LET US CREATE LEADERS NOT JUST MANAGERS

The last time I spoke about balancing the team, this should also mean balancing the workload. Get the right people doing the right tasks, learn your team’s strengths, and encourage growth. I know this sounds obvious, but trust me, it is not commonplace.

It never ceases to amaze me that chefs and managers get a position of responsibility and then shy away from the day-to-day tasks that got them into the position in the first place. They believe it will run fine with them locked in an office or worse still, guest-facing but buried in a laptop. They feel as managers it is their task to protect the team from the paperwork. Or worse, in some cases, they just now feel they have the right to sit on their arse and let the day go by. What a sad existence, and it does not have to be that way; in fact, it should not be allowed to be that way.

One of my key teachings is to create leaders, not just managers.

I have been into broken business many times. It is frustrating for everyone involved and will always lead to poor management and quality results, often with a high team turnover. A dysfunctional team is not what we want.

When I was in a key role, I turned things around by being very clear about what my strengths were. I can recall how I set up strong systems, tailor-made to make the business flow more efficiently. I tested these and was never afraid to tweak or go back to the drawing board should they not be robust enough. Often, I would involve my team in designing such systems. Their involvement makes them feel responsible for the implications of the system. Make it feel like they have created it and always celebrate the small wins. It is creating a culture of celebration of these small wins that leads to the attainment of big goals.

When the systems are ready, I give that responsibility away. I involve everyone from the head chef to kitchen porters; it’s a big team effort to create something effortless.

I check off the tasks, but it must never be my daily focus.

When asked how I ran my kitchens, I could always confidently reply with the answer, I didn’t!

My strength is in driving the team. The team runs the systems, and correct systems make it run like clockwork.

So, it was always obvious to me that I could spend more of my time developing the team, being conscious of guests’ wants and needs, and being on the lookout for constant improvement, creating excitement. I always freed myself to be a leader.

I can do the same for your teams too.

I can use my experience and share it with your teams. I can inspire them and free them from the shackles of old-school mindsets. Let’s not live in a world surrounded by mediocrity. Let’s lead together and create a culture to be proud of.

Get in touch; you know you can’t afford not to.