Chef Donald Burns opened his first restaurant and burned out trying to control everything, blaming staff for problems that were actually his leadership style. He learned that working harder doesn't fix growth problems; you have to work smarter and change your approach.
When I opened my first restaurant, I was like the typical owner. I felt the need to do everything. I was insecure. I didn't trust my team. I was a control freak. I was very short sighted, and when people quit, I blamed them on not being, you know, a good fit. The truth was that no one wanted to work with a manic, control hungry chef who thought he knew it all. So the more I struggled, the more hours I put into work. Back then, my number one solution to fix the problem was just to put more work into it. Perhaps you've done that same thing before. See, the issue we all have, but we don't want to admit is that the skills that get us to a certain level will not take us to the next level. To reach the next level of anything in life or in business, it really does require you to kind of face a new challenge. I found over the years that working harder while having its merits doesn't work 99% of the time. Working smarter is the answer.
If your restaurant only works because you work 80 hours a week, it doesn't work.
