Leadership Lessons From a Chef: Finding Time to Be Great

194 Pages·2008·5.5 MB·English

by  Charles M. Carroll

Leadership Lessons
from a Chef
Finding Time to Be Great
Charles M. Carroll
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Carroll,Charles,1964–.
Leadershiplessonsfromachef:findingtimetobegreat / CharlesCarroll.
p.cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN:978-0-470-12530-4(pbk.)
1.Foodservicemanagement.2.Foodservice—Vocationalguidance.I.Title.
TX911.3.M27C3652007
647.95068—dc22
2006102170
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
I Would Like to Dedicate This Book to
Mom and Dad
Thank You for everything

Contents
Foreword vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
About the Author xv
Chapter 1 What Makes You Tick? 1
Chapter 2 Testing the Kitchen Atmosphere 14
Chapter 3 How Is Your Attitude? 25
Chapter 4 Build Your Leadership Team First 35
Chapter 5 What Is Your Mission? 53
Chapter 6 The Principles That Guide Us 61
Chapter 7 Program Survival: Living It! 65
Chapter 8 Educational Environment 71
Chapter 9 Fostering Success 84
Chapter 10 How to Get People to Want to Work for You 93
Chapter 11 Hire Right the First Time 101
Chapter 12 Incentive Programs 111
Chapter 13 Discipline and Competition 119
Chapter 14 Did You Listen Well the First Time? 125
v
vi ◆ LeadershipLessons from a Chef
Chapter 15 Forms to Help You 130
Chapter 16 Why Do It? 134
Appendix A Certificates and Forms 140
Appendix B Life and Work Tips from Chef Carroll 157
Appendix C A Collection of Quotations 159
Glossary 167
Index 173
Foreword
Well,thankGod!Someonehasfinallydoneit.Abook,abible,alife’s
journal shared by a real chef in today’s modern kitchen. Oh cer-
tainly I, as most of you, have read volumes on the subjects of man-
agement,teambuilding,communication,andotheraspectsofmanagingour
environment and teaching others under our jurisdiction to be great at their
daily tasks. However, in my thirty years as a chef and culinary CEO, never
have I seen a book on this subject written by an executive chef about the
realities and challenges facing us in our day-to-day activities.
It became apparent to me that most executive chefs, regardless of stat-
ure, receive our education in management from the school of hard knocks.
It is pretty much determined for us by most culinary schools or educational
facilities that our role as cooks is to cook and it is only through our on-the-
job training that we eventually garner the skills necessary to run a successful
workplace. What a shame that this antiquated thought process is still consid-
ered to be the norm even in the twenty-first century. Today’s chefs manage
a different workplace. Our kitchens look more like modern food laborato-
ries, staffed with employees ranging from entry level to those with MBAs,
multinational to homegrown, with religious preferences and ethnic diversity
previously seen only at the United Nations. Today’s chefs are asked to not
only plan our menus and deliver great visual appeal to the table, but also to
communicate company mission, direct sanitation and nutrition classes, un-
derstand world flavors and ingredients and in our ‘‘spare time’’ inspire our
team to be motivated and innovative day in and day out. Imagine, all of this
without formal management training and no one in the wings to give us the
support needed to get us through the day.
Well, Chef Charles Carroll has answered our prayers and delivered a
masterful text to our desktops. Now it is up to us to open it, read it and put
into practice the SEF principle (Schedule, Empower, Follow Up!) that Chef
Carroll prescribes. Through this practice, you will come to understand how
great chefs fail because they lack people skills first and basic managerial
ability second. You’ll come to embrace what one of America’s best chefs has
generously shared from his twenty years of practical, out-of-the-box thinking
and experience.
vii
viii ◆ LeadershipLessons from a Chef
I have personally known Chef Carroll for over fifteen years and he has
impressed me more and more each year. He is a strategic thinker, the epit-
ome of ‘‘planning the work while working the plan.’’ It doesnotsurprise me
that it is he who has taken the task upon himself to share with us life’s little
secret for a successful, professional kitchen driven by a team of committed
staffmemberswho‘‘getit.’’Inaddition,ChefCarrollcontinuestodroplittle
gems of wisdom that should be evident to all of us, but through the smoke
and heat of the kitchen are often missed or ignored. You will also come to
see quickly that there’s no theory here; it is fundamentals put into practice
and the result shared in a way that’s never been told before. As an added
bonus, once you’ve read it, the book becomes your personal handbook for
success. It will prove to be a piece as important in your office as Escoffier’s
Cookbook, Herring’s Dictionary, or Larousse’s Gastronomique. In addition,
it is the perfect gift to your young apprentices or line cooks, or better yet,
to present to a member of your staff who has just endured a reprimand. It
reinforces the message that ‘‘I care enough about you to give you the tools
necessary to learn from your experiences.’’
Chef Carroll states in this book that ‘‘Not everyone can be great, but
everyone certainly can be better,’’ and you will, too, if you only choose to
follow the commonsense practices outlined in the piece you now hold in
your hand. Congratulations, Charles, for a job well done.
Now, read and grow!
Chef John D. Folse, CEC, AAC
Preface
Why is it hard to find an inspirational and motivational book written
by a chef for chefs that has tons of practical ideas to use in real
kitchens? Are chefs too crazy or too stressed out? Do they just not
have enough time? I have always found it frustrating that there are few re-
sources for chefs and culinarians to use to improve themselves or establish
positive kitchen environments. For those reasons, I decided to share my
thoughts with you.
Okay,let’sgetonethingstraight.IdonothaveaPhD,amaster’sdegree,
or any other title toindicate thereis aten-yearcollegeeducation behindmy
name. I am a chef with an associate degree from the Culinary Institute of
America. I am not going to show you bar graphs, PowerPoint(cid:2) slideshows,
scales, pie charts, or even market studies. You are not going to have to run
togetadictionarytolook upbig words; but ifyoudo,thatmeansthatIhad
to as well, so it is only fair that you do the same. There are thousands of
books out there if you want that kind of read.
Leadership Lessons from a Chef will be worth your salary by the time
you are done reading it, and I will tell you why. In the past twelve years, the
culinary industry has flourished and acknowledged the chef and compen-
sated him or her accordingly. There are many reasons for this. The chef
today is much more visible, more frequently in the dining rooms, managing
and dealing with the members (of clubs) and guests on a regular basis,
strongly involved with the growth of the property itself—not just concerned
withthekitchen.Wehavecelebritychefs,IronChefs,realitychefs,starchefs,
personal chefs, White House chefs, and Olympic chefs. America loves cook-
ingshowsandfollowscookinginthenewspapersandontelevisionandradio.
Chefs are now in the ‘‘front row,’’ when in years past you might never see
the chef who cooked your meal. With all these outlets comes a lot of re-
sponsibilities. It is no longer only about the food! Chefs are (and will con-
tinue to be) expected to be more team leaders and culinary managers than
chefs.
In the past twelve years, salaries for chefs have changed dramatically.
More and more great positions are opening up with fantastic financial pack-
ages.Takeacloselookatthesejobs.Whatdoyousee?Whyisthechefgetting
ix