Unit 1 Learning Activity 5

Building community fosters a sense of belonging. Team members feel safe to be themselves while working towards common goals (Northouse, 2016, p.229). Building a community is hard in a kitchen. Prep cooks start work before the sun rises and never meet the majority of the cooks that start in the evening. To fix this I try to cross-train my team as much as possible. I’ll bring a young cook in on a Saturday morning to work with the prep team. By learning each others responsibilities their relationship grows and they become more empathetic when issues arise.

Northouse (2016) states, “Empathy is “standing in the shoes” of another person” (p.227). I’ve worked every position in my kitchen from prep to closing shifts. Throughout my training process I was able to develop empathy for my team members and I became more understanding of how the roles worked together. If they are struggling to complete a task I can offer better advice or simply roll up my sleeves and help. My greatest responsibility as their leader is to make sure they can do their jobs properly.

Listening improves the relationship between leader and follower. When a leader listens, they empower the follower (Northouse, 2016, p.227). I can tell when I listen to the ideas of my young cooks they get excited. The open dialogue builds our relationship and they know they can trust me. However, I struggle to practice this principle consistently. We have a team of thirsty and sometimes our schedules don’t overlap for weeks. This can make it difficult for me to listen and communicate with them.

How can I ensure I’m listening to my team members and effectively communicating with them when our paths do not cross on a regular basis?

References

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications