Mr. Dansen first joined Hotel Sun Jaya in 1991 as cook helper and, eventually, one of the cooks in Bengawan Solo Kitchen. He held this position for almost five years before becoming the Chef de pâté. In 2001, he was appointed to his current position as the Cook Supervisor, specializing on buffet cooking. His knack for cooking and the knowledge he has on this field has allowed him to enjoy his work to a great level.
He is happy with his current condition and is able to find ways to make his job more interesting, hence exciting and fun. He has acquired much recognition in his field such as placing number two among all the chefs in the hotel in 1997, landing the 2nd place in the Tumpeng competition in PRJ in 2001, winning the Tumpeng competition of DKI in 2002, and was given the Best Employee of the Month award in 1997.
Mr. Dansen prefers to work at his own pace and follow his own set of rules. He likes to focus and concentrate on his work and has high commitment and dedication to his job. He tries hard to finish the job as systematic and neatly as possible and aims to satisfy customers. His accuracy is needed in controlling food material, cleanliness of the kitchen, and performance of his staff. He prefers to do actual kitchen work than administrative tasks. Moreover, he is also the type of leader who prefers to demonstrate to his staff how things should be done and be physically present in the kitchen at all times, even if he has subordinates to delegate this task to.
Mr. Dansenis not dominant leader but will be definitely be the one accountable and in control of a situation. He has quite a high tolerance for errors and exercises diplomacy and displays loyalty to his department. His extreme patience, however, is perceived to be an indicator of weak leadership for he lacks the confidence to reprimand his staff that may disrupt the smooth relations and cause conflict in his department.
For the sake of customer satisfaction, Mr. Dansenmust immediately take action and answer the needs of a customer. He takes the initiative to check for himself the availability of the products in his kitchen so that he will be able to determine what ingredients should be purchased, in case a guest would order for such selection in the menu. In instances wherein a selection is unavailable, he lets one of front people deal with guest and explain to them the situation. He is able to make quick decisions only if it involves minor ones. For bigger and tougher decisions however, he prefers to consult his supervisor or compromise with staff for he is afraid to take risk and make mistakes, thus negatively affecting the pace of his decision- making.
As cook supervisor, he feels that it is a must know all types of food. Every month he has to prepare new menu to be featured in the restaurant by searching in magazines or recipe books or by being innovative and creating his own dish. As promotion for Hotel Sun Jaya in Malaysia in 2000, he created new dishes like spaghetti kampung, nasi rendang, and other nasi item. Everyday, he must check all the food for serving the guest to ensure the quality and consistency of taste. Should there be any issues regarding how a dish is supposed to taste, he is responsible to give the final judgment
A. PERSONALITY
Mr. Dansencomes across as a shy and modest person. He prefers applying a personal approach when dealing with his staff and makes an effort to get close with them, however he only uses his personal relations with his staff after working hours. He does not want to display his abilities but lets other people do the judging. In work, he does not like to socialize with others and would rather focus on his job. He is patient and tolerant of his subordinates and does not give in to his emotions. He is flexible and has the ability to adapt to change with minimum resistance. He values having smooth relations with others and prefers to avoid confrontations. Moreover, he allows his subordinates to participate in solving a problem and take some responsibility for it.
B. STRENGTHS AND AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT
STRENGTHS
• Strives hard to attain perfection in his work
• Low profile
• Self-motivated
• High loyalty and commitment to the job
• Technically competent
AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT
• Slow decision making skills
• Lack of firm leadership
• Does not want to delegate and would prefer to the job himself all the time
C. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION
Mr. DansenJuanda came to Hotel Sun Jaya in 1991 and started as a cook helper in Bengawan Solo Kitchen before becoming a cook in the same year. He was the cook for four years before being promoted to Chef de pâté in 1995. After six years, he was appointed as the Cook Supervisor for Bengawan Solo kitchen. His responsibilities include coordinating the cooks and kitchen staff and monitoring of ingredients and other materials. Right now, he is contented with his job and desires to entice more customers to dine in Bengawan Solo by serving good quality food.
Mr. Dansenlikes to work in an organized and detailed manner. He gives great importance to details and desires to perfect his craft. He practices a demonstrative style of leadership and prefers to be physically present in the kitchen than be in the office doing administrative work. He prefers to work at his own pace, yet makes it a point to deliver on time. He strictly follows the rules and regulations of the hotel and expects his staff to do the same. He prefers to attend to one task at a time, giving it 100% attention and focus, before starting a new activity. As a leader, he displays weak leadership, especially if it concerns reprimanding his staff for misbehaving or committing mistakes. According to him he has reservations in implementing a strict leadership style for he fears that his staff might rebel against him. He is a team player and prefers to work with his subordinates and other hotel employees. He does not like to take risks thus negatively affecting his pace and ability in decision- making. Instead of going on right ahead with a program or decision, he would rather consult his supervisor and wait for his approval first as to minimize the room for errors.
Based on the above findings, Mr. Dansenhas the appropriate skills and knowledge required in the current role, and has potential for further career development. It is advised however, that he improves his leadership skills and risk taking abilities. When these traits are developed, there is an indication that he can be a valuable contributor to Hotel Sun Jaya. We recommend him for further career development.