Take care of your team – Get to know them as individuals. What makes them tick? What motivates them? How do they learn best? Advocate for them, and CELEBRATE them every chance you get.   

Truly listen with an open mind – Listen to understand, not just to formulate a response. This shows you care about the person as well as the subject. It also builds trust.  

Look for the positive – Train your mind to see the good in every situation. Positive affirmation needs to be expressed seven times more often than anything negative. This is SO important in a system where we are trained to look for things that need to be corrected or improved upon.  

Express gratitude – Recognize good work being done and THANK them for the efforts. Showing gratitude can never be overdone. 

Teach – Use every opportunity to share your knowledge with others. This will enable your team to think independently. Asking lots of questions is one way to help guide your team through the thinking process. 

Always learn – Staying on top of foodservice trends and absorbing as much information as you can will help keep you and your team on the leading edge of your niche in the industry.  

Connect with others – Reach out to other CDM, CFPPs as often as you can. You will find them at meetings, at nearby facilities, through social media, or through other foodservice professionals. The connections can become a safe place for you to vent, to use as a sounding board, to see things differently, and to be supported!  

Volunteer – Step into any volunteer opportunity you can, both within the workplace and within your association. In the workplace, this will build a team atmosphere help erase the “us vs. them” attitude that often exists. Within the Association, it will help you pick up new skills, strengthen skills you already have, and move you from a manager into a leader!  

Mentor – Make yourself available as a mentor to others, whether in your department, in your facility, in your Association, or to students. The more you share, the more you learn and grow as well.  

Take care of yourself – Strive to obtain a balance between work and personal life as much as you can. It is easy to be consumed with work, but you MUST allow yourself time away both physically AND mentally in order to be at your best for those you serve and those you work with.