Transformational Leadership of Chef Michael Stebner
By LaWana N. Richmond
MGT 409C
January 2004
The
article "What Insiders Eat" initially ignited gastric interests. The
reviewer went to various restaurants and joined in on the staff meal. At
first glance it offered a review of the favorite menu items of the
staff at various restaurants. Any lover of fine dining and culinary
explorations could appreciate a concept like that.
A
closer look revealed it to be so much more than that. This article
demonstrated transformational leadership in action as practiced by a
particular Chef. Michael Stebner, the Executive Chef at the Nine-Ten
restaurant is a great example of transformational leadership in action.
The staff meal
is a restaurant tradition that involves having all of the restaurant
employees sit together once or twice a day for a family style meal. For
each of the establishments covered, the staff meal, its timing,
preparation, focus, mood, and implementation process offered very
telling information about each chef's management style.
The
lead Chef in a restaurant is so much more than just the person
preparing the food. Chefs are also managers. The lead Chef manages at
minimum the kitchen, but in many instances they also manage the crew or
even the entire restaurant. The job requires extensive planning,
organizing, leading and controlling.
In
the restaurants covered in the article, there were examples of
transactional as well as transformational leadership. One manager who
struck me as very transactional said essentially that he offers no staff
meal. He said his staff was welcome to purchase any item on the menu
for half price.
Chefs
somewhere in the middle of the zone between transactional and
transformational offered staff meals, but there were elements to their
approach that were definitely transformational. One chef offered meals
but only from side dishes that were left over and never meat or
desserts. Another chef fed his staff decent meals, but the entire meal
was devoted to shop talk, so essentially they were glorified "working
lunches". Then, there was the chef who fed only part of the staff and
had a very departmentalized and segmented approach to managing. There
was even an English speaking chef who wasn't sure if everyone on his
staff spoke English.
The
staff meals at one of the establishments resembled a high school
cafeteria. There were cliques all over the room. The staff divided
themselves by job function, gender and in some cases nationality. There
was relationship building taking place, but it was in spite of as
opposed to a result of management. Interviews with the staff at this
establishment revealed potential turnover issues. Between the time of
the interview and actual publishing of the article, at least two key
staff members had stopped working there.
Chef
Stebner was unique in many ways. He not only offered staff meals, but
from start to finish he exhibited elements of transformational
leadership. His staff meal was a collaborative effort that began in the
kitchen. Many parts of the meal were prepared specifically for staff and
weren't offered on the menu. His meals were prepared with the
preferences and peculiarities of the individual staff members taken into
account. He approached it as a labor of love. The meals, once prepared,
were consumed sociably. They have standing rule that there is no shop
talk allowed until the last ten minutes of the meal. They sat around the
table sharing ideas, ideals and ideologies. They shared news and views.
They ate in an atmosphere that facilitated relationships.
Crew
members from the Nine-Ten, when interviewed, said they were encouraged
to ask questions and learn as much as they wanted. They liked that they
were encouraged to apply knowledge gained at Nine-Ten to other aspects
of their life. They said they liked working there and that in fact the
majority of the current staff has been there for the past year and a
half. According to Ms. Virbila in her review for the Los Angeles Times,
"The staff is so enthusiastic; it's easy to fall into the spirit of
things."
Chef
Stebner seems to have fostered a learning environment. All of the key
elements were demonstrated. He leads with a shared vision and there is a
great deal of collaboration. The organizational design is that of
empowered teams. The information sharing is timely, open and accurate.
The organizational culture appears to be one of community caring, with
mutual relationships based on trust.
The
Nine-Ten has received many awards and accolades since its establishment
in 2002. A few of the honors they are most proud of are: Voted Best New
Restaurant San Diego READER, People's Choice Awards 2002; Voted Best
New Restaurant La Jolla Light, Reader's Choice Awards 2002; Awarded Best
Hotel Value in San Diego, Travel Holiday Magazine January 2003; and
Award of Excellence for 2002, Wine Spectator ~ for having one of the
most outstanding wine lists in the world.
They
have also received numerous favorable reviews. Apparently, in addition
to taking excellent care of his staff and customers, Chef Stebner is
committed to building and maintaining relationships with his suppliers.
"Stebner is among the newer crop of chefs who pay attention to the
provenance of their Brussels sprouts and baby beets, and make friends
with local farmers." Caroline Bates, Gourmet Magazine, April 2003
In
closing, it important to stress the fact that Chef Michael Stebner
exhibited all of the key characteristics of transformational leadership
as presented by Majors Donahue and Wong. His source of power with his
people is definitely based on character and competence. The lack of
turnover in his establishment is a strong example of his followers'
commitment. The fact that he nurtures and develops as opposed to
evaluating his employees is evidence of a long term focus. Again, his
nurturing and development of his staff has contributed to their pride
and self esteem not only at work, but in life. Chef Michael Stebner is
an excellent example of transformational leadership in action.
References
"What the Insiders Eat" by Sharon McCullough, San Diego Reader, January 22, 2004
"Understanding and Applying Transformational Leadership" by Maj. Kevin S. Donahue and Maj. Leonard Wong
"Awakening" by Caroline Bates, Gourmet Magazine, April 2003
"Finding a Jewel on the La Jolla Shore" By S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times, Sunday, December 11, 2002
As a followup, here is a peek at some of what Chef Michael Stebner has done since 2004:
Chef Michael Stebner Leaves Greene House For New True Food Kitchen
True Religion Modern Luxury December 2010
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| Chef Michael Stebner with Staff |
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| Dr. Andrew Weil with Chef Michael Stebner |
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