Intro

You are now on your way to becoming a Senior Bar Manager and have been through the module Sustainable Processes. In this module, we want to develop your mindset and leadership approach further by encouraging you to become a Situational Leader.

At JOE & THE JUICE, we want nothing short of Operational Excellence. In the BM Junior module Develop Clear Optics, you were introduced to the concept of developing unbiased optics to optimize operational performance. Operational Excellence and Sustainability, however, is not just a product of a single Bar Manager’s operational unbiased expertise. Instead, it is achieved in the combined effort of an aligned, well-functioning team. At this level, you need to shift your focus from the operational procedures and understand situations from a people-minded perspective – remember a Juicer is not a machine!

Becoming a successful Senior Bar Manager at JOE & THE JUICE is about being both a strong leader and manager. The main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have people who follow them while managers have people who work for them.

• Leadership is about getting people to understand and believe in your vision and to work with you to achieve your goals.
• Managing is about administering and making sure the day-to-day operation is happening as it should.

Being a Senior Bar Manager, your goal is to build Sustainable Operational Excellence within your 4 walls. To do this you need to develop the team’s sense of ownership and pride of the Bar by increasing each Juicer’s motivation and involvement.

At JOE & THE JUICE, a leader is only successful owing to his/her followers. You need to ensure that your team wants to follow you. To do this you must invest yourself in your team and show that you genuinely value the Juicers on your team. Get to know them, understand their Perceptual Position, and earn their respect. In other words, you must become Situational.

Our core values as JOE leaders are as follows:

• Respect – “We don’t believe in entitlement” but believe the value of accomplishment lies in the way it’s earned.
• Excellence – “we are ambitious in all our efforts” and build operational excellence through the growth and development of individuals.
• Lead – “we continuously strive to become better and better” and believe in impressing those below us more than those above us. A leader’s power lies in his/her followers.

Perceptual Position – Be Situational

There is never just one way to understand a situation – we all have different perceptions of reality. What is perceived as meaningful and logical varies depending on who is looking and where you’re looking from. You must therefore not only understand situations from an outside unbiased perspective. You must also understand how each of your Juicers is invested in the situations BTC and how it might vary from your own perspective. This understanding enables you to master the situation better, adjust your optics, and adapt your approach to most effectively create development and motivation amongst your Juicers.

You have already used this principle many times throughout your BTC career. Firstly, it is part of the module Juicer Attitude to understand that Perception is Reality. How we perceive a situation, is how we understand the reality of it. It is the leader’s job to see the bigger picture and keep a more nuanced understanding of how different perceptions create reality.

At the JQ GRAD level, you were introduced to the module How to Deflate A Situation. From this, you know that when faced with an unhappy guest, we recover by understanding the guest’s perspective. The situation then becomes a chance to impress the guest. In the same way, when faced with a situation BTC, you need to understand the Juicer’s perspective and view the situation as a chance to impress and influence your Juicers through your leadership. Remember a leader’s power lies in his/her followers!

To be a leader you must recognize that there are always different ways to understand a situation. Only by considering every aspect of a situation can you recognize and create the right direction and development. BTC, a situation can be assessed from three perceptual positions:

First Position: You

In this position, you experience the situation from your own perspective. You see, hear, and feel in terms of what is important to you, and what you want to achieve.

If you only perceive a situation from this position, it results in a self-centered attitude. You will focus too much on your own wants and needs compared to those around us. This will not earn you the respect of your team, and you’ll kill the Sustainable Process.

Second Position: Juicer

In this position, you step into the other person’s shoes and experience the situation from their perspective. You think in terms of how the situation would appear and be interpreted in accordance with what is important to this person.

If we get stuck in this position, we continuously focus on the needs and wants of the other person at the expense of our own. Neither is this appropriate for a leader, as it will undermine his/her authority.

Third Person: Observer

In this position, you are taking a step back from the situation and experiencing it as if you were an independent observer. You think in terms of what observations and advice this ‘outsider’ would offer. This perspective is not involved in the situation and therefore unbiased. This perspective challenges you to clear your optics and objectively assess your own behavior as you look for opportunities to achieve a different and more positive outcome.

This might sound good. But getting stuck only in this position, is not desirable either, as it results in a disinterested attitude – a bystander with no personal investment in the situation.

Are there any of these positions that are more important than the others? No, you’re right. The leader needs to understand, that none of these perceptual positions are more important than the other. As Senior Bar Manager you must continuously cycle through all three positions to balance your opticsand create effective 4-Wall leadership. This means always understanding from both the Juicers’ and the Guests’ perspective as well as your own, to recognize how to most effectively approach the situation and the people in it.

Adapt Your Communication

When realizing that every Juicer perceives and understands situations differently, you must adapt your communication accordingly. Communication is your ultimate tool as a leader. Through proper communication, you can create change and direction, but at the same time, it is the most difficult part of being a leader. Communication is conflictual as it is situational and personal. It must be adapted to the individual Juicer’s perception and motivation.

When you lead your Juicers and your team, you must be aware of the following difficulties when communicating;

What is SAID, is not necessarily HEARD

How can you ensure that the Juicer hears your message (and you hear the Juicer’s message)? Saying something to a Juicer or the Team during a rush where they are preoccupied with guests and products, you cannot assume that everyone hears the message. Also, saying a general message during a shift, the people who are not present won’t hear it.

Another difficulty we often see is miscommunication when using text messaging, Facebook (or other media) to mediate important messages. Even if it shows that everyone has seen your notification, it does not mean that they have read it. Instead, create accessibility through Team Meetings, Juicer Talks, and continued presence BTC.

What is HEARD, is not necessarily UNDERSTOOD

How can you create understanding?

Conveying important messages through meetings or personal talks, not only ensures that the message is heard but also enables you to ensure that it is understood as you intend it to be. Ask your Juicer how he/she understands the message, and how they will approach the process going forward. Having them retell (Teach the Teacher) their perception of what you’ve said, gives you a clear idea of whether you’ve got your message across. Make sure you include all details, leaving the Juicer in no doubt about the WHY and the HOW.

What is UNDERSTOOD, is not necessarily ACCEPTED

How can you ensure that the importance is accepted? Even if the Juicer understands what you want, it does not always automatically follow that they accept the importance of it. You need to make the message matter to the Juicer. To do this you must understand the Juicer’s perceptual position and adapt the WHY to motivate him/her. Make the Juicer see how they are important in this particular process, and how they can make a difference – create Purpose.

What is ACCEPTED, is not necessarily USED

How will you ensure the process?

You must continuously follow up and give constructive feedback. If the message is not being put into action, understand why this is not done. Maybe the message is not heard, understood, or accepted appropriately? Follow up and adapt your approach to ensure the communication line. Do not judge or criticize before you take the time to understand why it’s being done that way – it is your responsibility to secure the process through proper communication.

What is USED, is not necessarily SUSTAINED

How can you ensure sustained progress?

Your greatest asset is your Juicers. Create continued development by valuing their input and empower them. Give responsibility and ownership through Elderflower Management and remember to always acknowledge good performance and effort! To create sustainability, you must continuously follow up and motivate the Juicer to continue the process.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to ensure effective communication through all of these steps! Look at the situation from all three perspectives and adapt your communication to the specific situation and the Juicer involved.

Be the Leader

Being a leader, it is your job to create the team’s direction. To do this you must have a clear view of where you’re going. You should always have a purpose when communicating, reflecting the situational understanding developed through the three Perceptual Positions. However, you cannot assume that this direction is stable. Situations will always change, meaning that you must continuously evaluate and adjust the plan accordingly.

JOE & THE JUICE is rapidly expanding and if we don’t change according to the situational need, we risk killing the progress. We are evolving like a living organism and we need to continuously adapt and adjust as we strive to become better and better.

At JOE & THE JUICE, we promote our leaders to be proactive and adjust the direction if the situation changes. As a 4-Wall leader, it is your job to recognize the need for change and implement it. Check-in early and often to be proactive!

“What I say today, might not be right tomorrow”

– Sebastian Vestergaard, CEO at JOE & THE JUICE

In saying this, Sebastian Vestergaard captures the essence of the situational mindset: Always be ready to embrace change. A direction is only relevant on account of the specific situation. If the situation changes, so should the direction.

Becoming a Senior Bar Manager is about leading people as well as managing operations, we want you to be inspired by Vestergaard’s situational mindset and incorporate this into your own leadership style.

Five things to do when leading:

1) Creating Ownership

Get to know every Juicer on your team, so you understand how to make the message matter to them. Create ownership through Elderflower Management, and motivation through encouragement. You can only create sustainable progression if you create motivation within your team.

2) Take Responsibility

As Senior Bar Manager, you must accept that everything within your 4 walls is your responsibility. Avoid placing blame or giving excuses, it has no purpose. Instead, own the situation, look forwards and adjust the direction. Be inspired by Vestergaard’s situational mindset and be proactive

3) Allow Yourself to be challenged

Create Clear Optics by understanding the situation from the different Perceptual Positions. You must never be content with what you already know. Accept that your own view might not be the most effective and consider the value of your Juicers input. Promote the Juicer’s feedback for how you can become a better leader. Be curious and invested in the people on your team. By doing this you will gain their respect, allowing for even greater performance and development.

4) Be situational, not personal

Remember that you need to consider all three perceptual positions to understand a situation. A possible problem consists of the situation, not the person. Never try to solve the problem by solving the person – solve the problem by working WITH the person.

5) Put the Juicer’s creative mind to work to solve the problem

Value the Juicer’s input and don’t be afraid to incorporate their method into the daily operation. Never correct something before you take the time to understand the logic behind it – it could be a more effective approach worthy of consideration. By doing this, you also empower your Juicers and increase their ownership and motivation.

Examples

Let’s incorporate a situational mindset into a common situation BTC:

First Scenario: Lack of Optics

One of your Juicers opens the store, but when you arrive at the bar you observe a few things missing. The candles haven’t been lit, there are no muffins on the display, and the juice-display is only apples. What would your first step in this process be? – Consider the Situation from the different Perceptual Positions:

Your own perspective: You clearly know what is wrong, why it is wrong, and how it should have been done right. If you only consider your own perceptual position you are left with the conclusion: You are right, and the Juicer is wrong. But this is a very narrow and incorrect understanding of the situation. You need to understand the WHY – why did the Juicer miss these key aspects of the opening routine? Your own perceptual position cannot give you the answer to this question, so you must consider the Juicer’s point of view.

The Juicer’s perspective: The Juicer has only worked at JOE & THE JUICE for 2 weeks and it is his/her first time opening the bar alone on shift. The Juicer misses key components of the opening routine due to inefficient optics coming from lack of training and experience.

Why are the candles not lit and the muffins, not on the display?

Without effective optics and workflow, things like candles and muffins are easy to miss. The Juicer is missing training in optics and workflow, lacks understanding of which order to open the store, and needs (more efficient) training in DCWF.

Why is the juice display not done properly?

The Juice display is mostly a question of optics. The Juicer is clearly missing the WHY and HOW. You should focus your training on securing the Juicer’s understanding of why an inviting display is important for the guest experience.

Do you still think that you are right, and the Juicer is wrong?

Hopefully not. Instead, you should realize that you cannot blame the Juicer. Everything that happens in the store is ultimately your responsibility. You must adapt communication to secure and redirect optics and create Sustainability.

When training a new Juicer, you must be especially aware of “what is HEARD, is not necessarily UNDERSTOOD”. Be very clear on the WHY and HOW, and use Teach-the-Teacher to ensure proper understanding. Lack of optics is often something that you see in new Juicers, but their motivation is often very high, and they are passionate about learning and becoming part of the team.

Second Scenario: Lack of Motivation

Still considering the above example, but this time your Juicer is experienced and has been working at JOE for a long time. What then can be the explanation of the insufficient opening routine?

The Juicer’s perspective: The Juicer has been working at JOE for a long time, has passed his/her Performance Shift but is still at JQ level. The common problem is that the trainer only focuses on the new Juicer passing his/her Performance Shift but when this is complete, the training and development stops. This results in a decline in the Juicers motivation because the Purpose becomes unclear and meaningless.

So, why are the candles not lit, muffins not in the display, and the juice display, not presented nicely? Most likely it is not a question of lacking competencies or understanding the Optics. The Juicer knows why and how the opening routine should be done – but the motivation to follow through and continue good performance is lacking.

Lack of motivation is often something we see in Juicers who have been in the company for a while. In this case, you should be aware of ”what is USED, is not necessarily SUSTAINED”. It is your responsibility to create Purpose and ensure Sustainability. As a trainer, you must continuously focus on developing the Juicer to keep his/her motivation.

In this case, the Juicer has been JQ for a while but his/her feeling of growth and Purpose has declined since the Performance Shift. Referring to the module, you have read on Sustainable Processes: The result-oriented leader would see the Performance Shift as the end result, after which the Purpose of training stops – the Juicer has reached his/her level. This limits the possibilities of further development and with that the possibility of reaching even greater success. The process-oriented leader, on the other hand, sees Progress as the Purpose. This means the process does not stop at the Performance Shift but uses this as an indicator of how to direct future training.

At JOE & THE JUICE, we encourage the process-oriented leadership approach. Depending on the Juicer’s performance at the Performance Shift, you should start his/her training towards JQ GRAD-level. If a Juicer scores a Bronze or Silver Medal, it is natural to continue the training with a focus on perfecting his/her JQ abilities. If the Juicer has scored a Gold medal you can
use Elderflower Management to empower the Juicer and give him/her a possibility to Participate in his/her own learning. For instance, coach the Juicer to be responsible for increasing Loyalty Sales every time he/she is on shift.

Remember the steps from Sustainable Processes: Purpose, Participation, Progress, and Pipeline, and use these in your daily management to create motivation and development within your team.

Third Scenario: Lack of Competence

Now, let’s look at a different example: As Bar Manager, you shadow a closing shift with your Juicer, and you are going to clean the floor together. You don’t bring up the chairs and tables and skip cleaning in the corners. The next time the Juicer closes, the Juicers opening the following day complain that the floor has not been cleaned properly.

The Juicer’s perspective: Lack of competence is something that occurs when you, the trainer, demonstrate low standards and inefficient optics BTC yourself. You cannot expect the Juicer to be able to do things correctly if you don’t show the correct way. When you don’t teach or respect the correct procedure, you influence the Juicer’s optics and create an understanding that minimum performance is acceptable.

So, why doesn’t the Juicer clean the floor properly? You haven’t trained the Juicer effectively and cannot expect him/her to know the correct HOW of the closing routine – including cleaning the floors. The optics you portray during your shadow shift will teach the Juicer that specific parts of the closing routine are not important – creating bad optics. These optics will be repeated by the Juicer and spread throughout the team, creating continuous poor performance and a negative spiral.

As manager and leader, it is your responsibility to create Purpose within the team and influence your Juicer to always do the right thing. To do this you must lead by example – always. The Juicers look to you for direction and your own performance BTC will set the standards of the team’s performance.

Here it is important that you understand the notion of ”what is UNDERSTOOD, is not necessarily ACCEPTED”. If you get by, by doing the bare minimum BTC, you will lose the respect and trust of your Juicers. The team won’t accept your optics if you devalue them yourself. If you, as Bar Manager, don’t respect the value of always following correct procedures, why should your Juicers?

Triggers:

1. The Bar Manager is delegating tasks but always do the easy tasks him/herself. Ex. The BM does the easy e-Smiley tasks such as bar front or fruit baskets and tells the Juicers to do the more heavy tasks such as deep cleaning the dishwasher and stockroom.

2. The Bar Manager only works easy hours (opening and mid shifts on weekdays) while the Juicers are working closing shifts and weekends.

3. The Bar Manager leaves straight after his/her shift even though the Bar still needs help.

Fourth Scenario: Lack of Purpose

Being Situational also includes understanding that situations are never simple. Often you cannot define only one explanation or solution to a problem.

Let’s look at another situation most bars encounter: It is Saturday, a high turnover day, and the first rush has just finished. You come into the store and see the three Juicers on shift talking socially with each other. The Juice station has not been refilled, the floor BTC hasn’t been swept and there are juice cups and used napkins in the Customer Area.

Your own perspective: You know that the next rush is on its way, and the Juicers should be doing a Shift Change.

An objective perspective: The Juicers on shift are a trainee, a part-time Juicer, and a Juicer who has been at JOE for 3 years.

The Juicers’ perspective: Now there are three Juicers involved in the situation, and you must consider all of them, to get a clear understanding of how to proceed. As discussed in the First Scenario, a trainee often lacks proper optics, and although his/her motivation to do 8 the right thing is high, lack of experience makes the trainee vulnerable to other Juicer’s poor performance.

A part-time Juicer might not be very invested in the Bar because he/she is only there a few times a week. For the same reason, it might be harder for a part-time Juicer to understand the Purpose of his/her role BTC, and his/her motivation to follow through on good processes might therefore also be low. The experienced Juicer is likely to feel stuck and unmotivated in the same way as described in the Second Scenario.

So, how should you approach this situation? Firstly, you need to consider your Advanced Shiftplanning. It is a high turnover day, so wouldn’t it be a good idea to have an SM on shift, if you are not present yourself? Your SM is a valuable tool for you to extend your influence in the Bar, even when you are not present – Sustainability. Considering your Advanced Shiftplanning allows you to be proactive and prevent the above situation from even happening.

But now that it has happened – what do you do? Figure out which 4-Wall Principles need focus and activate your Team to get the Store back on track during the Shift Change. Do not judge or become personal. Keep your feedback Situational and explain the purpose (the WHY) of every process you initiate. Make sure everyone Participates (including yourself) by delegating the tasks through Elderflower Management. Follow up with each Juicer to create Progress and encourage them to sustain the good performance they just Participated in.

In this situation, your communicational skills will be challenged as you must ensure that your message is both heard, understood, used, accepted – and create a process that will sustain it.

Going forward you should realize that you need to focus on developing both your experienced Juicer and trainee and make sure your part-time Juicer feels that his/her position is meaningful to the Bar Performance.

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