2- Learn the basics

This article is a part of the 12 lessons from the kitchen table series.

Ask somebody what they loved about the food you served them, and you will hear numerous comments about the flavors, the smell, and when talking to someone super sophisticated, the texture. You never get compliments on how evenly the onions were chopped, how fine the ginger julienne was, how excellent your choice of yeast for the dough was, or how appropriate your choice of the pan was. 

The reason is that most of us consume food from our eyes, our nose, and our tastebuds, and hence every famous chef places immense emphasis on presentation and aroma. 

That said, soon after you learn how to cook, you realize the importance of the basics. Chopping the onions correctly, getting your ginger juliennes perfect, choosing the right yeast, and the pan you use to cook affects the final output. Even the most thorough recipes will not walk you through these skills; they will focus on the ingredients and the preparation, they will assume you know what you are doing. 

Similarly, there are basics to our day jobs, and mastering these skills makes our final output better. Below are some essential skill required for working in teams :

• To communicate concisely and clearly. 
• To write coherently. 
• To practice active listening. 
• To ask the right pointed questions. 

They may look like skills most of us have, but make no mistake, very few of us are good at them. I have spent the last couple of years enhancing the above and continue to work towards them every day. 

The above list is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully, this acts as a starting point for your list of basics. Remember, you might not get directly appreciated for being good at these skills, but they will make you much better at your job.