In this newsletter, I will write about using daily environment as a source of inspiration for seemingly unrelated topics.
Today, you will have the opportunity to put yourself in my shoes — or more precisely, in my mind. It will allow you to practice your sense of observation.
At the end of the article, you will be able to come back to your own mind, which should come with a sense of relief.
Sitting at the kitchen counter
The other day, I was lucky to spend the evening in a nice restaurant.
When my wife asked whether I would prefer to sit in the beautiful garden, under the olive trees, or at the counter of the open kitchen, I chose the counter, to her surprise — to her despair?
I thought it would make the dining experience richer. Tasting great food, and, in between each dish, watching great professionals at work.
It turned out to be a wonderful show. A 2-hour ballet of 15 experts operating on a very tiny stage. A beautiful moment, with many details immediately becoming sources of inspiration for the future. Let me explain to you what I saw happening in the kitchen, and what immediately came to my mind when I saw it.
But before I start: if you have a magic formula that helps you not look at everything as a source of inspiration for your work, please send it over. It may save my marriage.
The two lists
Below, you will find two lists:
In the first list, what I saw happening in the kitchen;
In the second list, the connections I made with my professional world (building software).
The trick is…
The order of the second list will be shuffled. You will have to connect the dots yourself.
Like in a Christopher Nolan movie, you will get more out of it if, while reading the first list, you are actively wondering: What am I seeing here?
Let’s start.
Are you watching closely?
Things I saw
1) Half of the team is specialized on a task (sauce, fish, meat, oven, etc.), the other half is flexible and takes on whatever needs to be done.
2) There is a coordinator in the middle, who receives the orders taken by the waiters, and shouts instructions. He is observing everything. He never moves. He is the only person with a watch on his wrist.
3) There is also the chef. He is mostly walking around, calmly. He helps with any task that is behind or that seems difficult for the person who took it on. Sometimes, he gives a quick word of advice and moves on.
4) Everyone moves fast. Everyone is calm. You feel tension, but you see no panic. People don’t look at each other — they look at what they are working on. Every single time a person passes behind the back of another one, she says: “I’m behind you”.
5) When the coordinator asks a question, the answer that he receives is precise: “How much time for the 2 squids?” / “2 squids ready in 15 seconds”.
6) When placing ingredients on a plate, people do it rapidly. No improvisation, but no desire of perfection either. Circle of purée, piece of meat on top, sauce on the left side — done. Similar dishes all look similar, not identical.
7) They use a tea infuser spoon to evenly spread spices as the final touch.
8) Everything is clean, all the time. A drop of sauce on a table is cleaned immediately.
9) Halfway through the service, one person passes around with a huge tray, carrying glasses of water. Everyone drinks a couple of glasses and goes back to work.
Thoughts I had
A) Ultimately, quality can only come from a long-term mindset. With a short-term mindset, you see shortcuts everywhere.
B) Some details matter a lot.
C) The best plans always include buffers, both for known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
D) This is a nice example of servant leadership. Leading by being at the service of your team.
E) If you think you cannot have an impact at work, you are not paying attention enough to what is happening around you.
F) Perfect illustration of a creative mind: seeing something for what it can do, not for what it is supposed to to.
G) For all the literature praising being a leader over being a manager, I think we undervalue how much a manager can provide support by helping people get perspective on their own work, by taking a step back and giving feedback.
H) Like Thomas Edison said, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
I) Being in the flow doesn’t mean being in a quiet environment. It means being fully present for the task in front of you.
Connecting the dots
Can you connect the dots between what I saw and what I thought?
If yes, add in it the comment or reply to the email. First correct answer wins the right to choose a question that I will answer in an upcoming article.
Thank you to Ayça Sevkal-Guyot, Julien Lafitte, Anthony Diao and Jean-Baptiste Vieille for reviewing this article.