What’s for Lunch?
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Do you know who he was? To folks like me who love our time in the kitchen, he is considered the “Father of Foodies.” His professional life was as a lawyer and politician, but his fame comes from laying the foundations and building the house of modern gastronomy. His book, Physiologie du goût (The Physiology of Taste) , is not on my list of recommended reads, but his insights are timeless. The Julia Childs and Emeril Lagasses and all the wannabees can thank our first “Iron Chef”. His comment above is among others that are relevant far beyond the realm of chopping blocks and saucepans.
Are we what we eat? There is more truth than truism in the biological sense. What we take in will fuel or kill many systems. But beyond the cheeseburger world comes the truism of we are what we eat. Earlier today I was speaking with an old friend about how the business landscape has changed and the strong likelihood that what lies ahead won’t look or operate like what is behind us. We should expect that the last year has delivered sufficient shock and awe to our rules and tools such that obsolescence is always closer than we were taught to expect. So, how can our first “Iron Chef” give us some insight?
Let’s paraphrase the first quote, “Tell me what you feed your mind and learn and I’ll tell you what you are.”What do we feed our minds? What effect does that have on what we are insofar as becoming capable, relevant and fit for the challenges ahead? Are we brain-junk food addicts, glued to the tube and expert on the “reality” entertainment? Do we feed ourselves knowledge and shared insights that create a new fitness, one that matches the purpose we seek, want, or required for survival and success? What diet fits what’s ahead? Are we ready, or are we mentally obese and unable to even enter the race next week? It’s more than just choice. It may be more about transformation with focus, discipline, and follow-through.
History tells us that change can become transformative to societies. Be that climactic, political, viral, economic and many other reasons, adaptability and capacity to build new capability determines survival and success. Be it evolution, the response to gradual change, or revolution in response to disruptions, agility and adaptability trumps the hand.
When building a team or making hiring decisions I always make an effort to learn about the candidate’s brain food preferences and diet. Clearly some foods signal greater value and those who seek new knowledge and build new menus of capability go to the front of the line. When did we last take inventory of our mind and capability diets?
When we talk about what’s going on, is it about who’s left on the current survival island of misfits, or maybe is it about how social and business networks have radically transformed the world? Which person would you favor for an important job? I only know which one I would not consider at all.
What’s ahead is challenging and the rate at which obsolescence comes may be faster than we’ve ever experienced. I suspect that the need for talent and capability will remain strong, but wonder what value experience will carry. What we ate yesterday will not sustain us next year, will it?
“The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.” Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
