Family meal time – Golf Inc Magazine

Culture is the buzzword we hear anytime there is a conversation about a successful business or strong operation. Corporate culture is positive when a business values the people, the employees that make things work. There is no doubt how one can feel when an organization is humming along, when the people inside feel safe and valued. Company culture grows with every positive action, across all departments, driven by every individual. Culture is not created by the CEO or by a designated leadership committee planted inside the conference room. It is invisible to the eye, yet impossible to ignore. Culture makes an employee want to stay and grow, or begin a search beyond familiar walls. It provides the energy to push forward, or the fog to slow down and question every forward step. A good culture brings more customers to your location, while the dysfunctional setting will send these same people to search for other options and calmer seas.

In 2021 I wrote a book about life lessons learned in the day-to-day push for success. One lesson told about an organization that had an off-property team lunch each time a new hire came on board. After taking part in six or seven of these get-togethers, I realized they were much more than soup and sandwich gatherings. These 90-minute meals, always including the boss, were fun events truly bringing people together. These lunches knocked down walls while building empathy for the person on either side of the table setting. Each new hire brought another lunch. Each meal created deeper friendships, better teamwork, and increased results. In the restaurant world, meal breaks are called family meals. I learned they can bring far greater results than just a tasty break. Here are three opinions about how to bring people together through a meal:

Schedule events: Certainly trying to schedule a meal, even on property can be hard, if not impossible. Do all you can to bring team members together. Building relationships, away from the minute-to-minute angst of hospitality, can be a game changer for your property. Even if you have to do it in shifts, setting up regular or semi-regular breakfasts or dinners to thank people for their service is, from what I have learned, a grand opportunity to watch your enterprise grow.

Find excuses: It is important, I believe, to get the troops together, away from the action on a regular basis. Having team members come together, without the immediate stress of the day on their shoulders can do many great…