Most chefs are, by the very nature of their role, good managers, especially when they are in their comfort zone, namely a kitchen.
However, place a chef in a business environment, for example a food processing unit, and they can be like a fish out of water!
A good majority of chefs in the food manufacturing industry struggle to delegate or use the resource that's available, both inside and outside their business. This can mean they become very quickly and easily overrun with responsibilities and begin to seem like busy fools.
The issue stems from the fact that most chefs' basic training comes from hospitality. This is an industry where, as we all know, the customer is always right and the main aim is not only to please, but to excel at being the individual who is the most successful at it!
This basic training, or 'brainwashing' as I have been known to refer to it, leaves a good number of chefs incapable of saying no. Neither do they have the ability to step back and ask for support, in areas where they consider themselves to have sole responsibility.
The one thing most chefs have in common is a passion for their work and enormous attention to detail, and while this is their most important contribution, it can also be their downfall.
Chefs in the food manufacturing industry can begin to manage better by first planning and forecasting all their activities. This means understanding the requirements from every function across the business for the coming year and in some cases beyond. From this you will be able to understand what resource you have versus what you need. Then take that level of planning outside the business and build it in with your customers.
It's never easy to manage with minimal resource, however, planning is key. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!
Mark Rigby is director of the Development Chefs' Network (DCN) and business development chef for Premier Foods