When your gut isn’t enough anymore …

This most recent Forbes article “Why feedback from the frontlines is every CEOs superpower” is making the rounds — and I couldn’t agree more.

But the real question is … how do you capture that feedback in a way that doesn’t dilute itself on the way up through the ranks?

When I started to scale to multiple restaurants, I also had to multiply my eyes and ears. I could no longer solely rely on anecdotal feedback and gut.

I found I was reading the tea leaves wrong all too often. Worse, I had biased leaders in my ear.

I had to do something to ensure the frontline team member felt heard and seen. I set out on a journey to find a workforce listening tool that told me the truth. Surely someone had created this for the frontline workforce?

I came up empty. Frustration ensued.

So we did the only other option … we created it. We took Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and created an engagement tool that starts with Trust & Authenticity and ends with Proud & Committed.

Finally, the truth was right there in front of me.

Some of it stung. Some of it brought me to tears. But all of it mattered. And that's when the real work began.

~~ Lauren Silich, CEO & Founder