On the first day of your new job you meet many faces, coworkers, supervisors and managers. Having a cohesive team is important so that everyone takes on their responsibility. It is always great to work closely with another to show you a flow of work in that facility, but more often you may be on your own to figure things out.

As a manager of a kitchen I prefer to spend some time with a new hire to instil a sense of a team spirit and recognition of their part in that team. As a manager it is also my role to mentor or lead the entire team toward quality services. I also rely on supervisor or team leaders to do the same as well as report when there may be concerns or issues. In today’s work resources it is challenging for companies to have adequate back up for food service workers(FSW) every day, week etc. At times we must rely on everyone to pitch in extra time to either complete a service or prep for the next one.

It is this effort that creates the glue that makes for a great team. I have been so fortunate to be apart of so many! Whether I was joining or a part of creating a team, really is the same thing because it is out of a deep respect for each other that makes the team work together so well.

To join an existing team as a manager, I always remain as a witness to how well things are working before I make ANY changes. It is important to respect the efforts of the team and its previous management. Any issues are quickly revealed and that is when change can occur, not because I need to enact a change but because the team is ready for a change.