{"id":1539,"date":"2017-09-29T18:06:16","date_gmt":"2017-09-30T01:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b-spoke.net\/?p=1539"},"modified":"2026-06-29T22:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:00:29","slug":"leadership-bbq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/2017\/09\/29\/leadership-bbq\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership Is a Dish Best Served"},"content":{"rendered":"
A Six-Minute Read<\/h6>\n

I volunteered at the Chamber of Commerce\u2019s barbecue fundraiser. Hoping to work the smoker, instead I was on the service line: \"people\"<\/a>when handed a plate with slaw and beans, I was to plop a scoop of barbecue and pass it to the teen who would drop a roll and butter on it, before it passed through cookies, napkins, and eventually to the diner. My reptilian consultant brain was overjoyed by the one-piece flow of it.<\/h3>\n

I was \u201ctrained\u201d by the guy I was replacing. \u201cHow much do I give them?\u201d I asked. \u201cOh, a good amount.\u201d Uh, thanks for clarity! When pressed, he added, \u201cI was told to give them a \u2018full ladle.\u2019\u201d<\/h3>\n

Turns out, all the ladles were different sizes. Gary, serving next to me, said, \u201cI like to give them a scoop about the size of an orange.\u201d To demonstrate, he held his hands grapefruit-width apart; his ladle was the size of a tangelo.<\/h3>\n

Rick, when bringing trays of meat from the smoker, would look over my shoulder and say, \u201cAw, you ought to give \u2018em more than that.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Patty, an excitable woman with nowhere near enough to do, would pop over and shout, \u201cEight ounces! Only give them eight ounces!\u201d Easy-peasy, Patty! Where\u2019s the scale?<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Jeff, from the \u201cMeat by the Pound\u201d booth would bounce over: \u201cI need one pound!\u201d, \u201cI need two pounds\u201d, and we\u2019d fill to-go containers with no sense how much we were dishing out.<\/h3>\n

Later, a man with a walkie-talkie and high-vis vest (the uniform of someone In Charge) watched me ladle out some meat. He leaned in: \u201cYou know that\u2019s too much, right? You really should use a ladle.\u201d In my most passive of passive-aggressiveness, I scooped the meat off the plate and back into the ladle \u2013 a perfect fit. \u201cDo better next time,\u201d he told me.<\/h3>\n

If you think this is about to become a parable for Why Standard Work Matters, think again.<\/p>\n

About three hours before the scheduled end (and long before the band was finished playing a marathon \u201cFly Like an Eagle\/I Will Survive\u201d medley), panic set in \u2013 we were running low on barbecue. Thirty minutes later, someone did the meat math and realized there was only enough to feed the pre-sold tickets still at Will Call.<\/h3>\n

Visi-Vest radioed the Ticket Booth to stop walk-up sales, and instructed me and Gary \u2013 \u201cNo more, except for Will Call.\u201d Immediately after he left, Patty walked up with four to-go boxes and \u201chad\u201d to have them filled for volunteer shift meals. Gary and I looked at each other \u2013 no other volunteers had eaten. Patty said she \u201chad\u201d to feed the people working so hard \u201cfor her\u201d.<\/h3>\n

Rick didn\u2019t help by walking up and sharing, \u201cOh, I \u2018spect it\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/h3>\n

One local hadn\u2019t finished her meal, so she asked a volunteer for a to-go box. Cathy, Patty\u2019s cranky doppelganger, suddenly appeared to snap at the teen: \u201cDon\u2019t give those away! Do you know how much they cost?\u201d<\/h3>\n

Gladys, also with a radio and in a high-vis vest, stormed the line to rant about the folks who still<\/u> had not picked up their tickets at Will Call (even though there was still a full two-and-a-half hours left in the event), and was in a desperate state. I suggested, \u201cWhy not pre-box the meals for them \u2013 at least the cold stuff \u2013 and when they arrive, we dish out the meat? This way we can start cleaning and most of the volunteers can go.\u201d Cathy didn\u2019t like that idea, because of the box cost. Gladys and Rick didn\u2019t like that idea, because it would be too much work. Visi-Vest didn\u2019t like it, because it would be \u201ctoo hard to control who got what.\u201d<\/h3>\n

After a minute or so of everyone speaking over each other, Gladys snapped her fingers. Eureka! \u201cWhy not pre-box the meals for them, and when they arrive, we have it ready for them? That way we can break everything down and the volunteers can go!\u201d Everyone agreed that was just splendid.<\/h3>\n

Always one to push my luck, I said, \u201cWell why not just do the cold stuff, and keep the meat on the smoker, so they at least get a hot meal?\u201d Gladys let me know that she had been there since 5AM setting up, and wanted everything cleaned now.<\/h3>\n

Gary and the teenagers had made themselves scarce. I started cleaning up.<\/h3>\n

So many people in charge! And the woman who volunteered me \u2013 the Chamber\u2019s vice president \u2013 was nowhere to be found.<\/h3>\n

It had been a sunny day, with bands playing and neighbors dancing and kids \"\"swinging on swingsets. Naturally, Gladys and Patty tried to determine where it had all gone so horringly wrong. Busy mushing down trashbags, I asked, \u201cWere there more people than expected?\u201d<\/h3>\n

Gladys replied, \u201cWell, no \u2013 it\u2019s only 3:00!\u201d<\/h3>\n

\u201cMaybe more people came earlier this year than in years past?\u201d<\/h3>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Gladys said. \u201cBesides, we\u2019d never be able to figure that out.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Oh, I bet counting Sold Tickets might provide a clue.<\/h3>\n

When I returned from hauling bags away, Cathy had joined them; consensus became, Everything fell apart because \u201cthey<\/em> were just giving away too meat.\u201d Wait \u2013 who\u2019s \u201cthey\u201d??? I\u2019m<\/u><\/em> \u201cthey!\u201d Everyone agreed, the Meat Guys spoiled it.<\/h3>\n

Even though they\u2019d run out of butter patties two hours earlier (being a Man of Action, I suggested hitting one of three restaurants in town and buying a box of butter patties; that was kiboshed). Even though they\u2019d run out of baked beans a good 30 minutes before we 86\u2019ed the meat, and no one had seen an extra napkin since Noon. It was our liberal application of meat that did it.<\/h3>\n

My Consultant Head exploded.<\/h3>\n

My next trip to the dumpster led straight to the exit and home. My shift had ended an hour earlier, and voluntary overtime seems silly if you\u2019re only going to get blamed for things out of your control.<\/h3>\n

On the face of it, this was just a pleasant Saturday afternoon wasted. Still, there are lessons to pick from the wreckage of this cartoonish bumbling, on the nature of how to engage employees and make them want to do good work and get shit done. Some call that \u201cleadership\u201d.<\/p>\n

These lessons can apply to one-off events such as this (otherwise known as \u201cprojects\u201d), as well as to ongoing operations.<\/p>\n

Establish a Clear Chain of Command.<\/h4>\n

The barbecue was a textbook, literal example of \u201cToo many cooks\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

When project managers are not careful, anarchy takes over \u2013 for one thing, resources are torn between their line managers and the PM. When assigning work, clear expectations for each deliverable should be delegated to a singular resource \u2013 not a team or \u201cyou know, whomever\u201d. \u00a0That singular point provides both upward transparency (who\u2019s accountable?) and downward clarity (who gives the orders?).<\/p>\n

\"\"If there\u2019s controversy or confusion, it should be solved behind closed doors and communicated by the primary resource. Think of the paralyzed Incident Manager when a half-dozen vice presidents crash their bridge call and begin barking conflicting orders. Or anyone in a \u201csupport\u201d function \u2013 such as the poor Marketing Analyst juggling \u201cNumber One priority\u201d research requests from one division and \u201cNumber One priority\u201d campaign copy from another.<\/p>\n

Mixed messages are more than just exasperating: they lead to poor performance. Always. Who should the front line listen to? The guy who says \u201cserve \u2018em more meat\u201d? or the woman demanding measurable perfection? Rather than focusing on what\u2019s important to customers, employees try to navigate the conflicts of their (legitimate and perceived) superiors; in post-mortems, everyone forgets that the Gladyses and Visi-Vests of the world contradicted each other, and only remember the \u201cmistakes\u201d made by the guys on the line.<\/p>\n

Find Cause, Not Blame. At the Appropriate Time.<\/h4>\n

At some point before next year\u2019s barbecue, the Committee should figure out why the food ran short. Was the rush earlier in the day than in years past? Did someone under-order meat? Or was portion control out of balance?<\/p>\n

Even before that, they should know: Is this how it usually plays out, year after year? Did the townsfolk even care that, after 2:30, it was just sweet tea and cookies?<\/p>\n

It should go without saying that, while blaming others makes one feel better in the immediate aftermath, it does\"\" no good for preparing the future. When things are turning pear-shaped, the first reaction should be to recover and get back to normal. Then, when heads have cooled (and hands have been washed), a leader can instigate a rational review of the situation.<\/p>\n

It should<\/u> go without saying. But I\u2019m saying it, anyway.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Not About You.<\/h4>\n

Blaming the Meat Guys doesn\u2019t get hungry people fed, and it doesn\u2019t make the leader look any more capable. Likewise, no one cares how hard it was to get the fire started or who had to borrow whose truck to get the garbage cans.<\/p>\n

Success radiates. Which includes reflecting upward. Good leaders make it easy for the front line to succeed, because that makes everyone look great.<\/p>\n

When this plays out:<\/p>\n

Hey, that was a great party, Susie.<\/em><\/p>\n

Really, it wasn\u2019t me \u2013 there was a team of folks who made that happen.<\/p>\n

Everyone thinks, Wow, that Susie, she\u2019s really something. She fires up the team \u2013 and she\u2019s humble. Yay, Susie!<\/p>\n

But when this plays out:<\/p>\n

Boy, I\u2019ll tell you, Bill, those guys know how to throw a dance.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was a good thing I was there \u2013 I was the one who requested \u201cFly Like an Eagle\u201d.<\/p>\n

Everyone thinks, Wow, that Bill. What an ass. Boo, Bill!<\/p>\n

Provide Resources.<\/h4>\n

In addition to the constant haranguing about what\u2019s an appropriate amount of meat to serve, there was the whole issue about \u201cMeat by the Pound.\u201d If a ladle is the standard unit of measure, provide a standard ladle; if you want to deliver by the ounce (or pound), you need scales.<\/p>\n

Your team won\u2019t succeed without the right tools, in the right environment. That needs to be prepared for in advance. Good project managers sit down with their key resources, and, deliverable-by-deliverable, review what resources are necessary: Tools, equipment, facilities, materials, other skills and talents, etc. A Man of Action routinely verifies with the staff that they have the tools, time, and space to do what\u2019s expected.<\/p>\n

This all needs to be built into the plan and budgeted for; winging it is always an option, but then you\u2019ll likely run out of meat.<\/p>\n

These may feel like boilerplate, mom-and-apple-pie suggestions. All too often, though, once people find themselves trying to perform in real time, even the most basic concepts \u2013 Establish Authority, Share the Spotlight, Provide Tools, Don\u2019t Blame Others \u2013 are forgotten.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent experience serving up barbecue reminded me of a few things that can make it easier for employees to perform well. I seem to recall that being called \u201cleadership\u201d.<\/p>\n

A pulled-pork parable of clarity, command, and kudos.
\n Continue reading Leadership Is a Dish Best Served<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[32,33,46,64],"class_list":["post-1539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-managing-people","tag-execution","tag-expectations","tag-leadership","tag-project-management"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/barbecue-featured.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2424,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions\/2424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}