We all have challenges recruiting and retaining talent. When we hire wrong or when we lose talent we thought was with us for the long haul, it sets us back. I recently sat down with Tony Foreman, who runs some of the leading restaurants in town through the Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group, to understand how they get the people side right and to see what lessons might extend beyond restaurants to all organizations.
What Mom should have Taught You… As will become clear, Tony’s approach to recruiting is frustratingly simple. Simple in that the issues he explores seem self-evident; frustrating in that they’re hard to put in practice, unless they’re ingrained as habits beyond simply hiring. So with a smile, Tony started right out. “I can’t teach you what your mother should have taught you.” “Are you nice, do you have manners, do you hustle” – in his world this also includes do you love “eating food, drinking, talking about it.”
Gating Questions. Here’s Tony’s approach to sizing up a prospective hire:
• “Do you want to be a part of something larger than yourself?” Tony tests whether the candidate uses language emotionally connecting him/herself to prior jobs/experiences; whether in explaining what they enjoyed or describing what was missing.
