Marc Hinson
Chief People Officer
Smokey Bones
Episode 215
The HR Truth: Why Human Connection, Performance Management Beat AI for Top Teams.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleApril 28, 2025 · 10:25
Thesis
“While efficiency-driven AI and automation are valuable for HR operations, genuine human connection and consistent, personal performance management are essential for building and retaining high-performing teams and ensuring an excellent customer experience, particularly in the hospitality sector.”
Show notes
Insights with Marc Hinson: Effective Talent Acquisition and Performance Management in Hospitality
In this Built by People Podcast episode, we welcome Mark, Chief People Officer at Smokey Bones, who shares his career journey from working in restaurants to leading HR operations.
Mark discusses the importance of effective talent acquisition and performance management in the hospitality industry.
He highlights strategies like improved selection, retention, frequent pay increases, and using a scorecard for performance measurement.
Mark shares insights on managing recruitment post-pandemic and emphasizes the significance of personal connection in the industry.
The episode is sponsored by Previ, an employer network providing private pricing for employees to save on essential services.
00:00 Introduction to the Built by People Podcast
00:39 Guest Introduction: Mark's Career Journey
01:35 Effective Talent Acquisition Strategies
03:20 Performance Management in Hospitality
05:29 Navigating Recruitment Challenges Post-Pandemic
07:35 Evaluating Candidate Openness and Curiosity
09:16 Parting Advice: The Importance of Human Connection
10:19 Conclusion and Farewell
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What you'll take away
- 1Implement standardized interview guides to ensure hiring aligns with core values and specific skills required for the brand.
- 2Utilize frequent, smaller pay increases tied to performance and increased responsibility as a powerful tool for rewarding top talent and boosting retention.
- 3Employ aggressive, data-driven performance scorecards that evaluate key metrics weekly to identify and address underperformance promptly.
- 4Shift from traditional annual performance evaluations to continuous, daily performance management, providing ongoing feedback on strengths and opportunities.
- 5In challenging recruitment markets, prioritize a 'boots-on-the-ground' personal approach and hire for attitude and personality, training for specific skills as needed.
- 6Use behavioral-based interview questions that ask for specific past coaching experiences to effectively assess candidate coachability and openness to feedback.
- 7Leverage AI for efficiency in areas like scheduling and forecasting, but never compromise on the irreplaceable value of human connection in HR, recruitment, and customer experience.
What most organizations get wrong
- •He believes traditional annual performance evaluations are ineffective and disliked by both managers and employees, advocating for ongoing, daily performance management instead.
- •During a post-pandemic labor crisis, he prioritized hiring for 'great attitude and personality' over experience, a direct challenge to conventional hiring wisdom when faced with extreme talent shortages.
- •He strongly pushes back against over-reliance on AI and automated programs for human-centric aspects of HR, emphasizing that personal connection remains paramount, especially in hospitality.
In Marc's words
“Any understaffed operation is going to suffer. Without enough of the right people, you're compromising the guest experience and eroding your business.”
This highlights the direct business impact of talent acquisition and proper staffing, linking it to guest experience and profitability.
“If somebody's performing and maybe they've taken on more responsibility, we like to give more frequent pay increases.”
This quote describes a specific, actionable retention strategy that deviates from traditional annual raises, focusing on more immediate recognition.
“Great team members just want to work with great team members. You can't tolerate poor performance. Your top performers will leave.”
This emphasizes the critical link between actively managing out poor performers and retaining high-achievers, highlighting a key aspect of performance culture.
“I'm not a fan of the traditional performance evaluation. I believe that performance management is ongoing. It's an everyday thing.”
This is a direct contrarian statement against a common HR practice, advocating for a continuous feedback model.
“We focused on hiring a team with a great attitude and personality, knowing that we could train them on the steps of service.”
This illustrates a strategic adaptation to a severe labor shortage, prioritizing trainable attributes over immediate experience.
“Don't lose sight of the fact that nothing is more effective in the hospitality industry than making human connection.”
This serves as the episode's core thesis, stressing the enduring value of human interaction in an increasingly automated world.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Understaffing directly compromises guest experience and erodes business profitability in the hospitality sector.
- •The post-pandemic industry faced an 80% workforce loss, making traditional experience-based hiring nearly impossible for new openings.
- •Traditional annual performance reviews are disliked by managers and employees alike, leading to ineffective feedback and potential disengagement.
- •Tolerating poor performance negatively impacts top performers, leading to their frustration and potential departure.
- •Evaluating candidate coachability and curiosity through generic questions is difficult; specific behavioral examples are needed for accurate assessment.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Mark Johnson started working in restaurants as a teenager and eventually got into management
How to Get Out of the Restaurant Job
Without enough of the right people, you're compromising the guest experience
Smokey Bones Restaurant Group Has Improved Talent Acquisition
Performance management directly improves team performance in the hospitality sector
Performance Management in the Hospitality Sector
Mark Miller faced a difficult recruiting process for his new restaurant opening in DC
The Most Challenging Recruitment Situation
How do you evaluate openness and curiosity among restaurant candidates
How To Find The Right Fit For Your Team
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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