Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2023 - 32

COOPERATION OR COLLABORATION: LEVERAGING
YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE TO BUILD A WINNING TEAM
minutes earlier to better
accommodate your team,
even if it isn't advertised.
The best advice I ever took
was to show up early, always.
who are. Now is the time to
identify informal leaders and
utilize them to their fullest.
#Jobsatisfaction
DON' T BE A GRUMPY
SUPERHERO
Just got out of a bad meeting
about financials? Miss your
exit on the way into the office?
Well, your team doesn't care.
If you expect them to come
in with a smile on their face, then
you should too. The face masks are
gone-smile! Post a joke of the day on
the white board and use the power of
positivity to accelerate your people.
Never underestimate the strength your
attitude has on the mindset of your
direct reports. Model the behavior you
want them to project. And don't forget
to tell them just how amazing they
truly are.
TODAY'S TEAMS ARE
HOMOGENEOUS BLENDS
of Gens X, Y, and Z; a
returning retiree or two,
and if you're lucky, enough
experienced Boomers to help
carry the day.
BE ON TIME
This is probably the hardest one of all,
and the easiest to give up on. Demands
on leaders these days are incessant.
Meetings run over constantly, and
pop up instantly. Deadlines change.
Commitments evolve. And call-ins...
The best solution is to move the goal
posts. If the cafe opens at 11:00 a.m.,
move the set-up time to 10:50. Look
at repositioning service times 10
LISTEN AND
EMPATHIZE
This doesn't mean cave
into every sad story. But be
present and put yourself in
another person's shoes. The
information you learn may
help your team adapt and
grow. An example was an
opportunity we had to recruit
a great new hire that couldn't arrive
until an hour after the start of the
shift every day. We very nearly passed
on her. Instead, we took a chance and
innovated: She could start later and
stay later to clean up the dish room
while other team members left. No
one complained, everyone loves her,
and she does an amazing job. Win,
win!
Our leaders and managers have come
a long way from Mr. Boss and the
factory floor, where Boomers and
an occasional old timer put a rookie
through his paces. Today's teams are
homogeneous blends of Gens X, Y, Z; a
returning retiree or two, and if you're
lucky, enough experienced Boomers to
help carry the day. Your skills as a great
collaborator can bring out the best in all
of them, engage their skills and talents,
and build a winning team. E
CHRISTINA BODANZA, CEC, CDM, CFPP, CDP, PCII | ChristinaBodanza@iammorrison.com
Christina Bodanza is the Executive Chef at University of Florida Health (UFH) The Villages
Hospital in Lady Lake, Fla. She is a CDM, CFPP with the ANFP, a Certified Executive Chef
with the American Culinary Federation, and has completed ProChef level II with the Culinary
Institute of America.
32 NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | MARCH-APRIL 2023

Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2023