I was blessed to be able to have a tour of a boutique winery just outside of Barcelona, on a brief rest stop on this recent "Lead Without a Title in Turbulent Times" speaking tour. It's known for Robert Parker's recognition of the winery having the best Cava in the world. The owner is 72 years old. "Wine has been my life," he shared with a smile.

As he proudly walked me though the rustic cellar, filled with aging bottles of wine, he pulled out one and turned it carefully - ensuring the sediment moved throughout the wine for maximum flavor. He explained every single one of the bottles was turned like this. I asked if the other wineries that used machines to turn the bottles delivered the same quality of product. "They don't compare at all," he said candidly.

Here's the leadership lesson I took away: handcrafted always trumps machine-made. We live in an age of high technology and growing efficiency. The pull is towards better, stronger and faster. We long for more machines to do better things. Yet what this 72 year old artisan taught me is that good things often take longer. And things done by hand can offer richer quality than machines.

So as you build your team and grow your life, put relationships first. Focus on the little details. Be like the craftsman - devoting yourself to outright excellence.


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