Often I am in Billings conducting team trainings and recently landed at NaRa Restaurant for dinner with friends. You either love sushi or you don’t. I happen to love it, even though I was born and raised in the Midwest. Go figure.
The delicious dinner rounded off a flawless day. It was so much fun watching Dae Shin, the Korean chef, make sushi rolls, while I enjoyed the company of friends I don’t see often enough. The beauty he crafted with relentless precision was so inspiring to observe! It reminded me that when you apply attention to an activity over and over with precision, magic happens.
The Chef Dae Shin applied some important principles to make his magic happen—and he produced an outstanding meal. Let me share a few principles I witnessed.
Lessons from a Sushi Chef to Pave the Way to Business Success
1) Apply yourself consistently with focused attention and mindfulness.
Dae made deliberate motions calculated to be highly efficient. It was apparent that he had practiced so much that every movement was automatic, done exactly the same way each time. He could talk and entertain us without missing a beat, while assembling the most elaborate dishes. (Dae starting learning how to make sushi at the age of four.)
If you want to master an activity, the brain requires consistent and deliberate focus to make it effortless. You can master whatever you apply focused attention to.
2) Take action that delights.
Dae commented to me that he makes dishes people will eat. He was a master at creating recipes that were regular favorites, which people requested over and over. One of them is the Volcano. By paying attention to what people really like, Dae established a thriving business.
Pay attention to what delights, whether it’s yourself, your spouse, your children, your customers, or the neighbors. Then take action accordingly.
3) Create an environment that supports you.
Behind the sushi counter at NaRa, everything was strategically placed to make efficient use of the small space. The ingredients most used were closest at hand. Dae also recently purchased a specialized machine to compress and cut rice the exact size for rolls to keep up with the growing demand.
Does your environment support you in your life and work?
4) Make order a priority.
Dae cleaned up as he went so there was never a mess or chaos. After each roll or dish, he immediately reestablished order. The entire evening was like watching a graceful ballet, as he returned containers to their exact place, swiped a fresh cloth across the cutting board, prepared his sharp knife for the next cut, and layered each ingredient perfectly for the next dish.
Order creates a framework for success. Where in your life could you benefit from more order?
5) Love what you do, and do what you love.
There is nothing more pleasurable to me than watching someone who works with passion and love. When we love what we do, whether it’s making sushi or turning in the latest report at work, true focus comes most readily.
Do you love what you do for a living? Are you pursuing hobbies that enthrall you? There’s no time like today to discover what makes your heart sing!
On Friday night, I decided that I enjoy sushi so much that I should learn how to make it myself. In fact, when I asked Dae if he’d come all the way to Livingston to cater our next sushi party, he said yes! Maybe he can give me a lesson while he’s here.
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