Leaders Directly Affect the Workplace Culture: How Are You Showing Up?

Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for Seasons 1-3.

What’s better than watching Gordon Ramsay yell at a bunch of contestants on a cooking show? It’s The Bear. Just kidding. While there are few connections between Gordon Ramsay shows and The Bear, the non-workplace happenings give us a richer context of the kitchen workplace in The Bear.

The latest season is paused in the last episode to continue in Season 4. While Season 3 was much different than Season 1-2, I found this season to be more deeply affecting for me. Carmy’s descent into isolation, perfectionism, and total control felt eerily familiar. Anyone else started a new role and gone into personal lockdown to make sure a business succeeds? Raise your hand. Mine is raised HIGH.

Let’s go into detail about Carmy’s personal breakdown and how it affects his team because we all know the same stuff happens in every workplace.

Season 3 opens with an ode to the Chicago restaurant industry, and it’s a reminder that hundreds of restaurants are going through the same stuff as The Bear team. After a stressful yet successful opening night in which Carmy gets locked in the freezer, the first episode of Season 3 starts to unravel the fallout.

If you get anything from this article, then please take this:

What happens outside of work still shows up at our work, whether we recognize it or not. It’s difficult to lead high-performing teams while ignoring our own humanity. Humanity is the secret sauce of successful leadership.

We see Carmy ignoring what happened in the freezer and trying to move forward with the restaurant without checking on his teammates. Carmy goes back to his past and his worst boss to find some semblance of control. His list of “non-negotiables” becomes an edict from a relentless boss, obsessed with a good review. Ever encountered someone like this?

I can see myself in this broken approach to leadership. Stress from my personal life combined with a new, high stakes leadership position has led me to hunkering down with a hard-core task list and laser focus on work. I was so focused on my ideas that I couldn’t see the financial impacts. As a result, my team suffered.  

My teammates lost their voice because it didn’t fit into my task list. Supervisees wondered why I wouldn’t answer their calls or laugh at their jokes. And I lived in frustration when people couldn’t work harder and faster. I slipped into a “command and control” leadership approach that drove division and disengagement from my team.

If you had the opportunity to coach Carmy after the restaurant’s opening night, what would you say? Based on my experience, here’s what I would say:

1.      Connect with your people, first and always. Marcus lost his mom. Sydney won’t sign her contract. Natalie had a baby. Where is Carmy? In his head. No matter what, you must connect with your people every day. That’s what strong teams do.

2.      Ask for help, even when it’s hard. Remember that the freezer door got stuck because Carmy wouldn’t ask for help before opening night? The Fak brothers try to help Carmy with Claire, but Carmy’s ego blocks them. Ebraheim needs help in the walk-up location. The Computer and Uncle Jimmy offer solutions to the bleeding. But nothing happens. Help is given when you ask.

3.      Strong collaboration requires listening, even when you don’t feel like it. Season 2 offered insights into the incredible professional development that crew members experienced before The Bear opened. Can you imagine your boss sending you for these experiences? And then you come back with ideas and inspiration, and the same boss just shuts you down. Richie embodies this concept all season long.

4.      Deal with your personal shit before it deals with you. We saw so much of Carmy’s past in Season 2 that we all probably wonder why he came back to Chicago. However, he’s learning that isolation destroys innovation. In Season 3, Carmy is alone a lot. He’s determined to do everything on his own – except connect with his family and friends. His demons will catch up with him just like Mikey.

I don’t know if Carmy would listen because he has a fragile ego throughout Season 3. How do I know? He is resistant to feedback, insulated from reality, and doesn’t think he can learn anymore. Maybe he could learn from Tina, who shines in her own episode this season. Tina learned to adapt and pursue a dream that she didn’t think was possible. She just had to connect with people, ask for help, listen, and deal with her shit.