Are you an amateur or a real cook?

As an amateur cook, I have purchased lots of recipe books… mainly for my spouse by the way.

As an amateur cook, whenever I want to cook, I open one of the books.

  • For ideas
  • For expert advice
  • To make sure I know what to expect
  • To ensure what I am about to eat and serve to my guest is edible, tasty and conductive to a good conversation.

As an amateur cook, I rely on those books to eat reasonably well and to make eating a pleasurable experience.

As an amateur cook, I also experienced the following :

1- I simply cannot get that great looking plate shown as the end-result on page 1 of each recipe

2- I just cannot trust the content of the book based on its cover or its intriguing title

3- The taste I imagined, looking at the image, just does not correspond to what my taste buds register… Basically, I cannot taste with my eyes… duh!

4- Try as I might, I cannot get the results I expected when I started the recipe

5- I really need to eat and the ugly stuff coming out of my pans just does not cut it… I need to practice and I need help

6- You cannot prepare an omelette without breaking some eggs… that’s an old one but it is still true… so my modern version of this is :

7- Cooking

IS

MESSY!

8- As my spouse once concluded : DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!

 

BUT I still need to cook! My spouse will not do it for me eternally (although I am sure by the look on her face when she comes back in the messy kitchen she might prefer to keep on cooking… safer and cleaner).

This is not a cooking blog or reflection. Rest easy.

 

Let’s talk about management.

As an amateur cook manager, I have purchased lots of recipe books… mainly for my spouse by the way.

As an amateur cook manager, whenever I want to cook manage, I open one of the books.

  • For ideas
  • For expert advice
  • To make sure I know what to expect
  • To ensure what I am about to do to my team and colleagues makes sense and uses the full potential of everyone while making sure there are all fully engaged to produce great results for the right reasons.

As an amateur cook manager, I rely on those books to manage reasonably well and to make managing a pleasurable experience for me and, more importantly, for those working with me.

As an amateur cook manager, I also experienced the following :

1- I simply cannot get those great results described on the table of content and in the concluding remarks of each chapter

2- I just cannot trust the content of the book based on its cover or its intriguing title

3- The results I imagined, looking at the cover, just do not correspond to what I see happening around me… Basically, I cannot manage simply by reading… duh!

4- Try as I might, I cannot get the results I expected when I started the process described in the book

5- I really need to manage better and the ugly stuff coming out of my pans plans just does not cut it… I need to practice and I need help

6- You cannot prepare an omelette a new team without breaking some eggs… paradigms.

7- Cooking Managing

CAN BE MESSY!

8- As my spouse colleagues and employees once concluded : DON’T QUIT… please don’t quit… but keep on trying.

 

Management cannot really be taught. Oh, MBA are very popular. The methodologies and techniques can help…a bit.

But reading the list of the 40 or so characteristics of the ideal manager (superior managers are taller by the way…) that Henry Minztberg described in his excellent book Managing (with it stupendous purple color!), you simply have to realize that managing is first a mindset and an absolute faith in the human spirit.

McGregor described the X/Y theory 50 years ago and basically said the same thing: humans cannot simply be “managed” but should be lead.

No management therefore but leadership?

No.

Leadership books will produce the same results.

 

The main thing is to take a different perspective: Hence the cooking analogy.

You have to start somewhere. Cook an egg and a grilled cheese for a start. Then a perfect egg and a perfect grilled cheese.

Use books to open up possibilities and learn new techniques.

But first, make a list or a plan of what is required.

Then look around… Can somebody else cook for you? Or teach you how to cook?

Ask yourself how much cooking is required?

Do you need to cook?

Could you simply go to the grocery and buy un-cooked food for others to eat?

Is anybody starving?

And if you really need to cook… What do others want to eat anyway?

What if all the recipes of the world do not fit with your guests’ tastes?

Professional cook do not use cooking books, they write them.

They use the infinite variety of food around them to create something new and exciting. Every time.

 

Our teams have seen a lot of water flowed under the bridges.

The web allows them to experiment yet hundreds more bridges under which flow seemingly infinite streams of information and management experiences/fads/flavor of the month.

Ultimately you will need to create your own management style. In cooperation with the team and its expanded consciousness through the networks… virtual/personal/professional or social.

Your role as a manager is changing.

Knowledge was power… as long as you kept it for yourself.

No more.

Knowledge is everywhere now.

Your power is ultimately measured by the amount of power you allow others to use.

Are you an amateur or a real cook?

Professional cook do not use cooking books, they write them.

 

Professional managers do not use age-old recipes,

They cooperate with the team

Reflect with the team

Help the team create great results…

They build teams with the teams.

 

Professional cook do not use cooking books, they write them.

Professional cook do not imitate, they create.

Professional cook do not really cook, they are food artists.

Great managers do not really manage, they similarly innovate using the basic human richness, the infinite creative potential of the dynamic duo we all possess and unfortunately under-use, the human spirit and heart!

“We seek not to imitate the masters, rather we seek what they sought”. Matsuo Basho, Japanese poet

Wise.

 

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