Hey everyone, I'm new here.
I have a question for all you chefs and kitchen managers:
Are you a GREAT leader? Or a good manager?
It's easy enough (for me) to learn recipes and get all the "hard" stuff done (inventory, ordering, food costs, etc.) but I haven't had quite so much stuff with the "soft" stuff (leading, managing, delegating, people skills, etc.)
Please, if you have any tips or advice to share, or at least a link to another thread where this was discussed, I would love you to share it with me. I've been a chef-manager for about 3-4 years now, but it's always a struggle for me. It's always a struggle to delegate tasks instead of doing it myself. It's often hard for me to say "no" because I hated being on that end when I was a cook myself.
Here's what I try to do:
I'm starting a new job next week, and I want to try to do it right this time. I don't want to be like the asshole managers I hated when I was a cook, but I also want my employees to want to work hard, and be proud of what they do and of being part of a team.
Let me know your thoughts, ideas, advice, suggestions, what works for you, what you must absolutely avoid.
And thank you so much!
I have a question for all you chefs and kitchen managers:
Are you a GREAT leader? Or a good manager?
It's easy enough (for me) to learn recipes and get all the "hard" stuff done (inventory, ordering, food costs, etc.) but I haven't had quite so much stuff with the "soft" stuff (leading, managing, delegating, people skills, etc.)
Please, if you have any tips or advice to share, or at least a link to another thread where this was discussed, I would love you to share it with me. I've been a chef-manager for about 3-4 years now, but it's always a struggle for me. It's always a struggle to delegate tasks instead of doing it myself. It's often hard for me to say "no" because I hated being on that end when I was a cook myself.
Here's what I try to do:
- I try to show my employees that I'm just as willing to work and be part of the team, by picking up shifts, washing dishes, and knowing every station back to front.
- I try to be understanding to my employees, by almost always allowing them to have the days off they need, understanding that emergencies and life happen.
- I'm kind and friendly to my employees, hoping that they will respect me for the way that I treat them.
I'm starting a new job next week, and I want to try to do it right this time. I don't want to be like the asshole managers I hated when I was a cook, but I also want my employees to want to work hard, and be proud of what they do and of being part of a team.
Let me know your thoughts, ideas, advice, suggestions, what works for you, what you must absolutely avoid.
And thank you so much!