HBR Guide to Motivating People (HBR Guide Series)

CHAPTER 11

Great Storytelling Connects Employees to Their Work

by Joseph Grenny

I once spent a few delicious days studying Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), a collection of high-end, casual eateries started by the famed New York restaurateur, Danny Meyer. He had recently claimed the key to his success was creating a “culture of hospitality.” I set out to discover how.

One day, at his Shake Shack (now a juggernaut global chain) in Madison Square Park, an employee I’ll call Bert was dragging a bit. Bert was relatively new and hadn’t really bought into the whole hospitality thing. He was sneaking peeks at his cell phone while pretending to be busy around the outdoor dining area when his supervisor spotted him and torpedoed toward him.

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