What I'm Learning From Gordon...(Part 2)

I’ve never been a “binger” but I have to admit I’m completely hooked and have been consistently consuming episodes on the daily from Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares for the last few weeks. I’ve made my way through 3 full seasons and am almost complete with season four at this writing. I’m both delighted and affirmed in a lot of what I have learned as a result.

What really excites me most is that I’ve discovered that Gordon & I have a lot of similarities in the ways that we enter into a service based business to create conscious change. Lately, when speaking to prospective clients I like to say that I come in to a business carrying my machete! Here’s some more of what I’m learning from Gordon & the Kitchen Nightmares shows - summed up in 5 L’s that may be of service to you and your own transformation:

#1 - LETTING GO - Let’s LOOK At What’s Not WORKING! In the beginning of all the shows Gordon sits down and has a LOOK at what’s not working. Many times the owners who are in trouble can’t see the forest for the trees - some of them are even literally walking around their restaurants completely oblivious to what’s happening right in front of them - “Did you TASTE this?” or “Oh My God -LOOK AT THIS!” are two of the most familiar refrains that come out of Gordon’s mouth. If the food (whatever you are serving) is crap or the tools/equipment/ingredients you are working with is crap, or the team members who are on the team are crap - the outcome is going to invariably be crap and the customers will go away along with the cashflow. It seems almost ridiculous at times that you can’t see what’s going on right in front of you in your business but you CAN actually see that SOMETHING isn’t working - this is exactly why you call in, invest in and hire outside consultants/mentors/coaches to support you. I start every client out using step 1 of my Wealthy Life Method™ which is an exploration of What’s Not Working! This is where I show up with the “machete” too - because my clients must be willing and committed to LETTING GO of what’s not working rather than clinging on to what’s taking them down.

#2 - LYING - STOP LYING!! To yourself especially - if things aren’t working in your business then lying is definitely not going to make things better - either actively lying and denying the truth of the situation or lying down on the job. As an entrepreneur if you aren’t telling yourself the truth and you aren’t willing to both receive constructive criticism/feedback & be willing to CHANGE then you are operating in a vacuum and there is no way you can course correct. As Gordon has said in many of the episodes “You might as well close the door!” Taking measurements (data doesn’t lie!) and telling yourself the truth is actually step 5 of my Wealthy Life Method™. What astounds me in watching these owners is how often and how easily they lie - to themselves and to Gordon. How can someone you are seeking help from actually help you if you can’t speak and face the truth?

#3 - LEVERAGE - WHAT IS WORKING & WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO RE-CREATE? Here’s where things get very interesting for any business owner who is looking to create a turn-around - sometimes Gordon comes in and changes everything - usually starting with the owner. He redoes the decor, the signage, the menu, the kitchen & brings in consultant chefs to teach the staff how to do the dishes properly. Sometimes he comes in with only a few tweaks that make the difference and sets the entrepreneurship on course to come back from near death. One of the primary resources that often goes overlooked in any business is the team members that are already employed by the business - they actually have their fingers on the pulse of what’s not working (see #1 & #2 above) . Attitude and what you as the owner VALUE most is where you will focus the most time, energy, attention and money. This is step 3 of my Wealthy Life Method™. A question you can ask yourself relative to your own business as a jumping off point is: Are my ACTIONS in ALIGNMENT with my INTENTIONS? We need to direct all of our resources to be utilized in alignment with our intentions in order to have the best possible chance of succeeding in a chaotic & chronically uncertain world. If you as the business owner are “leaking energy” by taking actions that are out of alignment with your own values & intentions that has to be corrected before anything else. Otherwise you will attract team, customers & colleagues that will also be out of alignment and this will be reflected in wasted energy that you can witness by looking at your bottom line.

#4 - LIMITS - START SETTING LIMITS! Gordon is GREAT at setting limits. Specifically he sets limits on what he’s willing to do, who he is willing to work with, and on what kind of an attitude he expects. He’s also consistently cutting down menus and simplifying the systems and processes to make things less complicated and more curated to a higher standard of excellence. Setting limits on the owners to shrink their inflated notions of the food, decor, menu or of their own superiority (in the face of disastrous, damaged & usually deeply indebted circumstances). This is step 6 in my Wealthy Life Method™!! Having Clear Containers - setting limits on what is possible to deliver at a very high standard that also allows you to enjoy the process, not burn out, and actually prosper in your business is essential to success! Today too many people are interested and invested in complex funnels, overstuffed offers, technologically dependent service delivery systems and marketing/advertising traffic generation that is reliant upon constantly responding to & keeping on top of algorithmic fluctuations that the giant platforms are consistently altering in service to THEIR bottom line not yours. Too many people are also more interested in popularity over prosperity & profitability. Here’s another question for you to contemplate: Are you being served by your business or has the business made you it’s bitch?

#5 - LEADERSHIP - STEPPING UP & Setting & Maintaining STANDARDS Starts & Ends with YOU! Ultimately everything that is created in your life is dependent upon you stepping into the leadership role that positions you for success. There are a whole lot of episodes on Kitchen Nightmares where the restaurant owners have completely abdicated their leadership - instead they are pointing fingers at their customers, crew or circumstances that they don’t have any control over and are oblivious to that which they do have control over. Things like outdated or incredibly complex menus with hundreds of dishes can be controlled. Portion sizes and pricing can be controlled. The cleanliness of the kitchen and dining areas can be controlled. Ordering & storing supplies & ingredients can be controlled. The delegation of duties and assignment of roles can be controlled. Community, crew & client feedback (which requires the ability to receive criticism & act accordingly rather than digging into the depths of denial) can provide insight into what else can be controlled or changed to be simpler and more effective, efficient and perhaps even enjoyable! Above all ATTITUDE & COMMITTMENT is under the control of the owner of the business. Creating from vision, passion & the concrete simple actions to set up structures, systems and above all STANDARDS of excellence seems to be the consistent cure that Chef Ramsay brings to the table at every turn. Being in business naturally includes taking risks both financial and emotional. When all these ingredients come together under the clear headed leadership of the owner the ground is laid for Yields that have the potential to leave a lasting legacy. Every change that needs to be made requires commitment and every change that you make (or want to make) always yields a RESULT. In the final step in my Wealthy Life Method™ my clients make the core commitments that set them on course for serving their greatest contribution into the world and laying foundations for a life that is truly a work of art.

I’m going to keep watching Gordon until I’m complete with all the Kitchen Nightmare episodes because there is so much gold that I have gleaned - I’m considering this my “summer school” in leadership and I’m willing to invest my time to get the teamwork piece down because that’s where my growth edge is in my own business. I’m committed to becoming an even better businesswoman, an even better boss, an even better colleague, an even better catalyst and container holder for my magnificent clients and an even better contributor to the creation of conscious change on this beautiful planet.

If anything I wrote here has given you a wake up call and you feel like reaching out to apply for a consultation to see if and how I might be able to support you to get out of your own "Entrepreneurial Nightmare” then please do that right here: Wealthy Life By Design Clarity Consultation