I have read a few articles recently that stuck a chord with me on how to lead with purpose and strategy.
The first, by Glenn LLopis at Forbes, http://onforb.es/18K1iVH, suggested Lack of Clarity of Purpose was one of six reasons leaders make bad decisions.
The other was research by Cranfield School of Management, http://bit.ly/12YJsIb . It suggests too many business owners spend their time meddling in other people’s work, working on the shop-floor or being the hero who runs one of the key functions. Too few are strategists setting a vision and strategy to grow the business and motivate employees.
What could a boss do to turn this round? My top tip is to put some effort into getting clarity of purpose and co-create it with all the workforce.
As the owner / manager, spend some time either with your fellow directors, mentor or good friend and write down in simple language what your business is all about. Define its purpose and where you’d like it to be in the future – say, a 3 year vision and strategy.
Relay those messages to your staff, maybe a representative group to begin with. Perhaps in a structured workshop, that aims to reinforce and build on your concept of the future. Be prepared for debate, but see this as people identifying and getting behind the idea. It’s a good idea to use an external facilitator with a proven process so that you can play an active part in the workshop yourself. A flavour of such a workshop is at http://bit.ly/16BMuIW.
Take the output from that workshop and share it with the whole staff again, be prepared to discuss it and receive feedback. Everyone’s contribution should then be consolidated into a clear definition of the vision, strategy and culture of the business – call this building the “Ways of Working”.
Once the whole workforce has heard about the organisation’s purpose and vision encourage staff to debate how that purpose and vision will be applied within their team. A natural by-product of those sessions will be action plans to improve how the teams work towards achieving the company vision and promoting the company culture.
Taking each of these steps will generate ongoing engagement with the staff and ideas for improvement will start to appear. However, be prepared to elaborate and receive feedback as your staff seek to understand what the vision and culture really mean for them and how they can contribute.
If this effort and commitment seems daunting then ask yourself this question, ”if my staff could care about the business like I do, would my business be more successful?”
There was a little downtime in culinary school this week. But rather than stand around waiting for water to boil, I thought it would be a good time to test a few recipes. One idea that I have wanted to try for a long time is a Sabayon Mousse made with Bourbon. Yes... I admit that is an odd item to have on the long-term "To-Do" list, sitting somewhere between "Rent a Storage Unit" and "Remodel the Bathroom". But goals are goals, and now I can check another one off the list!
A Sabayon (or in Italian, "Zabaglione") is a whipped dessert made with just Sugar, Egg Yolks and Alcohol. A traditional recipe would include one part Sugar, one part Egg Yolk and one part sweet wine (usually Marsala) by weight. The ingredients are simply combined in a Bain-Marie and whipped to produce a warm, airy foam that can be served as a stand-alone custard or, more satisfyingly, with fresh fruit or other accompaniments.
A Sabayon is very versatile. You can adjust with the ratios of Sugar, Egg Yolk and Alcohol depending on the desired thickness and sweetness of the final product. For instance, when using Marsala, you may wish to reduce the amount of Sugar because the Marsala wine already has a very high residual sugar content.
To make a Mousse from a Sabayon, simply fold it into various dairy products (and as a side note, yes, I do recognize that this is not a traditional "Mousse" -- but stay with me!). For a lighter product, fold the cooled Sabayon with Whipped Cream. For a denser product, try Mascarpone.
In this recipe, which is based on a classic Marsala-based version with Poached Plums and Candied Almonds from Osteria Morini in NYC, I'm using Mascarpone with a little bit of Gelatin. The Mascarpone makes for an extremely rich dessert while the Gelatin helps the Mousse set a firmer and also better stabilizes the product for several days of refrigerated storage.
As a bonus, my frequent culinary school colleague, New Orleans's very own Ronald Green (@starchef28), whipped up a batch of Pecan Pralines with his free time (there must not have been any crawfish around). The combination of Bourbon and Pecan Pralines was just too obvious. So, for your enjoyment, here are both recipes!
Mascarpone: For a lighter option, try Whipped Cream or even Greek Yogurt. Given their lighter consistencies, you do not need to melt these products as you do the Mascarpone.
Bourbon: It is possible to use a variety of strong flavored wines or spirits to make a Sabayon. Traditionally, sweet wines like Marsala are used. To keep things balanced, you should adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe depending on the sweetness of the alcohol you choose.
Chef's Note: "Blooming" Gelatin ensures that it is fully hydrated so that it melts properly when mixed with other ingredients.
2. Place the Mascarpone and Vanilla Extract in a large bowl over a double boiler and gently heat while stirring until the mixture is just melted.
Chef's Note: Do not overheat the Mascarpone. You just want the Mascarpone to be smooth and liquid enough to easily fold with the Sabayon. If overheated, the Mascarpone (particularly poorer quality products) can separate resulting in a grainy-textured Mousse.
3. As the Mascarpone is melting, put the Yolks, Sugar and Salt in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip the mixture on high speed until the Yolks thicken and turn very light in color.
4. Once the Mascarpone is sufficiently soft, set it aside. Once the Yolk mixture has thickened and is very light in color, reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly stream in the Bourbon.
5. Transfer the mixer bowl with the Yolk and Bourbon mixture to the double boiler and whisk constantly for approximately 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken as the Sugar dissolves, some of the Bourbon evaporates and the Yolks gently cook. The Sabayon is done when a trail is left when you pull the whisk from the bowl. Remove the Sabayon from the double boiler.
Chef's Note: Be careful when working with a double boiler. While the setup is intended to protect your product from direct heat, it is still possible for flames to shoot out around the sides of the double boiler exposing your ingredients to too much direct heat.
6. Remove the Gelatin from the ice water and squeeze out any residual water. Add the Gelatin to the warm Sabayon and whisk until it is fully dissolved.
7. Fold the warm Sabayon into the melted Mascarpone mixture in three additions. Add each subsequent addition while the mixture is still streaky from the prior. Once all of the Sabayon has been added to the melted Mascarpone, continue folding the mixture until it is completely homogeneous.
Chef's Note: If the Mascarpone has cooled too much and is too thick, briefly return it to the double boiler, but do not overheat it.
8. Portion the Sabayon Mascarpone Mousse into 10 bowls or glasses. Chill the dessert in the refrigerator until it has fully set -- approximately two hours. Once set and cool, store the bowls in the refrigerator wrapped with plastic to prevent the Mousse from drying out. Before serving, cover the Mousse with crumbled Pecan Pralines (recipe follows).
Chef's Note: It is not 100% critical for the nuts to be toasted; however, the flavor will be much richer if you do!
4. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Vanilla Extract and the Pecans. Stir vigorously for two minutes.
Chef's Note: Stirring the Praline mixture for two minutes crystallizes the sugars. This step is critical for creating that signature, milky texture.
5. Drop spoon-sized portions of the Praline mixture onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. Let the Pecan Pralines set and cool.