I was reading a past associate's post on LinkedIn yesterday afternoon. She was recounting a course she had taken at Northwestern University's master’s program. One of the prerequisites for class was to submit the characteristics of a great leader from your life. She listed the following traits: humble, collaborative, risk-taker, loyal, and diplomatic. She said, “I could have listed more characteristics, but we were limited. As I wrote the traits for my assignment, I thought of my former boss, a man who led by example and is the epitome of a great leader.”

She posted this as a reminder for us all to practice and pass along what we have learned through our career mentors. And, to reach out often to those who have touched your lives. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." Very wise words indeed.

Reading her brief snippet moved me to write this blog. How many people do we meet in our lives through our daily interactions — be it through work, school or general day to day lives — that have an impact and help shape our perceptions and thoughts. My experience with the same ‘great leader’ was very similar. He challenged me daily to be the best I could be, to be fair, to strive and possibly exceed the goals we set for ourselves and for the company. Plus, so much more, I consider him a true friend and one of my most influential mentors.

So, how do we pass along knowledge? For me, as a chef, there are always teachable moments — from overseeing how my vision of a meal or item is prepared to expanding awareness, as well as how or why something is done the way it is and what could be done to make it better. One such teachable moment that I remember vividly was at a consulting job in Chicago. The team decided that they were going to buy and source as much of the menu locally as possible. A local CSA provided some of our vegetables, our own garden provided most of the tomatoes, herbs and all edible flowers. Meat was a big part of the puzzle. We visited a local rancher to purchase a hog for pork and cattle for our beef. A few members of our staff had never been on a ranch or seen cattle and hogs up close. Learning where their food came and how they were cared for and raised was an amazing experience. When we received the dispatched animals, it was time to breakdown the carcasses into usable portions. That was something none of the kitchen staff had done. Let’s just say… Learning how to use all of the parts is a whole other blog!

Who was your leader/mentor? What was their impact? How have you passed your knowledge on?

Live well…

Pay your knowledge forward

Join for free* to continue reading.