When renowned chef Jose Andres arrived in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, he was driven to feed three million Puerto Ricans.
He had one major problem: He was stuck. Nothing in the devastated country worked.
He could have been overwhelmed. He could have thrown up his hands, or succumbed to what was likely a contagious discouragement in the face of the enormous humanitarian disaster.
But that’s not how he’s wired
He’s wired to get to work. That hurdle in front of him? Jump over it. Again and again if he must.
After landing in Puerto Rico and surveying the situation, Chef Andres made some calls. He put the word out. Got persuasive. Probably cajoled.
Whatever he said was working. Because amazing friends joined him.
They were driven. Frantic. Compassionate.
And united in one goal to feed a hurting, starving nation one meal at a time through ingenuity, creativity, and the sheer force of their will.
“So we began doing what we do best,” Andres said. “We began feeding the people of Puerto Rico.”
The genius of Andres is his calling card: He gets to work. He works relentlessly and creatively, persevering through every challenge.
I take Andres’ genius to heart in the projects I lead and work on. Do you?
Do you get to work? Get creative? How are you at persuading others to join you?
When I approach a project, I like to take action. For example, I might start writing, jotting down ideas, listening, gauging feedback. Who’s the audience? What’s in it for them?
I’ll tweak the messaging with my colleagues, getting it right and figuring out the best ways to reach stakeholders and audiences.
A chef is similar to a content strategist and writer in many ways. Both our audiences are hungry.
So how will you feed them?