In the world of craft beer, few luminaries are as down to earth and approachable as Rob Tod, founder of Maine’s Allagash Brewing. His business savvy, along with an amazingly talented team, has positioned Allagash as one of the most respected breweries in the world. After 20 years, Tod recently shared some of his tricks of the trade with The Bangor Daily News in, “Allagash Brewing Co. owner marks 20 years with 20 lessons.”
Having the fortune to speak and work with Tod on a variety of different Association projects—he is on the BA Board of Directors—I can tell you that the lessons he provides are classic Rob Tod leadership. He has a particularly unique ability to delegate effectively and listen to others. This, coupled with his selflessness and a fun attitude, makes it no surprise that Allagash is celebrating 20 years of craft brewing.
While I encourage you to read all of his lessons, I wanted to share four that struck me as really important to managers and leaders of all kinds, and not just those in the beer biz.
Keep it simple. Our Tripel Ale just has one malt variety and one hop variety. Often, beers have pretty complex malt and hop bills, but this simple backdrop gives our Belgian House Yeast strain its opportunity to shine. It drinks like one of our most complex beers, despite the simplicity of its building blocks. To me, the Tripel is an ever-present reminder of the merits of keeping things simple.
Smile. Earlier today I walked by our kegging line and saw one of the operators who always has a smile on her face. When she is around other people on the line, guess what they are also usually doing? Smiling. It’s contagious.
Do something you feel truly passionate about. It’s awfully hard to stick with something for years while fighting an uphill battle; but if you love doing it, it’s easy.
Don’t sell out. A high school teacher hand wrote this below a grade he gave me on a final history exam—I don’t remember the grade, maybe a C+ at best. He must have intended it as a parting thought. It really didn’t mean much to me for years, but for some reason it stayed with me. It resonates with me now. I wish I still had the test so I could tack it up on the wall in my office. We have core values at Allagash that include family, passion, caring and innovation. They are kind of a framework that guide us with decisions, big and little, that we make every day. We need to constantly remind ourselves that it’s important we don’t “sell out” on any front at the expense of these core values.
Be sure to read the rest of Rob’s lessons in “Allagash Brewing Co. owner marks 20 years with 20 lessons.” The craft beer community is lucky to have such great examples like Rob Tod and Allagash. Here’s to the next 20 years!
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