Junior MasterChef Australia

I really enjoyed watching this little guy Antony in the show Junior MasterChef! What a joy seeing him having fun with all the tasks and completely stand out with his personality - even though he's only 1o. He was really confident and made fun of himself in a really funny, smart and adorable way. It will be interesting to see what a man he will grow up to be... haha...  ^_^


Watching the Junior MasterChef show, I couldn't help but notice the very warm, encouraging approach that all the judges have given to the young contestants. I guess that's what made me like the show so much. 


Now, just imagine, if you can put all the temptation of the delicious looking food aside, you will see what a great educational message this program have brought. Unlike some other reality shows where the component of rivalry and competition is pushed to the highest extend, this  JM showed no scene of rivalry, bad temper, jealousy... None! All that was to it is  an overarching atmosphere of striving talents, joy, hope, and a great deal of pride for each of the contestant no matter they lose of win. It is a magnificent spirit that the show's crew has shown viewers. 


I could make a fun connection (well, at least it is funny to me) between what I've seen in this show with what I've seen in manager's performance in reality. Yes, that's right, the judges could be the managers, and the contestants are their young employees. It seems that with a clear assessment and evaluation scales and tools, along with effective, timely encouragement could help employees strive and exceed expectations. 


When the judges had to send some of the contestants home, they did encourage the accomplishments that these youngsters made and how should they be proud and never stop working hard toward their goals. In the benefit, compensation system, we could see the same thing. 


When Sam tried putting together prawns and chocolate, the feedback from the judge were honest, but he did not forget to pointed out: you didn't quite nail it this time, but you should NEVER stop being creative! It is spot on! Yes, the key to encouragement is telling your employee the truth, and encourage them at the right spot: finding the true good things they've done in their failures, and they will not cease to raise. It doesn't take a genius to learn this, but it does take a lot of skills, care, and attention from a manager to successful practice this habit of nurturing his employees' talents. 


Of course, it is not always up to the manager who can make the critical decisions, and so often decisions made cannot please everyone. One good thing about being manager, though, is that you always get to decide how you see your employees and how you interact with them.


Happy Junior MasterChef and Yummy Food day! :)