Leadership Lessons from ‘The Bear’ – Lesson 3
Richard McNaught
Collaborative CIO / CTO / VP IT | Drive IT Strategy & Execution | Deliver Solutions to Influence Profit Growth & Optimize Cost | Servant Leader | Build Peak-Performance Teams | Lead Transformational Change
The following contains spoilers from season 1 and 2 of The Bear, which is streaming on Hulu.?
This is the third of ten lessons derived from the FX series “The Bear,” be sure to check out my prior posts to catch up!
A short recap: If you haven’t seen the show, I recommend it.
An award-winning young chef (Carmy) from the world of fine dining comes home to Chicago to run his family's Italian beef sandwich shop after the suicide of his older brother, who left behind debts, a rundown kitchen, and an unruly staff.?Carmy wants to transform the restaurant into a top-tier establishment, but is confronted with personal challenges, unresolved debt, and a chaotic and toxic work culture that is resistant to change.?
Our third lesson:
领英推荐
Watching the first couple of episodes of season 1, I must admit – I was trying to determine which of these yahoo’s needed to be let go before things could get better.?For me, that is so counter to the way I usually think, but those of you who have watched those episodes, let me know if you were thinking any differently.
As the seasons progressed, it became clear that each of those ‘yahoos’ had a unique set of skills or capabilities that might not have been obvious early on but was brought out through the experiences and encouragement they receive from leadership.?
This truly is a lesson in leadership – it might seem simpler and easier to cut people loose and replace them with others who you feel have the right stuff, but in that transition, you may lose some of the less obvious ‘stuff’ that has both value and potential.?
By focusing on developing his team – even when they don’t seem to WANT to be developed or understand that’s what is happening – Carmy has a cohesive team ready to tackle challenges, even if he’s locked in a freezer.?
By contrast, one of the new hires (more line chefs needed for a restaurant over a sandwich shop) who seemed to have the right skills shows his true self in the end – no one is going believe the guy smoking meth by the dumpster during the dinner rush was the ‘greener grass.’
Lesson 4 coming soon!
Manager Platform Delivery Performance at Brother International Corporation
1 年Yes, the grass is not always greener for either management or the yahoos. The difference between the new chef and the other employees is they were all vested into the restaurant and the history they shared. Also, they each wanted something more but didn't know how to get there. I feel that way trying to figure out which of the many trainings out there is the best fit for me. It may take someone familiar with me to give a different perspective and point me in the direction.