David Adjey, a 40-something chef who claims he's actually 88 in chef years, says he's seen and experienced a lot working in the restaurant business.
But nothing prepared him for working with the latest group of people to hit the workforce: Generation Y workers.
"I was a toxic boss who would fire people for rolling their eyes at me," Adjey noted during a keynote speech at the Emerging Leaders business conference held today in Sudbury.
"I used to motivate through (the use of) fear and intimidation, but when it came to the Generation Y workers (this management style) stopped working."
Adjey is referring to dealing a band of people whom demographers call "echo-boomers," a group of people born between 1982 and 1994.
"I couldn't figure these kids out," exclaimed Adjey to the crowd that filled the Caruso Club's upper hall. "They weren't listening to me."
All the old rules of management had to be thrown out the window. And Adjey, at the top of his game as a chef, a TV star and an author, had to reinvent himself as a boss.
"I learned that I had to create rewards based on their interests, not mine," he said. "I had to ask them, 'how would you do it?'"
The result was astounding. He quickly saw a reduced rate of staff turnover and morale went through the roof.
"I gave them ownership of their work environment, and that made a huge difference," he noted.
The Generation Y workers in today's workforce want a good quality of life, aren't interested in overtime work and aren't solely motivated by monetary compensation.
"I had cooks quit on me because I wouldn't serve fair trade coffee at my restaurant," he said.
"These kids are the smartest generation that has ever worked for me. They are thinking about the world around them and how they can positively influence their environment."
Conference attendees had the chance to debate with Adjey after his talk. He was expected to make an appearance at the 40-under-40 Awards ceremony to be held in the same locale later this evening.
David Adjey is known for his recurring appearances as chef-to-the-rescue on the Food Network's Restaurant Makeover. The hit show chronicles the re-invention of struggling restaurants, their owners and chefs.
Adjey is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has apprenticed with master chefs in Italy, was named Best New Chef in California by Frommers, ran a top kitchen in New York, opened his eponymous restaurant, Nectar, in Toronto, and was the personal chef to Dan Aykroyd, who calls him "a genius culinary talent."
Adjey has also starred in his own Absolut Ad, appeared on The Tonight Show, and written a book, Deconstructing the Dish, which went into its second printing in its third week of release.
His new series, Restaurant 101 with David Adjey, to debut in 2008, will air throughout North America, and make him the only Canadian Food Network star with his own hour show.
