{"id":3326,"date":"2026-07-13T18:11:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3326"},"modified":"2026-07-13T18:11:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:11:36","slug":"chipotles-coo-takes-employees-to-dinner-every-week-to-spot-his-next-leaders-here-are-the-4-traits-hes-seeking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3326","title":{"rendered":"Chipotle\u2019s COO takes employees to dinner every week to spot his next leaders\u2014here are the 4 traits he\u2019s seeking"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every week, Kidd rounds up three to four members of the regional market in the town he\u2019s visiting. During the 90-minute meals, the Chipotle exec not only bonds with the staff and strengthens the stores\u2019 routine operations but also uses the time to scout promotions within the company. The COO typically visits around a dozen stores weekly, in various locations\u2014giving a wide swath of employees a shot at making an impression.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Trump stunned by sudden death of rival turned ally Lindsey Graham: \u2018He was like a member of the family\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re constantly identifying internal talent during these visits, seeing how people show up and see how they react,\u201d Kidd recently told Business Insider.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In 2025 alone, the $46 billion fast-casual chain promoted 23,000 of its employees. And it\u2019s a considerable segment of Chipotle\u2019s workforce, which spanned more than 135,000 people across 4,100 global locations at the end of March. The food giant told Fortune<\/em> that 100% of its regional vice presidents, 85% of general managers, and 83% of field leaders were promoted internally last year. And Kidd\u2019s dinner-table test is one way Chipotle is tracking down who deserves a senior title.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The weekly dinners allow him to \u201cget to know people in a different way,\u201d the executive explained, and suss out who is actually interested in growing their careers. And while Kidd is dining with his staffers, he\u2019s keeping an eye out for four key traits that signal they\u2019re a surefire promotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The four key traits the Chipotle exec looks for when promoting<\/h2>\n

First and foremost, the COO wants to promote team players. Those who work well alongside others and support their peers have the potential for a promotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, we run a people business,\u201d Kidd said in the Business Insider<\/em> interview. \u201cSo you need to make sure you take care of your people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The serial restaurant executive\u2014who also held a leadership role at Taco Bell\u2014is also looking for workers who \u201cown the outcome.\u201d Shying away from responsibility is a red flag; Kidd wants to hear honest assessments of how things are going, whether good or bad. \u201cIf somebody can own the outcome of what they\u2019re doing, they\u2019re likely going to be a good leader,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The third trait he\u2019s looking to tick off is the skill of anticipating problems to come. Having that foresight, instead of just confronting issues in the moment, is paramount to earning a higher title and pay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe don\u2019t need firefighters; we need people who could be ahead of the issues and anticipate what\u2019s going on,\u201d Kidd continued.<\/p>\n

Read more Meet Dan Sullivan, the retired schoolteacher running for office who insists he\u2019s not trolling sitting Senator Dan Sullivan<\/a><\/p>\n

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Lastly, Kidd is on the hunt for talent with problem-solving skills. He wants to promote employees who can not only recognize a problem but also come prepared with solutions for how to move forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Promotions have stalled\u2014and employers are opening their playbooks<\/h2>\n

Many workers put in the hours, trusting that their hard work will speak for itself and propel them up the career ladder. But as promotions have slowed, employees are going the extra mile\u2014and employers have developed their own tests to pick the best from the bunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rate of workers receiving a promotion\u2014a higher title and raise of at least 5%\u2014peaked at 14.5% around mid-2022, according to a 2025 study from Gusto. But as of last year, it hit a five-year low, falling to just over 10%. And there are a few factors driving the slowdown: companies are laying low amid economic uncertainty; there are fewer jobs available to make a switch, so professionals are willing to put up with their current pay; and in an employer\u2019s job market, staffers have less bargaining power.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To have a shot at landing a promotion, workers are eager to get in on the secret formula. And some employers are opening up their playbooks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Accenture told its associate directors and senior managers that they need to consistently use its AI tools in order to be considered for high-level promotions. The consulting giant began monitoring the weekly AI tools log-ins of some of its senior workers, and in the end, only those who boast \u201cregular adoption\u201d of the tech are considered for leadership positions.<\/p>\n

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Other leaders, like Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, have more people-focused philosophies on who to move up. The leader of the $470 billion tech company doesn\u2019t follow the routine interview process; instead, he seeks approval from his team to move them up the chain of command. If he runs the idea by the peers of a prospective promotion and they\u2019re unhappy or perplexed, it\u2019s a bad sign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when we have two or three internal candidates for a promotion, the whole interview process is stupid to me,\u201d Robbins said on the TBPN<\/em> podcast earlier this year. \u201cWe\u2019ve been watching these people work for a decade. What are we going to learn about them when we sit down in a room for 30 minutes and ask them questions when we can watch them work?\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more American influencers turn Erling Haaland into the World Cup\u2019s breakout brand<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jason Kidd, COO of the $46 billion fast-casual chain, is looking to promote talent with four key traits\u2014those who \u201cown the outcome\u201d have the best shot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-promotion-playbook"],"yoast_head":"\nChipotle\u2019s COO takes employees to dinner every week to spot his next leaders\u2014here are the 4 traits he\u2019s seeking - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=3326\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chipotle\u2019s COO takes employees to dinner every week to spot his next leaders\u2014here are the 4 traits he\u2019s seeking - 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