Christine Specht: Now is the Time to Live Our Values

So this morning I am chatting with Christine Specht, the CEO of cousinsubs and wanted to talk with Christine about what it means for her to lead with a sense of optimism through these challenging times and how you've had to sort of adapt and adjust your own leadership style and approach, given that there's no playbook for this, for the times that we find ourselves in. So thank you. Thank you very much for making the time. I know you've got a lot on your mind and a lot on your plate these days.

Thanks, Beth. I really appreciate the opportunity. So happy to talk about optimism.

Thank you. So my first question for you is, what's your state of mind that you woke up with today, and has that changed and evolved since the beginning of our quarantine and our new normal at home?

Yeah, the state of mind. I keep thinking about that movie Groundhog Day, and I know that it's been out for. It's pretty old now, but it's kind of like we wake up and it's just kind of more of the same. Right. There's information that's coming out from either the state or the federal government. We're still in quarantine. We really don't have a great idea for end dates. And we like to know. Right. We want to know what's beginning, what's the end. We don't know what that's gonna look like. So it's. It's just kind of like more of the same. And at the same time, because it's more of the same, it's really about taking it one day at a time. What's on my schedule for today? What do I need to do? Who do I need to connect with to make sure that we're still moving forward in this crazy time?

So what is kind of consuming your thoughts mostly these days? What are you kind of worried about or go to sleep thinking about at night?

Yeah, I'd say the number one thing that we're thinking about is, of course, our employees and how they are faring throughout all of this. And maybe the larger, of course, more obvious thing is just making sure the business remains viable. You know, I'm eternally grateful that we are a restaurant concept that can still be open and available for consumers. I'm grateful that we can adapt our business and move in ways that we have not moved before in terms of implementing new things to serve our guests. So I'm very grateful for that. So, you know, so provided that we'll continue on in this new normal. So you say, and it's so true. It's really about the employee welfare, making sure that they're okay, helping them process these changes, answering their questions and being there for them during these difficult times.

Yeah. And I'm sure you're kind of exercising leadership in a new way in the sense that, you know, you don't have the answers. So it's almost. It sounds like you're almost. In some cases, the best thing that you can do is to be emotionally available for everyone else around you.

Right. We don't have all the answers because we don't know what the questions are necessarily. And, you know, we don't know what will happen next. Just in terms of where Covid turns, you know, when are we going to peak and really what are new or different mandates that come out that force us to adapt our business? And that. That certainly is one of the number one things we do, of course, is comply. So we're listening intently, but it's really about. Yes. Kind of being there emotionally for employees and also providing clarity for them. So when we talk about. When I talk about. With Jason Westhoff, he's my president, when we talk about kind of what is the best way that we can serve.

Our.

Stakeholders and that would be our employees, our peers, and our franchise community, it's really about making sure that we're giving them clear and concise information so that they don't have to read every email that's coming out from every single expert or authority. Right. That we want them to know that we are deciphering all this information that's coming out, re engineering it to make sure that it's. That we understand it and make sure that it's put in a format that they know the stores and franchise owners know kind of what is coming next. And that's been, I think, very helpful. We've actually gotten good feedback from our franchise community on that, from our stores in terms of that type of communication. We're trying to cut through the clutter for them because it's just there's. It's unbelievable how much information is coming out email after email, and. And there's only so much your brain can absorb.

Yeah. So really, it sounds like you're doing a lot of sense making. Right. One of the most important roles you can do is kind of like, gather all this information and help employees decide what they should know, what's going to be helpful. But that constant communication and clarity, like you were saying.

Yes. And Jason is our main communicator, so he's. He's kind of the. He's our president and he is the appointed person. So. And he's. And what I really appreciate is that he's sending, when he senses nearly daily or twice daily emails out to the system. Our cousin subsystem, they are there, is set and arranged in the same format. So they're going to always come from Jason or nearly always they're going to look the same. So people will start to know these are the pertinent points or this is what this email is about because it helps them sift through that information.

Yeah, you know, that's really interesting. So one of the things I think that we've discovered is we are all creatures of habit. And when our daily routine has been upended, that was really stressful. So when you can provide some type of like, consistency, reliability, even with your communication sort of the same format, it helps to. That in itself, I think, helps to give people a sense of comfort. Like there is at least the communications that they can rely on in terms of looking consistent, feeling consistent, when everything else around us is kind of bonkers.

100%. Right. It's really just trying to help cut through the clutter because there's just so much coming at people, you know, trying to decipher it.

So one of the things I've been asking is, is there a silver lining in any of this that you are looking to. That you think, you know what this, we're exercising a new muscle and it would be kind of nice if we kept doing this even when we go back to normal. Is there anything that you kind of look to like this is a silver lining? Yeah.

You know, it's funny because, you know, optimism, by the way, is one of our four values. Right. Cousins operates. We are optimistic, we are purposeful, we are passionate, and we are grounded. So there's this sense of we have to be optimistic that we're going to come out on the other side of this, you know, and hopefully be stronger and better than ever. After some rebuilding, of course. And so, you know, where is the silver lining? Well, I think it's just. It reaffirms for me the importance of having the best people you can possibly afford on your team. Now's not the time to build up a strong team. You want those people on board for an event that you couldn't even predict a month ago that was going to happen. And I think it's just. I've been just seeing so much reaffirmation where my teams in the restaurants and our leadership team here at the support center, they're giving it their all. And they are just using their strengths like it's on steroids. Right. They are just totally tapping into their strengths to help us get our goals met. And so that is a silver lining. It's like, all right, people really, really do make the difference. I always said that because it makes sense. But it really matters in these crises times because if we are running around without good leadership, we are running around without the dedicated teams that are serving the stores to help keep them focused and aligned, it would be a much different picture. So I'm really grateful for that.

You know, it's interesting. I think these challenging times are really almost revealing what your culture is made of, revealing the strength of your leadership or not in some cases. Right. So I thought it's really interesting that positivity is one of your pillars and you're being able to see to what extent having rooted that in the culture is now sort of paying dividends in the terms of how people are carrying themselves. And so, yeah, that's kind of interesting. A lot of times, I think when we think of like, oh, corporate culture work, that's nice. But you're actually now reaping the benefits of having done all that work in terms of laying that down as a foundation.

Right. I talked to, I sent a message out to our general managers and our corporate restaurants and I said, now is the absolute best time to be living our values. Right. We're optimistic, right. So we're gonna. We have the best people on our team. We're purposeful. We, you know, we. We are serving our employees and we're serving the community. Right. At a time of need. We're passionate because we know we're gonna get through this and we're grounded. Just maintaining that sense of history and the roots of kind of who cousin subs is as a brand. And there's no more perfect time to be living these values. To your point, it's easy to live them when times are great or if it's just like another add on, but when times really get tough, and they are tough. Right. It's really challenging out there. Right now. Some of our stores have closed. You have some employees who aren't comfortable working. We get it. So now is the time to be living these values and really putting them on display. If not for yourself, for your peers and your consume and your guests.

So, Christine, I have to ask you. So I hear a lot from leaders, you know, the concept of, you know, put your own oxygen mask on first so that you are there to be able to serve and Lead others. So I love that you're optimistic and you're able to. You have those values as pillars in the company, but this just simply cannot be easy. So where do you tap into your own positivity reserves? Do you have any life experience experiences that you look to. To think, yes, I can get through this too? Do you have someone that you go to when you don't know where to turn? What is your own personal source of optimism? Because I'm sure you have days where.

You'Re like, yeah, where it's like, oh, oh, that hurt. Those sales numbers really hurt. Right. Or though, you know, and it's. It's not about the dollars, but it is about keeping people employed, and I need dollars to do that, so. Right. And it isn't easy, but I don't feel like I'm just burdening this by myself. It's not only on my shoulders. I've got an amazing leadership team. But I'll tell you what. And I don't know if I go to them or if they're just naturally coming to me because I'm mom, but with my young kids, you know, they are. Their life is different right now, and so I have to make sure that I'm putting on a supportive front at home, walking them through changes that they don't really understand, and yet their needs are the same. You know, if they want a snack or they need. Whatever they need. Right.

You know, leave it to kids to keep it real. Right.

Yeah.

I'm hungry. Well, that hasn't changed exactly.

Their needs are the exact same. Right. You know, so they just look, maybe, you know, they look a little different because we're spending a lot of family time at home. But. But that. It really does help. It helps to keep things in perspective. Right. We are blessed to have our. I'm blessed to have a great husband and partner. We're blessed to have our kids and our family. We're healthy. You know, we plan to stay that way. And so I think those things help keep. Keep it in perspective. I do a lot of praying, you know, because I don't have all the answers. So we really try to talk about, you know, I really try to engage, you know, just in some thoughtful dialogue and making sure that I'm praying for, you know, discernment and calm and peace for the. For our nation and the world. And so, you know, that those things help to. It's like the proverbial take a deep breath, calm down, and then taking it one day at a time. You know, when I hear news and reports that say that we're gonna be in this for the next 30 days. That weighs on me like a ton of bricks. It's like, I can't imagine doing this in 30 days. Right. I think. I think we're all gonna go a little batty. So what do you do? You take it one day at a time and you knock that day off the calendar. And then you go to the next day and you go to the next day. Because we don't know the end point. We hope it's soon. We don't know. But all we can do is just get through it day after day. Because there's people that are counting on you, right? My kids, family, employees. And if I'm running around like I've lost my mind, that instills no confidence in anybody.

Yeah. Yeah. Alright, last question. Christine, the first thing that you are so excited to do once we are released from quarantine.

I know. Oh, my gosh. All I can think about is, like, being with people. I want to sit on a couch next to, like, one of my best girlfriends, you know, and having a conversation and. And it's just crazy. I'm supposed to be going to a Bucs game tonight. You know, that's not happening. So I think it's just getting social. And I think that is. I think that's what we're all going to do. Right? You just want to get out of the house, go somewhere that's not a gas station or a grocery store or.

A convenience store and hug people again, Right? Yeah.

Just touch people and be comfortable and be like, be just with people. I can't wait. I cannot wait for that to happen.

Yeah. And my thing is I'm hoping that it'll still be warm outside and that we have it. We haven't extended the quarantine, like, until November release. Well, now it's winter again.

Oh, gosh, Beth, I am hopeful. Yeah. I share that sentiment. I mean, we were, you know, it's like maybe we'll travel, maybe go somewhere warm, hit a beach. I don't know. But for immediately, when we can come back, I'm envisioning, like my corporate office here, my support center, Lots of high fives and hugs when it's safe to do. Right. Because I think we're all gonna be thrilled to get back to business.

Yeah, 100%. Christine, thank you so much. I mean, this. I love doing these because I get a lot of inspiration and I know a lot of people are struggling and a lot of leaders are. You know, this is just not easy. And like you said, people are looking to you. So thank you for sharing some of your tips and your your own personal techniques. We really appreciate it. And stay well.

It's my pleasure. Stay well yourself. Thanks for the opportunity. I really appreciate it.

Thank you.