At lunch the other day we were discussing funny skits where professional athletes get transformed with makeup and/or dress up as old people to then shock and prank an unexpecting group of innocent bystanders. There was Kyrie Irving as Uncle Drew, Eli Manning as Chad Powers, and of course the original Johnny Knoxville as Bad Grandpa.

I recently did a presentation on team-building events. I asked the audience at the beginning by show of hands if they loathed or loved team-building events. Of those who participated, there was a split of about 50-50 on either side. Team building events can be a polarizing topic with some people feeling like they are a waste of time and others swearing by their impact. I’ve found the key to driving value from team-building activities lies in the purpose and planning behind them.

When I was in first grade, I was selected to be the lead in the class play, Dr. Doolittle. Unfortunately, I was too nervous to accept the role, fearing that I wasn’t ready, and instead ended up being one of the monkeys. The following year I was cast as the Pied Piper, accepted the starring role, and crushed the performance.

I’m fortunate to be in Austin, TX this week speaking at the national Catersource Conference. This marks my 20th year attending the largest gathering of caterers in the country. I remember that first year in 2005 when all the attendees were in a top-floor ballroom at the Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas.

Will Guidara’s book, Unreasonable Hospitality, has quickly become a national bestseller and taken our industry by storm. The tagline, “The remarkable power of giving people more than they expect”, teases the philosophy that helped him build one of the world’s best restaurants at Eleven Madison Park in New York City.

Last week we hosted our second annual MIBE Summit. Our goal for this event is to create a space each year for heart leaders to come together to be inspired, share wisdom with one another, and set intentions for how they will lead moving forward.

This week we hosted our annual Core Value Awards Party at Footers Catering. This tradition is our opportunity to celebrate what we accomplished the previous year and acknowledge the individuals who made a significant impact on Footers Catering.

Happy New Year! Each year as an executive team at Footers, we select a theme for the year to come. This serves as the overarching guide for where we want our focus to be and a mantra for our team to rally around.

I am enjoying some time off this week, and I hope you are able to celebrate with friends and family as 2023 comes to an end. Instead of a traditional MIBE Message, I want to share a video with you that I first saw a few years ago and it popped up again this holiday season during a presentation I attended.

On Monday evening, we held our annual Footers Catering Lip Sync battle! After our last busy weekend in December, this tradition started in 2016 and has become one of our most celebrated and looked forward to events of the year.

Last week our executive team at Footers Catering had our annual two-day strategic planning session. It’s something I look forward to each year as the six of us gather to discuss what we learned from the previous year and make decisions on what needs to be prioritized in the year to come.

It’s no secret that I love sports. Last week I was in Las Vegas for a speaking engagement that happened to be two days before the Pac 12 Football Championship Game.

December marks one of the busiest times of the year for caterers around the world. There are company parties, year-end celebrations, and hosts who invite friends and family to gather in their homes.

“Thanksgiving Thankfuls” has become an annual tradition at Footers. It has had such a big impact on our team that it is now included in our non-traditional benefits for those who qualify. Managers are asked to write one to two sentences about every other person on our management team.

I recently led a discussion for the Leading Caterers of America about “leading with purpose”. Among an impressive group of leaders in our industry, we shared the things that great leaders do and the behaviors common among not-so-great leaders.