Helping winery leaders create the conditions for better thinking, better decisions, and stronger teams.
Harvest has begun.
The pace is faster.
The days are longer.
Decisions come one after another.
When we’re moving quickly, it’s natural to rely on the experience of those who have made these decisions before. Experience is invaluable.
But experience has a blind spot.
It can make us overlook the fresh observations that someone else is noticing.
One of the greatest assets in any winery is something we rarely measure.
The collective intelligence of the people who work there.
Every person sees the winery from a different place.
The vineyard crew notices changes in the vines.
The cellar worker hears when a pump doesn’t sound quite right.
The tasting room associate listens to customers describe your wines every day.
The hospitality team notices what delights visitors—and what leaves them confused.
The newest employee often asks the question everyone else has stopped asking.
Each person holds a different piece of the picture.
The question isn’t whether these insights exist.
They do.
The question is whether your culture invites them into the conversation.
Innovation rarely begins with everyone agreeing.
It often begins with someone saying,
“This might be a strange idea…”
or
“I’ve noticed something…”
The response to those moments shapes the culture of an organization.
If the response is,
“That won’t work.”
or
“We’ve always done it this way.”
the conversation usually ends.
But if the response is,
“Tell me more.”
or
“What are you seeing that the rest of us may be missing?”
something remarkable happens.
People begin offering more of what they know.
Not because they are told to.
Because they know their thinking matters.
Leadership is not about having all the answers.
It’s about creating the conditions where the best answers can emerge—from anywhere in the organization.
Especially during harvest, when no one person can see everything.
The Thinking Advantage Principle
At your next team meeting, ask one question before offering your own opinion:
“What are you noticing that the rest of us may not be seeing?”
When someone offers an unexpected idea, resist the urge to evaluate it immediately.
Instead, become curious.
Ask,
“Tell me more.”
Sometimes the most valuable insight comes from the person whose voice is heard least often.
A Good Thinking Question
Whose thinking are you not hearing—and what might your winery be missing because of it?
A Thought To Take With You
“Intelligence already exists throughout your winery. The question is whether your culture allows it to be harvested.”