Can you really build a team in the kitchen?
A lot of lip service is paid to team building. Real team building takes trust and courage, and something out of the ordinary.
For a team to truly build, it must deconstruct in order to reconstruct. It must open up, see what’s going on and then build up the team dynamic, based on that knowledge. There should be a real awareness between team members, and desire to explore, to find all the things that work really well and those that are not working well.
There are many tools and techniques available to teams for them to do this – paper based diagnostics, facilitated discussions, models etc. For us, experiential learning is best, most especially in combination with some world class diagnostics, facilitated discussion and review against models for team development. These relevant diagnostics and models really help us to make sense of things we have observed, and give us tried and tested guidance on how to improve on the current situation. It is the combination that is the key here. Not only the theory, not only the experience, but both together, giving us a clearer picture of what is happening and what to do moving forward.
There are many experiential activities from which teams can choose – from outdoor activities (building rafts, navigating assault courses, bush crafts, games, sailing, treasure hunts etc) to other indoor activities (team games and puzzles, movie making, singing, murder mysteries, versions of The Apprentice and Dragon’s Den). Of course, we are convinced that working in kitchens, restaurants and cooking together as a team is best. These elements provide a completely unique and suitable environment for team building, one that yields really exceptional results.
Be it planning a restaurant opening for that night, inventing a menu from a range of ingredients, or simply the challenge of reading recipes and cooking a meal together in a specific timeframe, the kitchen is a fantastic environment to help people show their true colours in a positive, supportive way – it’s about food and eating, so who can object?
Even if you hate cooking, you love eating – right? The kitchen as a platform for team building is accessible for all: challenging enough but not too scary (with the support of straight talking but “calm” professional chefs); physically demanding but not too strenuous; not skewed to any sex, age or ethnic background (think of all the wonderful food influences from all over the world); topical, trendy and appealing, what with all the TV celeb chefs, foodie shows and huge uptake in interest in food and cooking.
It is a real and tangible challenge, with a delicious (hopefully) edible result, one that is shared by all immediately on completion of the task, in the convivial, social environment, as you would have sharing a meal in a restaurant.
Cooking as a team provides an opportunity for people to express their natural personalities and behaviour – there is no time really, in the literal ‘heat of the moment’ for anything else. See our previous article which explores if you can really tell someone’s personality from the way they cook.
A team can lay itself pretty bare – at least enough to strongly hint at what can be going on. We can see the mix of personalities, different communication styles, levels of trust, how people give each other feedback, how they receive feedback, learning styles ... all of it.
After we have this, we can then work with the team to explore all this anecdotal evidence, and talk about how it translates to their work environment and team dynamic. What do they do well, what do they do not so well, what they did in the kitchen that they don’t do at work … and should; what transpired in the kitchen that doesn’t happen at work … and never should!
We can explore individual and team personalities, and how the mix helps or hinders the team. People with similar types of personalities can get along really well and make decisions easily, but what are they missing? Where is the challenge? Are they doing what is easy or what is best? Without different points of view how can a decision be well thought through?
Having experienced the kitchen allows quick recall of anecdotes to prove the point, or remind people in a simple way of how best to work together. Here follow some real examples from the debriefing sessions of some teams we have worked with:
Ask yourself or your team the following questions:
Now then, knowing what you now know, are you going to take your team up the nearest mountain or will you brave the professional kitchen? You know what we think...if your team can take the heat, you must get into the kitchen!
For a team to truly build, it must deconstruct in order to reconstruct. It must open up, see what’s going on and then build up the team dynamic, based on that knowledge. There should be a real awareness between team members, and desire to explore, to find all the things that work really well and those that are not working well.
There are many tools and techniques available to teams for them to do this – paper based diagnostics, facilitated discussions, models etc. For us, experiential learning is best, most especially in combination with some world class diagnostics, facilitated discussion and review against models for team development. These relevant diagnostics and models really help us to make sense of things we have observed, and give us tried and tested guidance on how to improve on the current situation. It is the combination that is the key here. Not only the theory, not only the experience, but both together, giving us a clearer picture of what is happening and what to do moving forward.
There are many experiential activities from which teams can choose – from outdoor activities (building rafts, navigating assault courses, bush crafts, games, sailing, treasure hunts etc) to other indoor activities (team games and puzzles, movie making, singing, murder mysteries, versions of The Apprentice and Dragon’s Den). Of course, we are convinced that working in kitchens, restaurants and cooking together as a team is best. These elements provide a completely unique and suitable environment for team building, one that yields really exceptional results.
Be it planning a restaurant opening for that night, inventing a menu from a range of ingredients, or simply the challenge of reading recipes and cooking a meal together in a specific timeframe, the kitchen is a fantastic environment to help people show their true colours in a positive, supportive way – it’s about food and eating, so who can object?
Even if you hate cooking, you love eating – right? The kitchen as a platform for team building is accessible for all: challenging enough but not too scary (with the support of straight talking but “calm” professional chefs); physically demanding but not too strenuous; not skewed to any sex, age or ethnic background (think of all the wonderful food influences from all over the world); topical, trendy and appealing, what with all the TV celeb chefs, foodie shows and huge uptake in interest in food and cooking.
It is a real and tangible challenge, with a delicious (hopefully) edible result, one that is shared by all immediately on completion of the task, in the convivial, social environment, as you would have sharing a meal in a restaurant.
Cooking as a team provides an opportunity for people to express their natural personalities and behaviour – there is no time really, in the literal ‘heat of the moment’ for anything else. See our previous article which explores if you can really tell someone’s personality from the way they cook.
A team can lay itself pretty bare – at least enough to strongly hint at what can be going on. We can see the mix of personalities, different communication styles, levels of trust, how people give each other feedback, how they receive feedback, learning styles ... all of it.
After we have this, we can then work with the team to explore all this anecdotal evidence, and talk about how it translates to their work environment and team dynamic. What do they do well, what do they do not so well, what they did in the kitchen that they don’t do at work … and should; what transpired in the kitchen that doesn’t happen at work … and never should!
We can explore individual and team personalities, and how the mix helps or hinders the team. People with similar types of personalities can get along really well and make decisions easily, but what are they missing? Where is the challenge? Are they doing what is easy or what is best? Without different points of view how can a decision be well thought through?
Having experienced the kitchen allows quick recall of anecdotes to prove the point, or remind people in a simple way of how best to work together. Here follow some real examples from the debriefing sessions of some teams we have worked with:
- “You remember your reaction to my cutting the avocado the wrong way... I would have responded far better if you had just told me straight what I did wrong and shown me what to do. Instead you just tried to be so polite about it and brush it off, but I could see the look in your eye was not what you were thinking.” Learning point – give feedback in the way the recipient would best like to hear it, and in the way it would be most helpful for the them. Don’t respond how you would like to because that is what would work for you.
- “I didn't know you very well before, but now that we worked out that @£”! (beep) difficult tortellini recipe, I feel I can trust you with anything. I mean, you saw me close to tears!”
Learning point - Being vulnerable with each other builds trust.
- “I thought you weren't a team player. At work you don’t really say much and you keep to yourself, and again in the kitchen, you kind of found a quiet spot at the end of the bench away from the rest of us. Now (after having completed MBTI personality inventory) I understand your preference for Introversion. I actually get that you need some space to think and that we must be such a distraction, with all our chat and lack of listening, It’s no wonder you can’t get a word in edgeways!”
Learning point – different people have different ways of doing things that can be misinterpreted negatively. Team members should get to know each others’ styles and preferences, for better understanding and avoidance of interpersonal issues
- “I know you love your deadlines at work, and it showed up again in the kitchen. Remember how you were really on my case about whipping those egg whites faster? You said we wouldn't make the cut off time if I didn't do it faster. I didn't even have a chance to read the recipe, and then the chef told me I had over-whipped the eggs, and I had to do it again or the mousse would have a weird texture. I really think if I had just done it my way, in my time, I would have got it done right the first time. I knew what the deadline was. I would have got there in time.”
Learning point – don’t project your preferred behaviour or style on your team mates. Allow one another to do things in their own way, once everyone is clear of the deadlines and deliverables.
Ask yourself or your team the following questions:
- Have you ever been faced with an unfamiliar challenge, in an unknown setting?
- Has that setting been hot and potentially dangerous
- Has the deliverable been tangible objects to an extremely tight deadline?
- Have you ever had to do this, with others, in a way you don’t control?
- Have you ever had to completely rely on the expertise of others to deliver your part?
- Have you ever spent time in a professional kitchen?
- Do you think experiencing these things would help you grow as an individual, team member or leader?
- Do you think you may learn a thing or two about yourself and your team mates?
Now then, knowing what you now know, are you going to take your team up the nearest mountain or will you brave the professional kitchen? You know what we think...if your team can take the heat, you must get into the kitchen!