Making Bread, Making Me

I work in Health & Safety. The legislation, like most legislation, is complex, with many extensions around regulations, sectors/industry standards, boards, advisory groups, and a phone directory of jargon an organisation can bombard you with. So much so that when the boss is talking, I'm spending the next 20 minutes deciphering what was just said.

In my current role, I facilitate presentations to companies/organisations around how they engage with their workers while being responsive to their cultural needs, learning needs, and the holistic challenges these demographics (Pacific/Māori and migrant workers) are dealing with, and how companies/organisations can best understand and approach Health & Safety while being responsive accordingly.

I was in Wellington for a team meeting a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't expecting anything special from this meeting, but this meeting was the catalyst for a bit of self-discovery—more along the lines of embracing my process, even if it seems unorthodox.

A topic in this meeting brought some of my thoughts, which I guess had been swimming around in the crevices of my subconscious, to the front of my mind. In reflection, it has come from a sentimental place for me. This realisation is not a life-changing revelation, but having brought it to the front has reassured me about some things about myself.

So, a little about me.

I don't see myself as a technical expert in anything, and I am not formally educated in the capacity of the folk I work around. So, I tend to say less or contribute minimally to discussions, as I feel I don't offer much valuable insight that my esteemed colleagues wouldn't already know.

I do, however, know why I am in the position I am in and why I am in the room. For the most part, I know I have a specific lane, and I stay in this lane because, well, I have nothing to offer other than an uneducated opinion. I'm quite happy keeping that to myself because I don't like to say things for the sake of participating if it's not going to be meaningful.

So, I wait. If there is an opportunity, I'll take it.

I watch, listen and learn for the most part. People perceive me as 'quiet' when I'm in this mode. I guess so, because those who know me well know that, like a lot of other people from Niue, we are quite cheeky and can talk smack all day given the chance.

A lot of the discussion throughout this meeting was high-level strategic talk. I can keep up most of the time. I have been actively applying myself to understanding the vocabulary and how things work at this level, so I'm tracking pretty well.

Midday was approaching, and I was absorbing as much as I could. I still hadn't seen any opportunity to add any value whatsoever, but I was happy to keep listening and learning.

We have lunch.

I'm always excited for free lunch at these corporate meetings. Usually, it's some boujee salmon or lamb, so I'm keen. One of the highlights of travelling for work-related stuff is the yummy kai.

After lunch, the topic of Worker Engagement in the workplace was being presented.

I'm thinking, "Cool." Something in my lane, so I was leaning into this discussion with my ears on.

The presenter said, "How do you influence behavioural change?"

How does a company engage with its workers to get them to change behaviour and, thus, shift its culture?

With a shrug and a look of, 'Anyone have any suggestions?', I start my thinking process as to how I am going to present myself.

I have huge self-awareness, and if the words that come out of my mouth are meaningless or just words for the sake of words, then I shouldn't be there. But my gut is saying, 'Prove your existence, Afele,' so I initiate my process.

I know I'm pretty good at illustrating my thoughts with metaphors and stories, so I quickly scan my internal library for a metaphor to portray my thoughts on this topic of Worker Engagement.

I'm confident with food and cooking, so I have a 'menu' (yep, pun intended) of food metaphors, whether it be a method of cooking, a technique, working with the food's natural tendencies, etc.

By the way, unfortunately, as premised on things I'm not qualified in, add 'unqualified Chef' to the list. But I'm a confident cook.

Thus, out comes a metaphor of making bread as a metaphor for Worker Engagement.

All of this is racing through my mind, and I'm quickly internalising everything—from my tone, volume and the speed at which the words will exit my mouth, even down to, 'How am I sitting?'

In these split seconds, I haven't polished my metaphor, but I figure there's an honesty and vulnerability in at least being "in the ballpark" of what I want to say and letting the room indirectly help me get there.

I take an internal deep breath (whether that's a thing or not, I'm happy to own it).

My own leap of faith in trying to add value on a topic to a room of subject matter experts by using a food metaphor.

Engaging with workers in a meaningful way is like making bread.

There are certain elements in this process that are beyond our control and some that aren't.

When using yeast, the person making it needs to ensure environmental elements are present to allow the yeast to germinate and prove the dough.

Without these environmental factors, like 'warm water' and 'sugar', the yeast will not germinate and ferment, and your dough won't proof.

In its simplicity, it's not a hit-and-miss process. With the right preparation and consideration to these environmental factors, you can practise and get good at it to the point where it becomes what you do commercially at 4am every morning.

Hard pass.

You need to be agile, able to read the room (kitchen).

If the room temperature is cool, this lessens the likelihood of proofing. And the room temperature depends on which room you're in. Each worker and work environment is different.

The metaphor is that workers need certain 'assurances' and 'activators'. Like the waiting period between the time the bread proofs, it requires trust in the preparation, the environment and, yep, a little bit of faith.

You can't manufacture proof. It needs to happen 'organically'.

Give your workers those assurances—'warm water' and a warm environment to thrive. Giveth some WARMTH!

Give them something to encourage the germination. Something to activate them. That's the 'sugar'.

Then comes combining the yeast with the flour to make the dough. This process requires some 'kneading', so carefully work them in together.

And then, an equally important part of the process is to be patient!

When yeast feeds on sugar, it produces carbon dioxide (yes, I Googled it to bolster my story), which in turn aerates the mixture, causing it to rise!

Forcing an organic process becomes a systematic manufacturing process, and manufacturing organic environments isn't always sustainable.

In summary

You have to activate your workers.

Like yeast, sugar and warm water are the stimulants to activating yeast, find what stimulates your workers. Give them assurance that it is a warm environment to do so.

Combine your activated yeast with your flour and knead it gently.

Workers need to integrate with their work activities (hazards and risks associated with their activities), so combine and be careful not to over-knead it.

This is the part where you have to let the process happen organically.

Let the dough proof and rise.

With the right Activators and Assurances, workers will rise up under the right conditions, so have a little faith and patience.

When the dough has risen, whack it in the oven and bake, in anticipation that the recipe you have followed will produce the goods.

Meaningful worker engagement.

A delicious loaf of bread for all to share and enjoy.

I'm happy I chose bread. My next option was to metaphor yoghurt, but bread came off sounding cooler.

I'm privileged to be a part of the work I am doing, and I'm grateful for my colleagues and the people whom I get to meet and learn from.

Hopefully, my quirky food metaphors bring value to you and the people/workers we are trying to help.

This is my best foot forward to contributing to the room.

I'm a work in progress, but that is largely offset by the fact I'm all heart, I'm all passion, and now, I'm getting hungry.

For more food metaphors, I'm thinking of one with maple syrup.

Did you know the amount of effort that goes into making that?

20:1.

Twenty litres of maple sap is boiled down to produce one litre of maple syrup.

What a tedious process!

But the result is the sweet, sticky goodness!