Last of them all

For a 6 week crash course on management I feel I have come a long way, expanding on what may seem to be common sense for others but what is truly necessary to run an operation. From ideas on leadership to the schools of thought when it comes to rational thinking, these core principles will always be in the back of my head. I think it’s safe to say I’m able to consider myself to be educated on basic management

Last point before I go: after watching how McDonald’s turned the concept of capitalism into a lifestyle, one that makes others happy, it has only reinforced my dislike towards the private corporations and the artifice of those at the highest of the chain. I do realize that success among these corporations includes expansion but the idea to setup shop in Moscow was, just, unbelievable.

The video was instructional, I agree, it’s just I can’t process how much of an impact a mass chain-food restaurant has made.

Mickey D's

The video regarding Hamburger Diplomacy was very instructional to me. I was interested in seeing how we were able to spread capitalist ideals and management to a vulnerable country in a transitional period. It was quite fascinating to see how ready the people of Russia wholeheartedly embraced the arrival of a multinational corporation. It has been said that the Russians have always preferred to be ruled by autocratic rulers but I do not think that they foresaw the effects that capitalism would have on their society. McDonald's is probably the most benign form of capitalism they have experienced since the beginning of perestroika. They act as a corporation that is beholden to the corporate ethics laws required of American companies whereas the oligarchs and insiders have no such rules or oversight. I think the video itself was a very good marketing tool for McDonald's that works as well today as it did in the early 90's. McDonald's is bringing democracy and downer cow meat to all!

            The past six weeks in Introduction to Management, have been a fusion of fire and ice.  There have been good and bad times.  Although I do feel it is good to be overall familiar with some of the terminology used in this class, I do feel as if it was more of a guide to a human resources class versus and restaurant management class--which I feel would be more beneficial in our case.

            I do feel it is rather monotonous and somewhat unnecessary knowing the word definitions to things like humanistic management, or what TQM means.  Are these things important when it comes to demonstrating them in the work force... yes.  I do not necessarily agree that we should be learning all of the human resources based terminology for the field we are going in; I do not think that these key terms necessarily relating to what is on the need to know information, and should possibly be saved for the Human Resources Course in the bachelors program.

            However, I do feel that it was imperative learning about diversity, and seeing how a business like McDonalds in Russia could start from just a plain of land. I agree we need to know the laws when it comes to labor, and how discrimination can be argued.  Overall, I thought the class was useful, but maybe should consider some reconstruction of the class to benefit those in the culinary industry more so than it does at this point.

Final Blog

After taking this management course, I feel as though some day I could make a competent manager. A lot of managerial skills are instinctual, common sense things, but to be an effective manager requires the educational foundation as well. I believe that this class has given us the foundation to go out and be leaders in the industry and develop our own managerial styles.
In this industry, passion and determination will get you far, but the knowledge gained throughout this course and the others we have taken during l block will only further our successes. We can now critically observe managers or supervisors and learn from them and assess their skills as managers. Additionally, being more aware of the various laws that protect certain groups will hopefully encourage us to think before speaking and be more socially aware as employers. A certain degree of empathy is involved when being a manager, and I hope that we have all learned that it is important to take necessary corrective actions prior to firing people who may be valuable employees, and I will definitely think twice before I raffle off a $25,000 car. Overall, I enjoyed this class, and I have learned many valuable life skills as a result.

Final Blog

I must say that class has been fun.  I really enjoyed myself.  For my final blog I have decided to write on decision making.  As a woman, I am often stereotyped as being indecisive.  This stigma often carries over as I enter more and more leadership positions.  One thing my father taught me, was that people want to be led, people want others to think for them and this is why your life will never be easy.  True story.  I was brought up to be a natural leader and at times, the responsibility of making decisions for others can be taxing.  Mostly because I am afraid of failure.  If it all goes wrong, odds are great that they will blame it on you.  

I have made tons of bad decisions.  I have also made some innovative decisions.  As I become more comfortable with myself and my surroundings, I have learned to trust my gut feeling in addition to weighing it out with the logical facts.  Decision making is not a skill that you are born with, it has to be nurtured and developed.  I took a leadership position too early and did not have the skills to lead a group of others.  But it takes the good and bad decisions and positions to help everyone become great in the end.    

Sometimes I agree with my dad in the fact that people want others to tell them what to do, and other times I like to believe that with a highly motivated group of people, the decision making responsibility can be spread around. I will say that this class has given me other things to consider when leading others.  One thing I have affirmed, is that training is very important and that management encompasses many aspects.  I have enjoyed this class.  It has been a pleasure.  

6 weeks of Intro to Management have come and gone. There were techniques to be learned, rules to be sure to follow, and obstacles to be reviewed. However, in the whole, I personally do not feel that a management class is a class that can be taught in a school setting. A lot of the things we've learned can be broken down into intuitive reactions and, as long as the individual realizes what he/she is doing, can be seen as practically common sense. Sure, my grade for management might not reflect this, but it's hard to have the urge to study for something that should be obtained through trial and error, through experimentation, and through experience. Of course there are subjects such as TQM. Asking someone what TQM means, they most likely may have no idea. However, ask the individual what some of his standards would be for his/her own hospitable establishment, and a "continuous quality improvement for guests" is almost not worthy of mentioning due to it's common sense. That is where my grade fails to be a good one, applying names and labels to techniques, that, frankly, seem obvious and, well, not very teachable unless through trial and error.

Last Blog

Intro to management has taught me a lot of things. It has reinforced all of my opinions about good managers. It has shown me many ways to lead and how to evaluate employees. It has shown me the ways to become an effective leader and how to treat people with respect.

As of recently Training has been something we have been focusing on and i think that it is definitely one of the most important things we have learned in class. Personally I find it to be one of the most important things we have learned in class. Knowing how to train an employee is extremely important. And knowing the process of training I'm sure will help me be trained better in the future. I now also know the importance of evaluation. It is the only thing that will give true assessment to progression, and it will help with employee moral and motivation. Even talking to the manager at TGI Friday's reinforced that, even in the real world, evaluations motivate and raise moral for employees.

Blog #3

After going through the Intro to mag.. class i now have a better understanding of everything that makes up being in a ledership roll. I will be able to take everything that i have learnd from this class and aply it to my next job once i leave the CIA. There is much more to being a leader in restaruant then just telling people what to do and how to do it. There are many thing in wich you must do other then just hireing and fireing people. I now know many diffrent ways to talk to people to get them to do things. I now feel that once i am in the job and have many diffrent task throuwn at me i will be able to handle them in the best way.

Blog #3

Now that Intro to Management class is coming to an end I am glad I had the opportunity to take this class. The secret diner project especially helped me better understand the industry. I think this assignment helped me see things in a different light. Also since our experience was not so great, it was easy to pinpoint on the negative aspects and learn exactly what not to do as a manager. I also learned that decision making and problem solving is very important as a manager. Leaders need to be good at both of these to receive the respects of both their superiors and co workers. I also think that training is very important in any industry. I do not agree with leaving people to figure things out on their own. Although at times this might be a good learning experience, most of the time this is not a good idea. It costs money in the long run and lowers the morale of the employee. I think if training is happening it should be done the correct way. It should be done efficiently the first time around so the new employee knows exactly what to do and how things should be done. The things I learned in this class I feel will be very helpful to me in the future. I will continue to remember these things for when I go out in the industry.

Sehjong's Final Blog!

We have learned about Decision Making, Problem Solving and Control with a last lecture. It was really interesting. I specifically agree with that solving people problem is the most difficult. I was so glad that I could learn how to solve people problem, because I’m not really good at people problem. The most effective strategy to solve people problem was Win-Win. That was what I learned and I liked it. There are no people defeated. Everybody wins and is happy. In addition, I want to mention about Non-verbal communication that we’ve learned in ITM class. Non-verbal communication is very helpful for me. As you know, I am an international student who is not good at English. Thus, whenever I get a trouble with communication in English I used to use Non-verbal language. Apparently, space-distance discourages my listening and speaking English. In this case, Nonverbal language also works well. As long as we do understand each other, it is not big deal even if I don’t speak English. I can use fingers, eyes, and anything else. I think Non-verbal language is a precious gift. Anyhow, we are almost done for Introduction to Management class. I really enjoyed this class. Thank you.

NUMB3R THREE

TRAINING!!!!

Ahh, the hated first few days of work where you spend most you time learning people's names you can't remember and exchanging fake smiles and shaking hands. But who would have known that it was so important?

I never took training seriously, maybe because every time I was trained for a job position, it was for something that I liked doing. And throughout my stay with whichever company I was with a the time, I was always the person to complain about everyone else's performance. Once we went over training in class, I get it now, most people who are not trained properly will have absolutely no clue as to what is expected of hem, and then have to rely on everyone else's bad habits and their own mistakes to somehow put together a clue on how things are supposed to work.

This whole concept is new to me, but once I understood it, it all makes sense. all the steps from orientation, tracking progress, retraining, evaluations, etc... That is how companies are fortunate enough to keep most of their employees.

Now that I think about it, i actually trained a ton of people while at The Cheesecake Factory in California. I never really took it seriously, I just wanted the person to understand what is expected of them and at the same time know what to and what not to do in order to not get into trouble. i was expediter at the time and all the training i did was around food, i think the passion took over after a while and iended up being the person who yells and screams at everyone and everything if it didn't go my way. i had no problem ripping a server apart in front of everyone else. even my friends we targets, they all hated me throughout my shif, but the food came out perfect each and everytime, the managers were happy, and the poor new server, all he wanted is is to not get yelled at, so as long as he knew how to not get on my nerves, everything went well. they knew i was nice, but just not at work.

i think the next time i'm put into a situation where i have to lead and train, my view of the whole situation will be completely different due to the training in class!

Blog # 3

There are multiple things that I can take with me from this class and apply later in my life. Some of the things that stuck the most were, planning, organization, training, and much more. While on externship at restaurant Daniel training was one thing that I though could have been a lot better. My training lasted about 15 minutes. I was trained by an extern that was leaving in which I was to replace. It went a little like this. There’s the fridge, there are the cutting boards, this is your station, and this is your prep list. The problem with that was not that I did not know where stuff was or who people were, but rather not knowing any of specifications on the items from my prep list. If I got to do that over I probably would have asked a couple more questions to help avoid myself all the yelling I was soon to get.

Organization, planning, and delegation of tasks were other things I also think could have been a little better at restaurant Daniel. There were many occasions where too much work was given to one person in too little of time. On the prep team at Daniel, there were three of us and in the event that anyone got a day off or call in sick there would be two of us. They never added another person to the prep team which easily resulting in the prep team in the weeds for the whole day. The chefs and line cooks would still expect us to get everything done at the same time while adding another prep list on our shoulders. Moments like that at Daniel made me just want to leave. Events of which could have been avoided by dividing the prep list amongst the line cooks, and or scheduling some one else on prep time.

Jose Frayre: 3rd Post

Organization, many times is left aside because we "don't have time", but it is a vital part of any organization, especially in the food service industry. The simple fact that one has to manage, should scream out for the need of organization. One has to keep track of everything. Nothing can be so insignificant to forget or not document. While there are major occurrences that one will have to document, most of the happenings in a food service establishment will not be too major, but still it is absolutely essential to document them all. The worst thing in my opinion, is asking a supervisor a question, and that supervisor not being able to answer it because they don't even know where their head is.

Supervisors should not get lost in the abyss of their own pile of junk they call an office. A supervisor must be organized at all times. There is no excuse for poor organization. One must know where everything is, and be consistant with organization; keeping all documents that are related to each other together. If one is organized, then that organization will allow for the caring out of other tasks in a much smoother manner.

The supervisor will also be able to make more rational decisions, concerning the kitchen and the staff, because the supervisor will have the information necessary to make good decisions, organized and easily accessible. So in turn the decision making process will be made easier because of organization; the decisions will not be impulsive or indecisive, and will be less intuitive and more rational.

Blog #2

     Training is one of the most basic things you wish to receive from your supervisor.  "Tell me how to do my job."  Over extern, I had the most hit and miss training I have ever received.  This class has made me more aware of the mistakes my supervisor made.  For one, she never took much time to train me but would hold me accountable for expectations I wasn't aware of.  She used the magic apron method with correcting actions as she went.  I also realized that this case was not unusual but far from progressive. At times it made me feel inadequate and lowered my morale.  Sometimes I went into a task blind and would come out in trouble.  I became good at methodically choosing my steps with reasoning so I could explain myself if I got in trouble. 
     The best training I've ever had was during my tenure as an RA at my previous institution.  It was a week long and encompassed everything developmental skills as a person, confrontation skills, the ins and outs, facilities, etc.  I know that this type of training is expensive and time consuming.  And in most cases, not the most effective way to train in a kitchen.  I do believe that there is a happy medium between excellent and ineffective. 
     In addition to learning about all the mistakes that were made, I am also able to take from this class with more reasons why I should train others.  One day I would like to be a business owner.  I would like to be able to effectively and efficiently train my staff to reduce my labor costs and the cost of turnover.  Keeping people happy, building rapport and keeping my staffs' morale high will surely help. 

Training and lack thereof

I learned a few things regarding the usefulness of training in the last class, namely that good training will reduce employee turnover and the related costs. I have personal experience with the fact that bad training will force employees out. In the jobs I've held almost all had no formal training whatsoever and most just threw you in the mix after a day or two of working with a more experienced staff member. At one of my first jobs in foodservice I was training under a prep cook who was indifferent at best and hostile at worst. After a week of not learning from him I found a job in another kitchen and moved on.

The most thorough training I ever received was in corporate jobs. When working at a hotel opening for Aramark, I was submitted to an entire day of orientation and training along with many other employees. While working for UPS I spent about 4 hours before going on the floor just discussing safety procedures and the like. I had respectably long tenure at these establishments in comparison with some other jobs I have held. I definitely felt more prepared for the job and knew what was expected of me.

I do think that later in my career I would like to invest in training for employees as I think it would be beneficial not only to my bottom line but also to the employees. I think employees value an employer who is willing to invest in them.

Two!

Hey I figured how to post a blog!

So in the past couple of classes it has really been great learning about how to motivate people. It is very rewarding when you know that you make a difference in someone’s life just taking a minute to get to know them. Motivation, in my opinion is something that is a very important quality that I look for in a leader because it doesn’t just mean “good job” or “keep it up” but it is taking the time to learn a little bit about someone and see how they work or how they respond and try to adapt to their style and be a bit versatile.

This actually brings up something an incident in my first week of extern. I was trained by an amazing employee and then he left for vacation. This put me in an awkward position because someone else came in the next week to train me who had no skill or training to be a trainer. After going through two days of hell, the head chef pulled me outside and asked me if I was properly trained. I looked at him and said NO. All this time I was thinking shouldn’t you be overseeing all of this? (Bad Management). Chef asked me why I felt that way and I told him there was no motivation for me to do well by my trainer. The next day Chef pulled aside my trainer and gave him a lesson on personal interaction. I guess what I am saying is don’t have new employees train another person if they are not experienced themselves.

Number 2

I always thought being a good leader is being good at what you do, earning your peers's respect, and not being mean, but the past few classes have been full of new ideas and theories when it comes to being a great leader! As we go further into L block, it seems like all the classes are meant to come together as one big concept, from menu development, nutrition, cost control, and helpful management techniques that will allow you to perform all of the necessary tasks while keeping your staff happy, motivated, and form a diverse "Family" at work.

Our group went out last night and had dinner at crave, within the first few minutes, we noticed that the management theory used was Laissez-faire, there were no managers on duty, all the servers knew exactly what to do and when to do it. everything was very smooth, the work environment was very professional, yet friendly, everyone seemed Genuinely happy to be there!

the more i think about this, the more i remember my job at the cheesecake factory as an expo, i was responsible for a staff of 22 servers, 4 food runners, 13 cooks, and the back prep kitchen, granted i only dealt with the food aspect of it, but i noticed that i led some people by fear, some by common sense, some were my friends but i still didn't treat them any differently. all the work was done when it was supposed to, and we all went out for drinks almost every night.

one time i asked them if i was a bad manager, they said that even though i yelled and screamed a lot, they didn't mind it because i kept them on their toes and they were semi-motivated to do their work on time and minimize mistakes for the sake of not having to deal with me.

if i could change anything about all that now, i'm sure i can be a much better expo when it came to managing people and making sure i led by example and kindness.

Blog #2

            Within the past few weeks in the Introduction to Management Class we have learned about various topics with human resources, all of this reminds me of a chef instructed class entitled “Human Resources Management and Supervision”, this is under the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) ManageFirst Program.  In our class I have learned a lot of new information and key facts, as well as relearned, and built more knowledge on to previous topics I have learned in the past.

            Whether it is the standard human resources, management style, leadership training, equal opportunity employers, building teamwork in the workplace, or employee morale, we are learning pertinent facts that will continue to develop our managerial minds, so we wont stay as a simple line cook, but a chef, a manager, someone who has to know more than just using basic interpersonal communication.  I will definitely say in this class I learned many more miniscule yet incredibly important things about discrimination and equal opportunity employment, and looking into retrospect I can see how it has affected out industry, and I know that it will only continue to do so for many years on and on!

Blog #2

The past few classes of Intro to Management have been very interesting. I feel as if I have learned a lot about how to be a good leader, manager, and suprivisor. I have also learned many things about many different laws. Diversity in a workplace is very important. I feel it brings up many new ideas and innovations that would not be possible without it. I also think that learning the hiring process is very important. Before taking this class I only had a general idea of how the hiring process worked. What I did not know was how in depth the simplest questions really are. I also found it interesting about the things you can or can not say in the hiring process. When we were shown the TGI Fridays job description sheet I was very surprised on how detailed it was. I did not think that a house management position at TGI Fridays required so much skills, knowledge, and responsibilities. I also really enjoyed the “Lost in the Wilderness” activity. It was fun to see everyone’s answers to how they would survive and how they look at life. I hope to learn even more with the short few weeks we have left.

Second Blog Entry

The past couple of classes in ITM have been really informative. Before beginning this course, I had a general idea that diversity was required and encouraged in the workplace. After taking this course, I now have a greater understanding of the many laws that cover protected classes and ensure equality in the workplace. Diversity in the workplace is the most interesting topic that we have covered so far, in my opinion, and I feel as if I will be able to implement the knowledge I gained in my future career. Additionally, discussing various methods for motivating employees has given me a clearer picture of the many obstacles managers face. To order people around is one thing, but it is infinitely more difficult to inspire and motivate people to want to work in the most effective way possible. In ITM, we have discussed several methods for promoting a positive and productive working environment, and I feel that I will be able to develop an effective leadership style in the future, based on what I have learned in class. Personally, I do not feel that people need to be rewarded for every task they complete. Sometimes pride in their work or receiving positive feedback is enough of a reward, and no other recentive should be required. Balance in the work place is as delicate as that of a food chain, and if one department, employee, team, etc. refuses to work competently or lacks the skills to perform adequately, the entire workplace suffers. I aspire to be an effective leader/manager someday when I open my own establishment, and my main focus will be to instill a sense of pride in my employees and build their confidence.

Managerial RespeKt

My first blog, relating to the techniques and adaptation of the successful manager, was how I felt, at the time, about managing an establishment. I still do feel the same way. However, after passing more time through management class, I have identified within myself an abysmal respeKt for the successful manager. Simply using the word "respect" seemed so monotonous, mondaine, uncharacteristic, and toneless--I needed a word with more juice and more meaning to really be able to explain my admiration. Thus, I thought of respeKt (I know, it's already been spelled with a "k" plenty of times...but never having the same explanation as mine behind it). The capital "k" in respeKt directly represents the manager's Kinetic energy. Partly thanks to Restaurant Law (as well as management of course), I have become more cognizant of the amount of hard work, devotion, and Will Power it takes for a manager to be successful. Their energy, their constant movement, I have labeled as their Kinetic energy...it is, in basic, the energy they are expending. Now, with all the responsibilities that need to be nurtured, it is of the utmost interest for a manager to disprove the laws of inertia (changing velocity due to resistance)--the need to make like a planet in space and clear all other objects from their orbit. And with no resistance, this would be the disproving of the laws of inertia. However, we have to be realistic and remain on Earth here. These laws relate to mas, and since it doesn't matter how fat or how skinny the manager is, the mass in this equation reflects Will Power. A great enough Will Power can break through any opposing force--the complaining guests, the IRS, employee checks bouncing, the girl filing a lawsuit for getting burned, the raise in prices, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. it never seems to stop. A manager with devotion and honorable enough Will Power will be successful. They will not let inertia bring them to a stop, their Will Power will clear the objects out of their path. They will use their experience to come to logical conclusions as well as their Wisdom to settle ideas....with absolutely no shortage of Kinetc energy. RespeKt.

Sehjong's Blog #2

I have learned about teamwork and communication in Management class. At that time, we watched a video from u-tube. The story was about monkey’s team play. It was really funny. There were two monkeys who tried to move some heavy box. The reason why they were doing that was so simple. It was because there was a banana below the box, and they knew it. However, it was impossible to move that heavy box alone. Thus, they were eventually thinking how to carry the box. I guessed they had a communication each other. They were working as a team as if they were humans. Not only was I so impressed but I was also surprised. Those monkeys showed me how important teamwork was. They gave me a message like “what is team for?” In Korea, we have a proverb, “Two is better than one.” Besides, I learned about synergy at the same time. It also came with teamwork. Teamwork will produce an overall better result than if each person was working toward the same goal individually. That was what I learned. Thank you.

Blog number 2

Now that i have went through three weeks of class i now have a good understding of the resposiblity of maneger. A maneger is not just there to boss people around and tell what to do but be there for suport. I also learnd just what you need to take into consderation when you going through the highering process. You must always keep in consderation all of the laws behind why you cant higher someone or not want to higher them. You must keep an open mind about every person that comes to you looking for job. You can not just judge them by the way the look. Once you sit them down and give them a chance and do your backround check on them, that is at the point where you can make desition based on what you have found out from them and from past empyers. We must never jump to concultion when interviewing anyone. Anyone who comes to you must have a fare shot at the job to make sure everything is far and keeps you from geting a law suit placed on you.

Jose Frayre - Blog 2

I have very much enjoyed the topics and discussions in class. I have been able to remove a sort of veil over my eyes. I have realized all that really takes place behind the scenes, when it comes to hiring and even firing personnel. I have also been able to get a greater look into the importance of teambuilding in the workplace, especially in the food service industry.

Hiring and firing is not just that happens lightly throughout the industry, it is actually something that takes much time, and requires a lot of documentation. It's all about being able to protect one's company, or the company for which one works. Now, hiring is a very important task which will impact the all ready existing team. It is necessary to find and hire someone who will be able to perform the tasks assigned, but ultimately also someone who will integrate into the team easily. The easier new employees integrate into the team, the fewer problems the kitchen will have to suffer, and also the less training that will be necessary. Everything will just move along much more quickly and smoothly. Now, being that everyday life is not a perfect ideal, things don't always work out the way one intends them to, so the supervisor just has to do the best possible decisions, and learn from past mistakes.

It is also necessary for the kitchen to have a common goal. Not only an overall goal shared by all the employees, but also for the employees them serves to have personal goal. These goals of course need to coincide with the overall goal on some basic level, in order to maintain sanity in the kitchen.

Taking everything into account, the first line supervisor is a very key person. This person has exposure to both sides of the field, both the working side and the management side. It is very common for a first line supervisor to have split loyalties, but at the end of the day he/she must realize that they too are an employee, and that their highest most loyalty is not to and individual person, but to an organization.

Blog # 2

Upon graduating The Culinary Institute of America one of my greatest aspirations is to open a restaurant. After a few weeks of intro to management I can already see multiple things that can be applied in the process. Whenever I think of my self as a Chef I always thought that I would be the Chef to scream and get what I wanted through fear. But I know see that through yelling you will not always get the results you want and it is better to be an attentive and participating Chef. One that will guide someone through all the steps simply to make sure they do it right the next time instead of yelling that they don’t automatically do I correct the first time. This class has taught me many things that I could apply in the future and I cant wait to see what else there is to learn to help me better my managing skills for my future establishment.

Blog #2

Managers have a vital and delicate role in the workplace. No matter what the industry they all share many similar qualities. The must be quick in making fair, effective decisions that everyone, or almost everyone, can feel satisfied with. There are so many different approaches to management, all of which are effective in the right environment. In this class I have learned more about the type of manager I would like to become when I have the opportunity to lead a kitchen when I graduate. Before my externship I was very short tempered and had a hard time getting along with others because of my harsh choice of criticism, when actually I had no right to criticize anyone. When I went on externship I was being treated with the same lack of respect that I approached my fellow classmates with and found out that it was impossible to work while being constantly put down. I learned an awful lot about how to treat and talk to people in the kitchen and I hope to learn more about how to handle myself in a professional manner in the kitchen. I hope to one day come off as a HR manager. One who is well balanced and not afraid to bend the rules for the satisfaction of my employees, but at no point will I bend or budge on quality. I hope to continue to establish a good foundation of management skills over the next 3 weeks and start a skill set that I will take with me for the rest of my career.

Blog 2

Honestly, learning these FoH management terms has given me a pretty clear insight on effectively directing a future company. I do pick a bone with most of the "motivational theories," but I have walked away with the knowledge of being able to label management scenarios.

Case in point, the restaurant I spent my externship had at least dozen instances where FoH should have been schooled on proper damage control. It's completely poisonous to a healthy and productive workplace to have someone from management think he can watch over the floor and quasi-expedite. Not only did the manager report to our Executive Chef, but did so in a way that put us cooks in bad light. The outcome from all of this led to the bureaucratic style imposing rules that made working irritating.

Truth is any leader worth his salt will recognize that it's better to positively motivate employees than to follow with controlling procedures that do nothing in the long run. Decisions like this should have never been made, better yet, the manager should have been fired.

Blog #1

When I was a Sous Chef of a restaurant at the age of 20 I did not have a understanding for what it meant to be a manger. With in the first few classes of intro to management I now realized what I was doing wrong and what type of manger I was. Throughout my day I would yell at my cooks every time something was done not to my liking. At that point instead of explain what was done wrong and walk the cook through the right way of doing I would just wind up doing it myself and put the cook on his next task. After learning about all the different types of mangers I now see that I would have fallen under the boomerang category. This is they type of manger that is not a good at the least. Being a boomerang manger none of cooks would ever have the chance to grow because I would just wind up doing there work for them. I now cant wait for this class to go to see just what else I was doing wrong as a manger in the kitchen. I know after taking this class I will become a better Sous Chef when the time comes again.

Blog #1 Externship management blog

During extern I was introduced to a very interesting style of management. It was either Laze fair or a very tense environment with someone breathing down your neck. This had many pros and cons, for one, it always made work interesting for me. There was never a day when I knew if I was going to be getting yelled at or asked to run the line for awhile. It was nearly impossible to read the management to know if they were going to be your friend that day or your worst enemy. So you had to remain on your toes. There would be days even when you would be getting yelled at for hours then the chef would leave saying you could handle what left you had to do, so they were going to meetings. It did give you a sense of you were knowing what you were doing when the chefs would leave, but when they were breathing down your neck it was almost a check, to make sure your head didn't swell while they were away. Whether or not this is the most effective way of management I don't know, but it definitely worked.

Blog Numero Achad

          It was the best of times it was the worst of the times it was times of management throughout the world!  Picture it, Idina Menzel from the Tony Award winning West-End Broadway, smash hit musical, Wicked, in the new magnificent FOX television show, GLEE singing, "I dreamed a dream in time gone by.  When hope was high and life worth living.  I dreamed that love would never die; I dreamed that God would be forgiving".  This is the way an optimistic, and ideal establishment of any sort would run their management system.  As we all no this virtually never occurs.  This is a management system that only relates to Utopia.

         With that said, I have so far learned a cornucopia of management basics, whether it relates to exempt, and non-exempt employees, or a democratic management style.  When combining what we have learned in class with what I experienced through my externship I can make distinct connection with certain management skills, styles, and techniques.  The chefs around me demonstrated there use of expert/personal power, coercive power, and legitimate power.  When the Executive-Sous Chef Stephen Lyons spoke, it made everyone feel empowered due to his passion and poise when using his transformational leadership.

          All in all, I am no expert when it comes to management, but I am in the process of learning a mass of information, that can only help me for all of my future endeavors!

The Everyday Management

Managing isn't something one only has to do when they own an establishment. Managing is actually an everyday practice of everyday life. Every individual has to manage themselves to be what they consider healthy mentally and physically. We need to manage our time between work, sports, extracurricular activities, family, friends, and much more. However, nobody is perfect, and, thus, there is no such thing as a perfect manager. Just like there are different ways of managing a foundation, there are different ways to go about managing our everyday lives. I sit here, 12:45 Monday night (or Tuesday morning) doing my blog. Many would probably consider this procrastinating--and I wouldn't argue. However, this is how I go about managing my time and although probably not the most effective, it gets the job done. But it brings me to an example of management. Procrastinating for me has been my way since the dawn of my time and has, of course, failed me at times only because nothing is perfect. But, yes, it definitely has haunted me in the past. However, for me, procrastination is simply too difficult for me to get out of and it's just the way I know too well. For me to try and change now would be a bit difficult. Successful managers in an organization, though, need to be flexible. They may have a single, efficient way of getting business done but times will eventually call for a change, and the best managers adapt to the change making it look even simpler than before. They move on to different ideas and discover different techniques which advance them in society--and can always go back to their perfected ways of the past which can, ultimately, be defined as Wisdom.

Blog #1 Externship Management

Through out my externship i saw many different types of management. The executive chef at restaurant daniel was always very found of yelling to show his power in the kitchen. Whenever you did something right he looked at is as if you were doing what you are getting paid to do. but he was quick to yell at you if you were doing something wrong. Yet there were other managers that would help you out and always be there the instant chef was done yelling at you as if he was a rebound. for example: if you were cutting your squares too big he would yell at you that your squares are too big then walk away. soon after one of my sous chef would show up cut one of the squares for you and tell you just to make all the squares look like that one. He would also let you know that you were doing a good job at the appropriate time. But this could also back fire on you sometimes since there where a total of seven chefs. All which have there one way of doing things. But in the long run as long as you got your work done good and efficiently the let you be.

Management, who needs it?

I am enjoying this class thus far because I am for the first time seeing what it is that a trained manager is supposed to know. My experience with formal management structures throughout the years has been one of mutual antagonism. I have found that the more bureaucracy in an organization, the more distance and distrust between employees and the supervisors. To see the theories behind the actions I always thought were arbitrary is an interesting discovery, I now feel more distrustful of corporations and their managers than ever before. The jargon and catch phrases, theories and pseudo psychological terminology all point in one direction and that is the subjugation and manipulation of the working man by greedy corporate entities. I do understand that management and leadership are critical in the operation of a small business but I think a more organic approach should be used than what is put forth in textbooks.

Blog Post 1

Over my externship I had the opportunity to extern with the Marriott Corporation. I was at the Orlando World Center which is the largest Marriott in the World. During my orientation process, I became familiar with their philosophy. Their number one concern was and has always been their employees first. Mr. Marriott’s philosophy was to take care of the employees and they will take care of the rest. I was surprised when I came into class and on the first day of our class the responsibilities of a manager should be on the employees first. I guess Mr. Marriott knew what he was talking about. However, it is easier said than done. Often we are so concerned with CYA that we forget to cover the people who are working for you. My supervisor at times would be too concerned about what the Chef would say, she would never have the audacity to stand up for us. When it came time for extra effort, it was difficult to get anyone to come in on a day off, or go above and beyond on a project.

I firmly believe that the employees should be the number one concern. These are the people who are taking care of your customers. How many times have we gone to a restaurant and could walk through the door and see that no one was having fun? How many times have you walked into a café and could see employees laughing and could tell they really enjoyed their jobs? It only makes good business sense. By taking care of your employees you will have less turnover, happy employees who enjoy coming to work, employees who care about their work, etc.

The places that I enjoyed working for the most were the ones where I felt management was on my side. Looking out for your employees is the way to go. I have had the opportunity to lead a staff and I took it upon myself to be their punching bag, stand up for them, fight for their rights, and give them the training and resources they needed. It surprised me when my cohorts would ask me, how did I get my employees to do this or that? It came from give and take. I gave to my employees and when I needed hustle or extra effort, they were more willing to give.

We spend almost 50% of our time getting ready for work, going to work, at work, coming home from work or talking about work. That half of your life should be just as enjoyable as the time you spend sleeping or with your loved ones in a perfect world.

Sehjong's Blog

When I first came to this class, Introduction To Management, I had no idea about what kind of subject we were going to learn. In first day and second day, we learned how to succeed as a supervisor or manager. I was especially interested in styles of leadership. There were several kinds of styles of leadership which were Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Democratic/Participative, and Laissez-fair. I have never thought about what was my leadership style before. Through this class, however, I could realize my leadership style.
I guess it must be really helpful when I become a supervisor. Besides, there is another point I found. I think I could also learn how to treat those kinds of leaders as an employee. I think it's also important for me, because I'm not a supervisor yet. In addition, we watched a video about chef Sokitch and Garo's and discussed about what type of leadership he had. Through this discussion, I realized there were diffrent opinions. Someone said, Garo's was successfull, but others disagreed. I think this is what we are going to do. I think there is no exact answer. To be a great leader, we have to learn how leaders do in this class and discuss each other. Thank you.

Blog #1

Before taking the Intro to Management class at the CIA, I expected it to be very broad, simple and direct. I only envisioned learning how to be a good manager and how to become a manager. Therefore, I was surprised on how elaborate the topics in class were. After a few classes, I learned that not only does this class teach you on how to become a great manager, but also on what can make you into a terrible manager. While briefly thinking about my past job experiences and the managers I had encountered in this field, there was only one person who truly caught my attention. The Executive Chef, David Serus, at the Ritz Carlton in Washington D.C was precisely that one person. Chef David had a strange and unusual ability to make you feel like an important part of the team. Even as an extern, I truly felt that he had included me in decisions that made me feel important. Chef David's products really showed his passion and love for cooking which in turn, exerted a positive energy to the rest of the team. After learning about transformational leadership in class, I instantly thought of my chef at my externship site. Chef David inspired us all by communicating to us his vision, philosophies, and passion on food which gave us an opportunity to grow and produce meaningful work. With my experiences with Chef David, I learned that anyone can be an illustrious leader if they put their heart and soul into their work.

Variety is the Spice of Management: Blog #1

Variety is found in almost any aspect of life, and as we have learned in Intro to MGMT thus far, managerial styles can also vary. From the dictator-esque autocratic leaders to the encouraging and personable democratic leaders, those employed by the food industry have seen their fair share of managers and styles of managing. During the course of my externship, I was able to work under three Sous Chefs, in addition to the Executive Chef and the head baker. All of these individuals were vastly different in their managerial styles, and after beginning this course, I am able to recognize their strengths and weaknesses.

Let's first observe Sous Chef Number One, who will assume the psuedonym Ron. Chef Ron had a great deal of knowledge and experience, so in addition to his legitimate power, he had a great deal of expert power. Unfortuately, his vast knowledge led to, what appeared to be, an ego-driven my-way-or-the-highway attitude. To be fair, the high standards he set in the kitchen made everyone work harder and produce higher quality products. Despite the results, his method of managing what definitely not my favorite.


On to Sous Chef Number Two, who will be called Jan for the sake of anonymity. Chef Jan was something of a bureaucratic leader. She was a slave to technique and recipes, which produced very consistent products. All in all, her style of managing was based on accuracy and correctness rather than personal interests, and was very different from other managers I have worked for.

For the sake of not boring you to tears, I will only discuss the style of my last Sous Chef. Let's call him Chef Adam. This particular Sous Chef had it all. Not only did he have legitimate power, he had expert power and a TON of personal power. Chef Adam had the most positive personality of anyone in that kitchen, and he interacted well with the entire staff. In the time that I have been in the industry, I have never seen anyone in management deserve all of the respect that he or she was given, except for Chef Adam. He offered feedback regularly, asked for it when necessary, and gave crystal-clear directions. Under times of stress, he was the opposite of a boomerang manager and took control as he should have. His participative style of management, personality, and obvious passion will, hopefully, get him very far in life.

Unit 1 - Jose Frayre

Based on the correlations that I have made during class, and on the first unit of study, I have come to the conclusion that the first line supervisor is one of the most, if not the most important supervisor in the industry. As this is the person that links the hourly employees to upper management; they transmit information, both up and down the corporate ladder. If an operation is to run well, these supervisors must be in complete control of the environment. They must produce results that are pleasing of the upper managers or owners, as well as provide a good working environment for the hourly staff. The supervisor must also realize that his/her first loyalties lie with the establishment, and must transfer that sense of loyalty, and respect to his subordinates. The supervisor must obtain the respect of those below him, before being able to establish any sort of authority. This will allow the supervisor to translate information from upper management to the employees, and implement changes if necessary, with much more ease; thus, providing a level of constant harmony in the establishment as a whole: from the employee, to the customer, to the owner.

Blog #1

When I first heard that an Intro to Management class was going to be taught here at CIA, I was eager to see what type of things are supposed go through a manager's head when dealing with guests, employees, and various purveyors. When I think back on my experience with managers in other restaurants, I begin to see a pattern. There are too many members of upper management that skate through their daily responsibilities while everything around them falls by the wayside. Quality standards can be lost when a manager becomes content with being sub par. Looking back on my personal experience with managers, only one comes to mind who went above and beyond. Randy Kaplan, the Assistant General Manager at a previous establishment of my employment, never lost the spark that he had on his first day of work. After 9 loyal years of service he still loved his job. He never compromised the employees satisfaction, which in turn kept the guests happy. We all came together as one cohesive staff with a common goal, and that goal was to ensure that guest satisfaction was the most important thing to us. If that is true, food quality improves, beverage quality improves, and service improves. These are very simple steps that can be followed by any restaurant to make sure that you are putting out the best possible product. I would never cook at a chain restaurant for a living when I graduate, but working with Randy made me consider that managing a chain restaurant could be a passion for some people, and he definitely felt a passion for excellence.

My first blog..

So... throughout my life, most jobs I have held were as a server in different restaurants around the San Francisco bay area in California. As a result of this, I have managed to meet a massive amount of people and experience a few different managers that range from mediocre to not bad, but my last job at Los Altos Grill in Los Altos, CA, definitely takes he cake as far as management is concerned.

Ask anybody in the industry about their restaurant managers, and most likely you will hear negative comments about them, but I have finally had a perspective altering experience.

Adam Wright and Eric Alfrest were very competent managers that not only knew how to run a restaurant for maximum profit, but also managed a staff of at least fifty employees who couldn't wait to show up to work the next day. Their friendliness and care for their staff made created a fantastic work atmosphere, responsibilities were distributed accordingly, all problems were dealt with in a manner that made employees feel comfortable talking, taking constructive criticism, and at the same time being supportive and actually THERE when needed.

Their menu knowledge was far beyond any other manager I have come across before, their interactions with staff was always friendly, respectful, and never seemed to be fake.

If school wasn't my priority, I wouldn't have left!

Welcome to your blog

Comments from students in Introduction to Management class. Post a comment on any issue discussed in class as it relates to your experience or your observations in school, at work or in the industry as a whole. Feel free to comment on your classmates' posts. All comments should be appropriate to the classroom environment. Remember to sign and post your comments before the deadline. Points will be deducted if posts are too short, do not refer to concepts we have discussed in class or have spelling, grammar or other mistakes.