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The Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training.

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Last night was the final episode of the eighth season of Hell's Kitchen. That show is like other "Darwinian" shows I love to watch. People who know things I don't (cooking in this case) pass through a series of almost mythological trials so that one emerges victorious. Homer would have no trouble recognizing the plot.

So last night, my wife and I settled in to watch the final show of this season. The finalists were Russ and Nona. We were surprised Russ was there because, as my wife said, "I might let him cook the meat, but I'd never put him in charge of any people."

Russ and his cooking skills won the test in the first part of the evening. Then he and Nona chose up sides from this year's less successful contestants and set out to deliver dinner service.

Russ immediately started living down to my wife's impression of him. You can watch the YouTube video and see him shout and threaten his brigade throughout the service.

Nona's style was very different and part way along, looking amazed, she describes how her team jelled. Meanwhile on Russ' team one member says, "This isn't good."

There were leadership lessons there, to be sure, but the biggest one was still to come. In the end, Nona won the competition and the job that went with the win. Russ told Chef Ramsey that he was "pi**ed."

If you watch nothing else on the video, be sure to watch what happens from the 6:37 mark on. Russ blames the team for his finish. He even threatens to "blackball" any of them if they ever work in a city where he does. He never suggests that, just possibly, his leadership was the problem.

Boss's Bottom Line

Your leadership is the most powerful factor affecting how your team performs. In the end, you are responsible for team performance. Great leaders take the blame and share (or give away) the credit.

Afterthought. As you watch the two contestants in action ask yourself the following. Who would I rather work for? Who would I work harder for?

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.