Wijaya Kusuma Foundation

Yogya, March 7, 2007

I agree with Dave when he suggests pride is the leading culprit of managerial ineffectiveness:

“There are many reasons managers fail. For some, the organization outgrows them. Others don’t change with the times. Some spread themselves too thin and work long and hard but not smart. Many abandon the priorities and disciplines that once made them great and never get back to them. A few make poor character choices…But all these causes for management failure have their root in one common cause: pride. In the simplest terms, pride is devastating. I’m not talking about the pride one has in their work or their accomplishments. I’m indicting the pride that inflates your sense of self-worth and distorts your perspective of reality.” ~ Dave Anderson

There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. “Good pride” represents our dignity and self-respect. “Bad pride” is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance. When you look at the word pride, notice the middle letter is “I”. When you are full of pride on the inside, it makes you stiff, stubborn, and creates strife with others.

The Problems of Pride

1. Pride Stops Us from Building a Team.

Prideful leaders readily contract “Superman Syndrome” and devalue the benefits of teamwork. They rely on their own prowess to solve problems and advance the organization. Blinded by their self-centeredness, arrogant leaders are unable to appreciate the strengths in others.

2. Pride Renders Us Unteachable.

Leaders who are assured they know everything don’t bother about personal growth. Their ego convinces them that they have arrived, and they quit searching for life’s lessons in the people and circumstances around them.

3. Pride Closes Our Mind to Feedback.

Pride deafens us to the advice or warnings of those around us. As Stephen Covey has said, “It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it, and appropriately act on it.” Without humility, we care about only one opinion—our own.

4. Pride Prevents Us from Admitting Mistakes.

The Duke of Wellington once haughtily drew himself up to his full height and thundered to one of his staff officers, “God knows I have many faults, but being wrong is not one of them!” Pride won’t allow for failure. The egotistical leader blames mistakes on others, justifies them as inevitable, or refuses to acknowledge them.

5. Pride Keeps Us from Making Changes.

Pride will cause leaders to pledge allegiance to the status quo rather than opening themselves to change; especially if the change alters a system they built. Since leaders have emotional equity in their own work, they will justify living with broken systems rather than changing them.

6. Pride Encourages Poor Character Choices

Because of arrogance, ignorance, or a little of both, leaders start taking shortcuts that compromise their values. In their conceit, they think they’re above the rules or are too smart to get caught.

As flawed human beings, we all fall into prideful traps from time to time. However, failing to recognize the error of pride and change course will doom our leadership. Pride is a fatal character flaw and leaders that leave legacies have their character in tact. Leaders who fail to prune their pride will meet demise. That’s not a guess, it’s a guarantee. With pride, it’s not a matter of “if” we will fall, but “when.” There are no exceptions.

7. Pride Hinders Us from Reaching Our Potential.

For leaders to reach full potential, they must be aware of areas in which they can improve. Unfortunately, pride blocks honest self-assessment and prevents leaders from finding the path to better performance.

8. Pride Destroys Relationships.

The opposite of loving others is not hating others but rather obsessing over oneself. When we become self-absorbed, we cut ourselves off from the enjoyment of the relationships in our life. What I call, “The Celebration Principle” says that the true test of relationships is not how loyal we are when friends fail, but how thrilled we are when they succeed. If we can’t get excited about the accomplishments of our friends, we had better do some soul-searching.

9. Pride Distorts Your Perspective on Reality

Constantly viewing life through the lens of selfish ambition colors a leader’s outlook. Many problems in business are caused by the ego interfering with judgment. Choices that should be clear to the leader become clouded by an obsession with self advancement.


How to Correct the Pride Problem :

1. Recognize Your Pride

“If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, you are very conceited indeed.”
~ C. S. Lewis

2. Admit Your Pride

“There is perhaps not one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”
~ Benjamin Franklin

3. Express Your Gratitude

“A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher

4. Say Your Prayers

“Lord, when I am wrong, make me willing to change, and when I am right, make me easy to live with.”
~ Anonymous

5. Practice Serving Others

“The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule.”
~ Albert Einstein

6. Learn to Laugh at Yourself

“Blessed are they that laugh at themselves, they shall never cease to be entertained.”
~ Chinese Beatitude

Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

“The first and best victory is to conquer self.”~ Plato

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”~ Sir Edmund Hillary (first climber to reach the summit of Mt. Everest)

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” ~ Jim Rohn

Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.— From the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

Questions I Ask Myself
By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Children astound me with their inquisitive minds. The world is wide and mysterious to them, and as they piece together the puzzle of life, they ask “Why?” ceaselessly. Why can’t they have another cookie? Why can’t they stay up after 9:00 pm? Why do they have to share their toys? Why does grandpa have white hair?

As we age, it seems our childlike curiosity diminishes. Yet, after all I have learned, I realize there’s even more I’ve not yet discovered. Through my leadership journey I’ve tried to keep my mind open to growth by continuing to probe for new ideas. In this edition of Leadership Wired, I’d like to share with you the questions I regularly ask myself as a leader.

Questions I Ask Myself

1. Am I investing in myself?


Lifelong learners have a common set of characteristics:
(1) They develop a personal growth plan.
(2) They possess a teachable attitude.
(3) They invest in growth-oriented resources and relationships.
(4) They continually leave their comfort zone.
(5) They capture what they learn by applying their knowledge.
(6) They reflect on what they learn and turn experience into insight.
(7) They pass on what they learn to others.

2. Am I Genuinely Interested In Others?

3. Am I Doing What I Love and Loving What I Do?

You will never fulfill your destiny doing work you despise. You are nothing unless it comes from your heart. If you go to work only to cycle through rote processes and functions, then you are effectively retired. It scares me when most people I see, by age 28, are retired. To be a difference-maker, you have to bring passion, commitment, and caring to your career. Passion gives you the energy advantage over others.


4. Am I Investing My Time with the Right People?

5. Am I Staying in My Strength Zone?

6. Am I Taking Others to a Higher Level?

My success is determined by the seeds I sow, not the harvest I reap. My life mission is to add value to leaders who will multiply value to others. Leaders add value to others rather than accumulating value for themselves.


Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best: “Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”

7. Am I Taking Care of Today?

8. Am I Taking Time To Think?

9. Am I Developing Leaders?



10. Am I Pleasing God?


Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” ~ Max DePree


“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” ~ John Wooden


“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace; a soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

1. Visioning.

“Successful leaders are able to look out, across, and beyond the organization. They have a talent for seeing and creating the future. They use highly visual language that paints pictures of the future for those they lead. As a result, they seem to attain bigger goals because they create a collective mindset that propels people to help them make their vision a reality.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

The foundation of a vision is reality. Develop a reality statement before creating a vision statement. The reality statement should explain the present situation, the process of pursuing the vision, and the price which must be paid to realize the vision. Be careful not to diminish the vision—it should be bold and daring—but refine the vision until it is realistic and achievable. A lack of realism in the vision today costs credibility tomorrow.

Leaders take the vision from “me” to “we.” They enlist others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests, hopes, and dreams. Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.

When we lose sight of the distinction between our plans and the vision we are pursuing, we set ourselves up for a large dose of discouragement. A vision is a picture of what could and should be. A plan is a guess as to the best way to accomplish the vision. Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don’t change, they are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same, and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan.

2. Maximizing values.

“By highlighting what is important about work, great leaders make clear what is important to them in life. They clarify how their own values – particularly a concern for people – relate to their work. They also communicate a sense of personal integrity and a commitment to act based on their values.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

A principle is an external truth that is as reliable as a physical law such as the law of gravity. When Solomon said, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger,” he stated a principle that is both universal and timeless. Principles are important because they function like a map allowing us to make wise decisions. If we ignore them or deny their reliability, we become like travelers refusing to use a road map because we dispute its accuracy.

While we may acknowledge the reliability of many principles, we only internalize those we deem important. When that happens, the principle has become a value that serves as the internal map we use to direct our lives. A value, then, is an internalized principle that guides our decisions.

3. Challenging Experiences.

“By galvanizing people with a clear vision and strong values, the leaders we studied were able to challenge their teams to achieve significant work goals. In fact, those leaders themselves had been assigned significant challenging experiences at key points in their careers while being given the freedom to determine how they would achieve outcomes.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

When others run from the challenge before them, leaders rise to the challenge before them. English historian Arnold Toynbee has said, “Appropriate response to challenge is the basis for the rise of any society or organization.” A leader’s value to others is to lead them through difficult challenges by providing hope and bestowing courage.

4. Mentoring

“The leaders we studied consistently had a close relationship either with their manager or someone in the best position to advise them. This is often someone from outside their organization who serves as their mentor.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

Relationships define who we are and what we become. Stick to the confines of self and you’ll remain immature and small. Have the humility to learn from those around you. Identify people’s strengths and uniqueness and inquire about them. When learning is your passion and you value people, teachers will crop up all around you.

5. Building a Constituency

“Beyond close one-to-one relationships, leaders also create rapport at many levels across their organization and beyond. They know the benefits of building a wide constituency…These leaders understand networks and the importance of networking.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

Relationships are precious resources, and leaders accumulate social capital. As it is said, “Your network determines your net worth.” Networkers share experiences, opportunities, and advice, and they connect relationships. By investing in the well-being of others, networkers naturally earn a return as they benefit from the reciprocated generosity of those they have helped.

6. Making Sense of Experience

“In all their relationships, effective leaders enlighten others because they can make sense of experience.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

Experience is to be cherished and absorbed. It comes at a price and once bought, experience should be explored until all its treasure is uncovered. Experience is not the best teacher—evaluated experience is. Reflection turns experience into insight.

“When a person with experience meets a person with money, the person with experience will get the money. And the person with the money will get experience.” ~ Leonard Lauder, president of Estee Lauder

7. Knowing self

“Effective leaders have an acute sense of their own strengths and weakness. They know who they are – and who they are not. They don’t try to be all things to all people. Their personalities and behaviors are indistinguishable between work and home. They are genuine. It is this absence of pretense that helps them connect to others so well.” ~ Gallup Management Journal

Productive leaders have matured to the point of honest self-awareness. They couple knowledge with understanding. They have resources and means, but their grasp of meaning separates them from the pack. They have know-how, but more importantly they know why. Their sight generates insight.

Review: The Seven Demands of Leadership:
1. Visioning
2. Maximizing Values
3. Challenging Experience
4. Mentoring
5. Building a Constituency
6. Making Sense of Experience
7. Knowing Self

Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful”By Marshall Goldsmith (Hyperion, 2007)

In recent leadership literature, much has been written on the importance of focusing on strengths. And justifiably so. It’s futile to fight against our inborn personalities and unwise to overemphasize improvement of our technical weaknesses. We earn the greatest return by investing in our areas of strength.

However, one class of weaknesses cannot be ignored—interpersonal weaknesses. Relational flaws are the chink in the armor of the strongest leader. Debilitating behavioral deficiencies can strip a leader of his or her respect and effectiveness.

In What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith describes 20 toxic interpersonal habits which wreak havoc on a leader’s workplace relationships. Goldsmith’s brilliantly wraps a depth of wisdom in uncomplicated language, and he appeals to his readers to take action by setting out plain, logical steps toward stopping bad interpersonal behavior. Throughout the book, Goldsmith’s writing style captures profound concepts with ease and simplicity.

Ironically, the natural qualities that propelled a successful leader to the top may be responsible for holding him or her back from greatness. In Chapter Three: The Success Delusion or Why We Resist Change, Goldsmith sheds light on the inhibiting side-effects of successful personalities. This chapter lays the framework for the book with its penetrating look into the psyche of successful leaders.

In Chapter Four, Goldsmith walks the reader through each of 20 destructive relational habits of leaders. LW subscribers will find themselves nodding in agreement as they read about flaws which they recognize in a co-worker or are evident in their personal leadership. A sampling of the habits include…

#1: Winning Too MuchThe will to win is an asset for a competitive leader, but when unchecked, the desire to prevail degenerates into an excessive need to be right, “at all costs and in all situations.”

#10: Failing to Give Proper RecognitionA belief in the inevitability of personal success may give a leader a wealth of confidence. However, that same conviction may render a leader incapable of passing out credit or praise.

#16: Not ListeningA leader’s high self-estimation may enable him or her to readily take charge and be decisive, but the same quality becomes a liability if the leader refuses to be open to the ideas and opinions of others.

Goldsmith spends the latter half of the book laying out a practical plan to help readers eliminate the worst of their relational behaviors. His action plan for change is not revolutionary, but it does give much-needed reminders on what is required to break a bad habit. Of note, LW readers will want to peruse Chapter 10: Following Up, Chapter 11: Practicing Feedforward, and pages 188-189 on goal achievement.

After reading What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, it’s no wonder why Goldsmith holds a reputation as one of the most influential minds in modern-day leadership. He has a rare skill for distilling wisdom into simple, applicable advice. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There delivers accessible content and sounds a call for simple, but pivotal, behavioral changes.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

In one of the greatest Super Bowl shockers of all time, in 2002, the New England Patriots topped the St. Louis Rams 20-17. As defending champions, the Rams entered the game as the heavy favorite to win. Dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf,” their electrifying offense had been unstoppable in the regular season and throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Patriots had limped into the Super Bowl with two narrow playoff wins. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas listed New England as 14-point underdogs heading into the game. In fact, in the Super Bowl’s 41-year history, only two other contests were predicted to be as lopsided as the Rams-Patriots match up.

One memorable moment of the Patriots’ upset win occurred before kickoff when the teams took the field. As the pre-game excitement built into a fever pitch, the starters of the St. Louis Rams were introduced individually. One by one the Rams’ players strutted onto the field for a moment of personal glory—each player’s face prominently displayed on the stadium’s jumbo screens. Minutes later, in an unprecedented statement of togetherness, the Patriots broke with years of NFL tradition by choosing to enter the field as a team. The PA announcer simply introduced them as “The New England Patriots,” and the entire team, both starters and backups, raced onto the field as one.

As the architect of the Patriots 2002 Super Bowl team, head coach Bill Belichick had ingrained the value of teamwork into his squad. The Patriots may not have had an equal level of talent as the all-star performers on the Rams, but their effectiveness as a team carried them to the title. In a recent column for Inc.com, Chris Musselwhite comments on the qualities of winning teams, each of which was on display in the 2002 New England Patriots.

An effective team understands the big picture.

As Musselwhite writes, “In an effective team, each team member understands the context of the team's work to the greatest degree possible. That includes understanding the relevance of his or her job and how it impacts the effectiveness of others and the overall team effort.” As demonstrated by their Super Bowl entrance, the Patriots dignified each player for his contributions to the team’s overall performance. Substitutes and role players were equally given credit for the team’s victories. The kicker was given just as much respect as the quarterback. Perhaps it’s fitting that the kicker (Adam Vinatieri) would make a last second field goal to earn the Patriots their Super Bowl victory over the Rams.

An effective team has common goals.

The Patriots were bonded by a shared pursuit of football’s ultimate prize—the Lombardi Trophy, given to the NFL champions. Players did not get caught up trying to accumulate personal statistics or achieve individual honors. They were of one mind in their goal of being the top team in the league.

An effective team works collaboratively, as a unit.

As Musselwhite observes, “In an effective team you'll notice a penchant for collaboration and a keen awareness of interdependency.” His words are truly spoken for a football team. For the quarterback to complete a pass, the wide receiver has to run the correct route, and the linemen have to block the defenders. Each play is a microcosm of teamwork, and the Patriots understood the importance of carrying out their assignments in a spirit of unity.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

I believe our influence operates on similar “supply and demand” principles as the free market economy. Leadership should not have to be forced on a group of people. Someone who leads by coercion or manipulation isn’t a healthy leader. Healthy influence is based upon providing a resource that is needed by a group. When you possess that resource, your influence goes up, just like a stock price goes up when a company is providing goods or services that are in demand.

Albert Einstein once said, “Don’t try to become a person of importance. Try to become a person of value.” He understood the principle of supply and demand. Our importance is a by-product of the value we add to a group; it is the result of the “leadership capital” we have that is in demand. Our influence is a side-effect of our gifts or strengths that meet the needs of others.

How a Leader’s Influence Acts Like Capital

If leadership, like the marketplace, functions according to the laws of supply and demand, then let us ponder what kind of capital we might have that will increase our influence with others.

1. Intellectual Capital
Resources in this category include: knowledge on a particular subject, insight and intuition into a given area, or data on a relevant issue. When someone puts their intellectual capital into a tangible form, it becomes what attorneys call “intellectual property.” If it is rare and relevant, it will be valuable.

How to Accumulate Intellectual Capital
(1) Study and Know Your Business
(2) Think More Than Others About Your Business
(3) Think About Solutions and Share Them With Others

2. Social Capital
Resources that represent social capital are the relationships and respect a person has built up over the years within their network. Social capital comes from interfacing with others in a healthy way and adding value to them individually as well as professionally—especially in times of need.

How to Accumulate Social Capital
(1) Value People and Relationships
(2) Look For the Key to Each Person’s Life
(3) Become a Networker and Connect People Together
(4) Seize Every Opportunity to Add Value to Others

3. Experiential Capital
Resources in this category include past experience, a good track record accompanied by a strong work ethic, integrity, and sound past decision-making. Experiential capital is akin to intellectual capital, but not identical. This capital is the intuitive wisdom that comes from raw experience rather than the hard data or content from a book.

How to Accumulate Experiential Capital
(1) Find Your Niche and Dig In…Don’t Hop Around;
(2) Evaluate Your Experiences
(3) Build on Your Experiences, Don’t Camp on Them

4. Talent Capital
Resources that fall within talent capital are the abilities a person has to pull off a desired goal. When an organization wants to produce a good or render a service, it has need for specific talents–graphically, technically, physically, organizationally–and the person with those talents carries the weight. While talent is never enough, it is a good place to start.

How to Accumulate Talent Capital
(1) Discover Your Top 3 Strengths
(2) Stay In Your Strength Zone
(3) List Ways Your Talent Can Add Value to the Team
(4) Stretch Your Strength Areas

5. Creativity Capital
Resources that represent creativity capital are creative thinking; the aptitude to merge two current ideas into a new one; the capacity to communicate a thought originally and persuasively; and the ability to invent new products, methods, services, or strategies.

How to Accumulate Creativity Capital…
(1) Develop a Creative Think Team
(2) Continually Ask: “Is there a better way to do what we are doing?”
(3) Continually Ask: “Is someone else doing it in a better way?”

6. Passion Capital
Finally, this capital is about the “pathos” of a person. Leaders with passion capital carry weight because of their strong personality and charisma. They bring to the table excitement, enthusiasm and determination; a fire that magnetically draw others to them. Passion energizes talent, both individually and collectively.

How to Accumulate Passion Capital …
(1) Discover Your Strengths
(2) Hang Around Passionate People
(3) Give Your Passion Away

Summary
Leadership revolves around the timeless principles of supply and demand. Your influence as a leader will be proportionate to the “leadership capital” you bring to an organization. Cultivate your leadership capital wisely, and you’ll be flooded with opportunities to invest it in a leadership economy hungry for healthy leaders.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome

Butter (or hard margarine), softened
3/4 cup 175 mL
Brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup 125 mL
Vanilla
1/2 tsp. 2 mL
Large egg
1 1

All-purpose flour
2 cups 500 mL
Medium unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup 125 mL
Baking powder
2 tsp. 10 mL
Baking soda
1/4 tsp. 1 mL
Salt
1/4 tsp. 1 mL

STRAWBERRY FILLING
Butter (or hard margarine), softened
1/4 cup 60 mL
Icing (confectioner’s ) sugar
3/4 cup 175 mL

Strawberry jam
2 tbsp. 30 mL

Strawberry jam
1/3 cup 75 mL

Beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl until light and creamy. Add egg. Beat well.Combine next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture. Stir well. Roll into balls, using 2 tsp. (10 mL) for each. Arrange balls, about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) apart, on greased cookie sheets. Flatten each ball with lightly floured fork to 1/4 inch (6 mm) thickness. Bake in 375°F (190ºC) oven for 7 to 10 minutes until firm and edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 56 cookies.

Strawberry Filling: Beat butter and icing sugar in small bowl until light and creamy.

Add first amount of jam. Beat well. Makes about 1/2 cup (125 mL) filling. Lay 1/2 of cookies, bottom-side up, on work surface. Spread each with 1 tsp. (5 mL) filling.

Lay remaining cookies, bottom-side up, on work surface. Spread each with 1/2 tsp. (2 mL) of second amount of jam. Sandwich cookies using 1 cookie with filling and 1 cookie with jam. Makes 2 8 sandwich cookies.

1 sandwich cookie: 152 Calories; 8.4 g Total Fat (2.1 g Mono, 0.3 g Poly, 5.4 g Sat); 27 mg Cholesterol; 19 g Carbohydrate; trace Fibre; 1 g Protein; 137 mg Sodium


Reprinted from Baking—Simple to Sensational © Company's Coming Publishing Limited
Baking Glossary


Ingredients

Bulgur: Wheat kernels that have been steamed, dried and crushed until tender and chewy. Often used in Middle Eastern cooking and as a main ingredient in the popular tabbouleh or wheat salad but also adds texture and bulk to grain breads.

Cracked Buckwheat: Hulled, crushed seeds from an herb plant that commonly grows in cooler climates. Often mistaken for a cereal grain. Its pungent flavour comes from a quality amino acid content that makes it nutritionally superior to most cereal grains.

Cream of Tartar: White powdered acidic ingredient often added to egg whites for stability and volume when being beaten.

Crystallized Ginger: Gingerroot that is shaved, cooked in a sugar syrup, then coated with coarse sugar. Pinkish in colour. Can be purchased in minced form in jars for use in cakes and other baking, or in shaved form in jars for use as a garnish.

Sanding (coarse) Sugar: Coarse-grained granulated sugar used for decorating the tops of pastries and cookies for a shiny, sugary crust. Comes in white and various colours and is available at specialty kitchen stores.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sugar and milk heated until much of the liquid is evaporated to make a thick, sticky, sweet milk. Comes in a can. Used in baked goods and desserts. Not to be mistaken for the more common canned evaporated milk.

Terms

Dragée (pronounced dra-ZHAY): Tiny round, hard candies used for decorating that are usually silver or gold.

Ganache (pronounced gah-NAHSH): A glaze made of chocolate and whipping cream used to coat cakes or desserts in a smooth, almost shiny, thin layer.

Parchment Paper (also known as silicone paper): A moisture-resistant, non-stick paper used for lining baking pans and making disposable piping bags. Also reusable—clean by wiping with damp cloth. Discard when it becomes dark or heavily soiled. Available in large rolls/sheets that can be cut to fit any pan size.

Tools & Pans

Brioche Mold: Special pan for making large brioche. Available in some specialty kitchen stores.

Bundt Pan: A tube pan with fluted sides used for baking cakes.

Springform Pan: A round metal pan with a high, straight expandable side, equippe d with a spring-loaded hinge. The bottom is easily removed from the side by releasing the hinge, making it simple to remove cakes, tortes and cheesecakes. Available in at least 3 different sizes: 8 inch (20 cm); 9 inch (22 cm); 10 inch (25 cm).

Tart Pan: A metal baking pan with a removable bottom and low, fluted sides.

Any Comments or Inputs are welcome