En ce matin frisquet de d\u00e9cembre voici encore un souvenir qui s\u2019acharne \u00e0 me sortir du lit.<\/p>\n
Nicole, Marie, Caroline, Guillaume le Mexicain qui\u00a0m\u00e2chouillait le fran\u00e7ais et Moustafa \u00e0 la plaque, aussi lent qu\u2019une tortue. Je les aimais tellement. En fermant mes yeux, je vois leurs visages d\u00e9filer dans la petite noirceur de l\u2019aube. Je suis heureuse en brossant mes dents comme si j\u2019allais rev\u00eatir mes blancs de cuisine, tresser mes longs cheveux et embarquer dans la petite Renault\u00a05 pour voler vers notre premier petit resto. Parce que j\u2019avais la cl\u00e9 \u00e0 cette \u00e9poque, je devais \u00eatre la premi\u00e8re arriv\u00e9e pour ouvrir le resto, partir un\u00a0silex de\u00a0caf\u00e9 et allumer la plaque chauffante.<\/p>\n
Moustafa arrivait ensuite et sortait du frigo les fruits, les cartons d\u2019\u0153ufs, la grosse bouteille de sirop maison, et les patates d\u00e9j\u00e0 cuites et coup\u00e9es en rondelle,\u00a0pr\u00eates \u00e0 \u00eatre vers\u00e9es sur la plaque. Puis, Nicole arrivait, reconduite par son amoureux qui la d\u00e9barquait \u00e0 7\u00a0h\u00a010 pile, chaque matin de semaine. Ensuite, les policiers entraient,\u00a0suivis de pr\u00e8s par les pompiers dont la caserne \u00e9tait \u00e0 deux rues de notre bouiboui. Je me souviens encore que pendant ses courtes pauses, Nicole qui se disait non-fumeuse, fumait en cachette dans le stationnement en parlant \u00e0 tel ou tel client qui arrivait au resto ou en sortait.<\/p>\n
Oui, oui, ce\u00a0premier resto a \u00e9t\u00e9 ouvert parce que j\u2019avais un urgent besoin de gagner ma vie et de nourrir mes enfants. Pas surprenant qu\u2019aujourd\u2019hui, ma plus grande fiert\u00e9 soit le nombre toujours grandissant\u00a0d\u2019employ\u00e9s dans notre\u00a0r\u00e9seau canadien.<\/p>\n
Les trois nombres les plus importants pour moi ont toujours \u00e9t\u00e9\u00a0: le nombre de clients servis chaque jour, le nombre de restaurants en activit\u00e9, et le pr\u00e9cieux nombre de personnes qui, comme moi, gagnent leur cro\u00fbte en travaillant sous le soleil Cora.<\/p>\n
Je suis contente d\u2019avoir partag\u00e9 le plancher des vaches avec nos premiers employ\u00e9s, de les avoir vus grandir, s\u2019am\u00e9liorer et devenir des experts capables de former les nouvelles cohortes d\u2019employ\u00e9s \u00e0 mesure que nous ouvrions de nouveaux restaurants.<\/p>\n
C\u2019est relativement possible d\u2019avoir une bonne id\u00e9e; tout le monde en a tous les jours. \u00ab\u2009C\u2019est l\u2019ex\u00e9cution qui fait toute la diff\u00e9rence\u2009\u00bb comme disent les gourous. Et pour ex\u00e9cuter, on a besoin des autres pour former et gouverner une bonne \u00e9quipe de travail.<\/p>\n
J\u2019oserais dire aux\u00a0jeunes patrons sans exp\u00e9rience qu\u2019ils doivent aimer leurs employ\u00e9s s\u2019ils veulent r\u00e9ussir. Ils doivent avoir \u00e0 c\u0153ur de les\u00a0comprendre, de\u00a0les appr\u00e9cier et de donner un sens \u00e0 leur travail. Dieu merci, \u00e0 mes d\u00e9buts, j\u2019ai pu me comporter comme une v\u00e9ritable m\u00e8re pour mes employ\u00e9s et mes enfants dans la m\u00eal\u00e9e. J\u2019ai su leur\u00a0inculquer la bienveillance envers les clients et leur d\u00e9montrer par l\u2019exemple que nous n\u2019\u00e9tions pas les ma\u00eetres, mais les serviteurs de l\u2019entreprise.<\/p>\n
Toutes nos pens\u00e9es, nos actions et nos paroles ont \u00e9t\u00e9 impr\u00e9gn\u00e9es de cette ardeur que nous mettions \u00e0 ravir nos clients.<\/p>\n
Je n\u2019ai pas \u00e9t\u00e9 mollette ni trop permissive avec mes employ\u00e9s. Je les ai trait\u00e9s comme\u00a0moi-m\u00eame, s\u00e9v\u00e8rement. Heureusement que mon r\u00eave quasi impossible a pu susciter chez eux un attachement hors du commun. Tous ceux qui ont travaill\u00e9 avec moi \u00e9taient d\u00e9vou\u00e9s, courageux, comp\u00e9tents et audacieux. Ils avaient devin\u00e9 \u00e0 quel point je d\u00e9testais les trouillards, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire les trop peureux pour partager et d\u00e9fendre leurs propres opinions, ceux qui ne se compromettaient jamais et\u00a0ceux qui avaient toujours l\u2019air de penser exactement comme moi.<\/p>\n
Mes premiers employ\u00e9s\u00a0me visitent\u00a0en r\u00eave et j\u2019en suis bienheureuse. Et je regrette de ne pas les avoir suffisamment remerci\u00e9s et f\u00e9licit\u00e9s. Je me souviens. Plus j\u2019avais besoin d\u2019aide et plus chacun d\u2019eux prenait de l\u2019envergure.<\/p>\n
Plus je croyais \u00e0 leur potentiel, plus ils excellaient. Mon c\u0153ur les aimait tous\u00a0: ceux qui g\u00e9raient nos restaurants corporatifs, ceux qui servaient nos clients et ceux de l\u2019artillerie lourde qui formaient nos brigades de cuisine. Ils \u00e9taient nos v\u00e9ritables \u00ab\u00a0chefs de tribus\u2009\u00bb; ceux qui entra\u00eenaient les nouvelles \u00e9quipes \u00e0 mesure que nous ouvrions de nouveaux restaurants, au Qu\u00e9bec d\u2019abord, et ensuite partout au Canada.<\/p>\n
Ces experts sont pratiquement tous devenus officiellement les formateurs \u00e0 l\u2019emploi du franchiseur, quittant leurs familles pendant des semaines\u00a0enti\u00e8res pour aller un peu partout de Terre-Neuve \u00e0 la Colombie-Britannique. S\u2019assurant de toujours identifier le potentiel et de former de nouveaux formateurs \u00e0 travers le Canada, nos premiers formateurs sont devenus les chefs des diff\u00e9rents d\u00e9partements de l\u2019entreprise. Ils travaillent maintenant \u00e0 proximit\u00e9 de leurs familles, avec nous et sous la direction du pr\u00e9sident.<\/p>\n
C\u2019est d\u2019ailleurs \u00e0 cause de toute cette \u00e9quipe du tonnerre que j\u2019en suis venue \u00e0 c\u00e9der mon pr\u00e9cieux r\u00eave de conqu\u00eate \u00e0 la prochaine g\u00e9n\u00e9ration. \u00c0 vrai dire, je ne me souviens plus quand, en quelles circonstances pr\u00e9cises, j\u2019ai pris conscience pour la premi\u00e8re fois que ce n\u2019\u00e9tait plus moi qui tirais, mais eux qui poussaient pour que \u00e7a avance. Ce fut aussi subtil et r\u00e9el qu\u2019une pluie d\u2019automne lorsqu\u2019elle se change en neige. Lorsque tu t\u2019en aper\u00e7ois, c\u2019est d\u00e9j\u00e0 arriv\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Thomas Edison disait que la valeur d\u2019un produit ne r\u00e9side pas dans ce qu\u2019il est mais dans ce qu\u2019il apporte aux consommateurs. Ainsi, ce qui compte, ce n\u2019est pas le prix de l\u2019ampoule, mais la valeur de la lumi\u00e8re. WOW! \u00c7a m\u2019a fait r\u00e9fl\u00e9chir que chez nous, la v\u00e9ritable valeur ce n\u2019est pas celle de l\u2019\u0153uf ou de la cr\u00eape, mais bien L\u2019EXP\u00c9RIENCE INOUBLIABLE QUE NOS EMPLOY\u00c9S FONT VIVRE \u00c0 NOS CLIENTS.<\/p>\n
Cora<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
En ce matin frisquet de d\u00e9cembre voici encore un souvenir qui s\u2019acharne […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lettre-mme-cora"],"acf":{"img_en":"","contenu_en":"Another memory has prodded me to leave my warm bed on this chilly December morning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nNicole, Marie, Caroline, Guillaume the Mexican, who garbled his French, and Moustafa at the grill, as slow as a turtle.\u00a0I loved them so much. As I close my eyes, I see their faces flash by in the quiet darkness of the early morning. I'm happy as I brush my teeth as if I were about to put on my kitchen whites, braid my long hair and board the little Renaud 5 to fly to our first little diner. I had the key at that time, so I had to be the first to open, start a pot of coffee and fire up the grill.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nMoustafa would arrive next and take the fruit out of the fridge, along with the carton of eggs, the big bottle of homemade syrup and the sliced, cooked potatoes ready for grilling. Then came Nicole, driven by her boyfriend, who would drop her off at 7:10 a.m. sharp every weekday morning. And then the police, followed closely by the firemen, whose station was two blocks from our tiny eatery. I still remember Nicole, who claimed to be a non-smoker, sneaking a smoke in the parking lot during her breaks while talking to customers as they came and went.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAs you know, I opened our first restaurant because I desperately needed to earn a living and feed my children. It\u2019s not surprising that what I am most proud of today is our constantly expanding team of employees across our Canadian network.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe three most important numbers for me are: 1) the number of customers served daily, 2) the number of restaurants in operation and 3) the number of incredible people who, like me, earn their living working under the Cora sun.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nI\u2019m glad to have worked shoulder to shoulder with our first employees, to have seen them grow, develop and become experts who went on to train new cohorts of employees as our network grew.<\/span>\r\n\r\nGood ideas are not rare; we all have them every day. \u201cIt's the execution that makes all the difference\u201d as the experts say. And to execute, you need others to train and supervise a good work team.<\/span>\r\n\r\nI used to say to young, rookie bosses that they must love their employees if they want to succeed. They have to understand them, appreciate them and be able to give meaning to their work.\u00a0Thank god, when I started out, I was still able to be a real mother to my employees and children in those hectic early days. I was able to instill in them a sense of kindness towards customers and to show by example that we were not the masters, but rather the servants of the Company.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAll of our thoughts, actions and words were imbued with the sole intent to delight our clients.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nI was never soft or too indulgent with my employees. I treated them like myself \u2013 harshly!\u00a0Fortunately, my almost unattainable dream inspired extraordinary loyalty in them. Everyone who worked with me was dedicated, courageous, competent and daring. They understood that I hated cowards who were too afraid to have their own opinions and stand by them. The ones who never met you halfway and always seemed to think exactly like me.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt pleases me that my first employees visit me in my dreams. I regret not having thanked and congratulated them enough. The more help I needed, the more they gave.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd the more I believed in their potential, the better they became. My heart went out to all of them: the ones who managed our corporate restaurants, the ones who served our customers and the heavy artillery who formed our kitchen brigades. They were our true \"tribal leaders\u201d \u2013 the ones who trained the new teams as we opened new restaurants, first in Quebec, and then across Canada.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThese experts almost all became official trainers for the franchisees, leaving their families for weeks at a time to travel all over the country, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Ensuring that we were constantly identifying and developing new trainers across Canada, our first trainers became the heads of various company departments. Today they work close to their families, reporting to the President.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt is because of this crackerjack team that I eventually handed over my dream of breakfast domination to the next generation. To tell you the truth, I don't remember when or under what circumstances I first became aware that it was no longer I who was pulling, but rather they who were pushing to make it happen. It was as subtle and real as an autumn rain turning to snow; by the time you realize it, it's already happened.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThomas Edison said that a product\u2019s value lies not in what it is, but in what it brings to consumers. What counts is not the price of the bulb, but the value of the light. WOW! It made me think that the real value at Cora is not the value of the egg or the pancake, but rather:<\/span>\r\n THE UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE THAT\r\nOUR EMPLOYEES CREATE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.<\/span><\/p>\r\nCora"},"yoast_head":"\n