Missing the Mark…

I was involved in a couple of really great conversations today, some to be shared in this post and some that will come as the days progress.  My mind, I swear, has turned into a BLOG, flipping through all the right topics, interesting tidbits that I hear all day long and more that I will then somehow, someway turn into an actual blog on my site.  Today, I was reminded of a couple of different experiences that I’ve had already this week.
In a conversation regarding ‘professionals’ in my industry, I ran into a new saying.  A friend that I was with, referred to ‘The Two C’s’.  “The Two C’s?”, I said.  “What’s that?!”  “Character and Competence”, my pal replied.  While these two words can refer to many things in life, we all agreed as we listened to the definition more closely, that it was UBER important to have BOTH in almost anything you do.  From wine, to employees, to friendships, to professionals to Mano y Mano – these two words:  Character and Competence seem to fulfill almost every answer in life.
How we got here… I, of course, was on a tirade today about the ‘so called’ professionals in my industry.  You’ve seen the kind…they tell you that they are ‘sommeliers’ but the second you ask them about their certification, they say “Well, there are the tests that I have to complete and well, I went through this and this and I’ve been drinking wine since…” Blah. Blah. Blah.  I’m over it, dude.  It seems almost everywhere I go, someone is trying to compete with you.  They completed the WSET course and now they think they’re a Somm.  Not true.  Again, if I could actually put everyone through the grueling processes that I’ve been through, along with paying all the ridiculous fees to sit, taste, test and more – then one would actually feel embarrassed to call themselves a Sommelier, unless they’d completed the real courses.  The International Sommelier Guild and the Advanced, level three course with a completed 18 hour test to pass is seriously, no joke.  Along with now, fulfilling the requirements to the Court of Master Sommelier and their last level of testing for the Master Sommelier certification, is beyond excruciating.  That, is what it takes to be a Sommelier.  But along with the actual testing requirements, I thought long and hard about my lunchtime discussion today and ended up tacking on three more stipulations to becoming a professional in any industry: CHARACTER, COMPETENCE, and CONSISTENCY.  (I’m tackin on a third C!)
Why I have been thinking so deeply about this is really mostly because I see so many folks ‘talking game’ more than they are actually ‘playing the game’.  Example, having a good business model.  There are a couple of ‘wine bars’, and I loosely say this in the Twin Cities, that have a good concept.  Business Plan=Solid.  Food=Cheap and Easy.  And, service=Given the Passing Mark.  But, the actual QUALITY of the product=No Bueno.  A perfect setting, (IE: right in the middle of Edina), not another ‘wine bar’ in the area, easy parking and cute spot from the street, lengthy wine list, and reasonably fair priced eats = Sounds like a good business plan, right?  But…totally MISSING THE MARK.  The stemware=like I’m sitting at Dennys.  The wines=served at about 80+ degrees as they lay open on the bar top.  The actual pics of wine…if you’re serving me a $10 glass of wine, make sure it tastes like you’d pay $10 a glass for it!!!  And if you’re going to ‘boast’ a great wine list, keep your wines fresh.  I went through three glasses before I found one that hadn’t been open for four days.  Again, great plan, but poor execution.  But because it’s the only ‘wine bar’ in site with a cute atmosphere, it works for the city of Edina.
I guess the point I’m trying to make out of all this rambling is this:  It’s hard to find a lot of things in life with ALL three C’s.  Character is a rare thing these days.  I feel like we’re all Droid’d out, we’re attached to our Twitters, our computers, our gadgets more than we are LIFE.  We don’t have to use our Character any more to sell ourselves.  We can make something up – IE: calling yourself something you’re not.  The computer is great way to sell yourself, but in the end picture, are you who you say you are?  And Competence…when was the last time you said, “I don’t know that answer?  Let me ask someone who is versed on the subject, or find someone who can give you the correct information.”  Everyone’s a freekin’ expert now due to BLOGS, Tweets, Facebook and more.  And, Consistency…how many people do you know that are consistent with their actions, their words and truly do live their lives with meaning – day after day?  Not many.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re in an era where anything flies.  I can write about Lindsay Lohan or I can write about wine, but whether you write, shovel c-r-a-p for a living or build skyscrapers – are you a professional with character, competence and consistency?  It’s hard to find most things that contain ALL THREE.  To bring it all back into plain view – it’s a wine thing, too.  Find a wine that was Character.  Does it tell a story for you?  Did it make you happy?  Did it make you see the stars or did it just make you smile?  Either or has character.  And what about Competence?  Is your wine there at $3.99 but delivered more of a $4.99 profile in your mouth?  That’s Competence…saying “I delivered what I told you I would.”  And last – are some of your more favorite wines Consistent?  Do they make you smile year after year?  I’m not saying pin point the exact vintage and tell me whether or not you liked the excess heat of the season (that’s uncontrollable) – I’m saying – If you bought the bottle at $30 and they raised it to $35, would you still buy it?  Are they consistent with their farming, their style, their employees, their goals as far as an end product?  Consistency, big word isn’t it?
Whew!  A lot to think about.  And, maybe I’ve had a little bottled up for a while, but I had to get it out there, man.  Wine.  It’s life stuff.  It really is.  It’s something that always makes me think, feel and ultimately moves me.  And at the end of the day, it’s a libation for all.  Whether you’re an expert, a novice or just a beer drinker.  Almost everyone can relate to it.  Me, I end up relating almost everything I do in life to it.  May be good, and may be bad – but in the end, My life is a happy one!  Cheers to That and Cheers to You!