In the latest series of The Bear (spoiler alert), the hit, Emmy award-winning, TV show by FX Productions, head chef Carmy struck upon a way to give his restaurant the competitive edge. He also wanted a Michelin star and rave reviews in the Chicago Tribune. He told his team that they’d be preparing a new menu every day. Often variations on a theme, the dishes would be changed continuously to keep things fresh and his customers guessing.
This was more angst for Carmy, but within his capabilities. It was, however, a nightmare for chef Tina, a member of his team. She is diligent and a great worker, but she likes her routine. Change for Tina is stressful with each day a new learning curve. Chef de Cuisine and high performer Sydney, who manages Tina, now had another daily task to add to her long list; coaching her team member through the day. Now Sydney was under more pressure.
Carmy, without much warning or consultation, introduced continuous and rapid change into his workplace to be competitive, and it caused huge amounts of stress for him and his team. The outcome was, initially at least, counterproductive and a dip in performance.
What we were seeing in this fictional business was an illustration of the effects of change on an organization, and the central role leadership plays in it. It demonstrates how change can have an impact on people at every level, and in different ways. Some thrive on it, others start to flounder. Change ultimately affects performance and wellbeing for many.
This year, every piece of data tells us that change in the world of work has accelerated. Whilst much of it is planned, far more is driven by factors beyond the organization’s control; new technologies such as AI, for example, or conflicts that hit supply chains.
We need a different relationship with change. We need to embrace it, as leaders, and help our teams do the same. Perhaps Carmy didn’t get the memo on this, but maybe we can all learn from his experience. Here are 10 things Carmy could and should have done to make his changes more palatable, excuse the pun, for his team:
- Taken the time to explain the ‘why’. The ‘why’, then, is so much more important than the ‘what’. It is human nature to want to know why something is happening, especially when it could result in fundamental changes to everyday life.
- Made sure all his leadership team were on the same page. If Carmy had wanted change to be successful and accepted within the business, all of his leadership team, from the kitchen to front of house, needed to approach their teams with the same language. It’s easy to think that your management is aligned after discussions about change, only to discover that each member has delivered the message to their team in a completely different way. Ensure that everyone in your leadership team maintains a consistent tone and adopts the same language to address the change with their team to spread positivity and alignment behind the change.
- Invested in some training for his team on change management. You get the feeling that leadership training wasn’t top of mind for Carmy. It would have been a wise investment. If handled properly, change can be a great opportunity to edify your team and give your managers the skills to become better leaders. However, this can only be achieved if managers approach discussions about business change with an intentional willingness and unified vision for the future.
- Paid attention to how the team would behave with change. What are the reasons behind team members being resistant to or fearful of this change? Chef Tina certainly had her own very good ones to be worried. To ensure your vision of the future lands well with your team, you must be acutely aware of any potential roadblocks. Discuss the language you use to talk about the change, and how to assuage any doubts your team could have. Regular communication about what’s going on, even if sometimes there isn’t much to report, is also key for putting your people at ease.
- Keep telling the story behind the switch. Good leaders are storytellers. Carmy could have spent time regularly sitting down with his team and telling the tale behind why the change was happening and where they were in the transition. The facts and figures may satisfy your team’s logical side, but their emotional side needs a vision of what the future could look like that reaches beyond the numbers. Provide positive examples of how the current situation could be improved/is already by the change, and what opportunities it will bring about for the team, and for specific individuals.
- Allowed his team more time to have their say. You feel a great worker like Tina would be more on board if they had had the chance to give their thoughts on the switch. Your team will have questions, thoughts, and feelings about the transition, and it is vital that they feel they can share those with you. Make space for discussion amongst the team about the change, and your team will feel included and motivated to embrace it as an opportunity. It’s also important to be proactive rather than reactive. Make a point of scheduling discussions about change for everyone’s sake before doubts are given the chance to form.
- Given his team a common purpose to get behind. Big changes can make us humans feel a little uneasy. To counteract this within your team, it helps to have something concrete to rally behind, such as a shared project or objective. Carmy had his eye on an imminent restaurant review, but was this enough to galvanize his team? Part of the change process should have been them sharing what it meant to get the reviews, and what the bigger picture for the restaurant was.
- Emphasized the opportunities for everyone. The changes at The Bear were, perhaps, an opportunity for chef Tina if managed well. Change brings both challenges and opportunities. It is important to ensure that everyone in your organization feels safe and supported and can view it as an opportunity even if it will involve some upheaval. These chances for development offset the sense of uncertainty about the future and made the team feel valued and motivated.
- Been reactive to ongoing change. It is easy to bury your head in processes and implementation, such as ordering stocks and writing new menus, but when you are managing change that is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing. Successful organizational change happens when team leaders are constantly monitoring transition on an organizational and team level, and the effects that it is having. What is resonating, what needs more attention, and what really isn’t working and needs a rethink or scrapping altogether? These are all questions that leaders like Carmy need to ask if they want to manage change in an efficient and agile way.
- Lived the change as a positive role model. Being a positive role model is very important in times of change. Your team looks to you to know how to manage and react to new situations at work, and if you’re not aligned with the new vision, you can’t expect them to. If your actions don’t match your words then the change is doomed to fail. Chef de Cuisine Sydney only saw a boss getting frustrated at the inability of others to align with his vision.
In any change management strategy, there are Three Pillars of Change: What we Believe, How we Behave, and What we Use. The first two are often wrongly overshadowed by the third, but the tools, such as action plans, processes and systems, are nearly irrelevant without a vision and a rationale for change. It’s why so many system roll outs don’t succeed – tools before beliefs doom you fail.
What makes The Bear so compelling as a drama is that it depicts human beings with all their flaws. It gives us a high-pressure work environment and shows us how individuals react differently to events. In common with so many leaders, Carmy has risen to the top because of his brilliance as a technician. When this happens, it is important that a leader takes the time to invest in developing their skills as leader and manager, and in today’s environment, that must mean the skills to manage change, also.