The cafe is a high pressure environment and as we go about our work, the hunt for incongruities, mistakes that need correction, and opportunities to coach and guide people are usually at the top of our minds. The opportunities for affirmation abound, but are buried amidst the meetings, texts, and emails all designed to offer correction. Appropriately enough, when we …

In recent interviews I got to talk about self-awareness and have been stewing on the concept for a bit. Self-awareness is not just a personal development side project. It is literally the difference between whether your business is steeped in life or steeped in death. If I don’t know myself then I will be unaware of my impact on others …

Work in a cafe is not easy. There is a never ending string of mental and emotional hurdles that must be dealt with in a way that is not normal to the average social experience. When choosing to enter the hospitality industry, not many of us are prepared for this pressure and we immediately grasp for the nearest thing that …

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw This sentiment is, for me, at the heart of what plagues most coffee shops and holds us back from being as excellent as we can be in the retail space. In the latest Shift Break we discussed the idea of communication before …

I just released a Shift Break discussing the concept of poaching employees from other shops. The definition of poaching is basically that you, as an owner or manager, enter a business and initiate an offer to a current employee to come work for you. So basically the sleaziest thing you could do. The premise was basically – don’t do that! …

The last 7 months have proven one thing. We are more than what we do. Our very means of expression and provision has been stripped from us and we are now left to pick up the pieces and try to reassemble everything from processes, menus, staff, schedules, and every other component that collectively creates the whole of our coffee shops. …

By Bruce Tulgan If you only work hard, you’ll only get overcommitted, resentful, tired, and under siege. That’s no way to be a go-to person. So, you’d better work smart: First, professionalize whatever you do. Whatever your job is, make sure you do it really, really well. Some organizations have effective, timely training to prepare you—and good systems and tools …

It is easy for me to chase peace in the moment in order to avoid temporary pain. I mean, I am really good at fooling myself, lying to myself that if I don’t address it, it will go away. If I avoid talking to that one employee about their service level at the POS then maybe the situation will work …