Recipe for Success

I’m sure we’ve all worked for someone, who was smart, really technically competent in their field, but in crunch time, you didn’t know if they’d have your back. On the other hand, we’ve all been with leaders who were really fun to work with, always supportive, but you weren’t sure if they were capable or skilled enough to get the job done.

It’s a dilemma – competence or trust. Most leaders think technical competence is most important, whereas most employees have a tendency to think that a trustworthy leader is most important.

In reality, both are right. And this is critically important for leaders to understand. Being technically competent got you the opportunity, but being someone that can inspire and serve your team is what will determine if you succeed.

Being Greek, and growing up in Chicago, the restaurant business was a natural fit for my family. My dad was an amazing chef, technically competent and innovative in the types of dishes he’d prepare. Our food was superb. But that wasn’t enough to make him a trusted leader. The example he set for me, and the traits that made his staff loyal, was how he served his team…no pun intended.

The food is great in many restaurants, but we always return to the places that are more than just about the food. A crucial ingredient for our return is the quality of the staff. And for the staff to treat customers well, they too must be treated well by their leaders. That was an early and critical lesson I learned from my dad. He was a patient mentor to his team, he could always overlook a first mistake, and when there was a pattern of mistakes he’d first look at his own actions to identify what he could’ve done better or differently. He assumed everyone wanted to do a good job and it was his responsibility to set his team up for success.

The recipe for success is simple, but with all the distractions and pressures on a leader’s plate, executing may become difficult. As a leader, to create a winning culture, never forget you need both ingredients – respect, due to your technical competence and trust, built over time by how you serve your team.