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Fire 'Em!(elischiff.com)

8 years ago from Eli Schiff, elischiff.com

  • Bevan StephensBevan Stephens, 8 years ago

    Really interesting piece Eli, nice to see you exploring some other topics.

    I'm all for re-enforcing the need for designers to create clear value for their clients and always be able to explain their rationale. I'm also behind anything that dispels the designer = artists myth.

    But honestly, would anyone really want to work for Mr Monterio? Isn't morale important too, and developing budding talent?

    10 points
    • Giovanni HobbinsGiovanni Hobbins, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

      I always thought he's a good speaker but to me he shows all the signs of being difficult to work with.

      13 points
    • No NameNo Name, 8 years ago

      Chefs over the world strive to work with Gordon Ramsay and he makes Monterio look like a puppy. It would probably be difficult to start, but would ultimately make you much better at what you do to work with people like them.

      7 points
      • Bevan StephensBevan Stephens, 8 years ago

        I really wouldn't like to work in the design equivalent of Gordon Ramsey's kitchen.

        No matter how talented you are, there is no excuse for unprofessional behaviour that is verging on bullying.

        11 points
        • Andrew ZimmermanAndrew Zimmerman, 8 years ago

          I'm not a Gordon Ramsey guru, but his early (English) shows seemed to indicate a passion for excellence and getting that passion into whoever he was critiquing at the time.

          Then the shows became more popular, his insults seemed more motivated for ratings and artificial drama was created just because.

          In short, Ramsey appears to have become more focused on the money that confrontation allowed and less on creating the passion needed for the cook/chef/business owner to succeed at their core competency.

          Did Monterio go through a similar evolution?

          3 points
          • Bevan StephensBevan Stephens, 8 years ago

            Ha ha, yes they've both become parodies of themselves in an attempt to further their celebrity status.

            3 points
        • Laurens SpangenbergLaurens Spangenberg, 8 years ago

          To be fair, he quite often works exclusively with bad cooks on TV.

          I haven't seen his shows lately though.

          1 point
          • John PJohn P, 8 years ago

            Worth noting the tone of his American shows are completely different to the tone of his UK shows.

            UK ones were about pulling failing businesses back from the brink, US ones are about laughing at incompetents and drama.

            3 points
      • John PJohn P, 8 years ago

        Gordon Ramsey has a fleet of highly successful restaurants and 21 Michelin Stars, despite chef being his second career.

        Monterio has one popular talk (F-you pay me) and a studio that hasn't produced any work of note (in their own opinion) in the past 9 months and the last work listed on their site is some low level bird charity that I highly doubt netted the studio more than £50K.

        Ramsey's methods are justified by his results. If this talk were given by someone of comparable talent and success maybe it would be worth listening to, unfortunately it's being given by someone who's speaking talents surpass his managerial, business and design talents by a very wide margin.

        What should be the take home from this is take advice from people who have actually proven to be worth listening to, not someone who is just putting on a clown-like performance to live up to his angry hard ass conference persona.

        6 points
        • Edwin de JonghEdwin de Jongh, 8 years ago

          This ^

          Image alt

          1 point
        • Wil NicholsWil Nichols, 8 years ago

          Savage.

          0 points
        • Eli SchiffEli Schiff, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

          Many have argued that Monteiro is not the design equivalent of the food world's Gordon Ramsay and that therefore he has no place to lecture. I don't condone that sort of ad hominem attack. Monteiro could be Gordon Ramsay or he could be a no name (he's not), but you should judge the validity of his arguments based on their substance.

          2 points