Rocks Are Hard

Double Forte Acquires The Barn Group

Well I haven't attended this blog in a long time, but have exciting news to share.

Double Forte has acquired long-term partner agency The Barn Group, a specialty artisan wine and food public relations and marketing services firm!

Together, Double Forte and The Barn Group bring deep expertise in large-scale national food and beverage companies as well as in smaller, artisan wine and food companies to offer exceptional experience from both worlds to our growing list of clients.

The Barn Group was founded by Managing Director Maggie Zeman in 2006; it will maintain its headquarters in Healdsburg, Calif. and will also have offices at Double Forte's HQ in San Francisco.

Maggie and her team have built a stellar reputation for The Barn Group with boutique wineries, wine organizations and food companies throughout Northern California.  She is a brilliant strategist, an amazing client advocate, and a consumate communications professional.  The Barn Group is a perfect complement to Double Forte's Food & Bev practice. 

I've known Maggie Zeman for a long time -- first as a competitor, then as a client, then as a colleague at Red Whistle, then as a partner firm and now as a partner.  

Frankly we've looked at partnering with many boutique firms in the last year or so and The Barn Group is the first to pass the Double Forte sniff test:

1.  "Do we have complementary work styles, ethics and priorities?"
2.  "Can we help each other?"
3.  "Will our businesses be stronger together?"
4. "Will we have fun together?"

I'm sure these are not in the right order, but they work for us! The Barn Group is in and already our clients are benefitting from the added expertise on both sides of the business.

I'm thrilled that Maggie and her team are part of the Double Forte family and we look forward to a great future together.

I invite you to check out The Barn Group at www.barngroup.com.

Cheers! 

 

Hire a Waiter or a Bartender

Recruiting is a tricking business in the best of times -- add the situation we live in today and it's even nuttier. Definetely an art form, not a science (no matter what anyone tells you). 

At Double Forte we've tried many different processes to recruit great people. Today we have a bit of a different approach that takes into account the situation we find ourselves in today.

• No one with 10 years of experience: for one thing there are VERY few people in our biz with 8-12 years of experience -- why? because almost no one got hired between mid-2000 and mid-2004 --so there's a big, 5 year donut hole in the talent pool)
• More people want to manage than want to work (don't get me started)
• An abundance of people who feel certain types of work is below them
• A tidal wave of applicants who want their career handed to them

.... to name a few. 

So we look outside the check list of traditional requirements to find that special person that fits our purpose.  And we're down to this:

• Does the person have a lean-forward, can-do attitude. Does their current situation prove it?
• Can the person write two sentences, one after the other, that convey a powerful thought with proper spelling and grammar? (I assure you this rule DQs a large percentage of people)
• If it's a higher level position - what does the person bring to the table to augment what we already have? 
• Does the candidate exhibit initiative?
• Teamplayer? Yes or No. 

This net -- with weird-shaped holes -- catches a lot of great candidates...  for other jobs.

Then the last filter -- BIG BONUS points if they've been a waitress or bar tender and put it on their resume.   (See this great New York Times profile of Amy Astley of Teen Vogue "Always Be Proud to list 'Waitress' On Your Resume). When you have to live and die (or pay rent or eat ramen) based on tips, you learn SERVICE the hard way...and it doesn't leave you.

 Who gets through is a special  breed - our breed.

Our herd is getting larger, one special person at a time. 

Might you? Yeah, I might. Now What?

In the first installment of Strong Word Choices or As the Word Turns or Words That Get You Closure... we address the auxilliary verb "Might." (Not to be confused with the noun to indicate power or physical strength which is perfectly fine and don't we all wish we could use more regularly that way!)

Let's stop using the word "might" as an auxilliary verb.  In fact auxiliary verbs should be avoided altogether because they are what? Auxiliary – support, used in case the real word is not available.

Why? When used in a question might is extremely weak.

Why? Because if the person actually ANSWERS your question you do not have an action – you don’t know if you can get what you want.

And here’s an example:

Bob: Might you have some time? 

Ellen: Yeah I might.

Bob: I thought you had some time…

Ellen: Yeah, I told you I might, I didn’t say I did.  You didn’t ask me if I did, you asked me if I might, and I might, but I don’t know.

Bob: Well do you have time?

Ellen: No

 And another example:

Sue: Might you be interested in meeting with Joe?

Joe: I might be.

And then you have to go back and say:

Sue: When might you be available?

Joe: I might be available at 2 on Monday.

 Then at 2 on Monday.

Waiting waiting waiting.

 Sue: I thought you said you were available on Monday at 2?

Joe: No I said I might be available at 2 on Monday – but in the end I wasn’t. Didn’t sound like you actually needed me.

 Sue: So are you available?

Joe: No. (or yes)

Ask the stronger question to get a definitive answer faster – regardless of intention.

 

As an ANSWER, might doesn't help us either, as it does not get the asker any closer to closure than before the question was posed.

Megan: Bill are you available at 4pm on Tuesday to discuss taxes?

Bill: I might be.

Now we're into an email volley that clogs up space and suspends progress in limbo.

Better from Bill: Right now I'm tentative at that time. Let me see if I can move that meeting. I will get back to you if I can or I will propose other times by 5pm today.

Answering a question and the intent of the question moves the ball down the field with fewer plays and more time on the clock.

That is all. 

 

Showing Up is More Than Showing Up

I was at someone else's meeting last week that was a disaster...complete and utter disaster.  The meeting was called, calendars (of busier people than me!) were cleared, an agenda was sent, but only a few people showed up.

We were all there in person, but only half the group was there --  prepared, ready to participate, and with an intention to collaborate.  They showed up but didn't.

Made even worse by the fact that the meeting convener didn't show up either. I mean really.

It would have been better for him to cancel the meeting than actually hold it when he wasn't prepared.  Instead of an empty 2 hours on the calendar, now he has at least 4 people who won't bother showing up (in any sense of the word) next time.

Show up. Come prepared -- read the material, know why the hell you're in the room, have a point of view, at least come with your calendar so that you can discuss schedules. 

Don't waste your time. Don't waste mine either.

 

(p.s. you can buy this tshirt at zazzle)

 

 

 

Drive A Stake Through Bad Ideas

"There are no bad ideas."

This is an excellent way to start a brainstorm -- because ALL ideas can be built upon, and sometimes the worst ideas spawn genius.

However.

Ideas that are "fun" and "will get results" but don't drive to a postive long term conclusion are "bad" ideas -- not (necessarily) because they're "stupid" or "dumb," but because they don't trigger the action you need to succeed.  

So before you go off and pursue things that will work (but won't work for you) -- pull the string through on the idea.  Where will it lead you if you're successful? Will it drive the action that you require? Or will it just add fluff and noise or drive action to someone else?

Bad ideas of all types need to be killed and killed fast, or they'll keep resurfacing and throwing people off track. (Read  here for more on being really busy and getting nowhere.)

 

And Then We Wave The Magic Wand

Planning is important -- not because anything ever goes to plan, but because (for one thing) it charts out a desired result and the steps you need to take in an ideal world to get there.  Good planning should also include several escape hatches if what you think will happen along the way does not occur.

When you've thought out what you want and how to get there, then dealing with the guaranteed variables along the route is easier to manage.

However -- no plan should rely on "...and then we wave the magic wand" -- EVER.  

It worked for Cinderella and Dorothy, but the fairy God Mother and the Good Witch are busy and can't be counted on to show up for you.