When Princeton-educated attorney Erin Wade left law to open a restaurant, she didn't just create award-winning comfort food—she engineered a revolutionary workplace culture. This conversation reveals how she transformed an Oakland mac and cheese restaurant into a laboratory for modern management principles.
Wade shares her groundbreaking 'color code of conduct' system (now adopted globally) and her radical approach to open-book management. A masterclass in building culture, solving industry-wide challenges, and leading with precision rather than convention.
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(00:00) Intro
(02:30) Wade's surfing obsession
(04:42) Defeating overthinking
(05:00) Wade's background in food
(06:40) Wade's law detour
(10:20) On being fired
(12:40) Early mistakes and freedom
(20:00) Employee-centric companies
(32:30) Homeroom Hard Times
(34:40) How Wade's law background helped (and hurt)
(42:40) The Color Code of Conduct
(49:30) Why Wade sold Homeroom (and how she felt)
(55:58) Impact vs. Intent
(59:00) Why titles are important
(01:04:00) On success