

Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Chris Deferio
A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business or coffee career. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal development, and anything else that will help you achieve success in the coffee shop.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 20, 2020 • 36min
229 : 7 Tips for New Managers
Entering into a new role, or even just taking over a new cafe or team, is a daunting challenge. Many burn out and the experience leaves a bitter taste in their mouth and a lot of destruction in their wake. In the midst of the reshuffling during COVID there are a lot of opportunities to establish a new way of approaching management in the shop and in this episode I am going to be giving what I think may be some the most important practices to put in place to thrive as a new manager or to make your management new. As I recorded this I got the feeling that it may be one the most essential episode in the KTTS library on the subject. Please listen deeply and share widely. I can honestly say that if you practice these things consistently you will have a very strong foundation for the rest of your career. We will dig into and expound on: Pacing yourself Gaining clarity Meaningful change + Small wins Trust based relationships and leadership Communication standards One-on-Ones Scheduling your week Related and recommended episodes: 226 : The Art of being Indispensable at Work w/Bruce Tulgan 224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown 028 : Why it's Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan The One-on-One : How one meeting can dramatically impact your coffee shop's culture and morale. Visit our awesome sponsors! The BEST in commercial coffee equipment www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

Jul 16, 2020 • 9min
Work Alchemy
Not everything we do is fun. Actually, there are a lot of dirty, time-consuming, repetitive tasks that we have to do everyday on order for the cafe to function. Even though these tasks seem rather dull, we can transform them into something of great worth and in the process push ourselves and our businesses forward. Today we are going to talk about how becoming a work alchemist will help you to turn the every thing you do into gold! Related Episodes: 098 : Loving the Closing Shift : Problems, solutions, and philosophy on work 121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings Visit our awesome sponsors! Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price: www.flairespresso.com

Jul 14, 2020 • 55min
228 : Cracking the Leadership Code w/ Alain Hunkins
Leadership is a HUGE topic and it is easy to get overwhelmed with the never-ending opinions and techniques that are available these days. It is cruel in a way because in a time where we need good leadership the most we want to find good resources but the choice of what voice to listen to is often paralyzing. Enter todays guest, Alain Hunkins. Alain Hunkins is a sought-after leadership speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. His recent book, Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders launched as the #1 Bestselling New Release in Business Communication on Amazon. Over his twenty-year career, Alain has led over 2,000 groups in 25 countries. Clients include Wal-Mart, Pfizer, Citigroup, General Electric, State Farm Insurance, IBM, General Motors, and Microsoft. Alain has designed and facilitated seminars on numerous leadership topics, including teambuilding, conflict management, communication, peak performance, innovation, engagement, and change. Alain also serves on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education and has published over 400 articles on leadership. In today's conversation Alain is going to give us some key insights from his bestselling book on how we can elevate our leadership and the leadership of our managers by creating better connection, communication, and collaboration with our teams and customers plus the habits necessary to make these best practices truly stick You will learn about: What are the common traits and habits of the best leaders? How to spot institutional blind spots Self-awareness as the first step The role of feedback to advance your leadership Empathy Focusing on people over numbers Habits to make best-practices stick Much more! Links: www.crackingtheleadershipcode.com www.alainhunkins.com Related Episodes: 212: Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge 109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome : Lack of development in senior staff and what to do about it 224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown Visit our awesome sponsors! The BEST in commercial coffee equipment www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

Jul 9, 2020 • 12min
No News is Bad News
We assume that if nobody is complaining and life seems to be going along smoothly that all is well. We enact the popular mantra of "Well, no news is good news!" In reality though, "no news" is bad news. Why do we think this way? Today we will be discussing why no news is bad news and what kind of mindset and actions we need o be cultivating in order to be in the know and certain about the true state of our coffee shops. Related Episodes: 227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds Building a Culture of Feedback Fear and Trust Fear or Inspiration Visit our awesome sponsors! Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price: www.flairespresso.com

Jul 7, 2020 • 28min
227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds
More than communication, we need connection! As we move forward through the current retail landscape the currency of connection with our guests and also our staff becomes more valuable. A focus on connection and conversational communication is what will separate the sustainable businesses from the unsustainable. Today we will be diving into the need for reaching the hearts and minds of our customers and staff and some practical tips that will help pull out out of the theoretical, utilitarian, numbers focused reality we are used to, and into the relational reality of what people experience in our stores and what drive resiliency and long-term healthy growth. We will learn about: Communication vs. Connection Numbers and false positives Developing guest experience intuition Being curious about the whole story Self auditing and Gemba Kaizen Training your team to connect You staff as your customer Related Episodes: 009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk Building an Accessible Coffee Menu w/ Joe Marrocco 201 : Igniting your Curiosity w/ Cody Gough The Broken Chair 030 : Casey Underkofler : Matching Your Service to Your Quality 035 : The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott The BEST in commercial coffee equipment www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

Jul 2, 2020 • 14min
Long-game Management
Nobody likes to feel bad. In fact in management we are somewhat obsessed with avoiding negative emotions, confrontation, and challenging our staff out of a sense of self preservation or keeping the peace. We believe that if things feel good in the short term then things will go well long term. That is not necessarily the case. Today we are going to be discussing the approach of long-game management and why utilizing this way of leading will create long term stability, mutual respect, and ultimately a resilient coffee shop. Related episodes: 125 : Confidence in Conflict w/ Kwame Christian : A framework for Compassionate Curiosity 104 : How to Deliver Difficult Feedback w/ Tom Henschel 052 : Solving Coworker Conflict w/ Tom Henschel 074 : The Life Changing Power of Good Authority w/ Jonathan Raymond 028 : Why it's Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan Elevate your to-go coffee! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve! BARATZA GRINDERS

Jun 29, 2020 • 59min
226 : The Art of being Indispensable at Work w/ Bruce Tulgan
Are you a "go-to" person? How do you show up at work in a way that gains trust and makes you an essential and indispensable member of the team? These are important questions to answer right now as many teams are being re-built and companies need to rely on their staff to come through more than ever. Today we welcome back to the show, regular guest and one of my favorite authors on leadership, career, and management, Bruce Tulgan! Bruce is the founder of Rainmaker Thinking and the author of more than 20 books including the best selling "It's OK to be the Boss" and "The 27 Challenges Managers Face" He is regarded the world over as a leading authority on management and leadership and is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and many other international publications. Bruce's brand new book, The Art of Being Indispensable at Work, cracks the code and, in typical fashion for his work, gives a practical and detailed road map for how to become the go-to person in your cafe without succumbing to burn-out and over commitment. It is a book that is the epitome of timeliness as we seek to create value in our roles that leads to more security, trust, and growth. This is a very critical subject. Not only to apply to your own career, but also to help you facilitate these behaviors in those you lead. In this episode you will learn about: Vertical alignment What is true influence Steps to being a go-to person Mistakes we make and beating overcommitment How to say yes and no Playing the long game Get the right things done Building trust Professionalizing your work Links: www.rainmakerthinking.com Bruce on LinkedIn Bruce on Twitter Related Episodes: 224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown 141 : The 27 Challenges Managers Face w/ Bruce Tulgan 028 : Why it's Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan The BEST in commercial coffee equipment www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

Jun 26, 2020 • 1h 22min
225: Encore Episode : Founder Friday w/ Dorian Bolden, Beyu Caffe, Durham, NC
As we struggle through COVID and seek also to care for our staff, show hospitality, and address the needs of our community around racial justice, we need to lean on the example of people who have excelled in those areas that we seek to improve. Dorian Bolden was a guest on Founder Friday back in August of 2018 and was one of my favorite interviews ever. He has built a Beyu Caffe to be a solid, profitable, community focused, cafe even in the midst of the economic down turn of 2008. Dorian's values drive the company to be "The ultimate community gathering space" that puts a clear emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and hospitality. Another reason why I loved this interview was how much Dorian shares about his own journey as an owner learning the ropes or entrepreneurship and having to over come some pretty significant personal and professional challenges. I hope that Dorian's example and experiences help you, inspire you, and give you a focus on how you can run a great business and also help serve your community by making hospitality and diversity a part of your shops DNA. Links: www.beyucaffe.com Related Episodes: 183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson 116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton 045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner 132 : Baristas Speak Vol. 3 : Interviews from Coffee Champs, Nashville 2019 The BEST in commercial coffee equipment www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

Jun 24, 2020 • 10min
Who you are & What you Do
We all can have a difficult time with serving the public. These days we may be putting on a literal mask, but if we are honest, we have been wearing a metaphorical mask for a while now. Much of how we show up on at work has to do with how we show up outside of work. If we want to thrive I the shop and bring in people who will create a genuinely caring culture then we have to focus ourselves outwardly. Today we are going to be talking about how we can cultivate a wholistic approach to service that will ease stress, create great experiences for staff and customers alike, and give you more energy for what you do because of who you are. Related Episodes: Your peers are not your Customers 055 : Personal Growth & Development w/ Jared Truby, Cat & Cloud Coffee 019 : 10 Reasons to Love the Customer w/ Chris Deferio 176 : Harnessing Emotions at Work w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab Making the Customer the Enemy 031 : Essential Advice for New Baristas : Tips to help you successfully navigate and thrive in your new coffee career Elevate your to-go coffee! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve! BARATZA GRINDERS

Jun 22, 2020 • 1h 8min
224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown
What is essential? Many of us have been forced into a place of asking this question for the sake of survival and are now looking to create a new way forward for ourselves, our businesses, and our families. If we want our work and life to be imbued with purpose, joy, clarity, and thriving then we need to embrace this question not as just a survival tactic but as a normal state of being. We need to become Essentialists. Today I am honored to welcome to the show, Greg McKeown, author of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times best selling book, "Essentialism: The Disciplined pursuit of Less" Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to discovering why some people and teams break through to the next level—and others don't. This book challenges core assumptions about achievement to get to the essence of what really drives success. Greg is the CEO of McKeown Inc. Clients include Adobe, Apple, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo!. His writing has appeared or been covered by The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, HuffPost, Politico, and Inc. Magazine. He is among the most popular bloggers for the Harvard Business Review and he has been interviewed on numerous television and radio shows including NPR, NBC, FOX, and as a regular guest on The Steve Harvey Show. Entrepreneur voted his interview at Stanford University the #1 Must-See Video on Business, Creativity and Success. McKeown is an accomplished public speaker. He has spoken to hundreds of audiences around the world and is also the host of the new show "The Essentialism Podcast" where he interviews amazing people from all over the world about their experiences practicing essentialism in work and in life. In today's conversation we will be discovering the genesis of Essentialism and how we can take the first steps in overcoming the frazzled and overwrought lives we lead and spend our time on the vital few -vs- the trivial many. You will learn about: What is Essentialism? How to discern the trivial from the vital Working out what is priority Protecting "The Asset" Taking the first steps Finding space for life and clarity Showing up as your best self What is vital for your business Practicing essentials in the midst of change Making room for Gratitude and creativity Links: www.gregmckeown.com The Essentialism Podcast Related Episodes: 008 : Finding Joy in Coffee w/ Nathanael May 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge 184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak 212: Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis Prioritizing your Work The Power of "No" Thankfulness : The key to joy in the journey Managers Top 3 The BEST in commercial coffee equipment www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service


