Here are the 8 worst habits associated with some of the most clueless, unwitty, catering managers that no one would want to work for. Are you a manager in the hospitality business? If you discover that some of these habits touch you, we suggest having a deeply introspective, heart-to-heart soul-searching with your innermost self. Remember that it is never too late for anyone to change for the better.
1. Micromanagement
Do you like to be micromanaged? Almost everyone hates the pesky word; micromanagement. A good catering manager should, therefore, discern the difference between micromanagement and management per se. There is a huge difference between the two; perhaps an abyss.
As a manager, you should readily trust your employees to do their jobs. Unless this is done, things will become chaotic; mayhem itself will follow. If you think this does not work, it might be time to consider going for refresher training or, at worst, a resignation!
2. Setting the Wrong Example
A good catering manager should be a perfect representation of his staff. If, for instance, you are an ardent procrastinator, constantly late and repeatedly showing up in unprofessional attire, you are surely setting a bad example. Remember that, what you do as a manager greatly impacts the people directly below you.
Indeed, every detail about your personal demeanor counts. This starts with how you greet the guests in the restaurant to how you show up. In these and other areas, the catering manager is expected to set the perfect example for his staff. Takeaway: Set the right example.
3. Poor Communication
The hospitality industry is anchored on a high customer focus. The industry’s nerve center revolves around communication. What are some bad communication qualities to rout out in a catering business manager? Yes, it includes things like the boss being unavailable to speak with his charges during occasions when there are no events.
What about the manager regularly evading his employees’ questions, letting these go unanswered? Remember that, poor communication means that, as a manager, you are effectively under-developing your staff. When this happens, the staff usually feels under-appreciated. Beware! This can kill the overall morale. Either way, it damages your own morale and theirs. Takeaway: Cultivate good communication skills.
4. Mr. Nice
With regards to the catering industry, being too nice is something hard to spot. A strong catering manager should, however, not try to please everyone. Your clients are excluded here, of course! When the catering manager is perceived as too nice, this gives the employees a golden opportunity to run amok over the boss, taking advantage of all sorts of situations, enjoying a field day.
Think of this hypothetical situation: As a manager, you choose to let it go when one employee, who is a repeat offender, habitually comes late. The culprit always completes his duties most effectively and efficiently, but he just can’t bring himself to change the irritating habit of procrastination.
As a manager, if you are happily letting something like this go, you are being too nice. There is no doubt. Remember, it is important to strike a balance between having good communication with your employees and stamping your authority. By your professional demeanor at work, make sure all employees understand that you are their leader. They must not take you for granted. Takeaway: Don’t be too nice at all times. Stamp your authority as the boss.
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5. Egotism
It is common for managers to go on a veritable daydream power trip. Some catering managers think that, just because they are at the top, they can always act in a self-serving way and get away with it, scot-free. True, it can be difficult to detect that you are an egotistical manager.
Beware, don’t mistake someone who is confident to be egotistical. If you, however, see yourself always putting your goals over that of the staff or inadvertently saying, by your behavior, that your job is more important than theirs, then stop and think: Your ego is interfering with your duties and responsibilities as a decent manager. Takeaway: Avoid egotism.
6. Playing Favorites
It is easy for catering managers to look to certain individuals as their favorites while ignoring others. To be sure, as a manager, you may like certain employees more than others. And there may be good reasons: Perhaps they are closer to your age range or, probably, they share the same hobbies as you.
It is always okay to talk a little bit more with such ones, but when it comes to doing your duties, you are expected to delegate an even range of responsibilities to everyone. If you start playing favorites, the favored individuals could soon start to think they can get away with anything, even what others will be punished for. Takeaway: Don’t have favorites at work, the so-called kitchen cabinet!
7. You are Disorganized
There is nothing worse than a catering manager running around, helter-skelter, with his head cut, whenever a catering event is going on. If you are the kind of manager who will walk around an event, papers flying everywhere, then something is wrong with your management acumen.
Moreover, you should be careful not to take on too many responsibilities. If you do, then you are a guilty perpetrator of bad management habits. What is certain is that if you are a perpetually disorganized caterer, you will come across to both your clients and employees as quite unprofessional.
You should remember that, as a catering manager, you are merely one person. It is, therefore, essential to delegate some tasks in the most balanced way possible. Yes, take a cue from the Biblical Moses who was advised to delegate for his own good. Take away: Quit being disorganized; delegate!
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8. Impatience
Let us get this right. Some unexpected, nasty things will happen in the workplace. Yes, runners and servers will, once in a while, drop plates and mugs. The vastly experienced cashier will enter something wrong in the cashbook ledger. The line cook will seemingly ignore a particularly important, specifically requested ingredient. And, of course, once in a while, everyone will be late taking some shift. These are realities of life that a catering manager will have to accept. After all, we are human.
Taking this into account, as a manager, do not let loose all hell every single time someone messes up. If you do, you will, most probably, throw him off balance for the rest of his shift and the overall productivity will suffer. This will certainly happen if he enters the packed restaurant, quite fresh from a blood-curdling scream session that just happened in the backroom!
Granted, as the boss, if you discern a growing pattern of unprofessional behavior, you have every right to kick into the manager mode and do something to stem the tide. This also applies if someone makes a huge, costly mistake. But ultimately, your job as a manager is not to bring anyone down when they slip up. Your role is to help them reach the milestone where they no longer make such ‘silly’ mistakes anymore. Takeaway: Learn to be patient!
As a manager, you should expend all resources in striving to create an unmatched guest experience. Mark you, that includes your employees! Treat each staff member as an individual; appreciate them, trust them. Take an interest in their work. This is, indeed, what separates the good restaurant manager from those decidedly lousy managers. As a rule, what kind of manager are you? Avoid the 8 bad habits of hospitality managers outlined above. Doing this, you will gain a reputation as a well-respected, capable manager.
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