Nicole Jackson

I attribute my success to prayer, faith, and obedience unto the Lord, along with having great mentors. Being teachable is huge for me - I love to learn. I seek out people that are experts in their field and ask questions, so I'm a forever learner. I'm curious and I love to read. I believe that we are able to have the best lives if we would put in the best work and really go for it. Initiative is big with me, and I don't mind losing to win, slowing down to speed up.

The best career advice I ever received came from a boss back in 1999 who used a Janet Jackson song to make his point. He asked me what my favorite Janet Jackson song was, and when I guessed 'Control,' he said no - the song he wanted me to remember in my career was 'What Have You Done for Me Lately?' He told me that I never live off yesterday. I have to always make a difference each day that I'm in, and before I leave the restaurant or training class, I need to ask myself what impact have I made today. He said if I can't name anything, I don't leave for that day, because I have to grab a person, pour into them, show them something they haven't learned, or reiterate what they have learned so I can catch them doing something right. If I can say what I've done for somebody lately, then I've done my job. I have never forgotten that advice. For me, 'lately' is the day that I'm in - to make a difference in the workplace lately, and never live off what I did the previous day.

I would say you're limitless. Stay humble and teachable. In the food service industry, people love to say the sky is the limit - it's not. We don't have a limit, so don't limit yourself. Keep a teachable spirit and stay humble. And always pull somebody else up, lift someone else up along the way.

I would still say people are both the biggest challenge and opportunity. Some of the biggest challenges now are navigating in this economy and getting the right fit for management positions. Making sure the buy-in is there with operators and that we're following procedures can be challenging. I would say we will forever be laying the foundation as we navigate any turnover that we may have, so we're constantly starting over. I guess I can sum it up by saying some of the challenges are finding the right talent and making sure the buy-in is there when change occurs.

In my personal life, of course, faith is most important, along with treating my neighbor and loving my neighbor as I love myself. In my work, it's about making sure that I am walking the walk and talking the talk - that the very things that I am sharing and standing on as a brand ambassador and change champion for our brand, I'm actually doing. I make sure that I meet people where they are, but I am not a person that's just telling and not doing. I'm a woman of my word. I'm real strict on operations and procedures, making sure that we are toeing the line.