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e-newsletter 13 | november 2010 |
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I usually find that McKinsey and Company articles are very good value. A recent one I was reading was headed ‘Why good bosses tune into their people’. And as this is our last Ideation for 2010 – I thought it was a useful time to reflect on some of the ‘bosses’ that I had seen at work this year with their teams, and of course also myself as a ‘boss’ and ‘mentor.’The author of this article is Robert Sutton, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University and is adapted from his forthcoming book, ‘Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to be the Best…and Learn from the Worst’. Sutton says firstly that bosses matter – as they set the tone for their followers and organisions; and also that many studies show that for more than 75% of employees, dealing with their immediate boss is in fact the most stressful part of their job. Bosses matter to everyone they oversee- but they matter most to those just beneath them in the pecking order – those that as Sutton says ‘constantly tangle with the boss’s virtues, foibles, and quirks’. As Sutton goes on to say ‘whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or the head chef at a restaurant, your success depends on staying in tune with the people you interact with most frequently and intensely’. Of course it is impossible to encapsulate the essence of an article such as this here – but the key messages for me are:
Sutton says that good bosses – get more from their people; and they attract and keep better people. Good bosses are keenly aware of their flaws and work to overcome them; and often enlist the help of others who can compensate for their weaknesses. He says the most crucial question a great boss must constantly ask themselves is ‘What does it feel like to work for me?’… Perhaps not a bad question we can all ask. The lessons are of course to be grateful for the skill, expertise and commitment all the people that we work with at The Paige Group and to be continually appreciative of the commitment that they make to our businesses. In this edition, we review some of our recent activities, clients and chefs, continue with our segment Food Snippets, and latest Knowledge Management activities. Although a little preliminary – we thank all of valued clients for their support during 2010, and look forward to working with them and others during 2011. We at Fun.Food.Focus also look forward to 2011 – with a few revamps planned, and new, exciting offerings. The update of our Advance Knowledge Networks webpage www.thepaigegroup.com.au is still continuing… but hopefully it will be concluded soon. Best wishes to all. Helen Paige Founder and Director - The Paige Group |
We find that the reasons people come to our cooking classes vary. It could be that friends know that others love to cook and give them an engagement gift; a birthday present, or that they just love chocolate….
Whatever the reason our monthly ‘hands on’ Pizza, Sushi, Thai and Chocolate Indulgence classes continue to gain fans, and as usual we give a big thanks to our wonderful chefs.
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| We have been very busy over the last couple of months providing team building and ‘hands on’ cooking for the corporate and conference market. We’d like to highlight a couple of our clients including an Italian Long Lunch held for Santos last week with Chef Camillo from Assaggio Ristorante, together with his award-winning apprentice.  The Santos team were keen to work on ‘team skills’ as new members were joining their group, so Italian food was the food of choice.  A great menu of zucchini blossom stuffed with spinach, gorgonzola and pine nut ricotta mousse; was followed by a main course of aged eye fillet served on a bed of orange-scented butternut pumpkin and neggiolo sauce; accompanied by rosemary-infused potatoes; mixed greens and a Belgian endive, and fresh apple salad, and for dessert – an almond vistorta torta served with warm chocolate sauce, amarena cherries and star anise ice-cream. And yes…this was all cooked by the Santos team – under guidance of our fantastic chefs.
FOR THE CONFERENCE MARKET 
We were very pleased to recently host a Dental Conference Group at a scenic winery setting in the Adelaide Hills. Wanting a ‘fun’ activity prior to their major meetings the next day, the group of delegates arrived about 6pm and were greeted by home made nibbles prepared by our chef Aki. This group chose our Australian Fusion menu to cook for their dinner and the menu included – 4 mini entrees of - prawns with aoli; seasonal vegetable potage; mushrooms with prosciutto; and Spanish omelette; Roasted pumpkin and green bean and avocado salad; Terriyaki chicken and beef with daikon radish soy sauce for main course and Passionfruit brulee for dessert.
We have been privileged to work with other great clients over the past couple of months including Westpac, Willach (Melbourne); Red Bull, PKF, Clipsal, and Bank SA. We also look forward to working with other great corporates on the leadup to Christmas. |
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Aki one of our great versatile chefs who facilitates our fantastic Australian Fusion and Chocolate Indulgence classes – is also taking bookings for his mouthwatering Christmas Cakes. See attached pictures. I think they speak for themselves and Russ my husband is a great fan!! Contact me on 8271 1173 or ask@funfoodfocus.com.au
1. Seasonal Fruits Christmas Tart 3. Strawberry Short Cake (Japan)
At Instructables Restaurant in Amsterdam www.instructables.com – which started life as a pop up event, customers receive not only creatively cooked food, but also instructions for preparing everything they see, eat, touch or use. If you order a chicken dish, you can either get a recipe on the spot or download it from their website. Everything in the restaurant derives from Instructables a web-based documentation platform where people share their expertise with others, whether it’s cooking, pottery or woodwork. Opens up a whole range of possibilities…. Corporate Events with Fun.Food.Focus |
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| 3rd European Conference on Intellectual Capital – Nicosia, Cyprus – 18-19th April 2011 I presented at this Conference in April 2010 in Portugal. I have been invited to present a World Knowledge Café again in 2011. The topic is ‘What Intellectual Capital ideas and developments do you expect to live and see?’ Should be an interesting discussion! The Keynote Speaker for the conference is John Girard, Minot State University, USA with his topic ‘Social Knowledge: Are we ready for the future?’ More on this after the Conference. Knowledge Cafe, Adelaide Next meeting |
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