Teddy Mitrosilis

An idea to consider:

Your best hire is already at your company.

• They know your business
• They’ve built relationships
• They understand the product
• They’re enhancing your culture
• They’ve talked to your customers

What they need now is to be developed.

This is the underlying premise of Human Capital Theory.

Two economists developed the concept in the 1950s and ‘60s.

The general idea: “human capital” (ie. people) drives productivity and economic growth just like physical capital.

But it requires investing in education, training and development.

→ In short: developing people is good for business.

Talent is the lifeblood of all organizations.
By all means, go hire great new talent.

But sometimes, the best “hire” is right in front of you.
They just need resources and opportunities to grow.

Develop as much as you recruit.

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A powerful lesson:

Small habits are underestimated.

Incremental progress doesn't feel special day-to-day.

But the compounding of incremental gains becomes special over time.

Respect small steps, and take them daily.

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Your best hire is already at your company.

They know your business.

They’ve formed relationships.

They understand the product.

They’re enhancing your culture.

They’ve talked to your customers.

What they need now is to be developed.

The tools, resources and opportunities to grow.

By all means, go hire. There’s tons of talent available.

But sometimes, the best “hire” is right in front of you.

Develop as much as you recruit.

🙌

#personaldevelopment #leadership

Great employees are an absolute gift.

They’re the lifeblood of every company.

Not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur or “the boss.”

In fact, “the boss” is probably the least important person on the team. It’s the PEOPLE who make a team what it is.

If you have great employees, cherish them.

Tell them often how much you appreciate them. Invest in them. Provide resources to grow their skills and careers.

We’re not perfect, but we try to do this as much as possible at Alto. We want respect, appreciation and investment in people to be part of our culture.

Leaders usually get too much credit.

It’s the employees who make a company.

Appreciate and invest in your people.

Navy SEALs have a saying.

You may find it helpful.

When something sucks, they look at each other and say:

“Full benefit.”

It’s an instant mindset shift.

• Hiking and it starts pouring rain? Full benefit.

• Driving and your car breaks down? Full benefit.

• Working on a project and lost a draft? Full benefit.

The message is simple.

Every adversity is an opportunity.

The harder it is, the more value it holds.

These moments make us better if we let them.

Welcome every chance to grow this week.

Go reap the full benefit.

One workshop won’t make you a good leader.

One training won’t make you a great manager.

One seminar won’t make you an elite salesperson.

But a consistent commitment to those goals will.

The lesson:

Improvement is a process, not an event.

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Before Anthony Bourdain became a TV star, he was a manager.

A manager of kitchens.

The executive chef of Les Halles in New York, the kitchen taught Bourdain many of his life’s lessons.

• How to lead people
• How to build a team
• How to serve others
• How to uphold a standard
• What excellence looks like

And many others.

Here are a few of those lessons:

***

LESSON 1: Control your “mise en place”

In a restaurant, there’s so much beyond your control.

When people will arrive

• How many people will arrive
• What supplies will not show up
• What people will order more of
• What will go terribly wrong

What is in your control is your “mise en place” — the setup of your work station.

Knowing where everything is, being prepared for any possibility.

“We can’t rule the universe,” Bourdain says. “So we try to control that little corner of the kitchen we can control.”

Same as life.

***

LESSON 2: Team > self

One of Bourdain’s cardinal rules in his kitchens was the team comes first.

• No entitlement
• No fights with other cooks
• No believing you’re better

No “treacherous behavior,” as Bourdain put it.

“Your commitment is to the team effort,” Bourdain would tell his staff. “Everyone lives and dies by the same rules.”

In kitchens, sports and business, the team comes first.

***

LESSON 3: No two bosses, no blame

Bourdain had a rule in his kitchen.

If anyone had a criticism of someone in the kitchen, it went through Bourdain.

Bourdain would then decide if it was worthy of sharing with the person.

He was fiercely protective of his staff.

“In my kitchen, no one will have two bosses,” he says.

Bourdain set clear expectations with his staff.

• How they should behave
• How they should prepare
• How they should perform

After that, he took the heat for them.

If something went wrong in the kitchen, he’d never blame.

Bourdain delegated the jobs. If they were screwed up, it was his fault.

“I return loyalty with absolute loyalty.”

***

1. Put the team over everything

2. Control what you can control

3. Fiercely protect your people

In kitchens, business, sports, life.

***
P.S. I share lessons + insights from world-class people like this every week in The Process. Join 19,000+ others here (free): https://lnkd.in/ggFzzVze

“You want to condemn him to a life sentence?”

“Or do you want to have his children going to Princeton?”

Nick Saban was fired up.

In December 2014, a reporter asked Alabama football coach Nick Saban about defensive lineman D.J. Pettway.

Pettway was dismissed from Alabama a year prior, returned to the program and earned his degree.

The question fired Saban up.

He launched into a powerful speech on second chances everyone should hear.

–

My takeaways:

1. Everyone makes mistakes. We just forget our own.

2. We tend to judge others who mess up. The better response is compassion.

3. Mistakes are teaching moments, first and foremost. Don’t waste that opportunity.

4. One mistake doesn’t (necessarily) make someone a bad person. Most people have the potential to learn, move on and do better.

5. That said, mistakes require accountability and carry consequences. You have to own them.

6. Second chances don’t guarantee third chances.

7. If you want to feel self-righteous, condemn someone. If you want to actually make a difference, love them.

8. The world needs more loving discipline.

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I’ll share more from Saban in my weekly newsletter → https://lnkd.in/ggFzzVze

An important reminder:

There’s power in “one.”

Tiny progress feels like no progress on a daily basis.

And we get frustrated, because humans have a bias for instant gratification. We want everything now.

What we don’t see:

The compounding effect of incremental gains.

In business, fitness, family, whatever it is, just focus on today’s rep. Respect the daily process of what you’re building.

Small habits are underestimated.

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If this was helpful, share it with others and follow me Teddy Mitrosilis for more writing.