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How I Continue to Be Inspired by a Legend

During interviews, I always ask chef candidates who taught them to cook. Make no mistake: this is not a simple question. Books could be written about how to answer and what the answer could potentially mean.

When I ask this question, I am frequently met with a pause or simply a sigh as they say, “My mother/aunt/father.” You can usually sense their smile and nostalgia through the phone as they describe this special and personal mentorship. I listen, then ask, “Who taught you to apply these cooking skills to a commercial kitchen?”

Most candidates respond with a self-taught scenario, or they explain how they learned from co-workers. Some candidates further supplement those answers by saying cookbooks, The Food Network, or the generalized slogan, “I learn from everyone.”

Many organizations request more culinary creativity from their chef. While we know this is a highly subjective wish, a chef’s proactive learning typically reveals whether or not they have the desire to inspire themselves and others. So, as we move deeper into the culinary knowledge section of the interview, I pose questions like, “What book is open on your coffee table?” and “Do you have any memberships to professional organizations?” I also ask what seminars, conferences or continuing education events they’ve attended in recent years. I am looking for answers that align with a lifelong learning philosophy and natural curiosity.

Over the course of my career, I have worked with tremendous chefs like Hartmut Handke, Dan Hugelier and Rudy Speckamp. These icons had mentors like Ferdinand Metz, the Former President of the Culinary Institute of America, who helped to shape their vision and wisdom. I never worked directly with Chef Metz, nor did I attend CIA. I was only around him during his visits to The Greenbrier when I was a young apprentice. I always I wondered if Chef Metz was more of a legend than a real person. Like Michael Jordan, Chef Metz’s stories almost sounded unrealistic when handed down to my level of novice cooking. The closest I got to Chef Metz was preparing his Squab Napa Valley entrée for VIP services at the Greenbrier Resort. This dish was the centerpiece of the 1988 Olympic Team hot food menu, and Chef Handke, Chef Metz and others were teammates.

As my career advanced, Chef Metz’s name continued to come up in my preparations for the 1990 Olympic Team tryouts. If I were successful, this would allow me a spot on the regional team and potentially a few interactions with him. Chef Handke had trained me to the art of the Olympic preparations and expectations, but things didn’t work out.

Years later I had a chance to interact with Chef Metz at the Certified Master Chef examination. I was not a judge, but I slipped into the room and sat down a few seats from him. As others described, he was professional, impeccably groomed, and had a posture of authority. He held a legend like stance before saying a word. He clearly understands that a reputation is often established through actions, movements, and gaze.

He evaluated the pastry products placed in front of him. He was soft, but direct. He was passionate about the technique used for each item. He defined the meaning and articulated the science of cooking with clarity. He respected the candidate’s work while exposing flaws with each examined piece.

Unfortunately for some, that is what a judge is supposed to do behind closed doors. Define while measuring the distance between the product’s current execution and the test standards. This is the Master Chef exam, where perfection is the goal and greatness is the reality. Chef Metz spoke confidently, not referring to others for insights or correctness. Why did he not align with others for insight? Because he only discussed the technique, not his opinion of the product.

I was mesmerized. I was a student, and I tried to anticipate his questions before he spoke. I measured myself against his evaluation, reflecting on how much I needed to grow as a cook. I even wondered if I deserved to sit at this table or have the Master Chef title he and I shared.

For the next three hours, I listed as he shared his philosophy and demanded the control of excellence that all my mentors raved about all these years. Chef Metz was bigger than life, and his reputation was deserving of their praise.

When people ask me who taught me to cook, my first response is Chef Handke. He was the first Executive Chef I worked for. He was the first one we called Chef and the first to demand that the title be honored. In fact, to this day, I still call him Chef, which is the greatest tribute to any chef.

After him, I had various mentors throughout my career both in the kitchen and front of the house. Each organization I work for there were examples, situations and customers who taught me about the art of hospitality.

Today, if a fellow professional asks me about my cooking, the Master Chef pastry session is part of my story. I remember the day I got to sit a few chairs down from a modern day Escoffier and listen to his wisdom that has inspired countless chefs, cooks, and leaders.

Thanks, Chef Metz, for teaching my mentor to teach me, and in turn demand me to ask the Executive Chef candidate the complex question, “Who taught you to cook?”

Lawrence McFadden, CMC, ECM, Global Hospitality Professional
Lawrence T. McFadden, CMC, ECM is a Certified Master Chef and Search & Consulting Executive for KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE. He is also Executive in Charge of the Club Leadership Alliance Food & Beverage Experience Network. Prior to joining KK&W and CLA, Lawrence served as General Manager/COO of the 146-year-old Union Club of Cleveland. His impressive 30-year career spans the globe with roles in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as some iconic operations state-side, including The Greenbrier, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, The Ritz Carlton Company and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

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How I Continue to Be Inspired by a LegendHannah2023-08-17T17:17:28+00:00

Strategic Thinking Is Deep Work

A month after 9/11, my wife Annie and I sat in a restaurant on Annapolis’s Main Street, enjoying a rare dinner with a young plebe.

He wouldn’t admit it, but we could see he just wanted to sleep. He politely made small talk while darting glances at the door, ever vigilant for the appearance of an officer. Then, pausing between bites, he quietly announced he had discovered a new way to learn.

We put down our forks and turned to him with interest. “First,” he said, “I read profusely, whether I completely understand the subject or not. Then, after a while, I put away the books and think intensely about what I have read, heard, and observed. In time, things come to me, the subject becomes clear; I conceive of new concepts and ideas.”

This young plebe had discovered how to do the deep work. Fifteen years later, Cal Newport would write “Deep Work – Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.” Making sense of this practice for a general manager is what this article is all about.

THE MIND OF THE LEADER

As an executive coach, one of my main objectives is to help the client understand what is most important, to foster a curious mindset, and to ask the right questions. When embraced, the enjoyment experienced by the client with the “aha!” moment has its rewards and leads to thinking strategically. The reality is that a GM is paid to operate in the moment and to think in the future.

In my experience, creativity starts with acknowledging guiding principles because a foundational principle demands integrity of thought and action and the impetus to stay the course. Take, for example, a GM who embraces the principle of never relieving oneself of the responsibility for the well-being of the
club. What responsibility for action does that principle require?

The effective GM decisively exploits opportunities and embraces innovation by seeking to provide members with something new and better. With a desire for growth, the GM overcomes problems and pushes aside the nagging tug to hunker down under stress and problems.

A good leader knows when to “put away the books,” the knowledge-gathering phase, and when to focus on delivering a winning action plan. Curiosity is a valuable mindset. After a period of information gathering about important issues, the curious GM’s next step is to craft possible answers to the most compelling questions. This basic premise is outlined in Roger Martin’s book, “Playing To Win.” He states that effective strategy is always a choice of how to win, not just compete.

Asking good open-ended questions is an important skill. How does this process look in practice? A GM should cultivate the skill of asking open-ended questions to help define the problem. Below are examples of this exercise:

In what market are we playing?
What do we have to do to win?
In what ways do members have an emotional connection to our club?
Does our current operating model foster excellence throughout the member experience?
In 5-10 years, what will prospective members want in a club experience?

Answering strategic questions is a process. The next step at the heart of organizational change and development is to think through the details. Dr. Max Bazerman of Harvard Business School proposes the rational model, a six-step process for optimum decision-making:

Define the problem
Identify all relevant criteria
Weight the criteria
Generate alternatives
Rate each alternative of each criterion
Compute the optimal decision.

I experienced this firsthand in Bazerman’s HBR Executive Education class, Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision-Making, and put the concepts into practice at the Detroit Athletic Club. From experience, I suggest keeping your mind fresh during this process and working with others to be thorough.

STAY ENERGIZED AND FOCUSED

Using our minds and thinking deeply is the most energy-consuming activity in which humans can engage. It is also the most important. Why does it seem that much of a GM’s life gets in the way of doing the one thing that allows the GM to conceive of how to do something new and better? Yet, it is the ability to think, focused on the right things, that makes a leader valuable.

We strive to be efficient and subconsciously do things to conserve our energy and save time. The problem with this habit is that it is at odds with thinking deeply and comprehensively. Where speed is considered a virtue, deep thought is often postponed.

Another caution for a GM to be sensitive to is the practice of regularly going to personal strengths and experiences for answers. Rather, put effort into growing strengths and understanding to create more options from which to draw. It is not speed and volume that should be valued but the thoughtful consideration of the information we gather. If you find you are locked into overusing your strengths and taking too many shortcuts, you might want to read “Fear Your Strengths: What You Are Best at Could Be Your Biggest Problem,” by Robert E. Kaplan and Robert B. Kaiser. Curiosity is a series of strategic questions. Of course, finding the answers will assuredly tax the minds of all involved, but stay the course. Remember why you started down this path and adhere to foundational principles to guide and inspire.

The good thing is that sound strategy and deep thinking are not lonely work because the process naturally calls for collaboration. Working with bright minds will give you the best chance of conceiving a win-win set of strategic choices that will make all the difference for your club and the people you serve and work alongside.

In summary, the deep work of concentration is the most significant practice a leader can engage in. General managers should consider measuring the success of a career by what they have learned and successfully implemented to impact the people and the clubs they serve.

Contributed by J.G. Ted Gillary, CCM, CCE, ECM, CMAA Fellow. Ted is a search and consulting executive with KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE.

BoardRoom Magazine – November/December 2022

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Strategic Thinking Is Deep WorkHannah2022-12-27T20:54:24+00:00

Has the Warm Welcome Gone Out of Style?

I recently met with a new client who strolled into our breakfast meeting and, without a “hello,” announced, “I carry my own cold pressed juice because I don’t trust our local water.”

She was a client I had just flown in for, so I was already in the board room. This struck me as an odd way to greet a person you’ve never met. I approached for a greeting, but it was obvious her hands were full. She glided to an empty seat and then continued, “Where are the berries and the fruit for today’s meeting?” She was not speaking to me yet but then she asked, “Have you seen anyone who is supposed to set up?”

I had not, and as a chef, this gave me an uneasy feeling.

She left the room, and another attendee walked in with a cup of cereal, an oversized bag, a laptop, and another bag hanging from the other shoulder. “Where do you want us to sit,” she asked without pausing to make eye contact with me. She struggled with her personal belongings before heaving them onto a chair of her choice.

Behind her, another entered with, “Where is the extension cord for the plug-in?”

A few minutes later the juice lady returned asking, “Where is the rest of the food“ while pressing the coffee dispenser. She followed that up with, “What’s wrong with the coffee canister?”

I felt like I was in the middle of a verbal pinball. No one had greeted anyone else in the room and we already had a small crowd.

Soon the rest of the committee arrived, and we began the meeting with an introduction to better understand this project’s roles and those who were here to participate. We asked the organization to print name cards for each place setting, but I guess they were stored with the missing berries and Danish.

After the first two introductions, it was clear most of the people in the room didn’t know each other. That’s when fate stepped in, giving me an important opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

A man walked in late. He was soaking wet from an ill-timed morning downpour, and his clothes were drenched. I slipped out of the room and gathered a large bath towel from the front desk. I dashed back, reentered, and wrapped him with the warm towel.

I wanted to set the tone for this important hospitality project meeting. I wanted to lead by example. I wanted to show these people that hospitality starts when we care for one another.

Many circumstances lead to hospitality opportunities. Service from the heart is not on a spreadsheet, strategic plan, or fancy presentation. While those are important to business, a culture of success starts with a simple smile, laugh, and action of care for others.

As kids, my mom made us write thank you notes, shake hands, and stand up when seniors entered the room. CEOs today take lessons on the art of entering a room. They learn how to work the crowd. They realize that effectively navigating interpersonal relationships is key to business deals.

As I gave an overview of the project, I reminded the team that great idea generation feeds off positive energy, and those with unique, out-of-the-box thoughts can be sensitive to other reactions. I asked them to please show an empathic approach and attentive interest in others’ ideas in a positive engaging manner. I explained how this would provide richer outcomes.

As the day went on, I learned that everyone had volunteered to be part of the project. Some voiced concerns about the number of boards they participated in and how this overwhelmed their schedules. Our meeting was about four hours and included meals, so it was a relatively short session for most. Even so, most left the meeting for extended periods announcing other scheduled appointments. When they returned, they asked for a recap of missed context so we could benefit from their valued opinions.

As the hours ticked, we learned more and more about the individuals who never showed up. Meanwhile, those at the table were feverishly texting throughout the meeting.

These actions are not specific to a region or state. But they make me wonder if we have gotten to a point where multi-tasking is a status symbol and means you have a successful productive life and that conflicting schedules mean you have a rich public image.

My reasoning for these reflections is that, after each session, the biggest challenge is scheduling another meeting. I do not often hear, “Whatever works for the rest is fine with me.”

What I’ve learned and will always practice as a General Manager and leader is that my smile and my presence are not the members’ destination but a road sign on their journey about the club. This visual recognition is simply being human. It applies to the members and the team of professionals I work with. And all of it starts with a warm welcome.

including The Greenbrier, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, The Ritz Carlton Company and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

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Has the Warm Welcome Gone Out of Style?Hannah2023-08-17T17:19:33+00:00

Let’s Talk Club Management Podcast – What You Should Be Looking For In Your Next Job, Team, & Club

The end of the year is here and finding your next job may be on the top of your 2023 to do list. In today’s job seekers’ market, how can you best prepare? On this episode, we are talking about what you should be looking for in your next job, team, and club with the experts at KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE.

Club Management Association of America · Let’s Talk Club Management Ep 84 – What You Should Be Looking For in Your Next Team, Job, and Club

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Let’s Talk Club Management Podcast – What You Should Be Looking For In Your Next Job, Team, & ClubHannah2022-12-06T17:15:47+00:00

Country Club Uncontested Board Member Elections

The election process of a club impacts a club’s culture.

While many clubs still hold contested elections – where the number of candidates exceeds the available positions—we urge clubs to consider transitioning to uncontested elections, where the number of candidates is equal to the number of available positions.

Why? Uncontested elections are more conducive to environments that aim to be inclusive and promote the feeling of belonging. A club is a place where people with a common bond (similar interests, experiences, backgrounds, professions, etc.) come together for social and recreational congeniality. Uncontested elections take the focus off winning and losing and instead emphasize the importance of club stewardship.

In contested elections, there are winners and losers, and when losers are determined by one’s peers, it tends to diminish the feeling of belonging and works against creating inclusivity. Contested elections can also be damaging to the synergy within a club. They infuse competition, animosity, and conflict into an environment where friends come together to relax and have fun. When members are made to feel as though they are competing in a popularity contest and lose, it’s damaging to their ego, their relationship with the club and their relationships with their peers in the club.

For example, we know of a situation where one general manager told a neighboring club manager, “We actually like that you have contested elections because every year we gain a couple members who quit your club after the election process and come to our club instead!”

Not only do contested elections create divides between members running against each other for open seats on the board of directors, but contested elections can also create hostility on the board itself. Board members tend to side with certain candidates (their friends) and when those candidates don’t win, board members are upset and even resentful toward the members who do win. Producing situations where this kind of negative energy occurs every year creates a toxic club culture. It generates an environment that goes against the camaraderie, unity and welcoming community clubs strive to build.

While some may argue that members may be discouraged from voting in uncontested elections, the same may be true of contested elections. It is common for members not to vote in contested elections because they feel guilty for choosing sides or feel uncomfortable picking one member peer for club leadership over another. Therefore, they avoid voting together. In many cases, members are more inclined to vote when there are an equal number of candidates as there are open leadership positions on the board of directors because there is no pressure to choose sides.

Another concern is that uncontested elections place all of the power in the hands of the nominating committee and members may object to the process because of it. Thus, the reason so many clubs continue to hold contested elections. However, we believe that a nominating committee with a clear charter can work successfully on behalf of the membership. Recommended best practices for formulating a nominating committee charter include defining some or all of the following:

Purpose
Membership qualifications
Authority
Operations
Responsibilities.

Nominating committees should identify traits and qualifications for board candidates, which helps significantly to ensure consistency and accuracy in succession planning for the board. They seek to find board candidates who have varied experiences, professions and backgrounds that enhance the board through perspective and differing opinions. Ensuring diverse candidates elevates the board’s ability to make decisions that represent the views and perspectives of as many members as possible.

The most forward-thinking clubs, which have already embraced uncontested elections, are taking the idea of a nominating committee even further and evolving it into a leadership development committee. Leadership development committees are informed, active, and independent groups of members working year-round to cultivate future leaders. With objective and well-organized leadership development committees in place, clubs establish trust within the membership that the process is fair and ethical.

Leadership development committees can also engage in the new member orientation process to ensure there is mutual transparency, understanding, and buy-in of their intentions from day one of membership. Best practices for transitioning to a leadership development committee might include incorporating
some or all of the following when revising the nominating committee charter:

Scope of work
Guiding principles
Expected outcomes
Committee protocols.

Overall, we feel strongly that uncontested elections carry more benefits than contested elections. When executed correctly, uncontested elections reduce the contentious political climate, attract higher quality board candidates, match talent from within the membership to strategic priorities, produce a more effective and collaborative board, and create a more cohesive and relaxed club community.

Contributed by Richard Kopplin, Kurt D. Kuebler, CCM & Thomas B. Wallace Ill, CCM, CCE, ECM
Partners at KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE

BoardRoom Magazine – September/October 2022

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Country Club Uncontested Board Member ElectionsHannah2022-12-08T21:15:41+00:00

Why Club Chefs Should Keep a Journal

For a Christmas present years ago, I asked the Chef at the club where I was working for his pastry crème recipe. After some back and forth, he gifted me a framed recipe titled “Unforgettable Pastry Crème.” I planned to make fruit tarts that Saturday using his famous recipe.

When I looked closer at the recipe, I realized it was entirely in French with metric measurements and no procedure. (Merry Christmas to you as well, Chef.)

This got me thinking about all my handwritten recipes with drawn pictures. A copied plate diagram to be drawn on was progress during my Olympic days.

As a young cook and even into the 1990s cataloging recipes was done by hand. If you were lucky, you might have had them laminated. Today, chefs carry the library of recipes and portfolios of work on their phones or the cloud, with a portable backup the size of an eraser.

Maybe recipes are why so many chefs have journaled their entire careers. These pages included restaurant reviews, market descriptions, or important notes about the ingredients. A curious chef never left home without a small pad, pen, and camera dangling from their neck.

My first real journal came in 1991 when I landed in China. It was a living reference with pictures, dates, and phonically-spelled dishes. This habit I had developed of journaling continued into the Olympics in ’92 when I was able to document all of the new and exciting experiences, dishes, techniques and ingredients.

Back in the day, when you ate at a restaurant, you would call a friend of a friend who had worked in that kitchen if you wanted a recipe for one of the dishes on the menu. Usually, nothing emerged, but occasionally you would get this stained copied mess of a recipe that you hoped was accurate.

Pastry departments had the only good recipes. The science of pastry requires it. Meanwhile, most recipes are handed down through interpretation on the savory side of the kitchen.

So, when I moved to Asia in 2011, journaling was in my DNA. I would find myself typing for hours about what I saw, how I felt, or what I thought I saw. Here is an example from a 2012 trip to Mumbai:

As the car stood idol in Mumbai traffic a young girl, maybe ten years old, walks into my sight under such a depth of soot she appeared to be from some foreign tribe. Her hair was caked with the dust of society. She was moving emotionless to the beat of traffic. Where is she going? What could she be doing? How am I handling my first-world discomfort? It’s difficult to describe the soiled skins of India. Their stains come from years of not bathing. It’s almost absorbed into their skin as if they were coming from work in the West Virginia coal mines.

Here is an example from 2013 when I was in Lhasa, Tibet, having dinner with the mayor:

The tremendously delicious hot food arrived: there was a tea-smoked pigeon, Hunan ham of the famous regions and Sichuan peppered chicken with a spice that danced on your mouth like a d-battery on a wet tongue dare from your old brother. Vegetables had such texture, and the dumplings were delicate yet filled with such depth of flavor. Good food is good food no matter how “traditional” or modern. Twelve Bi Jui toasts later, and the table is rocking. It’s only 7:30. Everyone is starting to loosen up now, and all are best friends. I have survived 2/3 of this experience with only fruit and tea to finish the dinner.

A mentor of mine in 2003 had traveled the globe numerous times. He always said he forgot more than he remembered. He would tell me how he only really remembered the airport, the cab, and the hotel.

When you travel on the company dime, this is what the company expects. Business-driven trips are for results, and we are accountable for the costs. This mantra creates blinders for the traveler to only do what is necessary.

As a Corporate Chef, I had to reinvent how I would travel if didn’t want to repeat my mentor’s missed opportunities. I would send the Executive Chef an agenda to prepare for a hotel visit. Ninety percent of that agenda was company driven. Ten percent was titled “cultural learnings.” This meant cooking classes, markets, community visits, or vendor exploration. I would very intentionally schedule a time to explore and learn.

These cultural visits took place before or after company meetings. Squeezing in time between meetings seemed like a win-win for both of us. My visit often forced the Executive Chef to see something they hadn’t. For example, in Osaka, we visited the Tsuruhashi fish market at 4:30 am and ate sushi at 6 am, all before the owners meeting at 8 am. In Istanbul, we visited the famed spice markets at 7 pm and were back at the hotel by midnight, ready for the next day. Those sessions are what I remember most from my travels.

Those side trips helped me build wisdom about life, people, and empathy. I drank pulled tea in the wee mornings of Mumbai at the fish market while talking to Chef Geoff Simmons about life in a third-world city. I ate jerk chicken at Scotchies Jerk Shack in Jamacia while talking life under the stars with the hotel chef. I even watched the Tokyo tuna auction, feeling the passion of the auctioneer’s voice as the bids climbed.

You can read about the auction house in a book. But it’s an entirely different type of learning to be there at 3:30 in the morning in the cold, you’re rubbing your hands against a warm cup of golden miso broth with the tangy bite of chives.

Journaling has always been part of every culture. But it’s even more critical now for chefs to record and describe the past, present and potentially future both for their journey and those they impact in their kitchens and beyond.

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Why Club Chefs Should Keep a JournalHannah2023-08-17T17:19:59+00:00

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