Never Forget This Lesson

The finale of Top Chef was last week. The two finalists' task is to make an amazing four course meal for the judges and 100 guests. Since both chefs are cooking at a super high level, even one small mistake can be the difference between winning and losing and earning the $125,000 grand prize. To help the chefs out and build dramatic tension, the producers have brought back chefs eliminated earlier in the competition to serve as sous chefs. One of the finalists, Paul Qui, is doing well halfway through the meal, with the first group of judges raving about his food. Then he realizes that one of his sous chefs has overcooked the last batch of a key dish. Not a single one is properly cooked and there's not time to make any new ones, meaning he's going to have to serve the second group of judges food he knows is not his best.

As frustrated and disappointed as he is, this is what he says of his assistant chefs, "I can't be mad at him, because I'm the one who trained him how to cook the dish."

This is super obvious, yet super profound if you're someone who manages other people. And so important not to forget.