JULY 2020 • VOL 4 • ISSUE 5
The Voice of Craft Brands
Michael Memsic co-founder and CEO of Sanitas
The beer guys How Sanitas Brewing is taking its game (and market) to the next level
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VOL. 4 : ISSUE 5 : JULY 2020
THE BEER GUYS
How Sanitas Brewing is taking its game (and market) to the next level
IN EVERY ISSUE: 3 EDITOR’S NOTE A beer, a story, your story 4 INSIGHTS Industry News
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BEFORE YOU ASK, LISTEN The key to more sales is to know where and why the process begins
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THE WAY FORWARD 5 tips to help you lead and experiment in today’s changing landscape
editor’s note
A beer, a story, your story
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“We’re back open for business baby!” You could feel the excitement. You could hear the sounds of chairs sliding across taproom floors and/or outdoor decks, as craft spirit lovers (almost) everywhere began resetting their strategies for the next scene in this ill-timed play we are all living in. I admit it. In a previous editorial, I talked about a trip I made to a couple of wineries in North Georgia to try and bring back some sense of normalcy to this whole nightmare we are living in. And let’s call it what it is—a nightmare.
So yes, here we are. Not back where we started, but just taking one to the chest. But as I canvas the all of the stories of what you are doing out there and how much you love what you do, it is inspiring. The truth is that we all learn from each other.
Michael J. Pallerino
We are back to finding ways to keep the world spinning in the direction we want it to spin. We are back to trying to find the best ways to give the people what they want—our products. Now, just as many brewers across the country started to meticulously strategize their game plans, some were forced to go back to the first part of the plan—either shut down or offer curbside pickup only. I cannot keep it; I admit it. I know you cannot either. If you want to use the most overused phrase since “the best thing since sliced bread,” then this is our “it is what it is” moment. We are back to finding ways to keep the world spinning in the direction we want it to spin. We are back to trying to find the best ways to give the people what they want—our products.
We do not copy what we see someone doing successfully because we are trying to get away with something, we do it because it works. And some of you are succeeding in doing things right. So alter your hours, add more curbside pickup, do whatever it is you have to do. Just don’t give up. There is no reason to stop being the marketplace that everyone wants to share some little piece of—from making products people want, to spending a few hours at a place where you can hang out with friends. We’ll get back to where we were. Until then, keep fighting the good fight.
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insights
Lead the roar 5 ideas to move you past leadership isolation 1. A ccept it is not all bad operating as a misfit Your disconnect is potentially a positive in helping you level-up and contribute to your brewery at a greater level. You have a larger vote in its success, and you are free to create and innovate in ways different than group members.
2. R eframe your sense of mission and purpose Everyone craves social connection. Accept that your job is less about belonging and more about creating that sense of belonging and purpose for those on your team. You set the pace. Focus on helping, building and
creating the right working environment, and your sense of isolation will diminish as you see your efforts turning into results.
3. Create a kitchen cabinet The term "kitchen cabinet" ties back to elected leaders creating an informal group of trusted advisors willing to share ideas and opinions. Cultivating a group of individuals you can share ideas with and who can share their honest assessments of your thoughts is a tremendous help.
4. Focus on leading with curiosity Curiosity is critical in leadership. The drive to ask questions, learn
and strive to understand is essential to building cultures where people and teams are comfortable innovating. Your curiosity about how things happen and your use of "What if?" will spur exploration.
5. C reate structured listening sessions to help you refocus Gather your team and ask questions. What’s working? What's not? What do you need me to do to help you succeed? Listen hard, ask clarifying questions and find opportunities to help. This process is invaluable in helping you re-center on your role and purpose.
Source: Art Petty’s Management Excellence blog and Leadership Caffeine article (https://artpetty.com/artpetty-leadershipcaffeine-blog/).
They said it... “ It’s a whole new disruptive business model. This is first and foremost a way to support the craft-beer industry. We’re going to be able to help breweries and bring them up.” — Andrew Durstewitz, founder of D9 Brewing Co., on its spinoff company, Community Brewing Ventures, which aims to raise $2.5 million through its seed-round to support operations, with additional funding rounds planned over the next five years “ The pandemic is set to cause a deeper and more long-lasting after-effect to the global drinks industry than anything we’ve experienced before. In many ways, 2019 was perhaps the last ‘normal’ year for the drinks industry.” — Mark Meek, CEO of IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, on the future of the craft spirit market “ By empowering the Mujeres Brew House team, we are giving voice and opportunity to create something unique and incredibly special—because we believe in diversity, we believe in the American dream that when all voices are given space, our lives are enriched.” — David Favela, co-founder of Border X, on the Mujeres Brew Club (MBC), a monthly beer education group primarily geared toward women
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Book Rec
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance By Angela Duckworth Who doesn’t need a little grit today? In her New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shows why it takes more than talent to succeed—a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” A celebrated researcher and professor, Duckworth takes us into the field to visit cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, teachers working in some of the toughest schools, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she has learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers—from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff and Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. Among Grit’s most valuable insights: Any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal. Grit can be learned, regardless of IQ or circumstances. This is the book today’s craft brewers need now.
Hammer time
Your 4-step guide to surviving the times Unpredictable and unprecedented do not even begin to describe what the craft spirit market is experiencing right now. And while strategies to survive the times abound, one of the best things you can do is focus on the short-term. Here are four tips from Sam Reese, CEO of peer advisory group Vistage, that you can implement today. 1. Manage Costs — By maintaining strong financial discipline, you can be better prepared for the unpredictable. When you operate a lean business, you free up resources to invest in innovation that can lead to new growth. 2. Customer Management — Every employee must be in the customer management business now. The best leaders ensure their teams regularly connect with customers, listen to their feedback and exercise flexibility. Customers will appreciate when companies are nimble enough to understand their changing needs and offer new ways to help.
3. Talent Management — Without customers and great employees, there is no business to plan for. Be detailed and purposeful about the people you are onboarding now. You will have opportunities to hire new and diverse talent to meet new challenges and correct business vulnerabilities uncovered by the pandemic. 4. Culture — When you have a compelling purpose people can rally around and believe in, you can quickly get aligned and overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Culture can set you apart, help you retain and attract top talent, and make customers proud to work with you.
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The Voice of Craft Brands
The beer guys How Sanitas Brewing is taking its game (and market) to the next level
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By MJ Pallerino
It began innocently enough, as some stories go. Two guys, a dream, nights of hashing out a business plan, and owls. Oh, that last part is true. During the evenings when Michael Memsic and Chris Coyne were hustling by day and brewing by night, they kept noticing owls watching over them. If the story seems like something out of Jordan Peele movie, you may or may not be in the ballpark. Their dream—that liquid Memsic as they refer to it—drove them to create a brand that the people of Boulder, Colorado (the whole state, really) love. Those owls. Well, they adopted their feathered friends’ look, adorned with the Brewer’s Star—a representation of malted barley, grain, hops, water, yeast and the brewer; six elemental ingredients in the frothy beverage we all love—and created Sanitas Brewing. Pre-pandemic, they built a team of bold, spirited and adventurous individuals working together to deliver a beverage (and tap room) that their Rocky Mountains neighbors love. In the midst of the pandemic, they are still working together on the plan to keep the dream alive— and succeeding, thank you very much. We sat down with Michael Memsic, co-founder and CEO of Sanitas, to talk about how is branding is making a difference in the Colorado market—pandemic and all— and why branding what you love matters.
What are some of the adjustments you made with/to your business model surrounding the recent state of events? This ends up being a pretty big topic for us here at Sanitas. I think that in times of crisis, the entrepreneurial spirit really comes alive in individuals, and we have acted fast and aggressively throughout this crazy time. We started by laying off over 50% of our staff and stopping all brewing. During those early weeks, we applied for every federal grant we could find, and were very lucky to get the help to keep us afloat and bring our staff back to 100%. We even added a handful of team members. During the first weeks of shutdown, we also turned our delivery van into an “adult ice cream truck.” We were driving around town, playing ice cream music through our new PA and selling six packs directly to the homes of the people of Boulder. This was a little bit of fun for our community and helped to keep the lights on at the brewery. After we were asked by LED (liquor enforcement division of Colorado) to shut this down, as we were technically violating a grey area rule, we looked to our next opportunity to pivot with a focus on expanding our patio and outdoor serving options. Understanding that social distancing is a key and being outside is the safest way to interact in public, we wanted to push ourselves to create the best possible environment for simply enjoying a beer with family and friends. We have increased our outdoor seating to safely accommodate close to 200 guests.
We also have built an outdoor bar out of a shipping container to better safely serve our customers when they are outside. In short, we are trying to be creative every day to find ways to keep our business moving forward and contribute to our community in the most positive way possible.
What kind of engagement are you having with your customers? It has been a challenge to navigate, especially as it feels like doing the right thing in this COVID world is a moving target. In our Tap Room, we are doing our best to pay attention to local and national guidelines and recommendations, and are looking to take an aggressive stance on the safety of our guests and staff above revenue. We are trying to engage with our customers digitally and through options such as takeout and delivery, and continuing to service as many of our accounts (liquor stores and restaurants) as we can. We are big proponents of masks and handwashing here, and we keep looking for smart ways to continue to contribute to keeping our community safe.
What role should a brand play in being a leader in a distressed market? This year has demonstrated how crazy and unstable things can become within a very short period of time. I think that brands and companies have an opportunity to step up as leaders within their communities when the stability of society, let alone the market is weakened. As everyone is trying to navigate this ever-changing world, there is a unique opportunity to take a stand and put a stake in the ground for what we believe in.
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Sanitas
I am proud of the decisions we have made during the past few months. We have not been perfect, and we have made mistakes along the way, but we are fighting for our brand with a perspective on others. I hope this opportunity will continue to create the change for good that we are seeing around our country right now. When I talk about these changes in stability and opportunities to do better, I am referring to both the handling of COVID and our awareness and contribution to organizations like Black Lives Matter.
What is the best piece of advice you can offer to others in how to deal with these unthinkable times? Try to keep your head on straight. Take it one step—one thing you can change—at a time. Select a specific focus and be aggressive, and then move on to your next challenge. Throughout it all, give grace to yourself, your team and your community. It is hard for everyone right now. Remembering to be aware of others I believe will help all of us recover as well as possible.
Boulder is full of dreamers who are putting in the hard work to achieve their dreams—whether that is on the mountain bike, a startup, in a kitchen, on skis, or beyond. Give us a snapshot of today’s craft spirits market from your perspective. I think craft beer is going to survive this craziness with relative grace. I believe we will see a lot more closures than openings in the coming months for the first time in a very long time, but from an overall numbers perspective, I think we will be alright. Not great, but alright through these times.
What’s likely to happen next? Closures of some smaller guys. Unfortunately, I think some of the smaller brewers that function very similarly to a bar or restaurant will be hurt by the closures. If you are a Tap Room first company, and you don’t have many options for cans or patio space, I can only imagine what you are up against now. I think we will see a continuation of consolidation of medium to large brewers. I think we will see groups like
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Sanitas
Canarchy continue to have success and grow their portfolios, as this seems to be a very strategic and smart way to grow your brand(s). And finally, I think we will continue to see growth of local or even hyper local. We saw a big boom in local coming out of the last recession and I think we will see another boom of this type of decision-making from the consumer moving forward.
What trends are defining the space? Other than Seltzer, Slushy and oneoff beers are at least getting a lot of attention. I am ready for beer-flavored beer to come back with a vengeance.
What is your brand story? Sanitas Brewing is a Tap Room first brewery with a focus on IPAs, sours and lagers. We believe in our community and the power of good beer to bring people together. We want to contribute to making Boulder and
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I no longer believe in the concept of, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” I believe, especially with marketing, that if it isn’t broke, it might be very soon.
JULY 2020
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Colorado a better place to live and visit, all while having a great time. Sanitas came into existence thanks to personal passion, a community of people coming together, and a lot of hustle. Boulder is full of dreamers who are putting in the hard work to achieve their dreams—whether that is on the mountain bike, a startup, in a kitchen, on skis, or beyond. The hustle and passion of this community are what gave us the courage to create Sanitas in the first place, and continues to sustain us every day. We strive to give back to the community by supporting others in their pursuit of dreams and passions. Whether it is hosting bike groups every week after their ride, yoga in the brewhouse, Boulder Startup week events, or just providing the location for important planning/plotting meetings over a beer and tacos, we want
Sanitas
to be a place and a brand that supports everyone in their hustle and efforts to pursue their passions.
Walk us through your branding strategy. The biggest component of our branding is our logo of the Owl. We decided early on that we wanted to use an owl. Chris— (Coyne) my business partner, co-founder and head of brewing operations—and I both had owls living close to our homes. Before working on the business plan for Sanitas, neither of us was aware of these owls. During the many days, weeks and months of working on the plan, we spent a lot of late nights sitting outside dreaming of the future. And we always seemed to have an owl or two nearby. Because of these experiences, we knew we had to have an owl as part of our business. We selected the Athenian Owl, traditional of ancient Greece, as our logo because we loved the look and feel and how it tied our business plan days to the future. Today, we make sure this image is present on everything we do. We want the owl to be large and present on our cans and in all of our marketing materials. We have many other extensions on our branding that include brighteye popping colors and a connection with the outdoors, but the Owl remains the centerpiece of our branding.
What’s the biggest issue today related to the marketing/sales side of your business? It is the sheer number of breweries. It has become harder and harder to make noise and remain relevant
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in this fast-paced industry. So many of the consumers are looking for the “flavor of the week,” so to speak, and there is a lot less loyalty today than five to 10 years ago. Most of these challenges fall within the off-premise buying environment.
It has become harder and harder to make noise and remain relevant in this fastpaced industry. So many of the consumers are looking for the “flavor of the week,” so to speak, and there is a lot less loyalty today than five to 10 years ago.
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don’t fix it.” I believe, especially with marketing, that if it isn’t broke, it might be very soon.
From a marketing perspective, the fast paced changes with social media, and how customers interact with apps and websites continues to be a challenge to keep up with, let alone stay ahead of. I tip my hat to the companies executing this side of their business, as in my opinion, they deserve a ton of credit.
What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?
I know that “authenticity” gets thrown around a lot in branding, but it really has been our guiding principle. We have plenty of real stories and inspirations—whether it is from the ingredients in our beer, the styles we are making, or from our team, we have plenty to work with. It just requires the time and patience to do the digging and tell the real story.
Continuing to expand our patio and give our customers a great experience outside in a safe manner. I believe this COVID era will come to an end at some point, but I believe it has made an impact on how we will live and behave in public for years to come. We believe we have created a space that will remain relevant for that future consumer. What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now? Getting everyone on our team rowing in the same direction. We have some new faces and are making some new big hires in the [future]. That change is always a lot of fun, but getting everyone on the same page quickly is never as easy as it looks.
What is the one thing every craft beer brand should be doing in the way of marketing?
What is the first thing your brand plans to do when we get back to some sense of normalcy?
Try something new as often as possible. At least have the emotional openness to shake it up every few months. I no longer believe in the concept of, “If it’s not broke,
Throw a party. Drink beers with our community to celebrate that we are all strong and can handle the shit show that has been 2020.
What is the secret to creating a branding story consumers can buy into?
Sitting down with … Michael Memsic co-founder and CEO of Sanitas What is the most rewarding part of your job? People and community. I got into this industry in 2002 because I had fallen in love with a liquid. I committed the next 10-plus years to learning everything I could before opening Sanitas out of a pure love for a liquid and the industry that liquid created. Today, it is community. I think about the micro community of our employees, investors and ex-employees. I then think about our super fans and regulars who keep the lights on every day. Finally, I think about the craft makers, not just brewers, and the people of the town of Boulder and the state of Colorado. I feel so fortunate and proud to be a contributor to these communities.
What was the best advice you ever received? Don’t forget to have fun. Like all businesses, things
get tricky, numbers get daunting, and it can get really serious, so I do my best to remember that this is fun. This is my dream. And it is beer, not brain surgery or cancer research.
What is the best thing a customer ever said to you? Are you accepting investors?
What is your favorite brand story? Patagonia. I believe in the product and the company. I feel they are a leader within their industry, politics, the environment and the world. They are a company that takes risks and puts their values before all else. They take a stand on matters and that is something I aspire to emulate.
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business
By Dr. Cindy McGovern
Before you ask, listen The key to more sales is to know where and why the process begins
The hardest part for anyone selling anything is asking for the sale. Even experienced, professional sales reps sometimes let potentially good customers slip away because they are too timid to come right out and ask for what they want. The reason, most often, is that the seller feels like he or she is imposing on the buyer, or is asking for too much, or might be rejected. Train your team to overcome their fear of asking. But first, teach them how to listen.
Create a win-win The way to get to “yes” is to carefully listen to your customer, whether you are trying to sell another beer to a patron, a bigger order to a restaurant or liquor store, or an invitation to come back to work to an employee who is reluctant to venture out of the house, even with a facemask. Most people will say “yes” to an offer or a request if they feel like they are going to get something out of it. The way to know what that is to listen for it. Say a regular stops by after work with a pandemic-weary friend who is beyond ready to relax at an outdoor table on a warm summer evening and enjoy a couple of cold ones. Your waiter recognizes the regular and greets him by name, and then introduces herself to the friend. The regular just received something he wanted: Who does not revel in those Norm Peterson (come on “Cheers” fans) moments when the staff at a favorite hangout knows his name—and he has a friend along to witness it? And after just a minute or two of chit-chat, the waiter might learn that the friend is tired of the same old beer he
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has been drinking while sheltering in place, and is ready for something new. Here is an opportunity for a whole bunch of sales. First, pitch a flight of your brewery’s newest ales to the friend, who will appreciate her response to his same-oldthing complaint. Second, the regular will probably give the flight a try, too. If the waiter offers, the pair might take a growler or two of the new brews home with them. And both will be back—perhaps with additional friends—before long. Your server is just doing her job. But in this scenario, she is doing it especially well because she is not simply taking orders, filling them and hoping the customers will be pleased. Instead, she is listening to what her customers want and need, and she is giving them that. It is a win-win.
Be chatty Another thing your server did right was engage her customers in a conversation and take a genuine interest in hearing what they had to say. If a customer notes that he enjoyed the stout he just drank because of its chocolate notes, the server should not simply say, “I’m glad you liked it.” Instead, she should hear it as a sales opportunity, and ask, “Can I get you
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another one?” Even better, she can offer something new: “Do you want to try our porter? Chocolate lovers order it all the time.” And the next time that customer comes in, the server might even bring him a dessert menu. The idea is to hear what the customer likes and then give more of it. Train your staff to ask questions, make small talk and pay attention.
Expect a “yes” Employees who are reluctant to ask for more business often say they fear they will hear a “no.” They assume they will be embarrassed or tonguetied or defensive. But there is no reason for that. In fact, if the “ask” is for something the employee has discovered the customer wants anyway, the answer will most likely be “yes.” If it is not, though, what is the worst that can happen? A punch in the nose? An angry lecture? A customer lost forever? Of course not. “No” just means the customer does not want what you are selling. So train your employees to try to sell something else—something the customer does want—or to thank the customer for coming in. When you train your non-sales staff in selling, this is one of the most-important lessons. Employees who do not ask for the sale will not make the sale. Those who do will, occasionally, hear a “no.” Even so, it is worth asking, just in case the customer says “yes.”
ordering our vegetable dishes for some reason. Porter’s probably too heavy for grilled vegetables.” Then, the driver can offer an amber ale or a German-style lager that might pair better with the lighter fare. In this case, the driver’s Plan B in case of a “no” was to probe deeper to learn the reason for it. And his follow-up very well could end in the sale of an alternative product. Part 2 is similar: If the customer rejects your first offer, make a second one. Is there a different, better-suited product? For example, a manager who invites the brewery staff back to work after a months-long furlough might hear “no” from some employees who feel safer staying at home.
Gratitude is one of your staff’s mostimportant sales tools. Customers who do not buy what you are selling today have still spent their time listening to your pitch and considering your product.
Plan for a “no” Even though a customer’s answer is often “yes,” it is worthwhile for employees to plan for what they will do when they hear a “no.” The plan should have three parts: Part 1 is to find out why the customer said “no,” if it is easy to steer the conversation in that direction. Say you have trained your delivery driver to ask for another sale every time he drops a case of beer off at a restaurant. He asks the owner: “How are the ribs selling? We have got a smoky new imperial porter that would go great with that dish. Can I bring you a case to try out next week?” The owner says, “Not right now.” The driver can follow up: “Not selling many ribs?” Just asking that question could get him a better answer: “No, since we’ve reopened, more people are
Instead of hiring replacements, the manager might be able to “sell” those employees on coming back to work by assigning them tasks that they can work on from home. Or she could stagger the employees’ hours so very few of them are at work at one time. She could reassign a public-facing employee, like a bartender, to the brewery, where customers never venture. “No” often does not mean “no matter what.” Figure out how to overcome the customer’s objections, and a “no” to this could become a “yes” to that. Part 3 of the plan involves thanking the customer, whether the answer was “yes” or “no.” Gratitude is one of your staff’s most-important sales tools. Customers who do not buy what you are selling today have still spent their time listening to your pitch and considering your product. And they could be back tomorrow for something else. Thank every customer you meet, no matter how much or how little money has changed hands. And follow up later, when you introduce a product that you know will be just the thing that customer wants. Asking does not have to be scary, but it does have to be the cornerstone of any brewery’s sales effort.
Dr. Cindy McGovern is known as the “First Lady of Sales.” She speaks and consults internationally on sales, interpersonal communication and leadership, and is the author of the Wall Street Journal best seller “Every Job Is a Sales Job: How to Use the Art of Selling to Win at Work.”” Dr. Cindy is the CEO of Orange Leaf Consulting, a sales management and consulting firm in San Francisco.
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leadership
By Melanie Parish
The way forward 5 tips to help you lead and experiment in today's changing landscape
These are crazy times. As a leader, during COVID 19 (any crisis) it can be hard to find your feet—hard to feel confident you are on the right path. You may feel inadequate, unsure and out of your depth. That is to be expected. This is leadership like we have never seen before. So many businesses are closed or trying to find new ways of doing things. I believe almost every organization feels like a start-up right now. Uncertain times need new kinds of leadership. We do not have the answers, only questions, and still we are asked to be leaders. Being experimental in your leadership approach will help you try things, learn from them, and figure out your next experiment. These five tips will help you find a new center for yourself as a leader.
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No. 1 — You are not responsible It should go without saying, but this is not your fault. This is a global challenge that does not have clear answers. Your people may want you to have answers, but you will not and you cannot. They will want certainty about their jobs, their income and their lives. You cannot promise them the future. Encourage them to do their job today
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and let them know you have compassion, but cannot be the answer to their future. Give up being an all knowing leader and be human. Practice compassion and be collaborative to help your team makes sense of the crazy.
No. 2 — Get bad news out of the way fast If you have layoffs and reorgs to do, do it quickly. Make a plan—even if it is a bad plan and clear this from your “to do” list. You will be a better leader with clarity. Kudos if you can be compassionate while you do it. There are some businesses that will not survive this. Do not hide your head in the sand like an ostrich. Embrace information and communication, even if it is bad news. Work on being a good leader in bad times. Figure out what being a good leader means to you. Kindness goes along way when you are delivering bad news.
As an experimental leader, it is important that you stay engaged in the struggle of leadership. Try and fail and dust yourself off. No. 3 — Think about timelines What is important one week from now? What is important one month from now? What is important one year from now? Some organizations need to be extending their timeline (How will we emerge from this crisis?) while others are busy changing to meet day to day needs (What do our customers need today?). Make sure to orient your thinking daily and consider multiple time frames. Make time to consider your leadership path before you face a day of decision making and are faced with the feelings and challenges of others. Find your own true north as a leader.
No. 4 — Be kind and firm Your team members may be spinning and scared. Be empathetic and then ask them to get back to their jobs and produce good work. Having meaningful work is a privilege in these times and you can ask them to be
achievers right now—today. You can deliver grounded-ness and purpose as long as they are working. There can be compassion for the challenges they face (kids at home, new environment, etc.), but do not let them off the hook. They are being paid to provide work. Your insistence on them delivering work is part of the work of leadership right now.
No. 5 — Practice extreme self-care You are your own strongest asset. Experiment to strengthen your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Reach for the salad and smoothies instead of the martinis and chocolate cake. Exercise. Sleep. Meditate if that works for you. Journal or sit and think. Pause. Ask for help and love from friends. Schedule a virtual happy hour with friends or colleagues. Try and go deeper than you ever have before with your self-care. You have never needed to care for yourself as you do today. Experiment with giving yourself what you need. You will get through this. You will learn from this. You will do your best and you will do your worst in this. As an experimental leader, it is important that you stay engaged in the struggle of leadership. Try and fail and dust yourself off. Figure out the change you want to see and what the barriers are. Figure out an experiment. Collect data. Figure out what you just learned. Ask, “What is my next experiment?” Go experiment again.
Melanie Parish is a public speaker, author, and Master Coach. An expert in problem solving, constraints management, operations and brand development, Melanie has consulted and coached organizations ranging from the Fortune 50 to IT start-ups. She is the author of “The Experimental Leader: Be A New Kind of Boss to Cultivate an Organization of Innovators.” For more information, visit www.melanieparish.com and connect with her on Twitter, @melanieparish.
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It’s easier to sell during a pandemic if everyone on your staff is selling Every one of your employees, from the brewmaster to the cellar workers, can and should be selling for your craft brewery. Does your team know how to spot an opportunity to sell? Do they know what to say when the opportunity presents itself? In the Wall Street Journal best-selling business book Every Job Is a Sales Job, Dr. Cindy—also known as the First Lady of Sales—motivates your entire team, even non-sales employees, to bring in new business and nurture the customers you already have.
Visit www.DrCindy.com and get Every Job Is a Sales Job for your employees today. Use promo code CRAFT to get a special bonus with purchase. To contact Dr. Cindy for a personal consultation, visit www.OrangeLeafConsulting.com.
Dr. Cindy McGovern