Leadership practice · Goals, coaching, and recognition
Remember what matters. Help someone grow.
Jon Harmeling uses AI to keep individual goals in view and notice contributions he might otherwise overlook. The purpose is to bring more thought and attention to the way he leads people in his restaurant.
By Jon Harmeling
The leadership question.
What does this person want to become, and what have I committed to do to help?
In his Franchise Secrets interview, Jon discusses using AI to track individual goals, identify people who may be overlooked, and invest attention in their development. That is the starting practice documented here.
AI can help keep context available and generate questions for a leader to consider. The employee explains what matters to them. The leader listens, checks assumptions, and owns the response.
A documented moment
A different question changed what Jon noticed.
In a July 22, 2026 field note, Jon describes asking AI who on his team deserved recognition they had not received. It surfaced a team member who regularly came in early to cover for a colleague. The same employee had previously appeared as an overtime concern.
Jon wrote a thank-you note in her first language and gave it to her personally. The documented action was specific recognition, prompted by a more thoughtful leadership question.
An approach leaders can apply
From a shared goal to a commitment.
The sequence below is a practical application of Jon's approach. It gives a leader a way to prepare a coaching conversation and follow through.
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Start with the person's goal.
Use what the employee has chosen to share about an aspiration or a skill they want to develop. Ask whether that goal still matters to them.
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Use AI to prepare.
Ask for open questions, possible assumptions to check, and ways you could support the person. Treat missing context as something to ask about.
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Have the conversation.
Listen to the employee's perspective. Check the preparation against what they tell you and agree on a useful next step together.
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Make your commitment clear.
Name what you will do to help, what the employee wants to work on, and when you will return to the conversation.
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Follow through and learn.
Revisit the commitment. Ask what helped, what changed, and what support is needed next. Use the person's experience to judge the value of your approach.
For starting questions on recognition, coaching, and difficult conversations, explore Jon's Frontline AI Leadership Field Guide.
What the evidence establishes.
This case documents Jon's reported practice and a specific recognition action. The published interview provides an external place to hear his account; it does not independently measure the effect on employees.
Jon tracks employee goals, progress, and accomplishments in an internal goals database. A consolidated summary of those records is not yet included in this published case.