I have a tendency to fight.
I am not confrontational by any stretch—one of the greatest joys of marrying my husband is him making all phone calls to vendors on our behalf—but because I have long been a Woman in Business and experienced the Challenge of being a Woman in Business, I have developed a tendency to fight. I have pushed outside of my comfort zone to stand up for what I believe is right—be it strategic direction, campaign selection, or personal/personnel. This is one of the traits that has empowered my teams so well in the pink ghetto of marketing.
(I am also of course easy to work with and communicative, if you’re looking to hire…)
But sometimes in being geared up for a fight, I have either missed the point, or closed the door to someone else getting to fight that fight (because victory is sweet) and actually hamstrung myself or my team.
A small, dumb example:
No Girls Wines
Was in fact about women’s empowerment but I read the email subject line and immediately started preparing my arguments FOR female winemakers.
This is the original email:
| No Girls Wines No Girls celebrates the belief that empowered women create empowered wine—and champions this profession’s many talented and independent women and beyond. The wines are crafted by Elizabeth Bourcier, Resident Vigneronne for Cayuse Vineyards. After co-producing the first vintage with Cayuse Vigneron Christophe Baron in 2008, she has had carte blanche on all aspects of the wine creation for the 2011 vintage and beyond. The wines have earned routinely high accolades, with Wine Spectator calling them “some of the best Washington wines ever rated” by the magazine. The grapes come from the La Paciencia vineyard, which means patience in Spanish—appropriate since the project was ten years in the making. The tightly spaced vines, planted on an angle in the Stones of the Walla Walla Valley, give No Girls a personality all its own, and the wines are focused and pure. Food-friendly creations reflect finesse, elegance, charm, and character. Historically, women were excluded from the critical stages of wine production, hampered by the prevailing societal belief that it was strictly “a man’s work.” No Girls offers a new narrative driven by women’s strength and resilience. The wines are as modern, opinionated, and powerful as the name suggests. 2018 No Girls Wines Double Lucky 8 Proprietary Red 750 ml – $49.99 – Vinous 94 2019 No Girls Wines Double Lucky 8 Proprietary Red 750 ml – $59 – WS 95 2015 No Girls Wines Grenache La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $128.99 – WA 96 2016 No Girls Wines Grenache La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $108.99 – WA 96 2017 No Girls Wines Grenache La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $115 – WA 97 2018 No Girls Wines Grenache La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $104.99 – Vinous 97 2019 No Girls Wines Grenache La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $105 – WA 96 2016 No Girls Syrah La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $94.99 – WA 97 2018 No Girls Syrah La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $79 – JD 98 2019 No Girls Syrah La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $115 – JD 97 2015 No Girls Wines Tempranillo La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $94.99 – JD 97 2016 No Girls Wines Tempranillo La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $104.99 – JD 97 2017 No Girls Wines Tempranillo La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $104.99 – JD 97 2018 No Girls Wines Tempranillo La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $99.99 – JD 96 2019 No Girls Wines Tempranillo La Paciencia Vineyard 750 ml – $104.99 – JD 96 |
Right.
Well, I probably should have read before I chose to fight.
Which is a good reminder across the board, not just reading emails.
Unrelated but serendipitous, I got a second email as I readied this post for publication and you can use those links above for 25% off No Girls Wines at Aabalat for the next two days!! Discount is taken in cart. No commission for me, but let me know if you try (I haven’t).