February 5, 2019
The decade I spent with Chipotle (‘02-‘12) was absolutely amazing. During the pre-IPO years where we were trying to figure out who we were and making it up as we went along were a blast. Post-IPO where we saw accelerated growth, but also recognized that we needed to build a strong people culture to make it all happen, was incredibly inspiring.
September 11, 2018
Hi my name is Bobby Shaw, and I'm a One Trick Pony. At least that is how some people see me in this industry. A One Trick Pony is defined as 'a person or thing with only one special feature, talent, or area of expertise'. And that's not really true of course, but I do have an intense focus on culture and people development in the restaurant business and I won't apologize for that. That intense focus has also produced some kick ass results over the years and while I'm certainly proud of that, I am even more proud of the teams of people I have led through the years that have delivered those results.
June 19, 2018
For many years countless people have written about hustling as hard you can and push for everything you want. Don’t let up. Get it all. Get everything you want. Make sacrifices. You have to give up things you love in order to get what you really want. Reading that stuff makes you feel energized for a season. It makes you feel like you can climb mountains and maybe even move mountains. It makes you feel like there is no obstacle you can’t overcome and no goal you can’t achieve. And that all sounds and feels great...until it doesn’t.
May 22, 2018
Much like the best days at Chipotle, my desire is to come alongside an organization and lead at a high level to help drive results by ensuring high performing teams have a chance to contribute to the organization, while reproducing others to do the same. Developing strong leaders and building cultures that support growth are the things I excel at, are my passions, and are the foundations that I have built an entire career around.
May 2, 2018
One of the realities of leadership is that we don’t always know the answer to the problem that needs to be solved, or we don’t have complete clarity on how to move forward. While these moments of uncertainty can be frustrating, it gives us an opportunity to sit with a problem or a situation and focus on what we DO know...
May 1, 2018
A few years ago as I was working on strategic planning with my leadership team and we were outlining the key performance initiatives and what we were going to do the following year to continue driving results, I said the phrase "we need to protect our investment".
April 30, 2018
My favorite drummer is Neil Peart of RUSH. He’s also my favorite lyricist. I’m hard pressed to think of another musician whose words have made me think as hard as his have. He’s also an author and his writings have inspired me in the same way.
April 14, 2018
Everyone knows how important leadership is to the long-term health of any organization, and we strive to be the best leaders we can be. But knowing how important leadership is won't be enough to help an organization accomplish its goals and objectives. We have to be great leaders who create a culture that supports the organization and creates the future. In order to be a great leader you have to surround yourself with the best people who are as good or BETTER than you. That's right. Better than you are. That's what enlightened leaders do. Unenlightened leaders on the other hand do just the opposite.
April 12, 2018
When we meet someone new there is always an urgency to try and figure out something about them. To try and find some common ground. We know if we can do this it will help them (and us) feel more comfortable as we navigate this new social interaction. When having this exchange with someone we typically go right to what they do for a living which seems like a safe entry point. But maybe that's the problem. Maybe we need to raise the stakes.
March 13, 2018
The biggest impact that has been made across the restaurant industry comes from the way companies have invested in their people over the last 25 years. The next generation CEO’s in the restaurant industry are going to be the ones who grew up understanding that it isn’t all about them.
