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.