James Beard award-winner shares keys to a successful business

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Dave Kaup | KCBJ

Rye and Bluestem owner Colby Garrelts received the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef of the Midwest award in 2013. He was also named by Food & Wine Magazine as one of the Top 10 Best New Chefs in 2005.

Leslie Collins

Web Producer- Kansas City Business Journal

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When James Beard Award-winner Colby Garrelts of Bluestem and Rye opened his first restaurant, he had "no clue" what he was doing.

All he knew is that he wanted to cook the best food he could for Kansas City.

And he knew he couldn't do it alone. To run a successful restaurant operation, it requires a team, but Garrelts had much to learn about leadership style.

When he first began managing people, he resorted to what he personally witnessed at restaurants: yelling.

"I wanted people to hear. I thought that's what respect was made of," he said during the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association's Gilbert Robinson Leadership and Awards Dinner. "I would yell, I would scream, I would throw things. I would call people names and treat them like they were beneath me. What I've learned is that is probably the most ineffective way to lead. When people make mistakes and you start to scream and dehumanize, all you're doing is changing the point of focus from the mistake to your temper tantrum."

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When the smoke clears, he said employees would spend the rest of the evening dwelling on that mistake and how much they hate you, instead of focusing on what's key: good food and good service. When a boss resorts to yelling, it also causes employees to tune him or her out and lose respect for him or her.

It's OK to act a little disappointed as a boss, he said, but now he rarely raises his voice. Encouragement goes a long way, and he recalls how a "Good job" or "You'll do better next time" impacted his night as a young cook. It helped him keep a positive attitude and spurred him to work harder.

Leslie covers retail and restaurants, and creates Web stories and other online content.