Marcus

This article contains spoilers for seasons 1, 2 & 3 of the FX TV show, 'The Bear'.

"You can't be good, in here, without experiencing what's out there."

Sometimes it feels like Marcus is hovering around the edges of the first three seasons of The Bear. He doesn't really contribute to the comedic elements of this show and his relationship with Sydney never quite blossoms into something that resembles a full-blown romantic subplot. And yet it feels to me that his journey is so wrapped up in the core themes of this story that he appears to reside deep in the heart and soul of what it is trying to say.

Marcus's journey is about finding your spark in your working life, the passion, purpose and creativity that feeds your soul and sense of identity. It's about how that spark is cultivated and how it can bump up against the needs and demands of your team and the business.

The journey starts with a new boss, Carmen, who provides the ingredients that ignite Marcus's passion for baking. The first of those is inspiration. Carmen doesn't keep his expertise, experience and ideas to himself, he shares them. Recipe ideas and mood boards are posted up on walls, and a whole new language is introduced. This is an open-access approach that provides Marcus with a glimpse of a new world opening up in front of him. The second ingredient is opportunity. Carmen wants his team to ditch the old ways and embrace new ideas and techniques. He gives Marcus permission to try things. The third is resource. Carmen gives Marcus the time, space and tools he needs to experiment and create. The fourth ingredient is a vital one. Feedback. As Marcus tests and experiments, Carmen gives him the benefit of his experience and let's him know how he might need to modify, refine and improve. The final ingredient is learning opportunity. In the second season, Carmen sends Marcus on a secondment to a restaurant in Copenhagen, where he has the opportunity to explore and be exposed to new techniques, approaches and philosophies. It's a gift.

"Are we good on cakes?"

Marcus embraces the opportunities he has been given and we get to watch him hone his new-found craft with a zeal that is always teetering on the edge of obsession.

And then perfect becomes the enemy of good. Marcus is so focused on the production of a precision engineered doughnut that he starts slipping on the basic requirements of his role. Cakes are not produced on time. Tempers flair, Carmen lashes out and a prototype doughnut ends up on the kitchen floor.

All, however, is not lost. Carmen demonstrates the good side of his leadership style by being humble enough to admit his own mistakes and allow Marcus the opportunity to learn from his. This builds trust. When other members of the team are wavering on Carmen's vision for how the new restaurant should operate, Marcus is steadfast: "take us there".

'One bite of a doughnut brings much joy. Two bites bring sadness.'

Is Marcus's journey universal? Do most of us face the battle of balancing passion, craft and creativity in our work with the demands of the businesses and organisations that we work for? Have we all had one amazing manager who gave us the opportunity to learn, explore and experiment? To a greater or lesser degree, I hope we can all identify with Marcus.

I certainly do. I've been blessed to work with teams and managers who gave me the opportunity to go explore, master new skills and make mistakes. I had the chance to create my own perfect doughnut and enjoyed it so much that I would happily make that kind of doughnut for the rest of my working life. Unfortunately, it's hard to get paid making only one kind of doughnut. That's the reality of creativity versus the market. You can build something of unspeakable beauty and impossible precision, imbued with the very essence of your being, but which no one wants.

I've also coached plenty of people who have had that spark and lost it and some who never had the chance (or support) to find it and want to have a go before it's too late. That's the thing about sparks, they can easily be put out, especially in an era of ever-increasing time pressures and new technologies that threaten to monopolise creativity.

Personally, I tend towards an optimistic view. I feel that the present limitations of AI mean that a 'Human + AI' approach will remain a necessity for the time being, when it comes to the art and science of creation. I hope that means there will still be cause for teams and organisations to give all of us the space, time and support we need to create more magical doughnuts.