116 - Be a Leader Without the Position

Hello, so thankful that everybody is able to be here, excited to talk about this topic of how to be a leader without having the position. This was something that I struggled with a lot. I was when I was just a cook, and I, you know, got the position of, you know, they saw that I was did well and things like that, and they're like, Okay, now we want to turn you into a lead line position. And I'm like, What in the world is that? And then like, well, it's basically, you're expected to, you know, get people to follow you, but you don't have a position. So it's kind of a tough, tough situation to be in, like, What the frick is up with that? Anyway, so as I was doing that kind of stuff, and over the years, I've come to a realization of, you know, if I would have had somebody to help me out, if I would have had somebody to really give me a better answer, then. Well, it's a really tough situation to be in, but, you know, go ahead and do it. And really explained what it was what what kind of things I could do to be that leader, without having that position of the sous chef, or the executive chef. And I feel all too often in, in culinary, in the culinary field and, and in kitchens. That's the kind of thought process is like, Alright, congratulations, you're now a leader figure it out. And part of the reason why is because I feel like they've never been taught either. And I didn't learn the things that I've learned. While in the kitchen, I had to go outside of the kitchen, I had to go outside of the field, to be able to learn these things. Some of the areas that I went to I went to leadership, I read leadership books, any chance that I would have to catch, you know, an article or something like that about leadership, I'd sit there and I'd read that. The other big thing that helped me out, and was when I started doing scouting, again, as a leader, and realize that all of the leadership trainings that the scouting program has. And so I started latching on to that. And then I got into doing some courses, and continue to read. And I made a goal with myself that every single month, I was going to read a book about leadership. And so all of those things just kind of builds upon each other over and over and over. And that's how I've learned over the years, how to become a leader without actually having to have the position. So what exactly is a leader? How do you gain that authority? How do you gain that respect of the people around you. And when it comes to the authority sociology breaks it up into three different areas, you've got the traditional authority, you've got the rational or legal authority, and then you've got the charismatic authority. And the traditional is essentially, like, I'm the dad. I'm the leader, or, you know, when it came to religion, it was, you know, I'm the Prophet, okay. And things were passed down from father to son, father was the leader, and then the firstborn was the son and it had absolutely nothing to do with their ability to lead a group to really anything, except for the fact that it's whatever dad taught me, okay, or whatever I learned from the scriptures from you know what the prophets and think like that. So that was the traditional, it has absolutely nothing to do with who you were as a person, it was just congratulations, you're now a leader. And because you've got this title, then you are now the leader. Okay? The next one is the rational or the legal way of doing it. And this is this is more of like your, your typical. It's your CEOs, your the position pastes. You know, the boss, the President of the United States, these are your leader, because you are in that role. And as soon as you are removed from that role, you are no longer that position, you're no longer that leader, where the authority comes from the actual position, and not so much the actual person. So for the first two, it has almost nothing to do with the person of itself. Whereas the third one is the charismatic, now, the charismatic, the ones that are, that have the most charismatic leadership abilities, usually end up becoming the CEO, so the boss or that, that leader, they, they can end up being like the bishop or the pastor or the prophet or things like that. So the charismatic is kind of, you know, the other style where it has to do with the actual person. Okay? So, when you're talking about, you know, I'm not gonna be talking about the religious portion of it. Or in other words, the traditional what they talk about, I want to break down that rational, legal and that charismatic into my own three different types of authority or power that you can have as a leader. The first one is the position, okay? Again, the same thing with the CEO, the boss, the President, that position, you have that position, you have that authority, okay, you have the authority to hire people, you have the authority to fire people, you have the authority to be able to tell them what to do, and to give them raises, pay them, etc, etc, etc. Okay? In that position, you have that power over other people that are authority over other people. And in the culinary field, this would be you know, your, your sous chef and your executive chef. And these are the positions that, you know, if you stick around long enough, okay? stick around long enough, and you know, the most about what's going on, you're probably going to become the next leader. Or the other thing is through your expertise, okay? The fact that you know, a lot of something about something, you know, you, you've got that expertise, you've got that ability where people come to you, and they say, I want to learn from you because you're an expert. And that expertise gives you that authority. This is the other way that a lot of sous chefs and chefs become, you know, the leaders is because they do really well as a cook. And, and they produce, and they're able to get everything done. And they're a good example and a min a, you know, a good example to the people around him. And the upper leadership says, Hey, this guy is doing a really good job. We want to make sure that this person, you know, this, Jane is, is going to become our next sous chef. So when the opportunity arise, we're like, Jane, you are now the sous chef, because you do an amazing job. And we want people to follow you, and do what you're doing. So you're going to be the example. And that's how you're going to be the leader. Congratulations. And then Jen gets into that position. And she's like, Alright, so what do I need to do, and they're like, You need to make sure that everybody else is doing it too. And she's like, how to do that. Okay, that happens way too often in the culinary field. Like I said, I didn't learn any leadership skills within the kitchen, from my co workers, I had to go outside of the field to learn these leadership skills. But I really think that the culinary field is a prime environment to build leaders, because every single day, you're getting thrust into situations where your guidance where leadership helping others and the opportunity to excel are everywhere. You're solving problems, you're fixing things, you're you're helping people who are struggling, you're trying to inspire them and become these, you know, and so, what tends to happen is over time, these people who are thrust into these positions without any kind of guidance or help or coaching or mentoring or anything like that, they learn these skills, it because they have to, and unfortunately, there are still some who Do not make that transition from the fact that they need to be an example. And they need to work hard. So they assume that in order to be a better leader, they need to work harder. And this is so far from the truth, unfortunately, it's, in order to become a good leader, the, what I feel one is the most important things is your ability to inspire other people, your ability to create a group of people around you that understand the vision that understand where you're trying where you're trying to go, and that they know that they are part of this journey. Okay. Because of these boundless opportunities, anyone can shine as a leader, with or without the title, okay? And how I, over the years, I've kind of come to realize that there are five different areas that you can work on, to be able to become that leader, regardless of your title. The first one, like I said, before, was being the being the expert, okay, being the person that knows the stuff, okay, this is the person that was been there the longest, they know how the operation runs, they've been working in the industry long enough, that they know what needs to happen. And when things need to happen, and they, they know those kinds of things. They're the expert, okay. So as you are working in the culinary field, focus on learning, continue to learn, never give up that thirst for knowledge, continue to become that expert in every single area. The next thing is be the example. Again, this is the same thing, as I said before, this is the person who, who worked really hard and is a huge example. And everybody looks up to that person, because they are always on it. Okay? Be that example. And, and be there for everyone else. After that is be the teacher. As you get to this point, people naturally start to teach other people, okay. They've been taught by their superiors by the people over them that they've learned from, and they, you know, begin to pass on, pass on that knowledge. The next portion is to be the supporter, hey, helps him help other people up. And finally, to be an be the inspiration. So I kind of want to go a little bit more in depth into each one of these. So be the expert. Be the example. Be the teacher, be the supporter and be the inspiration. So what is it about being a being the expert that can help you become a leader? It is, knowing that it is making sure that you are able to answer the questions that people come to you with. It doesn't mean you have to know everything, okay? You're never going to know everything. This is the field of culinary arts, it's too broad, to huge, you can become an expert, a very focused expert in one area, let's just say barbecue. And even within that, years and years and years of learning about barbecue, you're always going to be learning more and more. Okay, so the expert is one that that is focused on an area, okay, it is the person who understands that, you know, everything that deals with that and knows either the answer, or knows how about getting to an answer. And that is an expert, being the example. You're not going to follow somebody who has that mentality of do as I say, and not as I do. Too many times, a chef may say, you know, tell people to do things where as they're not willing to help out. And we'll prime example, you know, doing the grunt work, the the heavy duty cleaning, the the dishwashing, and things that are just not fun, like cleaning out the grease traps and stuff like that, okay. It's not going to be as as a leader. It's not that you have to do it every single time. But you need to be able to show them that you're willing to do those kinds of things as well. You understand that? That's just part of the job. One of the things I've talked about in some of my previous live teachings has been that as you progress, as you get from one position to the next, you know, you don't, the previous responsibilities are not removed from your new responsibilities. Okay? As you become as you move from a dishwasher to a prep cook, you're still expected to get in there and help out the dishwasher. As you become a line cook, you're still expected to get in there and help out the prep cook and help out the dishwasher. And as you move on to that sous chef position, lead line position, you're expected to still be able to do all of the other positions, it's not your primary responsibility. But you need to be willing to go in and do it if it needs to happen. And that's what that be an example is the being the teacher, a leader is someone who understands that they can only achieve great things, when everybody else around them knows what needs to be done. They spend their time teaching and instructing their co workers, they, they spend their time mentoring and coaching. And taking that time to explain what needs to happen. Explain what needs to happen, explain how it's going to happen, then they show or demonstrate how that is going to happen. So, you know, it's like, Hey, we're going to be cooking a new dish. Let me show you everybody how to do this. They show them how to do the prep, how to cook it, they demonstrate it. And then the next time they go around, okay, the next time that they're going to cook it for the first guest. That first person, okay, the chef is sitting there and he's, he's helping them out, okay, now you need to do this, okay, you got to do this. And he does that a couple of times, until he feels like that person has got it. And then after he's, after, he's guided them into be able to do it on their own. Then he sits back and he says, Okay, show me that you can do it. And once once that person is able to show that he's he understands fully the concepts, then it's like, gratulations, I know that you've got it, go and do it, kill it every single time, I'm gonna go start teaching somebody else, you know, and go through that whole process again. So, being that teacher, if you find chefs that will spend that time with you, and and actually go through each one of those steps. Stay stay with that person, man. Because they're a rare breed. Okay, so many times the, the chef will just be like, show you once and and off you go, you need to have it. And although Yeah, there are a lot of cooks that are able to take it like that. But there are still some who aren't. And a chef who is not willing to at least put forth the minimum amount of effort to actually guide and and to enable that person to become the best that they can be. isn't really what I would consider a full teacher in the leadership sense, okay. Support. One was about being a supporter, now, a supporter, a leader who isn't understands that they must sometimes get behind other people to help boost them up. You see a lot of a lot of the leadership things where you've got the guy up on the top, and he's reaching down, to pull up the other person up the mountain, he's like, helping them up and everything like that. And that is great. That's exactly what a leader should be doing. But also a supporter, is not only a leader that will do that. But a leader that will get down underneath the person and help support them and lift them up. So he's not pulling the person up. But he's giving that person the support that they need so that that person can then do it themselves. It's not so much that the leader becomes that that hero that that great person who is now you know, pulling everybody else up. But that that leader is the one that is making sure that everybody in the journey not only is able to get to the destination but is also able to to complete the journey under their own skillset and supporting you, okay? They they're the ones that truly believe in the team and are willing to sacrifice their own ego so so that the whole team can move together. Okay. And that's what I consider a leader who is a supporter. And the final one is that inspirational leader be that inspiration. This is this, I believe, is like the pinnacle of all the other ones, okay? Not only the example and the supporter, and the teacher, and, and the, the expert, but now you are inspiring and the other all the other cooks, all the other people who are you are leading to be better to be the best. They, they create this vision, and this mission, that all can get behind, they inspire others to not only do what they know they should be doing, but to stretch themselves and reach beyond what they even thought was capable. They're the ones that will challenge you. They're the ones that will, you know, believe in you that you are more than what you current believe that you are greater than what you currently believe that you're capable of. They in order to be that inspiration, they challenge you to accomplish more than what you thought was possible, they help you change what you believe of yourself for something that is even greater. So being in the leader is all about inspiring others, the way that you treat them, what you do to help them the things that you say, and the ability that you have to challenge them to become better. That is the truly inspirational leader. And that is how you become a leader without having the position you can be at the bottom of the totem pole. But as you focus on learning your craft, on perfecting the craft, as you go, and you continue to learn about the different positions and then learned about the kitchen, as you begin to follow the instructions that are given and make sure that you are following them closely, you're paying attention to what's going on, you start to become that example. You start to be that person that that the chef's will be like, Hey, he's doing a great job, you know, wow, you should, you should kind of take him as an example. This is kind of what I was hoping that everybody in the team would be doing. So you know, look to him. Okay. And then as you begin to earn that respect of both the people above you and the people and your co workers, you can start to begin to teach them things that you know, that you may have picked up, you may learn things because of your questions because of your research because of, of your thirst for knowledge that they may have missed over the years or forgotten about and you can teach them and you can help them relearn those skills, then you help support them. Okay, even if you're on the bottom of the totem pole, even if you're on that prep cook, and you realize that the most important thing is to make sure that everybody else has what they need, so that they can be successful. That is the foundation of you being that supporter, getting rid of your ego, and making sure that everybody as the team progresses and moves forward. And finally, as you inspire others, hey, that was really good. I really liked that dish, you know, or we like that dish was, you know, you know, Najim or something like that, I don't think the chef's can accept that. You know, fix it before you put it up in the window, the chef's probably gonna not gonna like it, you know, or other things like that. Be subtle about it, but be that inspiration, so challenging people to become better. Just start start challenging them, and to really do more than what they thought was possible. You can become that leader without having the position. That's the great thing about the kitchens is all of the multiple, multiple opportunities that you have to be a leader and to be an inspiration to others. With or without having the position of sous chef, Executive Chef, corporate chef, or any of those kinds of things. If I really want, I really would love to see the culinary field, embrace the concept of leadership being taught within the kitchens, of these concepts being taught of them being explained, we're really, really want the chef's of the world, to start to think about how they can pass on the leadership skills that they have learned over the years. And just as much as they do the cooking skills and the recipes. So I challenge you. If you're in a position of leadership, I challenge you to think when was the last time that you spent teaching some of your staff about how to become a leader. And if it's been more than a couple of weeks, I challenge you to take this week. And to set aside at least 30 minutes and grab your number one guy said him says pull us aside and be like, I want to teach you something about what I've learned in how to become a leader. And begin that teaching process. So thank you so very much for coming to watch me on this live teaching. I am super excited to see everything that's going on. I really feel like this culinary field is going to explode. As much as COVID was a really rough, rough, tough time. It is really brought to light and has allowed us as chefs to really begin to shine as we begin to as we teach the skills that we have learned that have gotten us through these times. So go out there, have a great time and enjoy your career. Live Your Passion, and I will see you next week on Thursday, one o'clock Mountain Standard Time. Thank you