beyond elated (after the shock wore off) when I joined the team at Snooze two weeks before news dropped that we were expanding nationally. I was eager to participate in the company's growth journey - something which had never happened once before! After opening the Union Station location and seeing its success, my ambition led me towards the Regional Manager role in Colorado.

When I was starting out as a Regional Manager, mentors and advice were hard to come by. I did not know who could give me the insight I needed for success in the role and my only guide was a book called Multi Unit Leadership by Jim Sullivan. 

I thought I was getting development through one-on ones and Regional Manager meetings but I realized down the road that what I got from those meetings were what the company wanted us to focus on, and not necessarily what I needed to focus on regarding my own personal leadership development. I stopped taking responsibility for my own growth and it cost me mentally and physically. I was incredibly unhappy, never felt more alone and needed a change. 

Transitioning to join the Sweet Cow leadership team during a global pandemic was an unexpected blessing for me. During that time, Tyler and I experienced a tumultuous journey towards sobriety which proved to be one of our greatest challenges and yet we felt nothing but support each step of the way. 

Quitting drinking has opened my eyes to personal growth like never before, enabling me to invest in myself again - something I'm immensely proud of today! I couldn’t have made the changes I needed to without the help of my coach, Ryan.

Where am I now?

Partnering with a coach changed my life entirely. At 41 years old, Tyler and I decided to start over-we quit our jobs, sold our house, moved to Tucson and created space for ourselves and each other to redesign our lifestyle before starting our new careers.

Today, at 42 years old I have launched my own business, Solutions by Christin. My company specializes in Mental Fitness coaching and consulting for hospitality leaders. Being an entrepreneur is the most exciting and most challenging job I have taken on yet and I can’t wait to share my journey with you. 

I hope you can relate my experiences, realize you are not alone and be inspired to start investing more in yourself. 

Love,

Christin 

Word Vomiting

Have you ever come home from a long day at work and word-vomited over your loved ones? Oh, I have.

Every day, I would come home from work exhausted and ready to unload. Tyler was always there, patiently listening as I recounted the many challenges of my workday. On one hand it was comforting that he listened so attentively, but on the other I felt like a victim; bemoaning all the hardships of my job. I always focused on the challenges rather than the wins.

I've never really expressed the wins in my career; I suck at it. When I achieved something great, accomplished a goal I had, opened a new business or promoted or hired a great leader, I took about two seconds, took a breath, and then moved on to the next goal. I have never been the type to give myself a pat on the back or tell myself I've done a great job; I've just kept going.

I started journaling a few months back as a way to capture my thoughts around what was working and not working in my new business of coaching and consulting. I also wanted to strengthen my writing skills so I could write a book. Oh yeah-have I mentioned I am writing a book? :)

Lately, I have been writing down what I have eaten to gauge how much energy it gives me or drains me of, as well as how my coaching sessions are going: techniques I used that I love and ones I want to incorporate next time. It has really helped me take a deeper dive into how and where I am spending my time and energy. When I have a defeating day in my business and beat myself up for not closing a coaching or consulting deal or fumbling over my words, I word vomit onto a piece of paper and let it go. It feels amazing!

I am spending 10 mins a day on this new practice during my first cup of coffee or matcha.

Through my practice of journaling, I have discovered that word vomiting can be a great way to slow down, celebrate wins and leave your shit at the door so you don't word vomit all over your loved ones. When Tyler gets home now, I tell him about my wins and I’ve have noticed it’s helping me stay focused on the big picture and where I am building momentum. It’s helping me maintain a positive outlook and optimistic mindset which feels very light and hopeful.

I started to get curious about the Benefits of Word Vomiting and through my research discovered that there are many. Word vomiting helps to clear our minds, reduce stress levels, make us more productive, and improve relationships with our loved ones.

What meaningful conversations would you have with your loved ones if you dumped the woes of the day on a piece of paper before you walked in the door?

My challenge to you: try taking 5-10 minutes at the beginning or end of each day to write down what events took place and how you felt. I'm not saying you need to create a ritual of lighting candles and turning down the lights, but seriously, pour yourself a cup of coffee or a beer (or a non-alcoholic Lagunitas—my favorite) and scribble a few words. If you are distracted at home, keep a small notepad in your car.

Try it for a week and let me know how it goes.