The Day I Realized...

After sixteen years of applying myself with diligence and a lot of hard work, I finally made sous chef. Although I was only second in command, I still had to manage a bustling hotel kitchen which consisted of three separate restaurants, a full service `round the world buffet, plus an average of over two million dollars per year in added revenue when you throw in all the lavish banquets, and 24-7 upscale room service to boot. On top of this already sizable workload, the employee cafeteria fed the entire hotel staff for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, these were also prepared by us.

http://www.writing.com/main/my_feedback.php?i=1&action=reviews&sr=s

When my crew is in sync and everything is running smoothly, it's then my turn to do what I enjoy most.

Walking the ballroom or dining room floor in my brightest white chef coat and responding to the many wonderful compliments was not a gamble, it was literally a certainty. The risk of having to answer to a disgruntled guest was extremely rare, but if so, I immediately seize upon the opportunity to address their issue personally, usually ending with the patron(s) feeling satisfied beyond their expectations.

You see, just meeting expectations is for the other guys. I commit myself and my staff to consistently exceed their every expectation while maintaining the highest of standards in quality and excellence. It's no simple task, and I could never accomplish such daily feats alone. The fact is, I can only be as good as the team.

But when the rush is over and the kitchen calms down, the next most satisfying part of my day is when I get to spend time teaching and training what I refer to as my students, both verbally and physically. I make sure the interns we played host to, who may come from one of the many exceptional culinary schools around the world, are carefully exposed to such things a book cannot teach. And believe me, there are many. So in my kitchen, expect to treated as a student, not just another employee.

I make my position clear about their job and how I feel about work ethic with this statement:

"If you don't like your job, find a way to like it, learn a way to love it, or find one you can. Because if you don't, you'll just be miserable. All you need is pride in what you do and your job becomes a whole lot easier."
"Pride Breeds Excellence"


One thing I learned as chairperson of the Values Committee for Red Lion Hotels is that word of mouth is the best advertisement money cannot buy. One bad comment spreads like wildfire, but when there are so many great ones going around, success is ensured.

Enjoying my job was not a conscious decision. Even I wasn't aware of this until a co-worker asked me why I always seemed so darn happy all the time. It was then I realized, "Wow, I actually do love my job."

A culture of mentor-ship is the cornerstone of confidence, knowledge, and ultimately, job satisfaction.