My father was a coal miner. My mother was a legal secretary. My grandfather built houses with his hands. Before I ever stepped foot in a restaurant, I understood that hard work means something — and that it should be recognized as such.

So when I got into this industry and saw operators treating the cast member who hustled exactly the same as the one who coasted, it didn't just strike me as bad management. It violated something fundamental.

I play favorites. I'll say it plainly. The cast member who wants more, does more, and learns more — I will do more for them all day. More coaching. More development. More opportunity. More of my time and attention. Not because I like them better as a person. Because they've earned a higher level of investment and they'll do something with it.

This gets confused with unfairness. "Treating everyone equally" sounds right. It isn't. Equal treatment regardless of contribution rewards mediocrity and penalizes your best people. The cast member who gives everything and gets the same recognition as the one who gives nothing will eventually stop giving everything. And they'll be right to.

Find the ones who want more. Give them more. Watch what happens. That's not favoritism. That's leadership math.