Leadership Lessons on Add Passion and Stir

        "We live in a noble profession in the restaurant and food business.  Our job is to take care of other people every single day. That starts with taking care of our team first. " - Randy Garutti, CEO Shake Shack

       "If you are lucky enough to love what you do for a living that is the greatest gift you can have". – Katie Workman, author of Dinner Solved, and The Mom 100 Cookbook

         In addition to Shake Shack being a phenomenal partner of ours, their CEO Randy Garutti is insightful on issues of leadership, community building, hospitality, and organizational culture.  As a close colleague of Danny Meyer, it is not surprising that Randy shares so much of Danny’s philosophy, but he is also an innovative and compelling leader is his own right. Along with Katie Workman, author of Dinner Solved and the Mom 100 Cookbook, and a longtime champion for Share Our Strength this is a great conversation right at the sweet spot of what we try to do everyday.

            The episode can be found at http://addpassionandstir.com/enlightened-hospitality-the-power-of-building-community/  and on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/add-passion-and-stir/id1164624510?mt=2 

 

 

 

The Riddle of Chefs Cycle's Remarkable Growth

Why Are There More Rather than Fewer Chefs Cycle Riders This Year? 

            Given the physical and mental challenges, training, expense, and pain involved in a 300 mile, 3 day bike ride you would think that each year would see fewer and fewer riders. But it turns out that just the opposite is the case. In this, Chefs Cycle’s 4^th year, demand has grown so great that we’ve actually added a second, east coast ride (Charlottesville, VA) in the fall to supplement the spring ride in California (Santa Rosa)

There are at least three reasons for Chefs Cycle’s remarkable growth:

First, in a world where social activism sometimes equates to a mere digital click, there are activists who want to be challenged to do something not easy but hard.

Second, Chefs Cycle equals impact in ending childhood hunger.  The millions of dollars we’ve raised have helped add hundreds of thousands of kids to school breakfast programs, and made the entire school day more productive.

Third, it may be hard work, but it is actually a ton of fun, and affirming that we are all capable of more than we think we are.

Those of us who ride get a lot of credit, especially for defying expectations by merely surviving the grueling ride and steep hills. But our work would be all for naught without the generosity of the thousands of donors who support it every year. I hope you’ll be one of them in 2018.   Info about the rides can be found at http://www.chefscycle.org/   and you can support my ride at https://goo.gl/82hdU2  Thanks so much.

My Rules of the Road on When To Speak Out Politically

             Recently a good friend who is a successful business leader had an uncharacteristic tweet, denouncing the treatment of fired FBI deputy director Andre McCabe.  It was uncharacteristic because his tweets are more typically about his philosophy of business or life.  I sent him a text saying I was grateful he’d spoken out and he texted back  “As you know I’ve customarily held back … but I am so upset and that one really provoked me.”  

My friend has a vision and a courage that has proven to be often ahead of, and shaping, public opinion. This is what leaders do. His text back to me perfectly captured the dilemma that so many of us face today in not wanting to blend our personal political views with our more ecumenical business dealings, but also believing these are not normal times and we might someday deeply regret not speaking out. 

In this time when too many decent men and women are being defamed, too many lines of civil behavior are being crossed, my formula, inspired by my friend, is as follows:

-       Trust your conscience and don’t ever hesitate to speak to affirm one’s values

 

-       Political speech need not be partisan speech

-       There is no reason not to be civil even in the strongest of disagreements.

-       If your words reach even one heart or one mind, they are worth it

In times of crisis, citizens of a democracy have a responsibility to do more than just vote. We have a responsibility to engage, persuade, protect and defend on behalf of the values we hold dear.

 

Celebrating a Milestone In the Fight To End Childhood Hunger

We’re celebrating a milestone: a historic number of kids in our country are starting the day with a healthy breakfast. And with your support, that number is growing.

Late last week, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill to expand breakfast that we and our partners have been working on for three years. Under this new law, as many as 30,000 students in high-need schools will now have the chance to get breakfast as part of the school day. Washington is the 7th state in the nation to pass such a law.

Our next big opportunity is in New York state. Earlier this week, we took a group of chefs and culinary professionals to Albany to ask legislators to support Governor Andrew Cuomo’s breakfast budget proposal that would bring more kids breakfast who need it. If enacted, the proposal will help up to 100,000 kids get breakfast. We and our local partners are optimistic that the proposal will go through.

Beyond New York, a similar bill is moving in Massachusetts, championed by Share Our Strength and a coalition of local partners.

Momentum is growing from coast to coast. And voices like yours make a difference with legislators. If you’d like to get more involved in our efforts in Albany, Massachusetts or elsewhere, let me know and I’ll connect you to our team.

Your support is fueling the success of our No Kid Hungry campaign. Thanks for making this work possible.

The Children's Health Fund Making America Stronger Child By Child

            The Children’s Health Fund founded by the visionary Irwin and Karen Redliner and now led by Dennis Walto is one of the most inspiring organizations in the country, providing access to quality health care to our most vulnerable children. In my keynote to their annual conference in Washington yesterday, I shared five strategies for them to adopt in making America stronger child by child. They included:

-       Reinforcing the connection between child hunger and child health and mobilizing to oppose cuts to SNAP and other vital child nutrition programs

-       Recognizing that child hunger and child health are among our most solvable problems in a nation that has no shortage of food or medicine

-       Remember that children are not only vulnerable but voiceless and need us to be their voice in policy and politics

-       Supporting children to lead as we are seeing thousands do on sensible gun safety in the wake of the Parkland, FL tragedy

-       Being cathedral builders who may work on something their whole lives without seeing it finished but who are part of something larger than themselves and building something that will endure.

             Every time a school serves lunch or breakfast to a kid who can’t afford it, every step that makes health care more accessible, every improvement in our schools, makes Americas stronger child by child.