Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. The article struck a nerve with its focus on A Cook’s Kitchen Laws. Since then, more than 100,000 people have read and shared that article. Today, I was thinking back on that piece and realized that these rules were relevant for all, but focused on what every cook should know and adhere to. Ah…but what about the chef – the person with the tallest hat and the title to match? What rules or laws are most significant for them and how might their commitment to them impact on those workhorse cooks, dishwashers, restaurant servers, and the like? So, here are the 21 rules that, from my experience as a chef, should apply:

[]       LISTEN MORE, TALK LESS

The first key to great leadership is to listen to others first. You need to do more than just hear the noise – you must truly listen to your employees, peer managers, and the guest. Every moment of listening provides an opportunity to learn and grow.

[]       IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU

Yes, you are the chef. Yes, it is your reputation on the line, your menu, your job description to be in charge. However, you cannot succeed alone. Every person who works around you is important and needs to be recognized for their contribution. Take a step back and give them their due; you are part of a team.

[]       BE THE EXAMPLE

How do you want your employees to act, represent, perform, and connect? However, you want them to be starts with how you consistently act. They will follow your lead.

[]       COMPLIMENT IN PUBLIC

Passing on a simple compliment means a great deal to the recipient. It takes very little effort and costs nothing to say: “thanks, great job, fantastic work, I appreciate all that you do, spot on, etc.” Use compliments freely when they are deserved and do so in earshot of others. This will motivate others to do the same.

[]       CRITIQUE IN PRIVATE

There will always be times when an employee or a process needs to be critiqued, and challenges solved. If it involves an employee – pull them aside, away from others, and offer your assessment. It is also wise to offer the critique in a way that is non-confrontational. Start the critique with a compliment: “Joe, I am always impressed with your approach to your job, you are usually totally committed to doing things right and I appreciate that. However, in this instance things did not go well. Let’s look at how we can make it right and avoid the same mistake again.”

[]       KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRITIQUE AND CRITICISM

Note in the example above, the chef used the phrase: “Let’s take a look at how we can make it right…” The “we” is important because it shows the employee that unlike criticism, the chef intends to work with them to figure it out and learn together. This is the difference between receptiveness and embarrassment.

[]       SPEND MORE TIME TRYING TO CATCH YOUR EMPLOYEES DOING SOMETHING RIGHT

Here’s a fun exercise. Try taking a few moments everyday walking around the kitchen and the dining room looking for successes and great work. Go out of your way to thank employees and give them a thumbs up. You will be amazed at the positive impact this will have. Your employees will look forward to interaction with this type of leader.

[]       WHEN YOU ARE NOT SERVING THE PUBLIC DIRECTLY – SERVE SOMEONE WHO IS

You can’t be everywhere, so you need to instead focus more on being a coach and a supporter. Serving someone who is serving the guest means that you focus on providing whatever support is necessary to enable your staff to shoot for excellence. Help with their mise en place, push a few racks of dishes through the machine, garnish plates, mop up a spill on the floor, jump into positions on the line when things get backed up, talk with an unhappy guest in the dining room to give a server the chance to catch up, do whatever it takes to keep the orchestra playing in sync.

[]       WORK TO MAKE SURE YOUR TEAM HAS THE TOOLS THEY NEED

Watch and assess. Sometimes the difference between success and failure; a happy employee and a disgruntled one; and even profit or loss, is having the right tool for the job. Be the problem solver in this regard and know that you are doing your part to keep everything on track.

[]       TRAIN AND TEACH – ALWAYS

Quite possibly the most important job of the chef is to teach and train. In this regard you are the coach of the kitchen, focused on building skills, demonstrating how discipline leads to consistency, giving your employees an understanding of not just the “how” of doing a task, but also the “why” behind it. Understanding comes from a base of knowledge that is deeper than just process.

[]       RELISH OTHER’S SUCCESSES

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate! Just like a parent relishing in the life successes of a child, so too should you visibly enjoy the successes of your employees. Trust me when I say that their success will be even more rewarding than your own.

[]       GIVE CREDIT, WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Print employees name on the menu, credit an employee who designed a menu item, publish employee profiles in the restaurant newsletter, select employees of the month, embroider their names on chef coats – do whatever you can to show your appreciation and raise a glass to the work that employees do.

[]       REMEMBER WHERE YOU STARTED

Hey, you were a dishwasher, a breakfast cook, or a prep cook, long before you held that first chef position. You worked hard to get here but it never would have been possible without paying your dues in those early positions. Never forget how important those employees are and make sure they know how much you respect them.

[]       STAND UP FOR YOUR TEAM AND YOUR PLAYERS

Teams will make mistakes, individuals will make mistakes, but they will also rally and find ways to push through challenges and go the extra mile if they know that you have their back. Take care of business behind those swinging doors but walk through them as a unified organization.

[]       HIRE WELL, TRAIN WELL, AND THEN TRUST THEM

It’s hard finding the right employees, identifying the chemistry that must be there, orienting them and training them to be integral to the restaurant’s success. Now that you have invested all that effort, it’s time to trust them to do the job you hired them for. Let them swim once they have the skill set.

[]       BE THE KIND OF PERSON YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE

You know how your dog gets so excited when you walk through the door at home? He thinks you are the greatest, kindest, most incredible person on the planet. Try to live up to that in everything you do.

[]       SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW

There should be no confidential skill or piece of knowledge when you are the chef. Yes, you know a lot – SHARE IT.

[]       BE TRANSPARENT

The other aspect of sharing is to include your employees in the decisions being made, the performance of the restaurant, and the challenges that the operation faces. Let them know about food cost percentage, labor cost compared to sales, check averages and the opportunity to grow them, menu item popularity, the rising cost of ingredients, the cost of China and glassware, how long it takes to pay for that new combi-oven that everyone wants on the line. The more they know, the more engaged they will be in helping the operation succeed.

[]       CELEBRATE AS A TEAM AND WORK AS A TEAM TO OVERCOME YOUR FAILURES

Always find ways to celebrate “team”. All for one and one for all must be the motto. Having a personal great night is terrific, but nothing compares to those nights when everyone clicks together – celebrate this.

[]       BE FAIR BUT FIRM

Empathy is a term rarely used in association with the chef, but empathy is not a term to associate with weakness. You can be understanding and concerned while still maintaining the highest standards and expecting nothing less from everyone.

[]       NEVER ACCEPT MEDIOCRITY – SET THE STAGE FOR EXCELLENCE

Look for excellence, teach and train towards excellence, be excellent in your approach to the job as chef, expect excellence and reward it whenever it occurs. Never let the disease of mediocrity sneak in.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

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