Years ago, I learned a simple lesson in the food industry that I’ve used in almost every career field since. You can easily infer the meaning of this little anecdote and translate it into different meanings depending on the situation.
When I was a young cook, I sometimes second-guessed my recipes, whether or not there were any complaints from the dining room. It was self-doubt, basically. I was young and not as confident yet as I would become in later kitchen roles.
One day, our CEO came in for lunch and I served him the special, something that I had been working on but lacked confidence about. I told him that I was unsure if it was too spicy and I was considering taking down the heat level a bit.
He looked me, grinned widely, and said “If no one’s complaining, it’s not spicy enough.”
That one thing has stuck with me all these years, reminding me that if you lower the quality of your work to the common denominator, everyone gets an inferior product. Go overboard sometimes and take risks. Some people will love it, some people will hate it. But you will be delivering your best work.
Fantastic. Please send me the recipe
LOL, like I said, it was years ago. I don't remember what the dish was anymore. Maybe it's the old age, eh?
Love it. A fantastic lesson to be sure!
Awesome point — and a good thing to remember for people still learning to gain confidence in their work. Great post!