Etiquette lessons from The Great British Baking Show
I am an unrepentant fan of cooking shows. I just love them and there is nothing to be done about it.
One of my favorites is The Great British Baking Show (known in the UK as “Bake Off”). It is like a warm hug every time I sit down to watch it. The humor and kindness are endlessly charming. (And, candidly, I wish I could pull off British-isms like “chuffed.”)
Recently, as I was rewatching last season while waiting for the new season to begin, I realized how many lessons we can take into a business environment from the interactions on the show.
Be kind. Period.
This is one of the things that takes me back to the show over and over. No matter what, they are so kind to each other. They are competitors, yes. But they demonstrate humanity first. They care about their fellow bakers - laughing and crying together, celebrating one another’s triumphs and sympathizing with their missteps. It does not matter that they are all there with the goal to win. There is not a trace of sniping or backbiting from baker to baker. Throughout the weeks of competition, they treat each other with the utmost kindness.
Have the ability to laugh at yourself.
Humor can be a great stress relief. Maybe we say something that we wish we hadn’t and we are now flushed with embarrassment (see Pru and the hilarity that ensued when she asked inelegantly about a cake in the shape of a beaver recently!). While we don’t want to be intentionally or carelessly inappropriate, the reality is that we all stick our foot in our mouth on occasion. Be humble enough to laugh at yourself and fix the situation. Rather than getting defensive or running from the room, show that you have the grace to admit making an error and move forward.
Jump in and help out when you can.
Times can be tough, especially when the clock is (literally or figuratively) counting down to the final second. We are all under pressure to get as much done as we can. But also make the time to pay attention to those around you who may be really struggling, and give them a helping hand. I love that there always seems to be someone on Bake Off who will say “what do you need?” or “how can I help?” when a fellow baker is really having a hard time of it. In ultra competitive environments, it could be very easy to let someone else fall because it would make our own path to the top a little easier. But the choice we should make is to help them out because it is better to earn that win or that promotion on our own merit, rather than because someone else couldn’t get their project to the finish line.
Understand that we will all have that moment when we cry over a fallen cake.
One of the ways that I think they show the humanity and kindness of the participants is that they give one another the space to feel sad if something goes wrong. It is not a failing, but simply part of being human. They allow one another to be themselves and show emotion. Instead of “oh, pull yourself up by the bootstraps” admonishment, they comfort one another with a hug or a kind word, allowing them to be heard about their disappointment before they encourage them on. Showing this type of understanding creates trust and safety in our relationships.
What a wonderful world it would be if our work environments were like The Tent!