On the couch: a blog on running a successful kitchen from performance psychologist Mike Duckett

This is the next instalment in a series of blogs from performance psychologist Mike Duckett of Coaching for Success, helping chefs to raise their games in the kitchen. To remind you, in this series of blogs we're talking about what it takes to be at your best and do something really well. To help figure out all the factors you can consider we're using this simple model of performance or getting in the 'zone'. So far we've used the model to clarify thinking about several elements of performance from setting very clear goals to assessing what you're capable of doing now or learning to do in future. This time I want to go one level deeper because knowing how to do something and actually performing at your best are two different things. We all have the capability to perform, or learn to perform, many more skills than we ever demonstrate. I would be rubbish as a sniper, even though I have the skill to hit a target over long distances (I used to shoot competitively). The reason I would be a poor sniper is because I don't value that ability and I hold some strong beliefs that would stop me performing at my best. What else are you capable of if you could be bothered to learn and practice? What about head or executive or group executive chef, or perhaps restaurateur? Whether you were going to perform really well in any of these roles depends largely, in the end, on what you see in the role that truly matters to you - what you could get passionate about, and these things are usually held unconsciously. Your set of values will drive the way you perform e.g. as head chef. Imagine two head chefs with exactly the same culinary skills but one values 'developing people' more highly than the other - you can imagine the difference in leadership style. You’ll notice from the model that to fully think through what it takes to succeed we need to take into account your belief system. Beliefs are closely woven at the same psychological level as values and together largely determine whether we succeed or fail. As a sniper I'd fail because I value life and believe it is wrong to kill. What do you have to value highly and what kinds of beliefs do you need to hold to be a great head or executive chef or restaurateur? Of course it will depend on the fit between your values and those of the particular organisation you're working for (in our model, the Context) but probably includes people oriented values along with beliefs that you can get the best out of others if you encourage them. If your goal is to be head / executive chef and you believe that getting the best from others is not