The American reality competition “Top Chef” from Bravo cable television network has arrived to Europe this year and an adapted version is produced and broadcasted by French television channel M6. This is currently one of my favourite TV shows!
I love cooking and I learn so much from the talented “Top Chef” candidates and the members of the jury who are high calibre chefs with several Michelin stars. I am amazed by how much business management and leadership theory and practice fit into professional cooking. Let me explain how I see this fit.
The “Top Chef” competition has a “mission” to develop chefs up to the level of a Michelin starred. The candidates share an “individual goal” - to win, get the “Top Chef” recognition and €100,000 prize.
Each challenge is associated to a specific “objective” – to cook a dish or two - and a “deadline”. The candidates typically start by deciding what they will cook - their “vision” of the dish. The next step is to select the “resources”, that is, select the ingredients for their recipe and chefs always look for the best vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, herbs, spices, etc, to increase the chances of cooking something outstanding. And they are given a limited time for this step! Just like in so many other areas of life we have to make quick and sound decisions.
If we look at a recipe there is always an order to be followed and if we do it thoroughly our chances to cook what we wanted is above 99%. The “Top Chef” candidates are a proof of how critical the structure and organization of kitchen work are to achieve the desired outcome on time. In the competition it is a must to have everything ready when due, cooked as it should (neither rare nor overcooked) and serve the dish at the right temperature. So much like work with timelines, processes, policies and rules…
The candidates usually get along very well although they see each other as competitors all the time. They pay attention to what others cook and how they cook; they evaluate each others’ strengths and weaknesses; they even draw strategies and tactics to facilitate the elimination of their most ferocious competition. And this is most visible when they have to work in teams.
The team challenge is one of the most difficult in the “Top Chef” competition. The candidates are either given (1) predefined teams or (2) someone who carries an advantage selects their team members. I have observed teams operating more effectively – working more collaboratively and better organized, and with less interpersonal conflict – in the second situation and these teams typically win the challenge.
Another critical success factor – perhaps the most important – is a “chef” competency to be a leader. In team exercises there’s a natural tendency for someone to step up and lead, or at least manage the resources and provide guidance and motivation to the others, even when they all contribute equally to the work. It is funny to watch how often everyone wants to lead, and how difficult it is for those who have been working as independent cooks or caterers to lead a team of peers or kitchen assistants. I have no doubt you can only be a “Top Chef” if you are a leader.
Again, I am truly amazed by how much “Top Chef” mirrors what I experience and watch in daily life, in my company, in my team, in my family and in myself.
Do you watch “Top Chef” competition?
Are you a Chef? Are you a Leader? Are you both?
I am looking forward to learning about your thoughts and experiences.
I love cooking and I learn so much from the talented “Top Chef” candidates and the members of the jury who are high calibre chefs with several Michelin stars. I am amazed by how much business management and leadership theory and practice fit into professional cooking. Let me explain how I see this fit.
The “Top Chef” competition has a “mission” to develop chefs up to the level of a Michelin starred. The candidates share an “individual goal” - to win, get the “Top Chef” recognition and €100,000 prize.
Each challenge is associated to a specific “objective” – to cook a dish or two - and a “deadline”. The candidates typically start by deciding what they will cook - their “vision” of the dish. The next step is to select the “resources”, that is, select the ingredients for their recipe and chefs always look for the best vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, herbs, spices, etc, to increase the chances of cooking something outstanding. And they are given a limited time for this step! Just like in so many other areas of life we have to make quick and sound decisions.
If we look at a recipe there is always an order to be followed and if we do it thoroughly our chances to cook what we wanted is above 99%. The “Top Chef” candidates are a proof of how critical the structure and organization of kitchen work are to achieve the desired outcome on time. In the competition it is a must to have everything ready when due, cooked as it should (neither rare nor overcooked) and serve the dish at the right temperature. So much like work with timelines, processes, policies and rules…
The candidates usually get along very well although they see each other as competitors all the time. They pay attention to what others cook and how they cook; they evaluate each others’ strengths and weaknesses; they even draw strategies and tactics to facilitate the elimination of their most ferocious competition. And this is most visible when they have to work in teams.
The team challenge is one of the most difficult in the “Top Chef” competition. The candidates are either given (1) predefined teams or (2) someone who carries an advantage selects their team members. I have observed teams operating more effectively – working more collaboratively and better organized, and with less interpersonal conflict – in the second situation and these teams typically win the challenge.
Another critical success factor – perhaps the most important – is a “chef” competency to be a leader. In team exercises there’s a natural tendency for someone to step up and lead, or at least manage the resources and provide guidance and motivation to the others, even when they all contribute equally to the work. It is funny to watch how often everyone wants to lead, and how difficult it is for those who have been working as independent cooks or caterers to lead a team of peers or kitchen assistants. I have no doubt you can only be a “Top Chef” if you are a leader.
Again, I am truly amazed by how much “Top Chef” mirrors what I experience and watch in daily life, in my company, in my team, in my family and in myself.
Do you watch “Top Chef” competition?
Are you a Chef? Are you a Leader? Are you both?
I am looking forward to learning about your thoughts and experiences.
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