By Guest Blogger, Chef Jeff Henderson
If you are reading this blog post you have probably chosen a career in the hospitality industry. When I chose hospitality as my career path, I knew right out of the gate that in order to become one of the best chefs, an effective manager and a motivational leader, I would have to sacrifice to achieve my professional goals.
For many of you who know my story “From the Streets to the Stove,” you know I started in the dish room. While not very appealing, the dish room was where I learned how to work hard under stressful and sometimes harsh conditions in the pursuit of success and my dream. When I speak to people today about career opportunities I tell my story and offer real-life career growth advice. Below are a few career growth tips from my kitchen to yours.
Self-Conditioning
I knew that my physical and mental condition would be the engine to drive my success. I ate healthier, worked out regularly and refrained from late nights so that I could focus my energy on achieving my dreams.
Teamwork
This was the key to my early development. Working with people from diverse backgrounds, races and beliefs was at times like navigating through a minefield but always very rewarding. I quickly learned that accepting people for who they are and understanding their differences would someday help define me as an effective manager and leader. Companies like Sodexo understand the importance of diversity and inclusion – it is part of their company culture. Your career choices should include a company culture that will respect you and that you can respect.
Mentorship
As I quickly moved from the dish room to the kitchen, I positioned myself in a restaurant that allowed me to work alongside top tier talent which, resulted in priceless experiences. Anytime you get an opportunity to work with an industry professional, you are able to study their strengths and understand what makes them who they are. These professionals are able to teach you skills that you may not have learned in college, give you good career advice, and in many cases give you private lessons, which is an advantage over the competition. These mentors will also prove to be valuable throughout your career and can provide excellent references as you advance in your career. And one day, you will be able to pay it forward and become a mentor for someone.
Self-Presentation
Focus on your overall appearance. How you dress, your accessories, hairstyle, and your attitude are as important in the kitchen as they are in the boardroom. Always display a professional attitude even if you are not having a great day. Check a bad attitude at the employee entrance. And everyone knows the power of a great smile, right? This may sound like an obvious career tip but you would be surprised how often I find myself reminding others of the obvious.
Reputation
Establish a consistent reputation from day one. This is where your self conditioning and career focus mentioned above will prove to be most beneficial It’s best to keep all skeletons in the closet and your personal life out of the workplace. Remember perception is reality – if you present yourself as a professional you will be treated as a professional.
Relationship Building/Networking
Building and managing key relationships is a top priority. Conduct strategic networking and socializing to help put you in powerful circles and maintain those relationships for the long term. For example, every year Sodexo employs many alumni chefs and food service managers from organizations like The American Culinary Federation, BCA, ProStart and National Society of Minorities Hospitality. These organizations help you to build your professional network early in and are relevant throughout your career.If you follow through with this work, aggressively seek out potential opportunities; incorporated with what you have learned in school, you will plant the seed for a very long and rewarding career in an industry that will bring you much happiness.
Men crashed many planes before they learned to fly. -Chef Jeff
Chef Jeff Henderson
Jeff Henderson is an award-winning chef, New York Times bestselling author and inspirational speaker. In 2001, Henderson made history when he became the first African-American Chef de Cuisine at Caesars Palace. He has also served as Executive Chef at Café Bellagio at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and has become one of the most influential chefs in the country.
Jeff’s remarkable story of redemption and finding his hidden passion for cooking was chronicled in his New York Times bestselling memoir COOKED (published by William Morrow). His life story is now being turned into a major motion picture by Columbia Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment and Escape Artist, the team that made “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
As an incredibly inspiring personality, “Chef Jeff” has received widespread national attention on countless TV and radio programs and print publications, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show,” “ABC World News Tonight,” People and USA Today. Chef Jeff is the host of the Food Network reality show “The Chef Jeff Project" and the author of a new cookbook Chef Jeff Cooks “In the Kitchen with America’s Inspirational New Culinary Star” (published by Scribner/Simon and Schuster).
Tune in Sunday nights at 10PM to watch the Food Network show, "The Chef Jeff Project."
These books will inspire you and help shape your vision:
- The Art of The Start by Guy Kawasaki
- Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green
- Success Is a Journey by Brian Tracy
- The 8th Habit by Stephen R. Covey
- Winning by Jack Welch
- Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
- Cooked by Jeff Henderson
1 comments:
Building and managing key relationships is a top priority. Conduct strategic networking and socializing to help put you in powerful circles and maintain those relationships for the long term.
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