He Offers a Roadmap Out of Sales and Profit Hell

If you are spending money with an organizational consultant, you are not alone. Everyone it seems is on the hunt for fresh perspectives on how to reverse the current industry slump.

Issues that in the past sounded straightforward enough – build top line first, then work on your costs, etc., etc. – are not so simple now, not with eggs costing 100% more than a year ago, fuel at $4.50 a gallon and climbing or, in the worst sort of tone deaf irony, many state legislatures piling on new and evermore business-defeating proposals to legislate employee wages and benefits.

Today’s times are challenging our commitment to our principles, our employees, our vendors and your guests. Are we and our teams living our core values? Is our mission statement reality or is it a box checked off on someone’s to-do list? Does our management team have a laser-like focus on returning business to the good times, no matter what it takes? Better: Is every manager charged up and ready to find the answers? Perhaps you need a little encouragement to get all the way there? Meet Jim Sullivan, whose teaching returns your investment with interest.

Why is listening to Sullivan like putting money in the bank? For all the years I’ve watched him Jim has eschewed the esoteric, favoring a simple, direct approach that restaurant operators appreciate. No skin-deep “cum-bay-ah” sessions for Sullivan; he’s too busy fielding all the good questions his ideas generate. Having sat through more than one over the years I can attest that Sullivan’s training workshops pack a fast-paced punch. He gets that his clients are busy and he won’t insult them by wasting their time.

Jim’s website displays this motto: “common sense at work.” The site, www.sullivision.com is built that way -- eclectic, easy to navigate and chock full of serious offerings. The focus is on energizing and leading today’s restaurant people. These are teachable, scalable programs, precisely what companies sharing Sullivan’s sense of urgency are seeking.

A key reason for Sullivan’s loyal following: his books, tapes and seminars are not about him – they’re about the industry’s basic people challenges and how to address them. Sure, he’s charming and industry smart. But Jim Sullivan is more than that: he’s a bit of everyman. In fact, the very best thing about Jim is that he remains an optimist, undiminished by personal politics, hyper-ego or insincerity.

Jim’s latest book, available on the website, is “Multi-Unit Leadership - The 7 Stages of Building High-Performing Partnerships and Teams” . It’s a gem. True to his economy of style Sullivan has penned an easy read, a “first this, then that” approach that’s unapologetic and direct. More importantly the advice serves as a roadmap to pull the industry out of Sales and Profit Hell.

If we don’t need roadmaps now, we’ll never need them.

Be honest and be well. - Chuck

Copyright 2008 by Charles A. Conine and Hospitality HR Solutions

www.hospitalityhrsolutions.com