Andrey Kononchuk, Co founder and CEO of popular and rapidly growing chain of fast food outlets Kroshka Kartoshka, believes that respect for people, cultivated in his company, helps to create favorable atmosphere within the team.
1. What values do you adhere in life?
Respect for people: first of all, to our own employees, secondly, to the customer. We even avoid using the word "client". I liked a lot, when once the manager of our first restaurant, used the word "guest". All those who come to us, even though we're not an expensive restaurant, are our guests. It is also a value. If we receive a complaint, and we are, obviously, receiving some - without doubts we have some weaknesses, we all get really upset. We make sure to give an answer to every complaint that we receive. We discuss here almost every complaint we receive. So, I think that respect for people is also our shared value. It is not just my personal one, I am sure that all those who work in our company respect people. I think, it is very important and it also contributes to good atmosphere in our team.
2. How you deal with your employees?
It is nowadays, that we are becoming more and more civilized and transparent company. When we just started, we were 3, 5, 7, 10, 20 people. Who we were, what we were? However all the employees who needed it, were reimbursed for illness or maternity, everyone after their maternity leave was invited back to the company. Many people later called me to thank, but what for? Person is working for you, and something good happens to him/her, or not always good. Six months ago one of our employees had an accident, her face was injured, and we paid all expenses. It was not in her contract, but it's our position.
3. Are there people in your company who work since its foundation?
Yes, we have. For example we have Natalia Petrulevich and Lyubov Elizarova. Lyubov started with us as a bartender. Together with Natalia they started to work in shifts with my partner's and our wives when we switched to 24/7 mode. Today, Lyuba is responsible for all operating accounting. It means that right now everything depends on a person who used to sell smashed potatoes. We still have traits of this family like team. I can't remember if we had even the firs fixed place restaurant (the chain started with mobile outlets) when Irina Vyacheslavovna joined us as chief accountant. Now she is CFO and Managing Director. Six or seven years ago our deputy director for production joined us as a simple potato carver. Now, a lot of things depend on her, she, indeed, is a very responsible person, she can lead, she can push.
4. How do you transmit your energy to the employees?
We have regular meetings with divisional heads of our company, we have so called big management board or general meeting. All people with project of division accountability take part in it. We communicate. Essentially, we are getting all together in order to make sure that everyone hears everyone else's problems. These people are energetic enough, charismatic enough. I'm responsible for two directions in our company: marketing and development. We communicate quite often; we have these meetings twice a month. Later on, everything that we discussed will be cascaded downwards. Each of these people is a leader with charisma, who will go to his/her employees and will speak to them with great enthusiasm. We have very mobilized atmosphere in many departments. One more thing is very important to me. I always speak about it at all our corporate parties: what we are doing is very honorable. We started from a very low point. Everyone saw it and knows it. Now we continue to feed people and according to all surveys among Russian companies we are Number 1 in Russia in our market segment. Only McDonalds is ahead of us. People are pleased with it and are pleased to feel they are part of our company. I think that good business itself energizes people, and this is a very good business.
5. Do you interfere with private life of your employees?
Actually, I don't even understand what kind of reason can excuse intruding private life of any employee of any level. Of course, we are friends with a couple of top-executives which I work with for long and which I knew even before we started to work together. I know about some of their family problems. But, once again, we can discuss it, only if they need it. I can't even imagine that someone told you that they in their firm were gathering party committee meetings to discuss infidelity or divorce of an employee. If he left, than he left; came back, fine; found a lover - all this is private matter. This can't damage the business. I am not going to follow what is happening in someone's private life. If someone comes to me saying something happened, than I'll help. If someone is not doing his job, I might not even have time to understand what is going on in his family; we will simply "say good-bye" to each other. And, what comes to getting into someone else's private life, honestly, I'd be ashamed of it!
6. Do you have any unwritten rules in your company?
We have so many levels in our company now, so it's hard for me to say how our employees communicate. I don't know the needs of our ordinary employees as well as I knew them eight years ago, when let's say a driver could come to me and explain what is concerning him. Today, drivers are not coming to me, and I don't ask them to do so. Sometimes, I receive something via email, but I know that managers and directors of restaurants don't like when an ordinary employee writes letters to CEO and rigidly trace such activities. Top-executives communicate with middle managers and average employees only with full respect. I have never offended, humiliated or raised a voice at anybody. It happens that you raise your voice but not at a particular person but because you are upset by something going wrong. I don't know whether there are any signs in the company, because our communication style is not written down. We know that it is prohibited to humiliate anyone. You may say this is our unwritten rule.
7. How do you treat competitors?
Of course, there is a competition between operators. There are some examples of decent behavior (I can't even imagine how to behave differently). Here is one of them: not so long ago our director for street sales came to me and said that the owner of a very good location is going to throw out our competitor and is offering us the place. It was ridiculous for me to hear it - it's more than a question of taking something that doesn't belong to you. So I called to the CEO of our competitor and advised him to take care of this problem because if we won't take the place, someone else will. Here, I don't see it as a merit, it's just normal: treat other people the way you wish them treating you. Furthermore, our employee who was involved in this case will treat me the same way, because if he respects me he won't behave differently.
