Cooking a Team Together

An article by Joey Ng

19/9/09

“The kitchen is a country in which there are always discoveries to be made.” - Grimod de la Reyniere

Endless discoveries can be made in a kitchen. One can discover a new recipe, something different about themselves and, something new about the person cooking next to them.

Chefs around the world are well known for their unique personalities and sometimes, in-different persona. Chefs might not be the easiest people to work with, but few can take away the fact that they are a highly motivated group of professionals. Here are ten qualities that all top chefs should posses:

1)      Creativity

2)      Passion

3)      Business Sense

4)      Attention to Details

5)      Team Player

6)      Commitment to Practice

7)      Ability to Multitask

8)      Commitment to Quality

9)      Able to make Quick Decisions

10)   Handle Criticism

These qualities are not just limited to chefs. These are the same qualities that will drive any team, any organization forward.

Toss the thought of the quote and the qualities of a chef together, pepper a generous dose of fun and top it off with a thick layer of laughter, and one will get, the perfect recipe for a teambuilding program.

The idea of a teambuilding program is to strengthen a team to boost bottom line. When a team is out of the office and working on something different, new things emerge that one would not ordinarily see. These new insights can be turn around, build on and use back in the office.

This brings us to the kitchen - an ideal setting for teambuilding. A kitchen is like a company. Cooking is based on a system of organization. You have several people operating in different roles and you put them all together and come up with a product—the meal. It shares the same principal as a corporation.

Everyone knows how to cook and everyone loves to eat, but, how many have shared a kitchen with the person next to their work desk? There are no limits as to how much a hot stove, sharp knifes and spice ingredients can influence relationship. If your team is looking to do something out of the ordinary, what better way than to get everyone’s sleeves up, tie up an apron and challenge themselves amongst onions and carrots.