This is a time of the year when many invest personal effort in speculating who will win the honors as NFL Most Valuable Player. Sure, there are always a few players who truly stand out and supporters are quick to point to a portfolio of statistics to lend credibility to their choice. Although egos might be polished for some and disappointment constantly expressed when your choice is overlooked, the reality is that no one person on a team can take full credit for the success of the whole, nor can they even take full credit for their individual stats. Great passers need great catchers, time in the pocket is totally dependent on the collective effort of the offensive line, the run game would never happen without great blocking, and successful offenses and defenses are the result of effective game plans and play calling by coaches. So, really, the MVP is the team, not any one individual. The same is true in a restaurant.

Sure, the chef may have his or her name on the menu, the owner may proudly greet every guest, accomplished line cooks may amaze everyone involved, service staff win the day with attention to detail and salesmanship, and one could certainly argue that dishwashers are MVP’s because if they fail, the whole operation starts to crumble. Just like in professional sports, it is the collective effort of a focused restaurant team that includes every player from owner to dishwasher that makes this business work.

Guests may sparkle when they see the chef walk through the dining room and whisper about how great he or she is at their craft, but what many don’t realize is that their meal was likely never prepared by the chef. The chef may have developed the dish and given it that first charge of life, but that work of art on the plate was the collective effort of great purchasing, solid prep work during the day, and accomplished line cooks who are able to consistently prepare and present superb food while juggling multiple orders at once. All this would be for naught if the service staff was uninformed and lacked the knowledge and polish to present the food properly on a plate that was meticulously cleaned by a dishwasher and complemented by a perfectly chosen, stored, and served glass of wine from the bar. A collective effort MVT (most valuable team), not MVP.

Sure, there are stars within the team – those who shine with a particular skill or in a specific critical moment, but what really counts is how that skill aligns with the whole team effort and objective. When stars see themselves as part of something larger rather than being larger than life themselves, then great things will happen. So, what are the signs of a true MVP?

A TRUE MVP:

[]       Contributes to the overall effort of the team and views their role as supportive rather than independently important.

[]       Recognizes weaknesses within the team but only invests energy in helping a person or persons overcome those weaknesses.

[]       Never points a finger at another seeking an excuse for poor team performance.

[]       Avoids referencing “I or me” but instead speaks of “us and we”.

[]       Accepts responsibility for mistakes and less than stellar team performance rather than blaming others.

[]       Gives his or her best effort no matter the assigned task.

[]       Accepts that this might not be the time when they get the ball. In a real team environment, there is room for everyone to shine at any given moment. In a winning team: “everyone eats.”

Vince Lombardi, the great football coach of the early Green Bay Packers and the person in whose name the Superbowl trophy is presented, once said: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” What he meant was the attitude of winning where the sum of the parts is far greater than any individual is the most critical element of success. So, as we cross our fingers in hope that “our choice” for season MVP or our own personal aspirations for MVP status will come to be, remember that Most Valuable Team is a far greater goal whether on the field or in the kitchen.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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