2020 has taught me that even when bad things happen to you, they happen for the good of you, if you are striving to live a good life. By good life, I mean acting out a set of principles or values derived from your higher purpose. One thing I’ve been pushed to do this year is implement a new system of management which has required the team to become more intentional about defining our core values, core focus, niche, goals, etc. Amadeo, Dylon, Madison, and myself have been meeting every Thursday to hammer through this process (outlined in the book “Traction” by Gino Wickman).
Last week we met to formalize our core focus and niche. I say formalize, because these things are already part of our organization, we’ve just never taken the time to document them. We locked ourselves in the office and were determined not to leave until we had completed the exercise. The deliverable was to define of our two truths; our reason for being (passion) and our niche. I would like to share a bit of the exercise and our thought process behind our answers.
Defining our passion, from the book:
When your purpose, cause, or passion is clear, it should meet all eight points of the following checklist:
1. It’s stated in three to seven words.
2. It’s written in simple language.
3. It’s big and bold.
4. It has an “aha” effect.
5. It comes from the heart.
6. It involves everyone.
7. It’s not about money.
8. It’s bigger than a goal.
We spent quite a bit of time meditating on this individually and discussing our purpose as a group. What we landed on was (drum roll), “Building a family of ass kickers”. Not the most professional of company slogans, and honestly it doesn’t sound like the statement I thought we’d land on. But, after much deliberation, it made perfect sense.
Miller’s Smokehouse is a family business. Not because it was started by a family, but because it has become a family of its own. This family consists of people from a diverse set of backgrounds and circumstances who ended up in this adopted family for one reason or another. Our goal is to welcome people in and help them become the ass kicker they were born to be. As we sat around discussing it, we all began to smile when thinking about the special team we have right now and how so many of them have grown and really come into their own. This family is stuffed with people who began their journey with this family lacking restaurant experience or intentions of making this place a permanent home. But, something special happens here. We have so many people who march to the beat of their own drum, but once they find their way into this work-family, the desire to take care of one another pushes them to work harder and grow…to KICK ASS and take pride in their work.
This family is greater than the sum of its parts. Yes, we want to cook good food and provide a memorable experience to our guests, but none of that matters if we fail at creating a family where people can feel good and kick more ass. If we can create a sense of belonging where everyone fights to protect their family, we can do anything. Even better, is if we get the opportunity to bring someone in who has never felt a part of a true team or family like this and cultivate their underdog spirit.
Our Niche
We defined our niche simply in one word, barbecue. Not the noun, but the adjective. We want to be a place that embodies so much about what describes good barbecue. It’s the grit to stay disciplined to a process, even when it’s hot. It’s the ability to smile and be polite, even on the bad days. It’s being proud of the food you place on that tray, and always remembering that someone sacrificed their hard-earned time and money to come and pay you for it. You can’t be defined as “barbecue”, without a team that embodies all of the characteristics that make up the barbecue experience.
The Answer
As 2020 might have it, I left work on Thursday, December 1st, with plans of acting on a personal challenge I have been pushed towards by many close friends lately. Just before 8:00 I had my computer open, cup of hot tea ready, and was determined to spend some quality time knocking out some writing for the first time in a while. As I was taking my first sip of tea, I get a phone call from our security monitoring company (shoutout RBO Technology), “Mr. Miller, there has been a fire alarm in zone 3 and we have dispatched the fire department.”
A few expletives later, and a one mile drive down Penelope, and here I was. I feel like I would have been angrier and more frantic in the past, but this year has broken me. It has also shown me repeatedly that everything that makes me uncomfortable becomes a blessing once I push through it, and all of the hardships of this year have ended up being some of the most memorable blessings of my life.
What we have here is a raging grease fire, compliments of five large pots of brisket tallow:
If you haven’t ever witnessed the effectiveness of a suppression system in a commercial kitchen vent hood, it was incredible to watch on video and definitely saved the building:
Let’s just say we had some cleaning to do.
Once the smoke had settled, something magical happened. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and deep cleaned the entire bakery, washed every dish, cleaned the vent hood, broke down the gas range that had caught on fire for an intense cleaning, and had everything looking great in superhuman time. We called an after-hours emergency service to come rebuild and re-charge the suppression system, and had the restaurant put together in time for breakfast to open smoothly Friday morning.
One of the things I have been challenged to do recently by a dear friend, is to document what makes Miller’s so special; how did this team come about, and how could you define it for the sake of re-creating it in other ventures. I was going to sit down and document my thoughts on that topic when I was interrupted by that phone call from the security company. The beauty of the situation is that this little fire gave me my answer.
You see the man on the left, he had been at work for 20+ hours at the time of this photo. When I came in at 8:00, I told him he should go home as he had been at work since 4:00 AM and was scheduled to come in early the next day. He told me, “I’ll clock out and clean, but I am not going home until this is done.” You don’t tell Bradley what to do, he just does what’s right no matter what.
You see the man in the middle? That’s my brother who was on the way home after a long day of work when the fire happened. He turned around, brought his ass back to work, and didn’t bitch. He worked until we were ready to open for Friday.
And the man on the right; that’s my adopted brother, Amadeo. He was riding his fancy exercise bike when I called him to let him know we had a little mess. He jumped off the bike, left his dinner uneaten on the table, and didn’t even tell his wife he had left. He stayed until every task was compete and we were ready to open.
These are just three of the “family” members who stayed positive, stayed late, and stayed on it that night. There were others there cleaning, but this image really hit me. As I stood back to take this picture, it all clicked. Our secret sauce is that no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, we fight like a true family. When you love the people you work with, you don’t let them hold the bucket alone. Your heart and soul will not let you leave them hanging. It is no longer about time, money, or the expense involved, it’s about being there for your family. People always say that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Maybe the saying should say, if you love WHO you work with, you’ll never work a day in your life.
This picture is our lightning in a bottle. This is our purpose. I am so proud of the people that make up this team, and for the way they rise to the occasion. 2020 has not been all rainbows and butterflies for the restaurant industry, but seeing this team fight for one another and be supportive and positive through some dark days has been an emotional experience. I believe in this family, and I want to be the best family member I can to them. I know we will look back at 2020 as one of the best and most pivotal years of our lives. I am thankful for these lessons, and hopeful the purpose and culture of the Miller’s Smokehouse family can be carried forward into any ventures I am part of in the future, which for now will be coffee.
