Imagine a cube being pulled by a team of characters, with the leading figure seated on it. Yet, in another image, the leading personality pulls the cube alongside others. Social media platforms often simplistically illustrate who’s a manager and who’s a collaborative leader. While massive corporations adhere to certain standards in “leadership,” the gastronomy sector presents a more intricate scenario. One is compelled to learn these nuances on the go. In every bar or restaurant, there’s a person overseeing the establishment. Does this make them a leader? Must a leader hold only a managing position?
Leadership doesn’t necessarily correlate solely with a corporate position. While it’s commonly expected from a manager, a bartender or a server can embody leadership. It’s about fostering a perspective, experience, and personal style to achieve the team’s common goal.
In its simplicity, leadership can be defined as the art of motivation. “More heads, more ideas,” they say. However, someone must steer people towards a shared goal. Subsequently, they need to organize them effectively. To put it even more simply, a leader inspires others and directs operations.
Can anyone be a leader? Yes. Is there a gender difference? No, a recent scientific study even shows that women are more effective in leadership roles than men. An article published on forbes.com in March of this year demonstrates that women are now leading approximately 10% of companies on the Fortune 500 list. Unfortunately, in the gastronomy sector, women still struggle to earn respect and establish positions in the corporate hierarchy.
So, what are the fundamental skills and prerequisites of a good leader? I drew inspiration from the standards of major hotel chains for this article, with insights from Katarina Halabrin, who has dedicated several years to education in this field. The article discusses four essential leadership traits: self-reflection, communication, influence, and the ability to continuously improve and learn.
Self-Reflection: Understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial. In practice, it involves a leader’s effort to comprehend what they excel at and where they lack, then leveraging this awareness. Without self-reflection, a leader may assume they are taking the right steps, often leading to business catastrophes. Self-reflection encompasses four attributes:
- A leader’s knowledge is pivotal, reflecting their experiences, which should be analyzed from various perspectives.
- A leader’s identity showcases who they are professionally and personally. Their identity significantly influences team dynamics and operations. It comprises three concentric circles: the outer circle includes inherent traits, unchangeable by the leader, such as physical features or nationality. The second circle can be influenced based on their abilities or hobbies. The inner circle defines the essence of the leader’s personality, comprising behavior, values, and life attitudes that determine their leadership style. Understanding one’s identity facilitates better relationships and reduces misunderstandings during critical situations.
- A leader’s reputation is how others perceive them. Grasping how others view them aids in improving communication and influencing others. Leaders should assess themselves from others’ perspectives to ensure their perception aligns with the values they aim to convey.
- Leadership Brand encapsulates all the above, the amalgamation of a leader’s abilities and behavior. Understanding their brand and values enables more authentic solutions and aids communication.
Communication: It forms the basis of human interaction and is a fundamental skill for a leader. Conveying ideas, information, and processes is perhaps the most critical skill a leader must master. They need to know their team and adapt their communication to achieve collective goals. A leader must be authentic and honest but also visible. Relying solely on electronic communication is insufficient; people need personal interaction. An integral part of communication is also the ability to listen. Being a good listener is crucial for an employee to feel valued, ultimately leading to solutions the leader might not have conceived themselves. Here are five tips for effective communication:
- Regularly communicate all ideas and information. For example, when creating a new cocktail menu as a team, everyone must have the necessary information.
- Avoid beating around the bush. Simplify explanations as much as possible. For instance, when teaching a new bartender to slice fruit, there’s no point in explaining lime pH levels. Show it to them instead.
- Sometimes silence is golden. Listen to your team and show them how much you value their input.
- Present your ideas to the team as a story. Motivate them more toward a common goal than by displaying documents and project presentations.
- Lead by example. Trust is the key to a successful team, and it must be earned. Be the first to clean the dirty toilets, providing an example for the rest of the team.
Influence: Developing the ability to influence others aids in clearer communication of goals. Simplistically, influence can also be termed as the respect a leader earns throughout their career. With their skills, they can expedite processes to achieve their goals. However, to steer people towards fulfilling their vision, a leader must excel in communication and be adept at “reading the room.” They should direct logical and rational requests to those in higher positions. For instance, if a leader approaches the business owner, they should present rational arguments for a solution rather than narrate stories about the necessity of a new ice maker. Emotional appeals are used to connect with individuals through shared values and thoughts to achieve the goal.
The ability to learn and constantly move forward might be an even more critical trait than communication. This trait is learnable, as long as a person remains in a learning mode. Without this ability, stagnation can occur, stalling both the team and the business. Hence, it’s crucial to constantly seek new things, inspirations, and models. Time is a luxury these days, so every problem should be approached from a fresh perspective. A good leader learns not just from their mistakes but also from others’ and endeavors to adapt to every situation.
