Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Importance Of Your Team


I recently saw a great interview with G.J. Hart, President and CEO of Texas Roadhouse (pictured above). In the interview, Hart was being asked by the interviewer how he can justify spending the millions of dollars in this economy on a posh employee getaway in San Francisco for five days for 1,000 of the company's leaders.

Yes, they were planning on having some business meetings but they were also planning to have fun, and lots of it. They also had a day of service in the community planned (where they will invest over $1 million on this alone).

In justifying this, Hart said, "We want to recognize our front-line folks. We think it is absolutely a great return on our investment."

When asked how much he spends on this meeting, he said it was around $2.5 million, including the dollars invested into the community. He then said, "But in times like these, I'm not sure this is enough..."

I love this for a couple of reasons. One, it goes against conventional wisdom and what the world is saying ("we can't spend any money") and two, because he gets it when it comes to the importance of those on his team. He knows he needs to encourage and lift up those around him if his company is going to go well. This is so contrary to what many leaders feel.
Imagine if we did the same to those around us!

To see the interview, click here.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

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