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The television series The Bear follows fine-dining chef Carmy Berzatto as he returns to Chicago to manage the struggling sandwich shop he inherits from his brother.
In one scene, the pastry chef, Marcus, blows a fuse at the restaurant while mixing cake batter, forcing the staff to scramble furiously to salvage the lunch service and a freezer of food. After the chaos subsides, Carmy finds Marcus remorseful and soul-crushed, sitting on the sidewalk in the alley behind the restaurant. Carmy says to Marcus: You alright? Marcus: I screwed up. I was behind on cakes. I tried to speed it up, and I blew the fuse. Carmy: This job’s insane. Marcus: Yeah Carmy: It can go from chill to unchill in a second, but you gotta stay ahead on your work. That’s just that. Marcus: Heard. Marcus: You know, my first job was at McDonald’s. You don’t get to be creative. You just work with robots. And everything’s automatic – fast and easy. Then he promises Carmy: I won’t make a mistake again. And this is when Carmy shifts from managing to mentoring. Carmy: Yeah, you will. But not because you’re you. Just ‘cause stuff happens. Pausing reflectively, Carmy then shares: I started a fryer fire the night after I won Food & Wine’s Best New Chef. Nearly burned the place down. Marcus: For real? Carmy: For real. This weird thing happens. You have this minute where you’re watching the fire, and you’re thinking, ‘If I don’t do anything, this place will burn down, and all my anxiety will go away with it.’ Marcus: And then you put the fire out. Carmy: And then you put the fire out. Effortlessly, Carmy shifted from manager to mentor to peer. How?
Without ceremony, Carmy exhibited the art of partnering with people in pursuit of a passionate endeavor, making the inevitable grit gratifying. Anyone can set job expectations and get angry when unmet expectations wreak havoc. But it takes a manager who mentors to grab those moments that demand meaningful conversation. © 2023. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |