Dukasaur wrote:You seem to be rather outspoken on these fora, but then again they are anonymous.
Are you outspoken in R/L? Or are you diplomatic in R/L and this place is your release?
(Not trying to be an asshole here. This is an issue I am often genuinely curious about.)
You are what you eat, so I've heard from sloppy bj that you're a bit of a dick............(joke)
I've met a few people from CC in RL. I'm pretty much the same person everywhere I am, tone it down a bit around family, mainly because the older generation still put me in my place(shutting up while the grown ups talk! My great aunt can make my mum feel like she is 10, so imagine how small she can make me feel.). Chefs are cunts, it is a learnt behaviour that becomes addictive because it yields results. If you don't care about pc bs, and want to get results try being a chef on for size. Need to be smart, obsessive, willing to work hard, able to take abuse, verbally nimble, self confident, willing to learn. Am a qualified music teacher, my instrument is trumpet. Again that says something about my personality. Trumpet players are brash, confident, and inventive. Make a mistake on the flute, most people won't notice. Fall off a high note playing lead chair trumpet, everyone knows. Have to be able to just get on with it, rather than have your world dissolve.
With large kitchen brigades is a delicate balancing act. You can't break people completely because that gives you robots rather than leaders and effective team players. You have to have people that work within the team, so they have to suppress some of their ego and individual flair. So as an executive chef you need to find the right levers for each member of your brigade. Some people you can bribe by taking them into your confidence, others you have to bully, some need flattery, others fear being embarrassed so you can work on that fear. I like a lot of successful managers have innate leadership skills, have also honed those abilities and built on them in kitchens and in bands. I use praise sparingly in RL, I have high expectations, I treat people according to the respect they have earned. I've been blessed to find a profession that I love, and that I'm bloody good at. I'm lucky to have a lot of loyal chefs that I've trained over the years, that isn't all luck though, hard work and having people's back takes you a long way. My release used to be playing rugby. Now I fish when I get the chance, would love to get back into bow hunting.