Edie Ames
President, Morton’s the Steakhouse
www.mortons.com
Many a waitress endures long nights and blistered feet only as a means to an end. Edie Ames, on the other hand, found her passion. Her days of schlepping coffee, however, are long behind her as president of Morton’s the Steakhouse, the preeminent power-lunch spot enjoyed by famous actors, media moguls and other bold faced names.
While a steak house might seem the province of good old boys and power suits, Edie isn’t prey to any men’s club mentality. The Chicago native oversees 4500 employees, 74 steakhouse locations and is a leader in a company that generated a stunning $322 million in revenue for 2006.
Here, Edie illuminates the nuances of launching inside an established structure and explains how her investment in people and relationships shape and maintain an iconic, continually evolving brand.
A Dream of Waiting Tables
“I don’t know where that came from when I was a child… probably from dining out with my parents. When I was old enough to work, I marched my butt into Bakers Square and made them give me a job. It took three to four interviews, but I finally talked them into it.
“I never got out of the restaurant business - it grabbed me from the people aspect and being able to make a difference. I moved to Atlanta and joined Malone’s and was with the company (that owned Malone’s) for eight years. That’s when I jumped into the training and development side.”
Path to Company President
“I wandered into CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) one day - they were back in Chicago where I grew up. I always had a yearning to get back to Chicago. I spent 12 wonderful years there, mainly in operations and ended up as regional VP of operations and training and development.
“Then I met (Morton’s) CEO at the time - his name was Allen Bernstein. His passion for people was so evident - he was visionary. I believe he had a strong hand in creating the culture that Morton’s has. (His influence) was the deciding factor (that led her to join Morton’s).”
Secret to Success
“I had an incredible mentor when I was in Atlanta at Malone’s. He taught me the power of relationships. He used to sit down with employees and have conversations… I thought, ‘what is he talking about for so long?’ He was creating his warriors. I was lucky to learn so early in my career that your success is based on your people.”
Ingredients for a Talented Manager
“Without a doubt, their people skills. They have to understand what relationships are all about and the power of relationships.
It means spending time with (people) and truly understanding what they’re all about.
“If you have the right approach with people, they will open up to you, they will go to war for you. You can’t take the same approach with each and every person. It has to be based on them as individuals and it has to be based on their expectations of you.”
Recipe for Leadership
“Leaders motivate. They’re always teaching and they’re always learning new things and they’re never done.
“Leaders are sometimes afraid to admit they’ve made a mistake.
I’ll tell my team I made a mistake within minutes of making it. It’s my job to make sure I don’t make it again… just be able to look at yourself and honestly assess who you are.”
Spearheading New Ideas
“I have strong opinions on this. First I would say, put your ego away and make sure you solicit opinions, that you’re inclusionary in making decisions, you have all of your facts and you get buy-in from your people.
“I would also say that if the answer is ‘no’ and you feel passionate about something you’re trying to implement, put it at the end of the line and bring it up again in the future. I certainly respect ‘no’ but that doesn’t stop me from bringing it up again.”
74 Stops on the Tour
“I’m always on the road and in the restaurants. I’m not there to do an inspection. I call them quality circles - I sit down and talk with employees. I ask them what they love about working at Morton’s, what can we do to make it a better place to work, what we can do for the guests.
“I just finished my first tour through the company, so I have 74 restaurants worth of information. When I hear something 30 times, I’d better act on the feedback that’s given. We want the truth - we don’t want to hear that everything is fine if it’s not.”
Greatest Business Challenge
“We have incredible tenure in our company. Many of the executives have been with us 10, 15, 20, 25 years… getting everyone to understand we need to evolve. When guests are asking for something, we need to say ‘yes.’ We need to bend over backwards to provide genuine hospitality. That was my biggest challenge… getting people to understand where I’m coming from; that we need to stay in tune with our guests and evolve our brand.”
Men’s Club? What Men’s Club?
“I hear that a lot, ‘What’s it like to run a men’s club?’ I don’t think like that. I can’t. I’ve never considered myself a female in a male dominated world ever in my career. My board of directors expects the same from me as they would a man or a Martian… it’s all about achieving expectations.”
Being head honch-ette
“My name is sometimes the only thing that gets me into trouble. Because it’s Edie, (people) think it’s Eddie, so they are surprised when they’re on the phone and it’s a woman on the line. We have a couple of fun people in the organization who like to play off that.”
Putting PDA’s in Their Place
“When I’m in a meeting with someone, I do not have my BlackBerry with me. If there’s an email, it can wait until I’m finished having a conversation.
“It’s the same thing at home. I don’t have my BlackBerry with me at dinner. I’m focused on what I’m doing. If I’m having dinner with my husband, he has my full attention. (On the weekends), I don’t bring my BlackBerry when I take the dogs to the park, but I do check it throughout the day.”
Big Title… Big Sacrifice?
“I don’t look at them as sacrifices. I don’t have children. That was a choice regardless of whether I would be the president of a company or not. I’ve always been passionate about what I do. I haven’t been as involved in watching my (nine) nieces and nephews grow up… but when I am with them, I am with them. I have the ability to do that. I try to spoil them rotten when I’m with them.”
Stress and Laughter
“I laugh a lot. I love to try to find the bright side of things. I try to keep things light. I spend a lot of time on my elliptical. Walks with the dog’s, that’s the greatest thing. You get home from work and you’ve had enough… my husband and I grab the dogs and head to the park.”
What’s Next
“I’m not a (corporate ladder) climber. I don’t have any desire to be CEO, to be quite honest. I love this company. I love making a difference with people. What’s next for me is to continue to drive our brand… continue to push us and drive us forward.”
Words of Advice
“Don’t focus for a second on being female. I honestly believe that that’s not something that stands in anyone’s way. Put your ego away. It’s OK to make mistakes.
“Probably first and foremost is take care of your people and stay very attuned to them. If you’re passionate about something, don’t give up. Never be done.”
This featured lady was profiled by Michele Cerza, a freelance writer who lives with her husband and two rambunctious little boys in Half Moon Bay, California. She has written about more than 150 fascinating women for Ladies Who Launch.
