About the author💡Faraj F is the head of operations at Badiani, one of the most prestigious gelato producers in the world, one with its roots firmly in Italian history. Since launching internationally, Badiani has grown from 11 stores in 2022, to 30 in 2024, and expanded into France and Spain. He talked to us about his approach to building a resilient, high-performing team.
When it comes to making decisions operationally I think of three things: people, experience, and data.
Early in my career I overthought things. Now I lean on real data, but also the gut feeling that comes from experience. I tell my team: commit and disagree. If you believe in something, push for it. But we’ll track it.
We had a team member who wanted to launch a new product. I didn’t think it would work, but I gave her budget, a timeframe, and tracking milestones. That’s how we learn. You can test this new product, but with a limited budget. If it works, great, we scale. If not, we learn. Experience matters too. Sometimes you only realise why a decision was made when you’re living through a different store’s challenges.
“Want my job? Do it better than me.”
My leadership style is about empowerment. I don’t want followers; I want leaders. I used to be more hands-on, but now I focus on clarity and accountability. My job is to make sure the team knows what we’re trying to achieve, and then give them room to get there.
That also ties into radical transparency. I’ll tell a new supervisor: “If you want my job, do it better than me,” because it motivates me too. I follow three core principles: always find the root cause, prioritise people without skipping the process, and use data to inform, not dictate.
What really shaped my thinking on this was leading expansion into France and Spain. I found that learning new cultures and new laws stretched me. Rebuilding the team post-COVID with limited budget was another challenge. People had moved away or changed careers. We had to start fresh. And logistics – getting gelato production right, forecasting better, and not over-ordering – that's where Nory helped a lot.
Building a culture that works
What I look for in ops hires is a mix of curiosity, resilience, and ownership. Skills can be taught, but mindset can’t. I ask behavioural questions in interviews, and I look for self-awareness. Then, we nurture them. Some need breaking down and rebuilding with support. But we don’t want a team of overachievers either. Balance is key. Not everyone wants to sprint; some want to grow steadily, and that’s okay.
Working at Amazon (at their largest EU warehouse in Tilbury) taught me a lot – Kaizen, root cause analysis, regular follow-ups. We have weekly ops reviews. My team reports to me; it’s not top-down. And we celebrate wins, too. That balance – accountability and recognition – is crucial.
Retaining people comes down to four things: hiring right, training well, offering development, and building retention into our structure. So, we offer pathways, starting from team member, up to ops, or even into marketing or HR. We’ve had people cross-train and grow. We offer flexibility, clear rotas, apprenticeships, and even mental health support.
Some managers only work 37-40 hours in winter, which is rare in hospitality. And we highlight their efforts, because recognition goes a long way.
Badiani enjoy 96% sales forecasting accuracy, thanks to Nory’s AI-powered restaurant management platform.
Why not see for yourself how we can transform your business? Book a chat today.