When I became a GM I only had about six seconds of management experience. From my hire date till my first day on the job till my first day with our team I told myself to fake it till you make it.

I’d been a server off and on for 35 years. I’d had great managers. I’d had shitty managers. The same had been true of team players in the theater world. I’d had great directors. And shitty directors.

I told myself to emulate the best in the good ones and steer clear of the attitudes of the crappy ones. I knew who I wanted to be as much as who I didn’t want to be.

When I started the management team had already been assembled. A dining room manager. A bar manager. And an additional manager for our fine dining area.

By the time we met for our first day as a team, April 15, 2013, (The same day as the Boston Marathon bombing) the bar manager had already been replaced.

We met as a team. Planned out the next four weeks. Four weeks till opening.

The next day the FOH team met in the space. We had interviews scheduled. We got thru the interviews and then met as a team.

At some point I said something that the bar manager didn’t agree with. He went from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. He began to shout at me and wave his arms and blah, blah, blah. I stopped listening. He’d crossed about a dozen lines.

When my boss arrived an hour later we called the bar manager and let him know that it wasn’t going to work out. I let him do the firing as at that point I’d never fired anyone before.

The next day we repost the bar ad.

We begin interviews immediately. We have 3.5 weeks till opening day.

My boss interviews a couple of people. I do second interviews.

At one interview with his favorite candidate. She is great. She has all the right answers. In fact she makes it clear that she wants my job.

It’s all going great. Until the FedEx person comes in with a delivery. She interrupts our interview, but she is just doing her job. I’m patient with her. The interviewee is rude to her. I don’t remember the exact exchange but I tell myself I don’t like the person I’m interviewing.

I tell my boss about all of this. She has interviewed well but my GUT says it’s a bad idea. We hire her. And regret it immediately.

10 days after opening, I let her go. By then I’d already terminated a server as well. I’m a pro.

This is a long way of saying, ever since I trust my gut. 100% of the time. If my gut says no. I say no. Who knows if I’d have been better off with some other people, but I think most of the time it turns out well.

Meanwhile, we end up promoting a bartender to bar manager. He lasted three weeks. Finally we promoted the person who should have had the job from the beginning.

She was with us for two seasons before she moved to Boston for a new experience.

Trust. Your. Gut.