Monthly Archives: August 2014

August 4, 2014 · 10:17 am

Homework

One of the things you might hear at a college graduation party is “well, at least there is no more homework!”

English: Don't waste your time and do your hom...

English: Don’t waste your time and do your homework! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I hear that I don’t have the heart to tell them that the past 16 years of homework they’ve done in school are nothing compared to that which they’ll probably need to do out in the real world. Let me explain.

I’ve written before about the critical skills one needs to learn in school.  In addition to the critical thinking skills I wrote about in that post I’d add the ability to do homework to that list.  After all, what is homework but independent research and preparation for what is about to happen in the next class?  In my mind even when the homework is review it’s making sure that the concepts the teacher was trying to instill have taken hold.  The very act of having the discipline to work outside of the class setting without a teacher looking over your shoulder is a great skill as well.

Fast forward to business.  I expect that when I walk into a meeting everyone in the room (assuming they know that I’m coming) have already checked me out thoroughly.  They’ve read some of the screed, they’ve checked my website, maybe they sampled my Twitter feed and they most certainly checked my LinkedIn profile.  If they haven’t, they haven’t done their homework.  I used to tell my team that if they walk into a meeting and don’t know the agenda, the questions that might be asked, the others around the table, and what they want to have accomplished as they leave the meeting they have not done their homework.  As an ex-teacher, not doing one’s homework puts you on my bad side.

There is nothing more annoying than having a salesperson begin a meeting asking what they can do for me or my organization.  Even worse is when they ask a lot of questions that could have been answered with 10 minutes of searches.  Everyone’s time is valuable and offering solutions and value based on having done your homework decreases the time needed for things to get done.  Doing one’s homework no matter on which side of the table one sits is a basic and critical business skill.  Is it one you’re using?

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August 1, 2014 · 9:54 am

Old Cooks, New Cuisines

It’s Foodie Friday and this week I want to report on a business point I learned at supper last evening. IMG_20140801_092530It was a lovely, small Italian restaurant and the food they were serving was really excellent. High quality ingredients were used which always makes a difference but the skills the cook showed were impressive. He had a firm grasp on southern Italian fare.

I chatted up the owner who, as it turned out was both Italian and the wife of the cook.  I mentioned how much I appreciated his skill and apparent knowledge of Italian food and techniques.  I then asked where he was from, wondering as I asked it if he was from the north of Italy or the south.  As it turned out, the answer was south as is VERY far south.

As in Morocco.

They had met in New York  and she had taught him Italian food.  He was already an accomplished cook when they met and he was able to translate what he knew into another form.  After all, what is couscous if not a cousin to acini di pepe or pastina?  Many of the spices and seasonings are the same and the basics – knife skills, etc. – never change.  What does this have to do with business?

We tend to pigeonhole people.  This one is an accountant, that one is a fabulous assistant.  We don’t spent enough time thinking about how the skills they have can be used elsewhere in other contexts to make the business better.  There was a shrimp dish last night which had an extraordinary broth.  The cook had added a bit of his marinara – just enough to make the “usual” scampi broth a lovely light pink.  That sort of addition is more common in his native cuisine than Italian and, with the addition of some scallions it make for a great dish.  We need to let smart people with excellent skills use them in new cuisines and see what emerges.  As I found last night, the result is often surprisingly good.

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