29d • General discussion
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After a bit of a break with the holiday's and going down with a nasty flu, we're back on track building out this platform for you all. A new rollout of lessons and videos will be up soon followed by bi-weekly live lessons and Q&A.
Here's a lesson to kick off the new year and help you get off on the right foot!
1. THE CORE REALITY OF PUB OPERATIONS
Every pub starts strong.
Then, slowly and quietly, things begin to slide.
Not because staff suddenly got worse.Not because guests changed.Not because the concept stopped working.
They slide because management tolerance increases.
The most dangerous phrase in hospitality leadership is:
“It’s not that bad.”
That single sentence is how:
- Sloppy closes become normal
- Weak service becomes acceptable
- Poor attitudes stay on the floor
- Margins quietly erode
- Reputations slowly crack
Standards do not disappear overnight.They erode when managers stop defending them daily.
2. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MANAGER AND A SUPERVISOR
A supervisor reacts.A manager prevents.
Supervisors:
- Put out fires
- Answer questions
- Fill gaps
- Apologize to guests
- Explain problems after they happen
Managers:
- Design systems
- Enforce standards
- Anticipate pressure points
- Correct issues before guests feel them
- Eliminate repeat problems
If you are constantly:
- Re-explaining expectations
- Re-coaching the same behaviors
- Re-addressing the same mistakes
That is not leadership — that is maintenance mode.
Managers are not paid to maintain chaos.Managers are paid to remove chaos entirely.
3. WHY “GOOD ENOUGH” IS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH IN A PUB
Pubs operate in compressed chaos:
- Loud environments
- Alcohol involved
- High emotion
- Fast decision-making
- Thin margins
- Public perception
That means small mistakes multiply quickly.
A missed table touch becomes a bad review.A lazy close becomes a health issue.A loose comp policy becomes lost revenue.A weak manager becomes a disengaged team.
In this environment:
- “Mostly done” = not done
- “Usually followed” = not followed
- “I thought someone else handled it” = leadership failure
4. THE ROLE OF CONSISTENCY (AND WHY IT’S NON-NEGOTIABLE)
Consistency is not personality-based.It is not mood-based.It is not traffic-based.It is not “how busy we were.”
Consistency means:
- The same close on a slow Tuesday as a slammed Saturday
- The same service expectations regardless of who’s on
- The same enforcement whether ownership is present or not
- The same discipline whether morale is high or low
Teams do not rise to expectations.They fall to the lowest tolerated behavior.
If one person cuts corners and stays unchecked, the team notices.If one bad attitude is allowed, morale decays.If one sloppy close passes, standards reset lower.
Managers set the floor, not the ceiling.
5. VISIBILITY IS LEADERSHIP CURRENCY
Managers who hide lose authority.
Leadership requires:
- Physical presence
- Eye contact
- Calm direction
- Immediate correction
- Visible follow-through
If staff only see managers:
- In the office
- On their phones
- Doing admin during peak
- Avoiding confrontation
They will mirror that disengagement.
The floor must feel managed, not observed.
A well-run pub has an unspoken tone:
“Someone is in control here.”
6. WHY REPEAT ISSUES ARE A MANAGEMENT FAILURE
One-time mistakes happen.Repeat mistakes mean something was never fixed.
If an issue appears more than once:
- It was not documented
- It was not assigned
- It was not enforced
- Or it was tolerated
Managers do not get credit for:
- Knowing about problems
- Talking about problems
- Being frustrated by problems
Credit comes from removing the problem permanently.
That requires:
- Clear ownership
- Clear expectations
- Clear consequences
- Clear verification
Anything else is noise.
7. DISCIPLINE IS A FORM OF RESPECT
Strong managers are often mislabeled as “strict.”In reality, they are fair and predictable.
Discipline means:
- Staff know where they stand
- Expectations are clear
- Consequences are consistent
- Favouritism is eliminated
- Emotional decision-making is removed
Weak leadership creates anxiety.Strong leadership creates security.
Most staff want structure.They perform better when rules are enforced evenly.
Chaos benefits no one.
8. OWNERSHIP MENTALITY VS. SHIFT MENTALITY
Managers must operate with ownership thinking, even if they don’t own the business.
Shift mentality sounds like:
- “That’s not my department”
- “I wasn’t scheduled that day”
- “I didn’t see it happen”
- “I assumed someone else handled it”
Ownership mentality sounds like:
- “I should have caught that”
- “That’s on me”
- “I’ll fix the system so it doesn’t happen again”
- “I’ll make sure this never repeats”
Ownership is proactive.Shift mentality is reactive.
Only one builds strong operations.
9. THE COST OF AVOIDANCE
Avoidance is expensive.
Avoiding:
- Hard conversations
- Role clarity
- Performance issues
- Accountability
Problems do not go away when ignored.They spread quietly.
Managers are expected to:
- Address issues early
- Address them calmly
- Address them clearly
- Close the loop fully
Leadership discomfort today prevents operational pain tomorrow.
10. WHAT “GOOD MANAGEMENT” ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE DAY-TO-DAY
It looks like:
- Floors that run on autopilot
- Staff who know expectations without asking
- Guests who feel taken care of without escalation
- Clean closes without reminders
- Financial controls that don’t require panic
If management feels exhausting every day, something is broken.
Well-run pubs feel controlled, not chaotic — even when busy.
11. FINAL STANDARD TO REMEMBER
Every shift you lead answers one question:
“Did standards get stronger today — or weaker?”
There is no neutral answer.
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