On the first day of my first job after college they gave me
a book, Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. I was surprised by the choice of
books, what could one learn from a tyrant? But I quickly found that it contained
timeless leadership proverbs like "A wise chieftain never asks a question for which
he doesn't want to hear the answer" and "A wise chieftain adapts - he doesn't
compromise".
In a similar fashion, albeit not quite as dramatic, I
believe we can find some leadership secrets from another unlikely source. His
name is Gordon Ramsey, a Scottish chef who is known as much for his profanity
laced tirades as his award winning cuisine.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying I condone Gordon's leadership style
of using profane insults to get his point across, just as I don't support
ravaging the countryside like Attila. Nonetheless, if you watch the British or
American versions of his show Kitchen Nightmares (it's definitely TV-14) then
you'll find some common themes that are applicable to most any circumstance. If
you haven't seen the show then the premise is that Gordon Ramsey visits a
restaurant nearing collapse and attempts to revive it within one week.
Straightforward Leadership
Principles
1) Keep it SIMPLE
- One of the first things Gordon Ramsey inevitably critiques is their menu. Regardless
of the restaurant's intended theme, their menu is almost always filled with 50+
choices that are meant to appeal to anyone and everyone. Gordon quickly slashes
the menu to focus on "simple home-style food with fresh ingredients". His
message - Focus on a few things and do them to excellence. After you watch it
for a few weeks it makes it hard to eat at Chili's or IHOP because of their 12
page menus.
But how often do we hear this, yet we fail to act on it? It's reiterated over
and over again, from the "KISS" principle (Keep it Simple Stupid) to Bill
Clinton's campaign theme of "It's the economy stupid" to the simplicity in
design principles championed by Jason Fried of 37Signals and Garr Reynold's of PresentationZen,
and even the book Simple Church. Yet time and time again we're tempted to add
some ministry, or program, or application feature in an attempt to please that key
lay leader, or donor, or client.
Striving to meet the needs of the masses is honorable, but if it takes you away
from your core mission then your message, or product, or services will become
watered down, become average, or perhaps even irrelevant.
2) Strive
for EXCELLENCE in everything - Another thing Gordon Ramsey will never
accept is mediocrity. In remaking a restaurant he understands that first and
foremost the food must be excellent. But even if the kitchen is excellent, things
will still go miserably wrong if the busboys, the waiters, the manager, the
owner do not do strive for excellence as well. If the tables are dirty, or
patrons are not seated in a timely fashion, or the orders are wrong, then
customers will not return. Everyone must be on the same page, striving for the
same goal - EXCELLENCE. Never accept anything less regardless of what you do or
where your work.
3) PRIDE in your work - Gordon routinely reminds
us that you must have pride in your work. You cannot consistently reach excellence
if you do not take pride in what you do. If the meat is slightly overcooked or
the sauce isn't quite right or the salad is wilted then his message is crystal
clear - DON'T SERVE IT TO A CUSTOMER! If the product feature is not ready or
has not been fully tested, then don't send it to a customer. If the music or
lighting is not well rehearsed or ill prepared then don't use it in your
service. Mistakes are unavoidable, inconsistencies will slip through the
cracks, but if you take pride in what you do each day, the probability of
issues arising will diminish greatly.
4) Do what
you LOVE - Lastly, Gordon's message is find a job that you absolutely love.
If you're working at a job simply because it pays money, then you should
rethink your career. If you've lost the passion to run a restaurant, or be a head
chef, or to be in customer service, or be a consultant, or be in ministry then
perhaps you need to take some time away, pray for the Lord to renew your
passion or perhaps show you where He wants you to be. Ideally, you can't wait
to jump out of bed each day to go to the place where you work or serve. Without
love or passion for what you do then you are ultimately doing yourself and your
employer a disservice.
This message is not just for those in positions of traditional leadership or
management. These principles apply to everyone. We all have a sphere of influence;
it's not simply downward, but to the sides and upwards as well. If you continually
practice these four principles, those around you will see the difference and
often begin to emulate them. A great thing about success is that it's contagious.
God bless,
Curtis S
2 Cor 11:28