123 - From Cook to Leader

we are going to be talking about the transition what how do you become from a cook into a leader? What it is? What is it that you can do? And what is that journey to an inspirational chef look like? Again, my name is Nick Brown, I am the founder of cooking physics. And I really want to show you the house the whys of what makes that inspirational leader and how you can go from being just a cook, to becoming an inspirational leader to becoming that inspirational chef. And I want to help you understand what steps are, what are the steps that you can take to get to that location to get to that location to get where you want to go. So first of all, I really appreciate you being here. This is this is something that I'm very passionate about is the leadership skills of what is a chef? What makes that inspirational chef. So let's look first at what is a cook. What do I mean by a cook a cook is anybody who is cooking, okay. And I don't necessarily see a chef as being, you know, a not no longer a cook, because a chef still is a cook. He's just a chef, he's just a cook with more responsibilities, and who is tasked to lead the team. But what makes that inspirational Chef, what makes that chef, a person who people look at. The first thing is that as a inspirational chef, you need to understand that there is a transition that needs to happen from a cook, to that lead line cook sous chef, and then that executive chef and finally that inspirational chef. And becoming that inspirational chef doesn't necessarily have to be the last aspect of it. But unfortunately, in this industry, that's the direction that you typically goes. And the reason why is there's not that many inspirational chefs that are out there. And it's not really taught. It's just kind of figured out over the years, if you're conscious about it, if you're actually paying attention to it. And that's kind of how it happened was me. I was always trying to learn. I was always trying to read books and understand things. But everything had to do with the white collar workers, the office workers, how do you become a leader in the office? How do you become a leader, you know, in accounting or becoming a CEO or things like that. And it just wasn't. It just didn't really stick with me. I had a very difficult time understanding how to implement those principles into becoming a chef into the restaurant industry. And that's what I want to share with you today. So, first of all, as you are transitioning from that cook into a leader, the biggest difference is is while you're a cook, you are focused on production, you're focused on making sure that you as an individual are doing the things that you're supposed to be doing, that you're getting things done that you are producing, whether it be the prep, whether it be the dishes, whether it be you know, specials on the new menu as a sous chef, if, if your main focus is still production, then I consider you're really still just a cook because a chef is somebody who should be leading, he should become a leader. When you transition into that leader, your focus goes less on the production and more on the individual on communication on that the relationship that you have with other people and and really building up a team. And your focus is more on the other person, instead of what you're doing, it's more upon another person. See, there's only been, I've had lots of chefs, I work under lots of chefs, lots of sous chefs. But there's really only been about three, who have really given me that key aspect that says, this is possible. And like I said, they were focused on making their team better. They were focused on building up, they were focused on the communication and making sure that everything was understood. And they would take the time to ensure that I understood what was going on. And they would take time out of their day to show me what I was doing and how I might be able to do it better. Whereas the majority of the chef's would just throw me into that situation and say, Oh, sink or swim situation, you know, throw, throw him into the weeds. And if he's good enough, he'll figure it out. What I've come to find is, a lot of the reason why they do that is because one, that's how they learned. And to, they never really did learn what it was that helped them get out of that situation. They just knew that they did. And so they feel like, well, if I was able to do it, and then you're going to be able to do it. And so here you go, sink or swim. So it's really important that you focus from begin to focus from the individual tasks, what you are doing as a person, focusing on just your area, to broadening your situation. One of the time, one time, I was I was working, I was working really, really difficult. I was I was running around, I was running circles around everybody else. Everybody else was just kind of doing their own thing. And I visiting chef came in, and it was talking with the executive chef. And he looked at me and he's like, What are you doing? Oh, my God, I'm working really hard. He's like, you're not being a sous chef. You're not being the leader? Like what do you mean, I'm getting everything done. And he says you need to step back. And you need to pay attention to what's going on, all around you. And you need to you need to be observing, you need to get your head up, instead of down on your cutting board, get your head up and start looking around and finding out what people are doing. How are they doing it, and help them become better because that's the person you need to begin to be to be able to be a sous chef. And that really hit me hard because I always thought it was about producing. I always thought it was about doing about me and what I am doing. And that's how I show that I'm a good sous chef. Because so many other sous chefs that I've worked for, that was how they worked. They were worked really, really hard, really hard. And when other people weren't doing what they're supposed to do, and they yelled at them, and then went and did the job for them because they weren't doing it good enough. What I found is, that's because of a lack of trust. It's because of a lack of communication and expectations and setting those clear expectations for how you want it done. And holding them accountable, and then following up to make sure that that's actually happening. So that is how the beginning of how I understood what is going on in each one of these situations, to help transition that that concept of what I read in the books to how to transition that and put that into the kitchen. So the first thing is the communication. You need to be able to communicate well. You need to be able to talk to other your staff really well. You need to set those clear expectations. And you need to hold them accountable. And you also need to hold yourself accountable to those same expectations. There is no this is the way you do it. But I'm the sous chef. So I can do a different because this is my kitchen. Now if they need to do it a certain way. So do you even though it's your kitchen, okay? If you want to change it, it is your kitchen, go ahead and change it. But realize that as soon as you start doing it, everybody else is going to follow. And make sure that with that as soon as you start to do it and you decide this is the way we're going to do it, that you make sure that everybody on your team understands that this is the new way of doing it. Too many times the chef will start doing something realize that hey, you know what, there's a better way of doing it's going to turn out better. So he teaches the one person that is working that day. And then doesn't tell anybody else. And he expects that. I've said it once, so I shouldn't have to say it again. That is the biggest lie in the entire kitchen. If chef should never have to just say something once, because if he only says it once, there is one chance of everybody understanding the way that he wants it understood. And it's not a issue of, I want to tell you once, and you're going to do it, in that it's not a sense of like allowing the other person to not pay attention or not listen, it's the understanding that you have in your head, this huge vision that has all of these innuendos, and all of these things that you have achieved over the years. And so you've got this vision, and you think that's going to come out in one sentence. You need to say it over and over again. You need to tell people around what's going on. Okay. So as you're communicating as you're talking, and as you're teaching other people understand that you're going to have to say it over and over and over again. And if you are doing it over and over again, it's not because you can't trust them to do it. Right. It's because you're trusting that they will listen to you every single time and get a little bit more understanding of what your grand vision is. What are some other things that deal with communication? You definitely need to give feedback. And that feedback or that instruction, is needs to be positive. You need to focus on the things that you want. People will respond a lot more to the things that you want. This is what I want. Congratulations, this is this is great. I like what you're doing here. Follow this. Hey, everybody, come on over here. See what he's done here. This is what I'm looking for right here. Okay. That's what you need to do. Lift them up, tell them how it's going? Yes, you are going to have to say that's not right, redo it. And that's fine. Go ahead and say that, but make sure that you are constantly showing them what they're doing. Right. I was taking this training the other day, and they were talking about how the first couple of weeks when they bring someone on their sole purpose is to catch them doing what's right. That's it. Every single thing that that that was, the chef's mission was to catch them doing what was right. And he sat there for for two weeks. Just looking at that person very closely, and catching them doing things that was right. That's exactly right. That's exactly what I want. Oh, yes, yes, that's good. That's good. And you know what happened? That person was so happy working there. And his productivity shot out off the roof. That person was just was just on fire. Because he had caught the vision of the chef. Because he had been told exactly what he wanted. And over and over and over. You're doing great. That's exactly right. That's it. You're awesome. Okay. Versus I know of couple of chefs, who are exactly the opposite. They will hire someone on and they will sit there and be like, That's wrong. That's wrong. That's wrong. That's not how you do it. Why don't you listen? Why did were you not paying attention? I already showed you this once. You should have already been didn't you remember? Why don't you have a notebook? Why didn't you do this? Okay. And I saw that person deflate. When they first started, they had an energy. This was a good job. They were excited about this new job. And after a two weeks, their energy was deflated. was all because of that communication skills. How do you communicate? What do you communicate? Talk to them and let them know what your what they're doing right. In the kitchen environment, there are huge opportunities for you to become a leader. Every single time that you work, you're able to get those people that are working with you to follow to lift them up. So as you're trying to transition as you're going from that cook into that inspirational leader, I want you to think about how you are leading these small teams if you will As a prep cook, how are you leading the dishwashers? What are you doing to help the dishwashers to show them that you're on their side? That you're helping them out and you want them to succeed? If you're the lead line cook, what are you doing? To be able to take advantage of the team that's around you, and lift them up to become an amazing kitchen crew? How are you teaching them? Are you sharing your knowledge with them so that they can then do your job, because that's what it's all about. You need to try and you need to understand that, as as a leader, you are trying to make your job obsolete. And the way that you do that is by leading the other people so that and teaching the other people to be able to do your job, so that when they get to that point, your job is obsolete. And now you can move on to the next level. And let them take over. That is how you move forward. It's not it's not about me, it's not about i It's not about, I'm going to work really hard so that I get the promotion because I've been working the hardest, no, you will get the promotion, because everybody else behind you is supporting you. And they are pushing you up and out of that position to the next position. Think about that. It's not so much that they're climbing to try and rip you down from the from the mountain and throw you over so that they can be the leader now. Now they're pushing you to help you get to the next level, because you're helping them get to where you're at. Now, inevitably, with teams, there's going to be conflicts, there's going to be issues that arise as a leader, continue to build those communication skills. And those communications skills of giving that feedback, of giving that constructive criticism of letting people know what it what they can do to become better. There's going to be personnel issues, there's going to be attitude, clashes, there's going to be all sorts of things we are dealing in a kitchen with 100 different styles of of attitudes of personalities, we've got people who have gone to college to learn it. And then you've got people who are just out of jail who had done the culinary training in jail, and they're getting out and they're just starting starting new. Those two types of personalities are hugely different. But I can tell you, there's one common thread amongst all cooks. And that is a desire to produce the best food, a desire to do the best to create. That is our passion. So as you're leading these teams hone in on that passion. And understand that when there is that personality clashes when there is that, that difficulties back and forth between different people, it's because each one of them has their own idea of what a good dish is, or how to become a good cook, or a good chef, or whatnot. And they feel like their idea is the correct one and the other person is wrong. It is your job as a leader, to help them see that they are both just trying to become the best. And then let them understand what your idea of become of being the best is and help sharing that information so that they can be on the same page. So they're not fighting each other. So they you know, that's how you kind of that's how you deal with a conflict. And within these teams understand that common thread that everybody wants to do their best. And with that, as you're doing that, as you're sharing your vision, as you're helping them understand what it is that's going from one to the next. As you're helping them figure out what is your vision, what is the thing that you want, and what is the mission that you're going to have. You need to make sure that you're very clear in this again, tell them over and over and over again. I know I've kind of rehash I've kind of talked about this a little bit before but I want to go a little bit more in depth this time. It's it's about making sure that everybody on the same on the team has the same vision. When you first get a team when you first become part of a team, there's really no direction. People are looking to you if you become if you get into that leadership position. People are now looking to you for direction They want to know which way you're going. Everybody has worked where hundreds of chefs, everybody knows that the chef is always right. Okay? Chef's always right. So when there's a new chef, the old chef is wrong, the new chef is right, congratulations, let's learn what this new chef wants. And it is your job as a leader, to help them understand what that vision is. Now, let's just say, you're not just chef yet. But you want to become a leader, you need to understand the chef's vision, talk with the chef help, ask him what exactly he wants. Double check several times, just make sure that you know what's going on. And then you can then be that mouthpiece for the chef when he's not there. This is this is what the chef wants, this is what he wants, this is how he wants to do it. You know, and make sure that that vision, that mission is carried forward, whether the chef is there or not. And those are the kinds of guys as a chef, that you are so happy to have. Because they're for you. They're there, they have your back, and they help the kitchen progress and move forward every single day. Even while you're not there. A lot of you know, it's kind of funny. One of the things that I always thought was funny was the whole mission statements, or the vision statements. I have not worked for a company yet. That came out with a vision statement. And then actually moved and made decisions based on that vision statement. Okay. They would sit there and they would talk about it a little bit right at the beginning, they would have this big, you know, hoopla celebration, whatnot, that was going on. But then it wouldn't talk about after that. Nothing, you know, it was just like, Okay, we got the poster on the wall. Everybody understand what it is good. All right, maybe once a month, they would talk about it at the Employee Appreciation Day, maybe. You know, they always have these grand things, but it just never really moves forward after that. So in that sense, creating a mission statement or a vision statement. doesn't really work. Unless you as the chef, talk about it every single day. Every single day. If you're getting tired of talking about your vision, about your mission about what you're trying to do, you still haven't said it enough. keep on saying it over and over and over. Inevitably, when it comes to leading these teams, you will become you will get into stressful environments. I mean, come on, every single day in the kitchen is stressful. Every single day is high paced, there's it's hot, there's people running around yelling all over the place, and all that kind of stuff. And this every single day is an opportunity for you to become a leader by helping to be that calm amongst the store. Okay. As you're learning these things I talked about a lot about this last week was about, you know, being calm, taking those breaks, taking care of yourself, getting the rest having that mental resilience. Well, let's take this a little bit further. Now, you're not only doing this for yourself, but you're also teaching your team. You're letting other people know, hey, this is how I'm doing it. This is what you need to do. Are you getting enough rest. If you see they're starting to get tired and you're a leader, and they just can't You know, I've had chefs kick kick cooks off of the line and say go go to the walk and for five minutes, he jumps in there and he takes care of the stuff that line for a little bit. And then given that guy that cook that time in the walk into cool off, relax, release the tension, and then come back and get back into it. It's not it's not really kicking it off the line because you're not a good cook. The chef understands the importance of getting that rest. He understands that stress levels are getting so high and you're starting to falter and you're starting to get in the weeds and you can't handle it. That's okay. Get off. Reclaim let yourself get back on the line. And you'll do 10 times better, I promise. So if ever that happens to you take it as a thank you very much for helping me become better. Okay? There is a lot of stuff going on in the kitchen. And as leaders, you can really grow and develop once you start to understand all of these aspects, and once you start to put them into play, and are doing them, we can wait a week out, you will begin to realize how, how much different you are from the others around you. And this is where it begins to really become where you really start to become this leader. Because once you realize that you are a little bit different from those around, you start to inspire others, help them to grow. Show them what is what needs to happen each and every single day. Help them teach them, spend time with them, let them learn the things that you learned, be a mentor to those around you. You need to make sure that they can really understand what is going on in the entire kitchen. And if they understand the big picture, they're more they're more able to make decisions, the small decisions that will help lead you to that destination. Okay. The other thing is becoming a leader within the kitchen is huge. Because that transition from being a cook, where you're just focused on the productivity, on the production on the individual aspects of your life and how you are contributing to the to the overall business. Once you start to expand that, get your head up, look around you get your head out of the cutting board, look around you in the entire kitchen, and start paying attention to what's going on, catch people doing the things that you want them to be doing. Because they're doing it. They're doing it, they really, really, really want to do what's right, they really want to be to be the best. And, and sometimes, they get so excited that they start trying new things. He's like, Ha that's not the array that we're doing in here. It's really cool, let's put it out a special, but don't do it for today's dish this that the dish on the menu, right, just don't mess with that one. That's the way we want it. Let's try that something on a special, alright. People really want to do what's right, they really want to be the best they really want to progress. They really want to just they love creating. And when they love creating your culture that you cultivate it, you help it grow. And then you will see them sprout and grow. And just holy cow, it'll be amazing. The kitchen is a great opportunity, and a great environment to build leaders. Because we have opportunities throughout our entire career to be leaders. We're always teaching the people that are next to us or below us. We're always helping them out. We're always looking forward and looking at those leaders, this the chefs and the sous chefs and getting inspiration from them. So take that opportunity, grow, develop. And pay attention to what's going on. Learn those communication skills, learn those relationships, skills, learn that feedback and the importance of feedback. And making sure that you understand that feedback is all about showing people what you want. What do you want? Are they doing what you want, then tell them find them, catch them doing the good things, catch them doing what you want. Let them know that that's what you're wanting, celebrate it. Bring people bring other people in this exactly what I want. Okay? Let them see other people grow and develop. Let them see that you care about them. As they grow and develop the you're not worried about them taking your job. Because you want them to take your job. You want them to grow, you want them develop. You want them to take your job so that they can lift you up and you can move on to the next step. And if and if you don't really want to go to the next step, let them come up, and then let them go on to their own journey. Let them begin their own story. Let them become their own executive chef. But lift them up, help them become better. And that is how you become an inspirational leader. Again, thank you so very much. I'm so excited. I love talking about these concepts. And I hope that the next next week, I am going to be doing a framework. I'm going to try and I'm going to be putting video out every single day next week, that is going to start. I'll kick it off next Thursday. And then every day after that, for the next six days, I'm going to be doing a little snippet of what my coaching is all about. I've got a six step six rules that I use in my coaching, as I coach other people to help them become better. These are these rules that are are kind of the rules in the kitchen, things like get your mason floss in order and taste everything. But I'm going to delve deeper into each one of these concepts, so that you can understand what I'm trying to to what I'm trying to teach. And if you like what you're doing, I would love to be your coach. I would love to help you out. And so next week, starting Thursday, I'll kick it off. And then every single day for that week, I'm going to be doing a short 15 to 20 minute video about coaching about the rules for coaching that I use in my coaching. So, hope to see you next week. And I really appreciate everything you've done. Thank you so very much and we'll talk to you later.