THE BUSINESS LESSONS I STUMBLED ON IN AN IRISH PUB
Last week on St. Patrick’s Day, I found myself in an Irish pub here in LA in the middle of the day, sipping on an NA Guinness (delicious for the record and tastes exactly like the original).
Music from the Dropkick Murphys blared from the speakers and I felt such such nostalgia for my days growing up in South Buffalo, where the street signs are in Gaelic and I enjoyed a career as a mediocre Irish dancer for a few years. St. Paddy’s, as we call it, was something to be celebrated…usually for about a month straight.
At that bar, looking around fondly, it suddenly occurred to me that there were some real lessons we could take away for our business journeys, too:
My plate heaped with corned beef, cabbage and boiled potatoes would be considered in most circles as rather, um, basic cuisine. But it was delicious and very satisfying - it does the trick and then some, without being “elevated.”
➡️ Takeaway: Go back to basics. Do what you love regardless of what the outside world thinks. Start small (remember, slow growth is usually the best growth).
Green beer is a novelty and people flock to it on St. Patty’s day ... but it’s an illusion: it’s not real beer and only comes around one day a year.
➡️ Takeaway: Longevity comes from authenticity. The single best way to win at business and life is to be yourself.
Do yourself a favor and walk into any Irish pub at noon on a Monday - it looks like a Star Wars bar. And that’s a good thing: there’s a place there for everyone, and no one blinks an eye at any odd bird they might see.
➡️ Takeaway: “Finding your niche” is hammered on us constantly in the business world. But more important is a reframe to focus on finding your people, your tribe, your community - wherever and with whomever (colleagues and customers like) you feel most at home. Oh and p.s., Inclusivity really works.
The bartenders in Irish pubs always seem to be the best and most fun of any other place. Maybe it’s the Irish accent you can stumble upon, maybe it’s the Jameson, maybe it’s the down-to-earth-ness (Star Wars aside) of a place like that, maybe it’s that these places attract fundamentally more friendly people. One way or another, they understand the assignment.
➡️ Takeaway: Fun is an ecosystem that feeds on itself just like stress, toxicity, and negative emotions do. Be the fun. Bring the good energy to every endeavor.
Speaking of bartenders at Irish pubs, did you ever notice how great they are at chatting up almost anyone? Inevitably this leads to huge tips (at least if you’re me). A win/win.
➡️ Takeaway: Connection is key. Find ways to connect with anyone you can and be a connector of other people in your network, even out of the blue without being asked.
Like me with drinking the NA beer, know when to say when.
➡️ Takeaway: It’s perfectly fine - and in fact often advisable - to cut your losses and pivot. Time and again.
Finally, contrary to popular belief, an Irish exit is not what you think, which is that the Irish get very drunk and quietly slink home, not saying goodbye to anyone. That particular brand of goodbye is best left to the French! Anyone who’s ever been around Irish people, especially in an Irish pub, knows goodbyes can take ages and are boisterous, with a lot of hugs, back slapping, and promises to get together soon.
➡️ Takeaway: See the points about good energy and connection above; then leave every single situation you’re in on a high note. But it is ok to leave - just keep them wanting more!