Aggressive Style Leadership
Business

Aggressive Style Leadership

I have been watching that Hell’s Kitchen show recently and I guess most people know what the tone and style of that show is all about. Now the one thing that clicks on the mind for most people is how all of the candidates get yelled and screamed at for not doing a good job in a military type of way I guess you can say.

One person told me before that it actually is like that in a lot of the busier restaurants. The usual comment I hear is that it must be so cruel to be in an environment like that. The funny thing is I have actually been through aggressive type of leaderships. While I don’t use that style myself, going through it has actually strengthened me overall.

Really, an aggressive style in these types of situations I’d say takes a lot of discipline to get through and can make you a really good listener. Behind all that yelling from the other person is really a message of “I want to see you at your best” type of thing and you really need to be rock solid to be able to overlook that while seeing the real meaning behind it.

That can especially be a great trait to have if you run a business as well as many times by not listening to what people are actually saying as oppose to focusing on their emotional reactions you tend to misjudge the situation and make things worse. It’s almost like the old saying on how if you say encounter an angry customer who is yelling their heads off, keep in mind that they are mad at the situation and not you.

It might sound a little silly at first, but experiencing something with that type of aggressive style can be beneficial in the long run I’d say.

2 Comments

  • Stewart Marshall 6/20/2007

    I recently read Gordon’s life story and was very impressed. Bear in mind that in the show he rarely yells at his sous chefs. His aggression is driven by a sense of very high standards. He has the track record to prove it.

    In business many aggressive managers are doing something different imho. They are hiding their own incompetence. Rarely has someone who is exhibiting that behaivour been able to convince me that they are seeking perfection.

    It’s one thing to be angry, it’s another to be aggressive. Sometimes, there is no time, as in the kitchen, to have a long considered review of what’s happening. You will see Gordon say again and again – it’s cold, it’s burnt, it’s off – start again please. I’ve been amazed at how focussed he is on what needs to be done. Blatant stupidity has no place in the kitchen where it could kill someone, or in business more widely.

    One other point is next time you watch, look for how Gordon treats those who DO perform. Think of a whole kitchen of such people and you have an idea where his desire for the the highest standards comes from.

    Why he puts himself through the stress of the programme is frequently beyond me, but I keep watching and learning from him and maybe that’s reason enough.

  • Alan Yu 6/21/2007

    You bring up a very good point on how some people use aggressive behaviors to hide their own inability to do something. For the most part that usually is the case when it comes to a manager in a traditional business sense.

    A good sign to lookout for from my experience to determine if the person is doing it because they are passionate about wanting the best is consistency. As an example, the people who are genuine are like that even to themselves rather than just during times when they want someone to do something.

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