Top Chef, The Great British Bake-Off, MasterChef, Chopped, it doesn’t really matter the format or the host, I am a sucker for a competition-based cooking show. As a viewer, though, you don’t get to taste the food, so I always wondered what it was about the shows that drew me in. Then it finally dawned on me, these shows were a clear illustration of the three steps anyone needs to take to be a better cook, or for that matter, better at anything.
Step 1: Identification
The first step to growth and improvement is accurately identifying what it is you are trying to achieve?
“What does it mean to be a good cook?” is a subjective question, but we can better understand what it takes by first, identifying the skills necessary, and second, ranking their importance.
Giving some thought to what makes a good cook, we could compile a simple list of traits that fall into either technical or soft skills.
Technical Skills — Knife skills, cooking techniques, and general knowledge of ingredients
Soft-Skills — A person’s palette, time management, stress management and creativity
Once we have identified the skills, ranking their importance helps us focus on what will result in our greatest improvement.*
Step 2: Acquisition
Now that we have identified what is necessary, how do we get better at these skills? How does one go about improving the technical and soft skills mentioned above?
A few years ago, I was listening to a podcast where the host was interviewing a world-renowned sommelier. She was asked specifically what she does to improve her palette. Her answer? Smell nature. She would spend hours a week walking through the countryside, taking time to smell the soil, plants, and stones she came across.
While this might work with someone who already has a highly refined palette, there isn’t an easy one-size fits all approach.
Classroom or real-world environment? Instructor led or self-guided? Incremental or drastic? (http://bit.ly/drasticchange)
There are several factors that come to how fast and how effective skill acquisition can be. Too many in fact to go into here. What I will say is that there is no best approach, there is only the best approach for you. Some of us will thrive in more structured environments, while others will benefit from a more autonomous setting. Some of us will respond to positive reinforcement while others crave direct and constructive criticism. Learning how you learn is critical to improvement, and something I will continue to revisit.
Step 3: Application
What makes these shows so fun to watch is that while a competitor you know has the skills necessary to perform well, they could potentially, lay a proverbial egg.
The same thing can occur for each of us and it can just easily occur for us as home, as it does for these competitors on national television. We could empathize by thinking about how our performance might be impacted knowing our in-laws are going to stop by. Having people who we know will be critical of our performance can heighten our emotions and either positively or negatively impact the outcome. Because we have the skills to perform a task, doesn’t always mean we perform to the best of our abilities. Just as important as learning a skill, is focusing on how certain situations and stressors can impact our ability to apply what we know.
________
In summary: Identify, Acquire, Apply.
If you are trying to be a good communicator, a better pharmacist or more skilled kayaker, it’s as simple as 1,2, 3.
Anything you want to improve can best be done by following these three steps and assessing where you are struggling and where you focus your attention and efforts to maximize improvement.
Once you feel familiar enough with the approach, all you need to do is pretend you are responsible for the vegetables on one of my favorite shows and simply rinse and repeat.
__
*Just in case you were curious, as a veteran viewer of cooking shows (and listening to enough shows of Gordon Ramsey reminding contestants to “taste as you go”), I’d have to say it’s all about palette and creativity!3 Steps to Improve Anything
Top Chef, The Great British Bake-Off, MasterChef, Chopped, it doesn’t really matter the format or the host, I am sucker for a competition-based cooking shows. As a viewer, though, you don’t get to taste the food, so I always wondered what it was about the shows that drew me in. Then it finally dawned on me, these shows were a clear illustration of the three steps anyone needs to take to be a better cook, or for that matter, better at anything.
Step 1: Identification
The first step to growth and improvement is accurately identifying what it is you are trying to achieve?
“What does it mean to be a good cook?” is a subjective question, but we can better understand what it takes by first, identifying the skills necessary, and second, ranking their importance.
Giving some thought to what makes a good cook, we could compile a simple list of traits that fall into either technical or soft skills.
Technical Skills — Knife skills, cooking techniques, and general knowledge of ingredients
Soft-Skills — A person’s palette, time management, stress management and creativity
Once we have identified the skills, ranking their importance helps us focus on what will result in our greatest improvement.*
Step 2: Acquisition
Now that we have identified what is necessary, how do we get better at these skills? How does one go about improving the technical and soft skills mentioned above?
A few years ago, I was listening to a podcast where the host was interviewing a world-renowned sommelier. She was asked specifically what she does to improve her palette. Her answer? Smell nature. She would spend hours a week walking through the countryside, taking time to smell the soil, plants, and stones she came across.
While this might work with someone who already has a highly refined palette, there isn’t an easy one-size fits all approach.
Classroom or real-world environment? Instructor led or self-guided? Incremental or drastic? (http://bit.ly/drasticchange)
There are several factors that come to how fast and how effective skill acquisition can be. Too many in fact to go into here. What I will say is that there is no best approach, there is only the best approach for you. Some of us will thrive in more structured environments, while others will benefit from a more autonomous setting. Some of us will respond to positive reinforcement while others crave direct and constructive criticism. Learning how you learn is critical to improvement, and something I will continue to revisit.
Step 3: Application
What makes these shows so fun to watch is that while a competitor you know has the skills necessary to perform well, they could potentially, lay a proverbial egg.
The same thing can occur for each of us and it can just easily occur for us as home, as it does for these competitors on national television. We could empathize by thinking about how our performance might be impacted knowing our in-laws are going to stop by. Having people who we know will be critical of our performance can heighten our emotions and either positively or negatively impact the outcome. Because we have the skills to perform a task, doesn’t always mean we perform to the best of our abilities. Just as important as learning a skill, is focusing on how certain situations and stressors can impact our ability to apply what we know.
________
In summary: Identify, Acquire, Apply.
If you are trying to be a good communicator, a better pharmacist or more skilled kayaker, it’s as simple as 1,2, 3.
Anything you want to improve can best be done by following these three steps and assessing where you are struggling and where you focus your attention and efforts to maximize improvement.
Once you feel familiar enough with the approach, all you need to do is pretend you are responsible for the vegetables on one of my favorite shows and simply rinse and repeat.
__
*Just in case you were curious, as a veteran viewer of cooking shows (and listening to enough shows of Gordon Ramsey reminding contestants to “taste as you go”), I’d have to say it’s all about palette and creativity!
