I think the best illustration of how we may learn transferable skills while doing what we enjoy is the process of cooking. Cooking, in my opinion, enhances our capacity for learning as well as our analytical and quantitative thinking even by just watching cooking tutorials on Tiktok. Among all the abilities we develop when cooking, I believe creativity and originality to be the most potent.

So what have I learned about creativity and innovation through cooking?

Understanding failure

The tale of the chocolate cookies strikes me as a compelling illustration of overcoming setbacks and growing stronger. We won’t always be successful on our first attempt. When cooking, it’s common to need to try a few different recipes or methods before you obtain the ideal, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. A creative and inventive mindset must be developed, and this requires being willing to learn from mistakes. And I’ve used what I’ve learned at work.

Establish a setting that encourages creativity

Cooking has shown me that exploration and ongoing learning require a secure setting where you are aware that making errors is acceptable and that failure has no lasting consequences. After the unsuccessful cookies, my husband cracked a few jokes but assured me that if I kept trying, I would find a successful formula. His assurance gave me the courage to carry on with my experiments.

Utilize the resources you have at your disposal

I’ve noticed throughout the years that when I cook, my mind expands and I start to see new possibilities for the ingredients I have on hand in my kitchen. When I collaborate with a client on a fresh leadership training experience, this talent has been very crucial.

Our passions and pastimes may really teach us new methods to develop our leadership abilities. According to my experience, I tend to turn to cooking when I have been attempting to solve an issue for a while without success or when I need to enter a creative state in order to design a leadership program. My mind may find fresh ways to an issue from a different viewpoint when I’m cooking since it helps me break the vicious thought cycle.