Gamekeeper, Poacher or ......

I have had some interesting conversations during the past nine months, since I went out on my own. These stem from our industry being in the middle of a storm of new openings, which has challenged recruitment to a point that the old system is no longer working.

I remember the Evening Standard’s midweek hospitality recruitment page, which is how I found my job at The Ivy. In the days before Adam Hymans brilliant Code Bulletin and the excellent Restaurant magazine; we had four reliable sources of information about new openings. That ad page, The Caterer, recruiters and finally, word of mouth.

When I was developing my business, I dallied with the idea of adding recruitment as a branch. However, I realised that as like a sportsperson becoming commentator, you move yourself to a position of being outside the tent looking in, when the alternate view is preferable.

I resolved to continue to help people who want to move to find a position that they will thrive in and be valued. It is about developing a unique network built on reputation and trust, rather than any financial gain. Please note, I am not disparaging the recruitment industry, merely looking at it through my own lenses. Thanks to the wonderful LinkedIn, we have access to an up-to-date database of people and their résumé, which is always current – well, it is if you keep your status current.

We see recruiters trolling LinkedIn and contacting people directly, regardless of their willingness to move. The rationale is that if they are happy, they will not mind being contacted as they won’t be moving on. I think if you dangle temptation in front of people, about whom you have little or no knowledge - either of them or about their motivations - it can be conflicting to the potential employee and disruptive to their current employer.

Whether the grass is greener or not is irrelevant. Before we had one or two choices, now thanks to the huge investment in new restaurants in London, we have much more. Add this to the ease of communication and direct contact style via LinkedIn and social media, we are in a new position of being overwhelmed.

Over the years, I have resolved to look after people and their careers, trying to build long-term relationships. Obviously having mentors such as Chris Corbin, Jeremy King and Mitchell Everard allowed me to learn from the best. It was through them I learned about ensuring people work in the right positions. It is important to try different positions in restaurants, as it allows you to develop a thorough understanding of the business. However, at some stage you need to settle and develop in one position, master it and become a champion at it. Those who mentor you should have helped you find where best you thrive, as it is incumbent upon them to develop your career.

As a business owner, you want the best for your business and sometimes the best for you jars with the best for some of your team. If you manage your people with a short-term mindset that ignores their long-term career potential, you will lose them and their respect. It also sends the signal out through your organisation and you will find your retention rate drops fast.

I am continually frustrated when hearing how people are treated by some employers. The lack of interest in their employees leads to so many problems, the main one being a loss of passion, which translates into a real-time loss of sales and ultimately reputation for that owner.

Why should I work hard for you, if you don’t really care about me.

Note the deliberate lack of a question mark above and in my title. I often pull myself up for framing questions as statements as it can appear intimidating. However, the previous sentence is a statement framed as a question that is aimed at anyone who employs anyone.

The most thoughtful writing on this subject comes from Danny Meyer. He ranks the team as the most important priority for a restaurateur, followed by the guest. I was so fortunate to have learned this from my mentors and have sought to extend this thought process wherever I go.

I have always sought to help people understand that leadership comes from belief. The belief that you have in your people. Follow the belief with trust, which leads to empowerment. Now you are building a team, one that will believe in you and follow you.

Many years ago, I was almost ‘seduced’ into working for a high-profile chef and I remember being asked how Caprice worked so efficiently and why their people stayed so long. I began explaining, only to see a glazed look cross their face. The reality that it took huge emotional and financial investment was too much for them. They thought their name being linked to a project and hiring a strong manager was all it took. Needless to say, I didn’t take the job and stayed a further 6 years at Caprice Holdings before leaving.

Now I am in a different position, as I am often asked to refer great people and asked by great people if I can help them find the next position for them.

I never contact people I know are happy in their roles. That dangling of the carrot is pointless if I am to uphold my reputation. No, instead I let people come to me or I reach out to people I know are not feeling loved by their employers.

Sometimes the conversation leads to me suggesting they go back to their employer with suggestions of how things could improve, sometimes the spirit is broken and any ‘counselling’ is pointless.

It doesn’t always work, but as long as the reasoning is sound - which is to put two people together, who you feel would mutually benefit from being together - then I sleep well at night.

So, as to the title of this piece, the answer is neither. All I and others are doing is proactively trying to help people we know and trust cut through the over-inflated promises from people who don’t know them. Therefore, enabling them to connect with strong, empathetic employers.

I suppose this is simply being a matchmaker between two parties who want me to help.