The television show “Kitchen Nightmares” where Gordon Ramsay spends a week with a straggling restaurant and he would try to turn in it into a success was interesting, entertaining and informative. It had many useful management tips, yet Gordon’s latest show “Hell’s Kitchen” promotes a terrible management style, dare I say, it promotes bullying in the workplace.

After the first show the message I got was that to get the best out of your employees you have to push them beyond their limits, which I agree with to a point. As I was getting ready for bed that night and wanting to get the best out of my personal assistants, who assist me on a daily basis to eat, dress, shave etc., and I was thinking I could use his technique by pushing them harder, yet just then I remembered of the time I was working for a person who had a similar management style. Much the same as Gordon’s style, their main part of technique was to praise little when an employee performances was to their high exceptions and when mistakes are made bully and belittle. As a result they lost the very skills that they wanted to draw out of the staff, as the staff lacked motivation and confidence to rise beyond their limits due to the bullying they receive and most left within 12 months of their employment.

I have found with my own staff is it is better to manage them with firm and clear expectations for the jobs up front, with respect. Generally most personal assistants will treat me as I treat them.

If you manage people and you are thinking of adopting Gordon’s style – be warned – think again.

Gordon Ramsay, are you really happy in yourself because the way you treat people on “Hell’s Kitchen” seems to suggest that you build yourself up by putting others down through bullying? Is this what you want other managers to aspire to? An idea for your next show could be called “Demons Run”, where you have a team of angry management consultants cooking in a restaurant of yours.