The thing that is seemingly missing from a list of job duties (and is interwoven into each one) is defining culture and empowering employees to embrace their role.  This single concept will unite or divide and make the difference between an organization hanging together by a thread one that is well run.  Here are some obvious steps to take in daily operations.

• Take time during the hiring process to find team members that fit within your culture.  Even though it might be hard these days to find employees, it’s better to wait for the right person rather than deal with potential problems later.
• It is essential to nurture and invest in your management staff.  Have a supervisor on every shift to enforce the systems you put into place.  Consistency is critical whether there are 5 or 200 customers.
• When there is an issue with a particular employee or team, deal with that immediately.  They may be naysayers or underperformers.  Acknowledge the difficulties and address attitude issues.  Spend time training or explaining why things are done in a certain way.  Invest in education and coaching.  Listen to workers at all levels – ideas come from everywhere!
• Provide a career path.  Employees may leave because they feel they have nowhere to go in an organization.  Someone who clears tables or washes dishes can move up to prep cook with some encouragement. It’s sometimes easier to train an existing employee than to find a new one.

Step back periodically to take a look at the whole picture.  Use tools to evaluate whether your culture is working or must be adapted to the changing environment.