Bosalina, Boss, Coach, Mary Shalhoub
Heading into eight weeks of food service management at my sixth rotation (almost done, how crazy is that!?) my enthusiasm may not have been at its peak. I think the majority of us have worked some form of a food service job and can agree it’s hot days in the kitchen, leaving work smelling like food, and finding hair nets in random places around the house. Food service may not be the most glamorous rotation, but my preceptor Mary Shalhoub at Twin Cities Community Hospital made it my favorite rotation thus far.
From Lebanon to Leadership
Thirty years ago Mary moved from Lebanon to New York and started a food service management program. She taught herself English using an Arabic to English Bible and completed her program in two years. Once she had this introduction to nutrition, she wanted to know more. Having children and a working husband, Mary started a distance nutrition program through Penn State. She worked fourteen hours a week and completed school in between. Fast forward a few years, she’s the clinical nutrition manager at a long term care facility. Here she received her license as a registered diet technician as well as her licensed dietitian credential in the state of New York. Mary spent twenty years working at the long term care facility. Highlights from her time include conducting a research project with staff to determine if oatmeal consumption lowers total cholesterol, providing diet education to residents, and researching the “no nuts no seeds” diet and educating doctors on appropriate situations to prescribe it. Four years ago, Mary moved to California and started working at Twin Cities.
Thank You for Your Service
What makes Mary such a great preceptor and boss is her amazing attitude and passion. Food service has been traditionally known to include drama. Yet in my eight weeks at Twin I saw a group of employees acting more like family than coworkers. Similarly, I was able to experience Mary’s intercommunication skills as her day filled with employee after employee coming into her office sharing how their family was doing or something that had been bothering them that day. The employees get along so well and feel comfortable sharing with Mary because she sets the standard for behavior herself. Every day Mary shows up to work, greets every staff member with a good morning, and checks in on the kitchen before starting her daily duties. She treats everyone with respect and as an equal. She follows the motto that people don’t always remember what you say but they always remember how you make them feel. Each day Mary shows up excited for the day and ready to address the craziness that comes up in food service.
Something unique about Mary’s leadership style is her consistent appreciation for her employees. Every pay day, when passing out pay stubs to each employee Mary says, “thank you for your service.” It’s the little acts of kindness each day that add up and result in her being a well-loved manager.
It Only Takes One
Mary’s goal as a director is to make an impact on the life of one person. If she accomplishes this, she feels she’s done her job well. I have observed this impact multiple times and experienced it myself. Going forward, whether I end up in a food service position or I stick to my clinical plan, the ideals of a great director exemplified by Mary will stick with me: treating people with respect, valuing the work they do, always being willing to listen, and having passion for your job. I can only hope that if one day I take on a managerial position, I make a fraction of the difference she has.
