The Art of Mentorship (Why Hospitality Can't Be Taught Online) - Jennifer Krapp, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group

Jennifer: Steve has a way with people. I would say that he does come across as intimidating, right? He's six foot whatever and he's some tall, tall guy. He walks in, he's got a deep voice, big guy, and he's the head of the company. So when he speaks, everybody is like, oh my God, I got to listen, what's going on? But there is a softness about him. And he has learned that it's not something that he was born with. There is something about it that he was born with, but he has really tapped into understanding people and understanding that you can help someone feel seen and heard. without sacrificing what you think is the right thing, right? And I think that I probably struggled with that a little bit as I was growing up and still struggle with it. I have a very, this is the way, I speak with conviction, right? I speak with conviction. I have a way of being like, no, this is the way things need to be. He just has this softness that you can talk to him and just feel great when you walk away from him every time. And I think that that is truly aspiring to be like that and to try to become somebody that is always going to put other people first, but in a way that you still are not sacrificing all of the other things that need to happen. But that person still walks away going, man, I love hanging out with Steve. I love listening to Steve. I love learning from Steve. And it's a pretty great thing to be a part of and to have the notion that the way you take care of others and the way each other takes care of each other matters the most and that a company can be built that way. Because I think that a lot of times people don't think that that's possible.

Josiah: Hearing you share what you just did, it seems to me that maybe the best learning is always going to be in person. I'm curious on your take on this, but everything from how you talked about his presence, how he interacts, I feel like you have to be there working with someone. Has that been your experience where the best mentorship, the best learning is coming when you're working alongside people?

Jennifer: Yeah. That's why I've struggled so much. I eventually became the director of operations for the company where I went around and took care of the fires. I never thought that I would want to take care of the fires. I thought that I liked being the surrogate mother, as I used to call it. I would come in, I would open the restaurant, and then I would leave it, and everybody else had to deal with all the problems. And so I have, as we were looking at training options, everyone keeps wanting us to do this online training and have these online sessions and these things to teach people. I don't understand how you can teach hospitality via a computer. It's human interaction. So, a computer is not human interaction, right? So when you're with somebody, right? It affects them so much more. We talk all the time about not, um, managing through texter or email. Like if you go through back and forth two times on disagreeing with somebody, you pick up the phone and you call them and you talk to them and you have conversations with them, or you meet with them and have like face to face conversations, there's a couple of times where I'm like, I need to fly to Nashville to sit down and have a conversation with this person. Even though it will cost me money to do that, I'd rather do that because it will be more impactful. It will mean so much more because you're taking the time out of your busy schedule to go and spend time with them. And I think that goes a long way in our company and just in life with humans. I think it goes a long way.