Are you a Leadership Chef or Baker?

Well before the pandemic began, I loved to cook.? My love of cooking was born out of necessity because as a kid who would grow to be a seven foot one inch adult, my body demanded more calories than my friends.? Today, that isn’t as much the case but I digress. So how is Chris going to turn this into a leadership paradigm?? Hang on, I’ll get there.?

My cooking has evolved over time but one thing I have had the talent for is to look at a refrigerator and a spice rack, and “make it up.”? Whether I am blending spices, trying a stir fry, or simply adding a little bit more garlic (let’s be honest, a lot!) then is called for, it typically turns out well.? A recipe is merely a suggestion, and a lot of times is not necessary at all.? Creativity wins the day! This one was the leftover vegetables, garlic, some sausage, lots of spices and it turned into a quasi-paella. Delicious!

When I have tried to apply my style to baking…well…I haven’t fared so well.? Baking requires a precision of ingredients, a tested process, and if you don’t follow things to the letter, you could find yourself with a bread that won’t rise, a cake that is too dense, or a burnt outside with an undercooked inside.? I have learned that one must use a knife to appropriately tap a cup of flower, or the importance of sifting dry ingredients to affect the outcome. This cake was what my daughter made for my wife's and my anniversary recently. I helped early, passing down the lessons from failures past, but she knocked this one out of the park!

Point is, there are times to be creative, to try new things, to venture out of your comfort zone and be daring.? When you do, it can lead to amazing outcomes.? It won’t happen all the time, but when it does it is a great feeling.? And then there are times to be precise, to follow the process to the letter, to build in the appropriate time for each step.??

Be the kind of leader who knows when to be the Baker, to guide your team through a process because it is important it be done a certain way. But also learn how to be the Chef, who knows when to allow them to spread their wings, because you never know what kind of magic they can create unless you let their talents flourish.

I'd love to hear your experiences. Are you a leadership Chef or a Baker? Do these approaches ring true? Why or why not?