Today, I had the privilege of donating my time to help a very worthy cause, the Wendy’s Dreamlift Day (http://www.sunshine.ca/events/wendys-dreamlift-day-2012). This is the 18th year of the event, and the one in which the cumulative total money raised will exceed $1Million!
I have not historically been a volunteer, or to have a propensity to help wtih charities. This started to change last year when I felt the pull to give back to those who are in less fortunate situations than I am. Last year I grew my hair for a year, cut it into a beautiful mullet, and raised over $1800 for KidSport. I was proud of that, and am proud of my actions today.
While I was working in the kitchen at Wendy’s, manning the bacon station (and for those who know me well, know this is a perfect fit for me) I realized that I was learning quite a lot during my time. What could a fast food restaurant (quick service restaurant as my friend who owns the restaurant would say) teach me?
Communication. Teamwork. Preparation.
There are many moving parts that must all come together in a very harmonized fashion in order for your food to be delivered to you in less than 2 minutes. There must be constant communication between each of the stations relaying what their needs are and what each team member can do. Without a flawless communication system, the whole train would slow down, leading to decreased efficiency.
Each person on the team is given a defined role. Their job is to execute their role to the best of their ability. Each team member is also capable of filling in for others, and the know each part of the process. This sense of a team, no different than a sports team, creates a feeling of unison and of pulling for each other.
In order to serve a meal in about 2 minutes, there has to be a great amount of preparation done before hand. The daily estimates for each product is determined and the raw ingredients are prepared ahead of time. Without this meticulous planning and preparation, the end product would not be as good, nor as quickly delivered.
So, what does this have to do with strength & conditioning or running a business? Everything. Without communication, teamwork and preparation, the product fails. The client does not achieve results. The business does not make money. These have to become the cornerstone of any successful venture.
And this was confirmed to me in the kitchen of a Wendy’s restaurant.
A big thank you to my station manager Sam, the General Manager Leigh and to the owner John Tietzen on allowing me to take part in this milestone event.
Yours in health,
Shane Pizzey MKin, CSCS, CEP
