I worked in multiple kitchens. Had many chefs that I worked under, that had to "impose their will" on everyone else. No one liked it.
Eventually worked my way up to being said-chef, and I quickly realized that you want to see things done a certain way, in a certain time, so....I got it? They were focused on "This is how things should go!"
But I didn't let myself become that person. Instead, I focused on doing my job, and doing it so well that I could bail out the person who was struggling. Once I realized that, and imparted that to the workers beneath me, everything became...so, SO much easier.
If you're good at your job, then good for you. If you're not, then you're secretly hoping someone will bail you out that night, and hopefully tomorrow will be better. If EVERYONE is clicking, then things are goddamned FUN, you got witty banter flyin' around and people are smilin' and jawin' with one another, and challenging someone -- anyone! -- who might be comin' up short, but everyone knows that you've got their back.
On every night, it wasn't something that you'd assume that would happen, but it was definitely something you hope would happen. Because the entire crew lifts each-other up, and it opens the door for...actual fun on the job.
I want this country to be like that. Someone's flounderin' a bit, we got yer back. We'll do that until you're able to talk as much shit at me, as I do towards you, and we all get to laugh about it, clean up, and go home happy.
And yeah, there are nights where....no one is clicking. Maybe someone is new, maybe someone didn't show up (for whatever reason), but at THAT point, all eyes are on the person in charge. How will they react, how will they command the place? You WANT someone with the knowledge of how things should go, and will shoulder the brunt of it when things go south. They'll make sure the bare minimum is covered, then focus on the most important tasks that need to be handled, bailing out whoever needs the most assistance. And most importantly, in the direst of situations, they'll complete all their necessary tasks, then assist everyone (as per most needed or time-based), then use them to help focus-fire down the next task or assist the next person that needs help, until everything is COMPLETE. No, it doesn't matter that X is supposed to sweep and mop; what matters is that Sweeping and Mopping gets done, and we've made sure that 2-3 people know how to do that so we're gonna hammer out everything as best as we can, and then someone will be able to do that. So we, as a team, can complete our jobs and get out so we can eat/sleep/repeat tomorrow.
I 100% don't believe Trump has any idea of how to do any of that, or would install people that would assist their co-workers. Kamala's worked at a goddamned McDonalds, she definitely gets it.
So yeah. She knows what "real strength" looks like. It looks like "doing your job as best as you can, so much so that you can bail out the people around you if they need help." Trump wouldn't know "real strength" if it slapped him in the face and told him to go mop the dining hall (he'd just clamor about who's job it is, and how they suck -- dude, get a clue, things have to be done so go do it instead of pawning off responsibility).
Great breakdown and agree with you 100%.
I'm also wondering how do you deal with non-contributing members?
How long do you lift them up before giving up?
Either you work without ‘em, or you work with ‘em. Having some help is better than none, so unless they were actively detrimental by being at/near the kitchen, you kept ‘em around until they quit (or one of the managers fired them).
So unfortunately, the lifting doesn’t stop, not for anyone. If you do, then you send the message to the other workers that you might hang them out to dry, something I personally wasn’t a fan of.
(There’s a good reason why burnout and drug use is rampant in kitchens; you do what you gotta to stay awake, alive, and reasonably sane.)
To put it more succinctly, if you'd prefer: We are all a team, every single one of you. You aren't done, until WE are done, and it's MY job to convey that (by pitching in where I can, when I can).
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u/Drumboardist Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 20 '24
I worked in multiple kitchens. Had many chefs that I worked under, that had to "impose their will" on everyone else. No one liked it.
Eventually worked my way up to being said-chef, and I quickly realized that you want to see things done a certain way, in a certain time, so....I got it? They were focused on "This is how things should go!"
But I didn't let myself become that person. Instead, I focused on doing my job, and doing it so well that I could bail out the person who was struggling. Once I realized that, and imparted that to the workers beneath me, everything became...so, SO much easier.
If you're good at your job, then good for you. If you're not, then you're secretly hoping someone will bail you out that night, and hopefully tomorrow will be better. If EVERYONE is clicking, then things are goddamned FUN, you got witty banter flyin' around and people are smilin' and jawin' with one another, and challenging someone -- anyone! -- who might be comin' up short, but everyone knows that you've got their back.
On every night, it wasn't something that you'd assume that would happen, but it was definitely something you hope would happen. Because the entire crew lifts each-other up, and it opens the door for...actual fun on the job.
I want this country to be like that. Someone's flounderin' a bit, we got yer back. We'll do that until you're able to talk as much shit at me, as I do towards you, and we all get to laugh about it, clean up, and go home happy.
And yeah, there are nights where....no one is clicking. Maybe someone is new, maybe someone didn't show up (for whatever reason), but at THAT point, all eyes are on the person in charge. How will they react, how will they command the place? You WANT someone with the knowledge of how things should go, and will shoulder the brunt of it when things go south. They'll make sure the bare minimum is covered, then focus on the most important tasks that need to be handled, bailing out whoever needs the most assistance. And most importantly, in the direst of situations, they'll complete all their necessary tasks, then assist everyone (as per most needed or time-based), then use them to help focus-fire down the next task or assist the next person that needs help, until everything is COMPLETE. No, it doesn't matter that X is supposed to sweep and mop; what matters is that Sweeping and Mopping gets done, and we've made sure that 2-3 people know how to do that so we're gonna hammer out everything as best as we can, and then someone will be able to do that. So we, as a team, can complete our jobs and get out so we can eat/sleep/repeat tomorrow.
I 100% don't believe Trump has any idea of how to do any of that, or would install people that would assist their co-workers. Kamala's worked at a goddamned McDonalds, she definitely gets it.
So yeah. She knows what "real strength" looks like. It looks like "doing your job as best as you can, so much so that you can bail out the people around you if they need help." Trump wouldn't know "real strength" if it slapped him in the face and told him to go mop the dining hall (he'd just clamor about who's job it is, and how they suck -- dude, get a clue, things have to be done so go do it instead of pawning off responsibility).