Boutique Design - November 2019 - 98

COUVANT NEW ORLEANS

CHRISTINE MAGRANN
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, MAKEREADY

INTO HOSPITALITY?

I am, by nature an optimistic person, and I enjoy
seeing people have a celebratory time through
a great dining experience. I have a passion for
creating memorable experiences for guests through
natural ingredients such as food and beverage. I
find it to be inspiring.
WHAT EMBOLDENED YOU TO LAUNCH
MAKEREADY WITH YOUR COFOUNDERS?

I aim high, aim to deliver, and I like to create
winning teams who in turn create big wins. I often
say, "We put men on the moon, we can do this." On
that same note, however, I always try to be as
thoughtful as possible to balance reality with high
risk/high rewards and not overwhelm the
team. Launching Makeready was my chance to
bring these beliefs together under one roof. I truly
believe in people over process.
AS A LEADER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO
ENCOURAGE YOUR TEAM TO SUCCEED AND
STAY SANE?

We spend a lot of time on people, retention, development and succession planning. As we focus on
building a strong foundation, we strategize on how
to attract great talent. Trying new ideas such as
four-day work weeks in our restaurants and really
robust PTO packages, we continue to find these
98

boutiquedesign.com NOVEMBER 2019

things really speak to our talent and keep others
knocking on our door.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE YOU PRACTICE WHAT
YOU PREACH?

We make a true effort to lead by example of sharing
stories of our family and not sending emails at late
hours outside of the executive team. A big differentiator has been a commitment to setting realistic
deadlines for our teams.
WHAT ARE YOUR DO'S AND DON'TS FOR A
DESIGN FIRM LOOKING TO WORK FOR YOU?

Do: listen and seek to understand. Do: in every
project know what are the critical inch items to
remaining grounded to the "true north" of the
project. Do: be thoughtful and prepared to make
adjustments to items when the bid comes back
over budget from the general contractor. Don't:
keep referring to a project from the past in totally
different market and different positioning. Don't:
be so committed to a specific vendor/partner that
you don't listen to what this current project needs
to try and "make it work." Don't: be aloof about the
budget, even if the owner wavers during the
design process.
WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL WORKING RELATIONSHIP
WITH DESIGNERS AND OWNERS?

It begins with a complete alignment on the end
goal-the "true north" and having the commitment to come back to "that" place as a team.
Taking the time to create that alignment is critical. True north then becomes the decision maker
down the road. When you have passion, talent
and experience in one team, there are different
points of view and disagreements. A project we
are working on in Charleston named Emeline with
the owner and the design team, SWOON, the
studio, has had a few examples of this. How
important are the plaster walls when there is a
commitment to being responsible with the
budget? We work through the issue with pros and
cons and get to the best solution. Sometimes it
takes a few rounds. The entire team has to be
willing to say that they can give in on "that" for
the bigger cause.
WHAT'S YOUR WORK STYLE?

My own principle is to be present during conversations. I turn my phone over during any one-on-one
conversation and 90% of group meetings. It makes
timeliness a challenge and something I continue to
work on. Be direct in your communication with
your team and give real feedback to help drive their
success. We have an important responsibility when
we hire a person on our team, and I have always
taken that seriously.

C O U R T E S Y O F M A K E R E A DY ( M AG R A N N , C O U VA N T )

WHAT WAS THE CATALYST FOR YOU TO JUMP

http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - November 2019