Help your friends choose a whisky - Leadership Style Edition

You are a whisky lover/ expert/ aficionado/ ambassador and so you'll come across people who are fascinated by your interest and love for the dram. But convincing them to try a specific whisky can occasionally be a challenge when said person is a novice or generally nervous about buying a drink that is 40% ABV or more. And rightly so but how to help them choose?

Check out these five leadership styles and how they can help you determine your "selling strategy".

Charismatic Leadership

If you're going to convince anyone with this leadership style, it'll be 100% through the sheer force of your personality. Everything you say is aimed to charm the socks off them and convince them to go into the direction you want them to go. Keep in mind, this leadership style demands excellent communication skills. Choosing a whisky is a difficult time and your friend needs your undivided attention, listen to their thoughts, their worries and offer support to take those worries away. You will need to be their cheerleader.

Transactional leadership

This particular leadership style is more focussed on keeping the night going and the night is short. You're going to push through that decision as efficiently and proactively as you can. You can listen to what your friend says but it's all about getting them to a glass that is filled. Preferably with a dram that you would drink yourself. You're not going to get aggressive but you're going to point out that you're at a whisky bar for a reason, and it's not to drink wine.

Servant Leadership

Your friend needs to trust you and believe that you have their best interests (and whisky) at heart. Your actions and words need to ooze the intention of helping them grow in flavour palate and that all you want for them is to have an enjoyable experience. If they wonder if they could taste a whisky before deciding, you'll be the one coming back to the table with seven bottles, explaining every benefit to them.

Transformational Leadership

You have a vision of what will blow your friend's mind and you can communicate this with the right amount of enthusiasm but you're not afraid to stray off the beaten tracks. You will inspire them to take a calculated risk on a whisky that they might never have considered because of you and you can show them those innovative new samples that make a whisky unique and even adventurous.

Autocratic Leadership

Yeah... you just want them to drink what you want them to drink and you're not going to take no for an answer. You are in control of what appears before you on the table and you will lie, cheat and confuse your audience to ensure there is as little resistance as possible. Whether you're right or wrong, this particular leadership style does have some drawbacks because it might be the last time your friend asks you for help.

Have fun!

Ps. don't take this post too serious.. Whisky drinking should be enjoyable, not strategic ;)