Yes, it’s a great show. Yes, it should probably win an Emmy. Yes, Jeremy Allen White is undeniably attractive. But none of that has been what I’ve been thinking about.
Instead, I’ve been thinking about the nature of craft. About excellence. About environments and high expectations and being surrounded by good, high-performing people.
All of this thinking has helped me define a clearer vision for what I want out of my next role.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Bear, (in which case you should watch it immediately) — chef Carmen Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White) is a renowned, award-winning chef who leaves the world of high-end kitchens to take over his dead brother’s dysfunctional Chicago Beef restaurant.
Season 1 revolves around Carmy’s attempts to tame the dysfunction, the beginnings of some of the staff catching the vision of what he’s doing and developing respect for Carmy’s skills, and ultimately Carmy’s desire to transform the restaurant into something better than it is.
Season 2 is the beginning of the transformation story, which involves Carmy investing in his people to help them sharpen their skills, hone their craft, find their confidence, and help realize the vision for the restaurant.
There are a few scenes in particular from this season that I’ve been thinking about nonstop (like once per week at minimum). Here’s the first —
https://youtu.be/3OZ386Pa42w?si=o3Do0TV0yJizxLR2
Marcus has been a pastry chef for all of a few months. He’s had no formal training, but he’s already demonstrated that he’s earnest, hard-working, and a devoted student of his craft.
So, Carmy sends Marcus off to Copenhagen to learn from an excellent pastry chef named Luca. Marcus is understandably nervous — his only frame of reference for working with highly skilled chefs is Carmy losing his temper when he’s stressed. He expects that Luca is going to be just as demanding as Carmy. Luca delivers on that expectation, albeit without the yelling.
There’s no “easing Marcus in” — it’s right to plating technique on day 1. Before he has a chance to make his first mistake, Luca corrects his plating.
When Marcus gets it wrong? There’s no “Oh don’t worry, it’s all good.” Instead, the instruction is “Nope. Again, chef.”
When Marcus apologizes for being nervous? No attempt to immediately put him at ease. Instead, Luca quietly observes and when Marcus makes another, worse plating mistake, Luca calls it as it is — “Hm. Worse.”
But here’s what’s important — Luca doesn’t just let Marcus go on making the same mistake over and over. He steps in, demonstrates the proper technique again, and gives Marcus tactical advice on how to fix his mistake and do better. He also encourages Marcus to execute with confidence and not second-guess himself. Marcus nails it on the next try.
Luca demonstrates a quality of an excellent leader here — he is demanding, but he is not demeaning. He knows that Marcus has the skills and will to learn, so he pushes Marcus to execute at a high level.
Luca demonstrates the kind of team dynamic I want to join — everyone is pushing each other. We don’t pull punches when something is bad. We don’t shy away from delivering brutal feedback. We don’t try to make someone feel better about putting out bad work. Instead, we say “Nope. Again.” We acknowledge that it’s bad, and we keep working at it. Leaders give constructive tactical advice where it matters.