As a board member of the United States Bartenders’ Guild Hawaii Chapter, I recently joined forces with two amazing USBG women to lead a seminar on “Crafting Your Inner Boss” as part of USBG Ed Week 2023. It was my privilege to stand beside these two women and be recognized as professional leaders, while being afforded the opportunity to teach young minds how to pave similar pathways for themselves.
The inspiration for our seminar came from our mutual observations that most managers today aren’t groomed to be managers. Those who rise to the occasion become very successful, while those who don’t, forever hop from job to job, without ever realizing why they failed. We wanted to change that by emphasizing the following principles:
• “Change can only happen at the speed of trust.” One of the biggest hypocrisies we noticed, was a “Do as I say, not as I do,” attitude. In my 20 years working in restaurants, I’ve experienced the best and the worst of what effective and ineffective communication styles have to offer, and I can definitively say, with utmost confidence that true leaders who build trust lead by example.
• “It’s a barbarity that clarity is a rarity.” What works for one employee may not work for another, and the reasons vary from age to culture. Managers must adjust their communication styles so their messages are received effectively. Understand that learning new forms of communication takes time, and quality management is an investment in your employees.
• “Leggo my ego.” Ego affects relationships, personal growth and management styles. Having a sense of ownership as though you were running your own business involves caring for your staff as though they were in your charge.
Even the most experienced managers can forget how seemingly simple assignments can be difficult when one is first learning them. The following cocktail is my own reminder of how patience can be not only a virtue, but the key to building trust in new relationships.
“Hattori Hanzo”
• 1.5 ounces iichiko Shochu Saiten
• 0.5 ounces Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto liqueur
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2.5 ounces jasmine green tea syrup (steep 4 Jasmine green tea bags in 9 ounces hot water for 4 minutes. Stir in 3 ounces sugar until dissolved.)
• 1.8 teaspoons turmeric powder
Alicia Yamachika is a bartender and craft mixologist, who currently is the key account manager at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits on Oahu. Follow her on Instagram (@alicia_yamachika). Her column will appear every second Wednesday in Crave.
