Business Should Be Cooking Italian

Brief post to end the week, kids.  I was cooking dinner last evening- turkey meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, thanks for asking.  But as I was stirring the pot, it dawned on me that many of the same principles of Italian cuisine correspond to smart behavior in business.  What do I mean?

Italian food is very simple – the cooking of grandmothers, as Batali says.  The only inviolate rule is that you need great ingredients.  To me, this corresponds to the one thing you must have in business – great people.  The dish, no matter how well prepared, will not taste good if the ingredients aren’t the best and a business can’t thrive with people who aren’t top-notch.

Italian food doesn’t take long to prepare.  I’ve written before about rapid decision making and this is the quick prep in business.  Of course, it brings up one of my favorite Italian expressions which comes from music:  allegro non troppo.  Fast, but not too much.  This is how decisions should be made and this is how one prepares an Italian meal.

Italian food is less reliant on technique than on great execution.  That’s what I think business should be about as well.  I always stressed execution with my folks and prefect execution is always the goal.

Lastly, Italian food emphasizes local ingredients.  This reminds me that in business one needs  strong relationships with those around you.  OK – this last one may be a reach but if you don’t have good relationships you won’t last long – it’s like cooking out of season foods – the taste is never as good.

What do you think?