Gordon Ramsay

Gordon James Ramsay

"I do not like looking back. I am always constantly looking forward. I am not one to sort of sit and cry over spilled milk. I am too busy looking for the next cow..."

Biography

Gordon James Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1966 but moved to Stratford-upon-Avon at the age of five with his family. A talented soccer player, Ramsay was aiming to be a professional sportsman until a knee injury forced him to embark on another career choice. After attaining a degree in hotel management, Ramsay apprenticed with Marco Pierre White at Harvey’s in London, worked for Albert Roux at Le Gavroche, and honed his skills under distinguished chefs like Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy in France.

Fast forward several years later, Ramsay received numerous prestigious accolades and opened his own restaurants. The ambitious, strong-headed and temperamental chef also made a transition to television in the late 1990s with his documentary, Boiling Point, which followed the process of establishing his first restaurant. As of today, Ramsay is known for presenting television programs on competitive cookery and food such as Hell’s Kitchen, Masterchef, and Kitchen Nightmares.

Ramsay currently has 29 restaurants under his belt under Gordon Ramsay Holdings and he has been awarded a total of 15 Michelin stars throughout his venues. 

Achievements

• Awarded 'Newcomer of the Year' (1995), 'Chef of the Year' (2000) and 'Independent Restaurateur of the Year' (2006) at Catey Awards - the most prestigious accolade of United Kingdom's hospitality industry
• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road - Ramsay's first solo restaurant, was awarded 3 Michelin Stars in 2001 and voted Top Restaurant in the United Kingdom (London Zagat Survey) the same year
• Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 honors list for services to the hospitality industry
• In September 2006, Ramsay was named as the most influential figure in United Kingdom's hospitality industry

Leadership Style

Overall, Ramsay’s leadership style can be categorized as aggressive. Further classification suggests that he possess a blend of autocratic and bureaucratic leadership styles.

Ramsay’s strong personality is evident when he portrays traits of an autocratic leadership. He is fiercely unforgiving with his chefs and demands the highest of standards when it comes to culinary performance. As seen on various reality series, Ramsay is known to command an extremely tense atmosphere where no mistakes are tolerated.  As a restaurateur, he makes all of the final decisions and has absolute total control of all resources and employees. In addition, he determines all operating procedures pertaining to his restaurants and only selected employees are trusted with tasks and decisions of paramount importance. Overall, Ramsay often exhibits signs of authoritarian control and only accepts his own judgment most of the time.

With reference to the autocratic leadership style, it can also be suggested that Ramsay demonstrates a bureaucratic leadership. He is known to write his own rules, and he expects all of his employees to follow procedures precisely. In the context of culinary performance, this is particularly useful as consistency and maintenance of impeccable standards are required on a frequent basis. As such, Ramsay is qualified to confirm and uphold his own rules because of his expertise, and he has been very successful with this style of leadership.

What Makes Him A Good Leader?

Despite Ramsay being a monster of a taskmaster, indifferent to feelings and focused strictly on results, his employees are remarkably loyal. The question is – Why? The answer is simple. They know that they are working for one of the best chefs of his generation, and at the end of the day, the man just wants to be the best at what he does.

Ramsay is excellent at communicating a vision to his employees. He creates a scenario for them to identify with, convinces them to tie their future to the vision, and ensures that they have opportunities to perform at the highest standards.

One does not achieve Ramsay’s level of success by worrying if your employees like you or not. He believes in showing the employees who is boss. Although he is tough, his approach is also about coaching and encouraging the best from his employees.

Ramsay always tailors his vision accordingly. In other words, he looks at each restaurant in isolation. He will go back to the fundamentals as well as do his research for market and competitors. Most importantly, he assesses the capabilities of his staff and identifies a specific formula for success for each individual restaurant.

His remarks may be peppered with swear words, but what Ramsay is able to do exceptionally is communicate clearly and continuously with his employees. He explains to them exactly what he wants and provides them with both positive and negative feedback. As a result, he has a highly-motivated workforce. When you look beyond the swearing, he refrains from offering bland visions but tries on inspire. Ramsay is also often generous with instructing the inexperienced.

What Is Exemplified By the Individual?

1. Be Passionate About What You Do

Ramsay's on a mission. He loves what he does and everything about him exudes passion and commitment to the cause of simple, fresh food, served efficiently in a pleasant atmosphere.

2. Ask Questions and Observe
Ramsay has no pre-conceived assumptions about any of his establishments. Ramsay interviews his employees, tests the food, he questions his chefs, he examines the whole kitchen and he observes the front-of-house staff in action before he recommends any changes.

3. Tell It Straight 
There is no beating about the bush with Ramsay - you know exactly what he thinks.

4. Appeal to Each Person’s Pride

Ramsay knows permanent changes in another person's behaviour come from within.

5. Give Everyone a Second Change

Ramsay lets his employees know what he thinks, tells them what they need to do differently, shows them what to do and then lets them prove they are worth another chance.

6. Generate Focus

Ramsay wants each of his restaurants to be to become known for one thing above everything else. This ensures that his employees are focused on the significant elements.

7. Know Your Stuff 
Despite owning 29 restaurants around the world, Ramsay is up to date with every single detail happening in every establishment.

8. Be Hands-On

Ramsay will never hesitate to don his chef uniform, roll up his sleeves and demonstrates to his chef exactly what they need to do to meet his standards. He does not ask people to do things he is not prepared to do himself.

9. Act Decisively 
When Ramsay faces problems regarding his restaurants, he does not spend much time explaining the problems. Instead, he presents his solution and then immediately starts implementing it.

10. Ensure Each Employee Knows His/Her Job Well 
Ramsay ensures that each person has a specific job to do and that they know exactly how to carry out their role in all his restaurants.

11. Ensures Staff Meetings are Short and Focused 
When Ramsay gathers his employees together to discuss the new menu or the night ahead, he gets to his point quickly to ensure that all employees are clear and motivated about what needs to be accomplished.

12. Praise People When They Have Delivered
At the end of a successful service, Ramsay always compliments his chef or managers on doing a brilliant job. This boosts morale in a demanding industry.