Leadership vs Management

Embracing your inner Clark Kent

I was researching some information about what characteristics are found in good leaders when I found an old (2001) article published by the Harvard Business Review. (Click here to see the original article)

As I was reading, I kept asking myself, “am I a leader or a manager?”

This question was quickly followed by, “Does it matter, and if so…why?”

In my role as president of ThirsTea Corporation, I had always viewed my position as “leader.” I mean executing the big-picture, long-range plan for our company (as laid out by the owners of the company, of which I am one,) squarely falls on my shoulders. We (the owners) have a goal for where we want to be one year, three years, five years and ten years from today. And as president, it’s my job to make sure we get there.

I can clearly see the vision in my head. I know where we will be at this time next year. I know the steps we need to take to make sure we get to our goals. I’ve got a great team in place to help make sure everything gets done on time, and correctly.

But according to the HBR article, there are great managers who never become leaders. So again, am I a leader or a manager, and does it matter?

One of the contributing professors used the analogy of “Clark Kent” vs. “Superman”. Clark seemed to be the embodiment of the manager, taking care of the day-to-day stuff and interacting with people on a daily basis. Superman,obviously, was the role model for leadership. He stood for something (truth, justice and the American way) even when he was just standing there with his hands on his hips looking towards the heavens.

Of course the two were actually one in the same. There is no Clark Kent without Superman. Does that mean you can’t be a good leader without being a good manager? Maybe. Although I am sure there are plenty of examples out there of good leaders who were ordinary, or perhaps terrible, managers.

Personally, I’m not quite sure I am there as a good leader yet. I show promise, and I am confident I will get there someday. The cape is in my wardrobe; I’ll wear it one day.

For now…for now I’ll be happy as a mild mannered manager. (One who is apparently amused with alliteration.)

Bonus Question:

Obviously I had to go with the Superman theme for today’s question.

Superman’s Kryptonian name was Kal-el. His cousin, Supergirl, also had a Kryptonian name. What was it?

IT'S A CLEANSING MOMENT OF CLARITY

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with several chain restaurant operators recently. IFMA (International Foodservice Manufacturers Association) puts on an annual event called COEX (Chain Operators EXchange Forum).

COEX is a great way to meet and network with lots of industry personnel. Whether or not you successfully pitch a product, the chance to start a dialog and have a conversation with someone (not just a company), is worth the price of admission.

Of course there are the Keynote speakers, the white paper discussions, the industry panel discussions and an awards ceremony, but the real value of COEX (for me) was getting to talk with other manufacturers and operators about the industry.

The foodservice industry faces several large, looming obstacles. Ever increasing requirements under “Food Safety” have several manufacturers scrambling to hire new personnel just to handle the required paperwork.

On the operator side of the industry, new menu disclosure requirements, including caloric content and sodium levels, threaten to disrupt a chef’s creative ability in the kitchen. Instead of creating dishes based on overall taste, or flavor integration, chef’s stand to be limited to certain calorie ranges and sodium content. To me, this is just plain silly…anyone who’s ever cooked knows that salt (whether for good or bad) just makes stuff taste BETTER.

Another hot topic of discussion was the use of social media in our industry. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I could talk for HOURS about why the foodservice manufacturing industry should embrace social media more than it has to date.

Operators, for the most part, have figured out social media. Better said, operators have figured out that “investing” in a social media marketing campaign is a relatively inexpensive way to reach and connect with your customers. More than once, I heard one operator ask another about Groupon…was it a worthwhile campaign. Not being an operator, or someone who has used Groupon to try and “sell” anything, I can’t personally attest to the effectiveness of a Groupon campaign. What I can say is, after hearing some of the stories being told, I would never utilize them as part of my overall social media marketing strategy.

Over the course of a few days, I got to talk to some great restaurant operators. As my travels allow, I will be dining in their establishments. Why? Because thru the art of communication, I now feel connected to them on a personal level. It has nothing to do with a supplier/purchaser relationship. We talked; we shared stories; we started a “relationship.”

This industry, like most businesses, is about relationships. And relationships can only be formed if you take the time to talk to someone. In a recent post, Seth Godin talked about attending the TED conference and not remembering a single presentation. The reason why? He didn’t attend any. His most memorable moments were the one-on-one conversations with people. (Want to read his entire post, click here)

For me, COEX (like other industry trade events) is about the conversations that take place during the beverage breaks, at lunch, or even during the cocktail hour. These chats can foster new relationships and strengthen existing ones. They allow you to connect with other individuals without the 140-character limit of Twitter or text messages.

Unlike Seth, I am not suggesting you skip the speeches, seminars or break out sessions. The speakers and panelists are sharing some important information, and even if you only glean a few salient points, this “insider” information could help your organization save (or earn) money…usually far more money than the cost of the event.

The foodservice industry is not the social media industry.

There are several foodservice “experts” who can legitimately claim the title of expert. The information they share during their presentations may not change the face of my business, but I have learned from their insight.

For example, Jon Luther (Dunkin Brands), at an IFMA President’s Conference, shared personal insight on rebuilding a brand…taking Dunkin’ Donuts from “It’s time to make the donuts” to “America runs on Dunkin’”. We don’t have the budget he had, but we face a lot of the same issues. I took away some great ideas from his speech, but more importantly it gave me an opportunity to approach him and talk to him one-on-one afterwards.

Do I hold any aspirations that Mr. Luther remembers me? No. But not only do I remember him, I learned from his experience and knowledge. I can’t say I started a “relationship” with him, but I am inclined to frequent his stores more often.

I guess my point is, regardless of your industry, take advantage of the industry conferences and use the networking time to do just that…network.

BONUS QUESTION:

What 1976 movie featured Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall, and Ned Beatty? Hint: The blog title is taken from one of the movie's useless quotes. This should be a gimme, but if not…click here for the answer.

I'M IN PASADENA AND YOU'RE NOT...

I am in Pasadena, California. Actually, as I type this entry I am winging my way across Texas en-route to Pasadena. I wish I could say I was there to sell some iced tea concentrates (and indirectly I guess I could say that), but the truth is…

I’m here attending an industry conference called Top 2 Top. The Foodservice Marketers Association, or FSMA, hosts the conference, which takes place over a couple of days…this year in the VERY beautiful Langham Huntington Hotel, Pasadena.

Top 2 Top is a networking event designed to bring foodservice manufacturers (me) and foodservice marketers (we call them brokers) together to discuss challenges and opportunities facing our industry.

This is the first time I have been invited to the event, so I am not quite sure what to expect. All I can say is that spending a few days in Pasadena with foodservice industry veterans is a pretty good gig, and I consider myself very lucky.

Of course, one of the items I am most interested in discussing is the use of social media in our industry. More and more of the foodservice industry is heading online, which I believe is a good thing. But are we heading online simply to BE online? Or, are we being effective in our social media efforts?

Obviously, there are some foodservice companies and brands that are doing well in the social media universe. And of course there are some that maintain an online presence and do nothing with it.

My company (ThirsTea Corp) has only scratched the surface on our social media strategy. There is a lot we still need to do to try and engage our customers online. Eventually we will get there, but I am cautious to make sure our online efforts support our traditional marketing efforts.

Top 2 Top is about more than just industry networking and my social media queries. It is yet another chance for the foodservice industry to meet and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our industry.

It’s no secret that the foodservice industry has been hit hard by the country’s economic situation. The industry has been affected by rising ingredient and packaging costs, high labor costs, and relatively low margins.

Manufacturers have had to absorb rising ingredient and packaging costs over the last two years, afraid to pass those costs on for fear of losing portions of our client base. We have had to deal with rising distribution costs in the form of higher outbound freight. And, our cost to market our products to foodservice operators has increased as well.

As a result, manufacturers have had to get creative in finding ways to reduce costs and/or become more efficient in our ordering, warehousing and manufacturing processes.

In our very specific niche of the foodservice beverage industry, we have started seeing signs of economic improvement…slow, small signs that the financial health of our industry (and also that of the country) is starting to improve.

Over the next few days it will be interesting to see if others in my industry have seen similar improvements in their segments, or maybe my optimism is just filtering my perception like light thru a prism.

In any event…I’m in Pasadena and you’re not.

Bonus question:

I promised an Arnold question, but the fact that I am in Pasadena could not be overlooked…so…

“The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” was recorded in 1964, by Jan and Dean. How high up did it get on the charts? Don’t know the answer? No worries. Just click here for the answer.

THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS

I’m back in South Florida after spending a few days in Fresno, California. As much as I enjoy visiting the valley, and eating at some VERY cool restaurants, I am always excited to make that turn over the Atlantic Ocean right before touching down.

This time, “touchdown” occurred in West Palm Beach, so I was treated to a beautiful view of The Breakers Hotel and some of the Palm Beach Mansions. If you find yourself in Palm Beach, make sure you do the drive over to the island and down the coast past Mar-A-Lago, Donald Trump’s Palm Beach residence. It’s not the biggest in town, but it is one of the nicest.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was in California to ensure our ThirsTea® concentrate flavor profiles are consistent among the various formulas and packaging options we offer. We want to make sure that our customers get the same glass of iced tea whether they utilize our bag-in-the box concentrate, our 4x1 gallon program, or our 4oz high-yield product line.

Since taking over the company in 2009, we haven’t had the opportunity to undertake this task until now. However, I am going to recommend we do this once a year. The project allowed us to try all our products. Believe it or not, that doesn’t get to happen very often.

Don’t get me wrong, we drink lots of our iced tea, but it’s typically our 4oz high-yield line. We don’t often get the opportunity to try all our products side-by-side with each other. The experience was not just helpful, it allowed us to catch a minor discrepancy in one of our formulations and make the changes necessary to standardize all our flavor profiles.

After, as my management team was discussing the day’s events, I began thinking about how what we had just done, with tangible products, is very similar to what many of you social media marketers do on a daily basis with your intangible ideas and blogs.

You develop. You launch. You market. You monitor and evaluate. You modify and repeat.

Each step is important by itself. But to be successful, you need to incorporate ALL parts. The same is true in the Foodservice Beverage industry.

You can develop THE BEST shelf-stable orange juice concentrate. One that tastes like FRESH SQUEEZED Florida orange juice, but if you don’t launch it, or let people know it is out there and available, you won’t sell a box. (I have friends that have accomplished this feat, and it is the BEST tasting concentrate I have tried. This product will significantly change the juice portion of our industry.)

Once you’ve taken those preliminary steps of manufacturing and launching your product, if you don’t monitor the effectiveness of your launch (or marketing strategy) and evaluate what is working (or not) your product sales could stall, or worse disappear.

Those of you who have written books based off your blog postings and have tried (or are still trying) to market and sell them, probably understand this process better than anyone.

I am sure each of your marketing campaigns is tracked and regularly analyzed to determine which programs have been successful and which need improvement. Right?

When you started the process of writing, didn’t you feel like THAT was the most important task? You wanted to get those thoughts on paper (figuratively speaking), and probably spent an enormous amount of time editing and rewriting. At some point during the process I am willing to bet you thought, “If I am able to effectively get my thoughts organized and written, this book will be a powerful tool and will help a lot of people.”

I’m also pretty certain that, at least up until the book went to print, you may have thought, “This book is going to sell thousands of copies simply because of the content I am providing to people.” (C’mon, at least one of my readers is a published author…)

But then the book is printed and you get ready for the initial launch. The butterflies start fluttering and you start wondering if what you’ve written is really THAT good.

About then, your publisher starts to kick in their marketing program…and you write a blog, post to your Facebook page, tweet about the book…monitor, evaluate…and sell.

It’s the same for us in the beverage world…although sometimes our butterflies feel like eagles (subtle shout-out to my American University family).

--My title is based on the 1987 Michael J. Fox movie. For bonus points, what was "Supergirl's" character name in the movie? Anyone...anyone...?

TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY

Last week was a tough week. I buried a very good friend.

She had been sick for a number of years, so her death was neither painful nor a surprise. Actually, when I say her passing wasn’t painful, I meant it wasn’t painful for her. For those that knew her, her death will leave a huge void in our lives.

As a result, I was off-line for a few days.

Upon returning home from the memorial services, I found myself trying to catch up on my job duties over at ThirsTea Corp, so my on-line presence has been limited…although I was able to participate in the #leadershipchat on Twitter this week (thanks @LisaPetrilli, @swoodroff and guest @Russell_Bishop).

Today, I find myself in Fresno, California. My executive management team and I are meeting with our strategic partner, evaluating flavor profiles for the iced tea concentrates we sell together in the foodservice industry. We are also discussing our joint marketing strategies for 2011.

As you might imagine (since you are reading this in an on-line blog), ThirsTea Corp. has allocated part of our marketing spend to social media and online marketing. While it is tough to quantitatively analyze the financial return on the marketing dollars spent online, we do realize there is a return (and it can be measured).

Since our primary business (and our partner’s primary business) is B2B and not B2C, it has been tough to convince them of the benefits of social media. I continue to remind them that conversations are happening; the conversations may not be about their company or brand, but there are conversations about the products they offer and companies they sell. Listening to the conversations can open new opportunities for them, IMHO.

I have also shared with them how our companies can use social media as a lead generation, specifically targeting segments of the foodservice industry.

So far, my arguments for a social media strategy have fallen on deaf ears. But, I’m certain they will eventually understand the importance of a well rounded and integrated marketing strategy that includes social media.

What are some ways other B2B companies are using social media? Within the social media spectrum, where would you recommend a B2B company place their focus…Facebook? Twitter? YouTube? Yelp! (Remember, we are a foodservice beverage company)…

And more importantly...who wants to try some iced tea?