Last weekend, Bank Holiday Monday to be precise, our village pub celebrated ten years under the same hosts Tara and Danny.
Just a few minutes’ walk from my house (dangerous, right?) I could hear the chatter from the pub garden, the strumming of a guitar with singing plus the delicious aroma of their superb food, BBQ on this occasion.
How could anyone have walked past and not gone in?
The village car park in front of the pub was full and overspilling along the street.
And whilst this last part only happens with a big gathering (notably often a wake, that’s village living for you), the car park is invariably full when the pub is open.
Then on the news the very next morning, one of the headlines was that 2 pubs had closed on average every day so far this year.
And it made me think, so why is our village pub (thankfully) kicking the trend?
Especially when both hosts have had serious health scares over the last few years.
Well firstly they did in fact close other pubs that they owned in the region. The pandemic prompted a downturn but they also realised it was better to focus on where they were continuing to succeed, their original foothold. The best of their staff were encouraged to move to our village pub and those that could, did.
Mmm, interesting.
Hospitality is one of the toughest sectors to get right.
High costs. Anti-social hours. High pressure when busy, potentially boring when not.
The sector is known for some of the highest staff turnover of any industry. People come and go so frequently that any team culture must be impossible to build.
Which is why, standing there on Monday, watching the team in action, something else struck me.
They weren’t just coping. They looked like they belonged, each contributing to one well-oiled machine.
And I enjoyed observing:
The way they moved easily behind the bar – never enough space!
The silent anticipation of what needed doing next.
The absence of friction, even though it was seriously full-on.
Unfailingly friendly and every customer given a smile.
So again, why do people stay working here?
People don’t usually leave because they can’t pour a pint or carry a plate.
They leave because they don’t feel valued.
Because the pressure outweighs the support.
On the flip-side, people stay with their employer, pub or otherwise, for pretty simple reasons:
- They feel part of something
- They trust the people around them
- They know what’s expected
- They’re supported when things get busy
In other words, they stay for the team.
Over the years we’ve seen so many teams from myriad industries and given them the challenge of herding sheep.
Put a group into a slightly unfamiliar, high-energy situation and we quickly see what’s really going on beneath the surface.
Communication either sharpens or unravels.
Roles either emerge or collide.
Energy either lifts the group or drains it.
And the outcome is rarely about the task itself.
It’s about how the team works together when things don’t go exactly to plan – which it won’t inevitably. Ask any shepherd!
Ten Years Tells Its Own Story
Ten years of running a pub is no small feat.
Ten years of building a team that works, adapts and keeps showing up?
That’s something else entirely.
Tara and Danny’s people stay because there’s clarity and consistency, even when things are super busy as they were on Monday.
And their people respect them as leaders.
Perhaps most importantly, people stay when there’s a sense that everyone is pulling in the same direction, even if the path there changes from one moment to the next.
Do your team members feel this?
P.S. I guess you want to know the pub now? The Greyhound in Bromham, Wiltshire. Just don’t tell everyone! 😆
