Seize the day! Ah…” when opportunity knocks, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, in basketball or hockey you’ll miss every shot you don’t take, if you aren’t going all the way, why go at all,” …there are plenty of quotes that point to the same reality. When you have a chance to move forward, to accomplish something worthwhile, to be part of something great – take it! This statement applies to all of us, in every situation, or any career. Go for it!

So, here’s the thing when it comes to your career as a cook and the prospects of making a difference – opportunities are enormous and the chance to excel rests on your shoulders. Are you willing to commit, to take a leap of faith, to invest in yourself, and put yourself out there? Yes, of course, there is always some risk. You might fail. But then again, you might very well succeed and surprise everyone, including yourself.

I look to all the properties I am connected to, all the chefs that I know, all the businesses that are pushing to grow, and even the ones that are teetering on the cliff of potential failure and note one common challenge they face: they can’t find the right people to move them forward. Every restaurant and food related business is crying the same blues: “Where are the great employees?” The needs run the entire gamut: cooks, bakers, chefs, managers, bartenders, servers, caterers, and even business partners…the shortages and the opportunities are EVERYWHERE.

Here you are, uncertain of your future, concerned about earning potential, feeling sometimes in a rut, and wondering when the light at the end of the tunnel may shine. Well, I’m here to tell you that the light is shining incredibly bright right now, it’s blinding for those willing to look. You can aspire to be whatever you want to be in the food business – it just takes a few key decisions on your part. So, listen up!

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO LEARN MORE

The world belongs to those who are willing to learn something new every day. You may be comfortable where you are now, but if the goal is to advance and seize the opportunities before you, then it is imperative that you grow your skill set and base of knowledge. This will never cease to be true. The most successful chefs, managers, and owners are constantly seeking ways to improve.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO DEDICATE THE TIME

I know how hard and demanding your current job is -I’ve been there. But the opportunities in front of you don’t care. Do you want it? Well, then you must find the time to improve. No, you might not get paid for the effort, now. But it will come back to you tenfold if you invest the time today. Take classes, stage’ with a great chef, attend conferences, read, volunteer for special events that test your abilities – invest, invest, invest.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE A CHANCE

Most people, at some level, are risk adverse. We don’t like to change, and we certainly tend to shy away from things that are just as likely to go wrong as go right. You’ll never learn to swim until you dive into the deep end of the pool. Remember how risky it was to take those training wheels off your bike at the age of seven or eight? If you never took a chance, then you’d still be depending on those training wheels and look silly when tooling down the sidewalk.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY YOUR DUES

Patience is a virtue that too many people lack. These efforts to learn and grow, and the willingness to take a chance will not pay off immediately. You may have to dive into the deep end several times and face your fears over and over, but eventually, persistence and patience will pay off.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO BE A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE

Do you remember that first night that you worked on the hot line in a restaurant? You had spent the past six months or so on prep, honing your knife skills, learning to multi-task, and discovering the methods and outcomes associated with cooking, but now you need to jump into the pressure cooker where timing, consistency, and teamwork are the difference between success and nerve-wracking, sweat drenching, hand shaking, vision blurring failure. The situation was quite uncomfortable, wasn’t it? That first night was torture and it took multiple shots of espresso to ramp you up and a few cocktails afterward to calm you down. But you came back the next night and the next night, and before you knew it, the line was your happy place. You looked forward to the pressure, the camaraderie, the uncertainty, and the rhythm that eventually took control. You will always be uncomfortable before becoming comfortable.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO ADMIT WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW

The first step in the process of improvement is to know what you don’t know, to admit it, and then chart a course to learn. Admitting what you don’t know is not a sign of weakness but rather of strength. Now, do something about it.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO ACCEPT ADVICE AND CRITIQUE

One of the keys to “moving up” that career ladder is to find a mentor/coach who is willing to be honest with you. When a mentor, from his or her experience, is willing to offer you advice on how to improve, when they can point out your weaknesses and show you how to overcome them, you must be willing to take it on the chin and learn how to move forward. When critique is the model (and not criticism) there is an opportunity to learn.

[]       ARE YOU WILLING TO GO TO WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE

Now, this is an interesting phenomenon that seems more prevalent in recent years – far too many people are less adventurous, far too comfortable where they are, and unwilling to let opportunities take them to new environments. Especially when you are young, look at the chance to move as an exciting time to experience something new.

Seize the day and reap the rewards. There truly has never been a better time to be engaged in the business of food, than right now. Are you willing to jump in the deep end and do the work to learn how to swim?

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

(Over 900 articles about the business and people of food)

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