Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, Dewey's Pizza’s MaryAnn Waltz shares the value of setting clear expectations, the app she uses to quiet her mind at the end of the workday, and how she is a curious, life-long learner.
Be sure to check out the entire 6 a.m. CFO series, and if you’d like to be featured in a future post, please email us here.
Dewey's Pizza
- Pizza restaurant with 25 stores across five states and seven markets
- Founded: 1998
- Size: 1,300 employees
- Growth: YoY YTD (same store) revenue growth is 5.9%
MORNING ROUTINE
Walk us through your normal workday morning routine: I chuckle at the name of this series because I’m not usually CFO-ing at 6 a.m. It’s more likely I am taking my puppy, Wesson, outside, making coffee, or feeding my cat, Titus.
I do not enjoy the feeling of being shot out of a cannon. Rather, I prefer to have a quiet purposeful morning that sets the tone for the rest of the day. This requires enough time for mental, physical, and spiritual preparation. On a perfect day, I have time for Bible study, journaling, or meditation to keep myself centered and focused.
My 35-minute commute to work is used to make the mental transition to work. I listen to CNBC, podcasts, or webinars, depending on what is sitting in my inbox, or what current events are happening in the economy. I also use the time to mentally prepare for the day’s meetings and significant events.
Was there a recent morning when things didn’t go according to plan? How did you adapt? One morning recently, I grabbed my bags and headed out for the day, only to discover I had a flat tire. Thankfully, I discovered it while still at home and not somewhere along my daily commute.
At Dewey’s we often have team members joining our meetings virtually, so switching to a virtual day wasn’t difficult. Any meetings that could not be converted to online were moved to a different day. It can be challenging to have my plan for the day abruptly interrupted. I remember to be flexible and to receive the grace of my co-workers when I need it.
How do you structure your first few hours after you log on at work? Regardless of whether I am at the office or working from home, the first thing I tackle is my email inbox. I allocate one hour to email each morning. I process the inbox very quickly, categorizing every email as ‘follow up,’ ‘read,’ or I delete it. This doesn’t take long, and it feels quite satisfying to see an empty inbox!
I spend the rest of the hour working through everything I have labeled follow up, or anything I have labeled from the previous day as ‘waiting for.’ I rarely get through everything, but I stop at one hour. That is all the time I am willing to devote to the overwhelming and tedious task of managing emails.
LEADERSHIP
How do you engage with your teams? Engaging with my team is one of the most energizing activities of my day. As a natural extrovert, I prefer to be in the office most days. Greeting each team member, and inquiring about their plans, activities, or mood is a bright spot in my morning.
At Dewey’s home office, we have an open floor plan and engagement among the office teams is easy and fun.
Favorite quote or mantra: “Unclear is Unkind.”
I heard this phrase several years ago and it has served me very well over the years, both professionally and personally. When managing others, it is critical. It is my firm belief that no one can deliver excellent results if they don’t know exactly what is expected. When I encounter conflict or frustration, I quickly (or sometimes not so quickly) remember to stop and assess whether my expectations were clearly articulated. If not, I take responsibility for that and extend another opportunity for success.
Favorite leadership lesson: It’s difficult to pick just one leadership lesson. There are two that I feel equally passionate about, and I have witnessed them many times over the years of my career.
First, the importance of personal integrity cannot be overstated. Maintaining honesty and ethical behavior in all actions, decisions, and interactions will solidify your character in the minds and hearts of everyone with whom you do business. The benefits of having excellent character are too numerous to list and last a lifetime.
Second, lead by example. Demonstrate the culture, behavior, and work ethic I expect from my team and throughout the organization. Any other arrangement that looks like, “do what I say and not what I do” is going to create division at best, and a hostile work culture at worst. Leading by example ensures that you are a part of the team, which is necessary for a productive and collaborative culture.
Something important to know about me that you wouldn’t know from my business bio: I am a very curious, life-long learner. One of my favorite aspects of my job is visiting the stores, talking with the general managers, and interacting with our team members. I spent my first month as the CFO of Dewey’s Pizza working in one of the restaurants. I learned to prep veggies, toss dough, and serve guests. Every day was another lesson to learn in the restaurant business and I loved every minute!
I believe that being curious and staying curious is essential for having a powerful impact on any organization. Certainly, no one can know everything, but it doesn’t hurt to know enough to have empathy for everyone in the organization, including insight into customer behavior.
What was the last job you did at your company that fell outside your traditional scope of work? At Dewey’s Pizza, one of our purpose statements is “We Nourish Our Community.” We view community to be multi-faceted, including our guests certainly, but also our departments, teams, and every other group we may have the pleasure of joining.
To nourish the communities that I am a part of, I have swept the parking lot, served pizza at a soccer stadium, and handed out medals at our annual 5k “Run to Raise Dough” fundraiser. This is a part of our culture and is not unique to me. It is common to see someone take out the trash, bring in pizza for lunch (cuz who doesn’t love Dewey’s?), or help a teammate with a task.
How have you learned to manage work-induced stress? As I shared in my morning routine, it is important for me to get spiritually prepared for the day to avoid unnecessary stress. Being spiritually grounded keeps everything in proper perspective.
There was a meme floating around a few years ago that asked, “But did you die?!” This is such a great line to keep in mind when I feel overwhelmed — no one is dying. There is a verse I keep in mind at times when I’m experiencing stress: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning!” Lamentations 3:22-23
Favorite number: I don’t have a favorite number, but I guess I can say I prefer positive numbers rather than negative ones. Ha-ha!
The most noteworthy items in your workspace: I have several plants in my workspace and love nurturing them and watching them grow. A few of them are gifts from co-workers, and I enjoy creating new plants to gift to others.
Also, as a closet artist, I like to have small original art pieces in my workspace, especially ones created by artists I have met and want to support.
Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? Sadly, I do not have a pet in my office right now. If it were up to me, we would all bring our pets to the office! The only reason I enjoy working at home from time to time is having my furry sidekicks with me all day.
Favorite phone app that is unrelated to work: Happy Color. This is a coloring app and there is a daily picture to color. I often have a difficult time quieting my mind at the end of the workday. It feels therapeutic to do something a bit mindless and creative to help transition out of work mode and into a restful state of mind. And besides, it’s just fun!
The most important piece of literature you’ve recently read: I am currently finishing the recent biography published about Elon Musk. I don’t think it’s the most important piece of literature, but it is incredibly interesting. It has impacted me more than I expected. It has inspired me to continually challenge the status quo, to stay involved in the organization at all levels, and treat people with warmth, kindness, and hospitality.