January 2020 Membership Update: Time to Set Goals
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By Hylan Joseph
Welcome to the year 2020 – a brand-new year, and a brand-new decade. Over this next decade, our industry will grow by leaps and bounds with new technology while embracing the craft mentality of producing a fine cup of coffee. The grower and the supply chain will continue to be some of the most import aspects of our industry.
I set one goal for 2019 – in my mind, a simple one – every time someone made a request of me, I’d say, or think, “I’m happy to help.” I had set up some guidelines and did my best to stick to them. The first guideline was no not tell anyone about this goal, that they might exploit it – trust me, I told my kids and they really abused it. The second guideline was to know when to say no.
It was a social experiment. I wasn’t trying to “pay it forward” or create a better world, necessarily. The truth is, I was becoming “too smart” for my own good, and a curmudgeon at that. I needed to harken back to my days as a barista where the customer, vendor, or friend came first.
I created S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals and tracked the results. Some were funny, some were painful. I experienced many situations where people would make requests, and, normally, the first thing I would think was, “Please go take a long walk off a short pier,” or the obligatory, “I don’t have the bandwidth right now.” However, with this 2019 goal, I could not do that.
Since I was saying that I’m happy to help, I really needed to listen to what the person was really asking. They deserved my consideration to listen – or read – and respond to their requests. It required an attitude change on my part.
The result of the experiment? I know it made me a better listener. I know it helped create greater empathy in me because I made a commitment to set my ego aside and see if I can actually help. It was not easy. My biggest fear with this was setting myself up for a high failure rate, and that honestly did happen early on. I also know that it ingrained the habit in me after a year of practice, and that I now am really happy to help.
The inspiration for this project came from the Coffee Technicians Guild and the Specialty Coffee Association. There are several members of our community that I consider mentors and one of the character traits of these individuals that I have always admired and noticed is that the people who are truly successful really understand what it means to be a servant leader. Another trait is found in many of our newer members: the drive to learn and grow.
Our guild is cross-generational. Many our constituents have been in the industry for over ten years. I’ve been impressed by the tremendous level of respect, kindness, and professionalism that the different groups have treated each other with.
2020 is already turning out to be an exciting decade, and the year itself will bring new and exciting events and ideas to all three guilds under the Specialty Coffee Association: the Coffee Technicians Guild, Barista Guild, and Coffee Roasters Guild.
I’m looking forward to it and I hope you are, too.