Six Sigma is no longer just for the manufacturing community. Success for all leaders lies within six new points to ponder for the foodservice and hospitality industries.

There is value for our industry in what Jack Welch, ex-GE guru, called the “Six Sigma” approach. Ever wonder what those Six Sigmas would be for us? Twenty-eight years and a thousand clients later, I’ve realized that what started as an intuitive process has evolved into a successful Six Sigma approach.

With Six Sigma, risk is for the most part taken out of the business proposition. Six Sigmas for Welch are consistent and core to success, regardless of the nuance of the business concept. This is true for foodservice, hospitality and resorts, as well.

Let’s take a look at the Miick version of the Six Sigmas of service:
Sigma 1: Performing on purpose
Sigma 2: Proactive fiscal systems
Sigma 3: Hiring by choice rather than chance
Sigma 4: Training focused on results
Sigma 5: Effective communication
Sigma 6: Being a learning organization

The Breakdown:
Sigma 1
Sigma 1 is about understanding who we are really and what we do. Knowing who we are and why we do what we do ties the Six Sigmas together.

We then know why we hire whom we do; we know what we must train and how to train; we know how to communicate and why we communicate with each other the way we do. We support ongoing learning to constantly improve what we do and how we do it.

Values provide clear direction in decision-making on a daily basis, guideposts if we stumble and course correction if we get off course.

By paying constant attention to the intention of clear vision, there is literally nothing that stops the ultimate success of the work environment.

Sigma 2
Sigma 2 is all about proactive fiscal systems, including daily costing, accrued to the week and accrued to the period. An example of Sigma 2 in motion is that most restaurateurs and business owners wait for their profit and loss to find out how they did on a given month.

There is an alternative, however. The predominant form of food cost considered in most companies is still the physical inventory. Inventory is traditionally done at the end of a month, if at all.

Operators buy special deals to get discounts to save money on a monthly basis. Last, there is no double-check system in place to verify the inventory or what ought to be on hand taking into consideration sales, waste and theft.

Sigma 3
When it comes to human resources, what’s the No. 1 question in the industry? That’s right: “Where do I find good people?”

The Six Sigma approach advises to design a system that supports the interviewer to gather a myriad of information in advance of the actual interview.
The following is a partial list of “Six Sigma” action steps: 1. Have an advertisement stating that you’re “looking for great people all the time.” You never say, “now hiring” or “apply within.”
2. Have a cover sheet on the application that serves as the first screening filter. When handing out an application, the applicant is clearly guided to: “Please read the cover sheet, we are really serious about what is written there. If what you read resonates with you, please fill out the application. If not, please don’t bother. We take what’s written very seriously. Thanks!” This cover sheet filters about 10 percent of the people who do walk in the door and ask for an interview. This is a powerful clearing tool in support of how our clients’ businesses are run.
3. Rather than asking what goals an applicant has for themselves in the next five years, find out what excellence means to the applicant and be specific.
If I’ve defined excellence in my company clearly, then the whole point of the Six Sigma interview is to compare the applicant’s definition of excellence with ours. The interviewer constantly monitors this relationship.
4. Very quickly, common ground is found, or not. The second a decision is made, the interview is over. Any applicant is either called back for a second interview or told on the spot that there is not a fit and thanked for his or her time. The tangible outcome of this process is turnover at 25 percent or less in an industry with more than 165 percent turnover. This result translates into thousands of dollars over the course of one year. This leads us to Sigma 4.

Sigma 4
To quote Stephen Covey, “Begin with the end in mind.” To that end, in order to achieve Sigma 4, you must:
· Define the response you want to hear from your guests. Ask yourself and your team, “What are the behaviors we need to see and feel to get these responses?”
· Train the behaviors that you’ve defined. You’ll end up with a staff that performs.

Here’s what we know about Sigma 4. Effective training is specific and behavior- and performance-based. In addition, a process that integrates visual, audio and kinesthetic learning and is experiential in design heightens retention of information being trained to 90 percent or higher.

It is important to have training build on itself. What is trained today goes deeper and integrates clearly with what was trained yesterday. It is an interactive process in which each behavior, each piece of learning, builds on the previous.

The challenge of Sigma 4 is that we must slow down to define specific actions that determine excellence in our work environment.

Definitive training is certifiable, and exponentially increases both top- and bottom-line company performance. This style of training builds on the hiring sigma and more than pays for itself.

Sigma 5
In this leadership column, you’ve heard many times that communication leads to great leadership and management. A Six Sigma approach details specific tools that support clarity in language, and an environment where managers and team members function as coaches vs. cops.

Ask yourself if there is “safe space” where leaders, managers and team members communicate openly and honestly. This is more than an open door -it is the ability to speak with respect, using data rather than meaning -making or labeling.

This skill set adds to team member retention and is seen as a tangible team member benefit provided by the company.

Sigma 6
The paradox in being a learning organization is that “who’s right” is not as valued as working as an effective team. Leaders and team members alike are acknowledged as not perfect and all players are driven to learn and apply “next steps” effectively.

This environment celebrates open, honest communication, builds on training and supports choiceful hiring. All these components add to high team member retention, amazing ongoing performance, constant learning about guest connection, better training, and the drive for excellence in top- and bottom-line performance in all areas of operation.  FAD

Rudy M. Miick, FCSI, president of Miick & Associates, can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 720-641-7565.