5 Key Leadership Lessons for Aspiring Culinary Leaders
In the culinary world, leadership goes beyond cooking skills – it requires a blend of empathy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to inspire. Featuring insights from a Senior Vice President & Corporate Chef and a Co-founder & CEO, this blog post uncovers valuable leadership lessons for culinary leaders. The first insight emphasizes the importance of leading with empathy, while the final piece of advice highlights the need to follow up on feedback. Discover all five essential insights shared by industry experts.
- Lead With Empathy
- Master Your Craft
- Develop Emotional Intelligence
- Take Heed of Your Team
- Follow Up on Feedback
Lead With Empathy
One key leadership lesson we've learned is the importance of leading with empathy. In our eco-friendly business, we prioritize understanding the needs and concerns of our team members. For example, when implementing new sustainability initiatives, we made sure to involve the team in discussions, gathering their input and addressing any challenges they faced. This approach helped build a sense of ownership and accountability, leading to smoother transitions.
An example of this in action was when we introduced a new eco-friendly packaging system. By taking the time to listen to the team's feedback and offering support through training, we were able to execute the change seamlessly. The result was not only improved operational efficiency but also stronger team morale, as they felt empowered and included in the decision-making process.
This focus on empathy and collaboration has been essential in creating a positive work environment and achieving our sustainability goals.
Master Your Craft
As an Executive Chef, one key leadership lesson I've learned is the importance of leading by example. The kitchen environment is fast-paced, high-pressure, and requires teamwork to thrive. When the team sees their leader working with the same intensity, attention to detail, and respect for the craft, it creates a culture of accountability and excellence. If I show up prepared, stay calm under pressure, and treat everyone with respect, it sets the tone for the team to do the same.
Following advice to the aspiring culinary leaders:
1. Master Your Craft: Before leading others, ensure your culinary skills are solid. Your team will respect you more if you have deep knowledge and can teach them.
2. Communicate Effectively: Kitchens require precise and clear communication. Learn to articulate expectations and feedback in a constructive, solution-oriented way.
3. Build Trust: Show empathy, listen to your team, and have their back during tough times. Trust fosters loyalty and better performance.
4. Embrace Continuous Learning: Trends, techniques, and cuisines are always evolving. Stay curious and open to learning, and encourage your team to do the same.
5. Lead with Positivity: A positive attitude is contagious. Even during stressful services, maintaining a calm and optimistic outlook can help motivate your team and maintain a productive environment.
By focusing on these principles, aspiring culinary leaders can inspire and elevate their teams, creating not just great food but a strong and cohesive kitchen culture.
Develop Emotional Intelligence
One of the most important lessons I've learned as an Executive Chef is the power of leading by example. In a kitchen, respect isn't earned by a title—it's earned by action. If I expect my team to work with precision, focus, and passion, I have to show them that same energy every day, even during the most hectic service. I remember a night when a last-minute party of 20 walked in right before close. Instead of delegating and retreating, I jumped on the line with my team, rolled up my sleeves, and handled the rush side-by-side with them. That moment wasn't just about getting through the night; it built trust and reinforced that we succeed together.
For aspiring culinary leaders, I'd say develop your emotional intelligence as much as your technical skills. Kitchens are intense environments, but if you can create a culture where your team feels supported, they'll perform their best. Listen more than you talk, don't shy away from difficult conversations, and celebrate wins—big or small. Your team is your greatest asset, and how you treat them determines how far you'll go.
Take Heed of Your Team
One major lesson in leadership that comes from the Executive Chef title is the lesson of leading by example. In a fast-moving kitchen, your behaviors convey to your team what work ethics and attitudes they should have. I vividly recall a busy night when, instead of being among the staff, I jumped onto the line with my team and helped everywhere I could because we were unusually short-staffed. It was a moment that built trust but also proved to them that not even I am above doing the scut work.
Aspiring culinary leaders should most definitely take this advice: "Take heed of your team." Listen to their feedback, concerns, and ideas because they all contribute to creating a really liberal, creative environment for cooking, which ultimately leads to driving the success of the kitchen. Once your team does this, they will perform their best efforts on the job every day.
Follow Up on Feedback
As a former chef and, for the last 30 years, a leadership consultant, I have to think back some time to recall my learning journey and take you to the 1970s, when fine dining was a prawn cocktail, steak Diane, and a slice of (bought) Black Forest gateau!
As a painfully shy boy, my initial career choice of working in a kitchen (which my dad made for me) may not have been overly well-thought-out. The way that feedback landed caused me much hurt and demotivation, especially to this once-novice commis.
As I progressed up the ladder and took on more senior roles and responsibilities, I learned the value of getting feedback, often given quite candidly and 'Gordon Ramsey-esque'!
Time moved on, and I became the one giving the feedback. Often born out of frustration combined with the pressures of a service, my approach would emulate those of the previous head chefs and chef de parties I'd worked under. But I didn't want my feedback to land the way it did for me, and so, after the service, I'd follow up with a conversation, not on a one-to-one basis, but with the whole brigade.
I used then, as I do now, a simple three-question structure:
1. How well do you know what a good..... looks like? (In the gap could be an entire service, a particular dish, or a task.)
2. How good at..... are you? Get them to play back what they did well and not so well so they own it.
3. What help do you need?
Even when at the hotplate, if the pressure was off, I could be heard to ask the third question fairly frequently, just to be sure the service was on track and I could parachute in if there was an opportunity to help somebody learn.
Today, I use that same structure in leadership development to replace the dreaded annual appraisal. In fact, for one client, it has totally replaced the annual review. Just asking three simple questions regularly may not replace an annual review, but doing so is far better than waiting a year to have a performance conversation.
So, my advice: always follow up on your feedback and focus on developing your team at every opportunity. Because your success as an executive, head chef, or even a chef de partie, is entirely dependent upon the skills and success of your brigade.
