What Texas BBQ taught me about competition in comms consulting
In some parts of the US, people hold their barbecue recipes close. The value is in the recipe, because if someone else gets their hands on that, they can do what you do, and there goes your business, right?
Tootise Tomanetz has been cooking barbecue in Lexington Texas for more than 50 years. Shes pitmaster at Snows BBQ. Queues around the block. And when I watched her episode of Chef’s Table, she turned the old idea of competition on its head.
Tootsie will give you her recipe. She’ll even let you stand beside her and watch everything she does. And then she’ll stand back and say ‘good luck’. It’s partly generosity, but there’s something else too. What makes Tootsie phenomenal is her feel for what she does.
When you’ve been cooking BBQ for more than 50 years, you know intuitively what to do the moment it’s in front of you. You don’t need to refer back to a recipe, or a framework while the steak starts to burn. You just know.
Do you want frameworks with that?
In comms consulting, we can get so caught up in our secret sauce. Like the magic is in our frameworks.
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I love me a good framework. And they help. But they’re not *the* thing. We create value by the way we bring ourselves to the work we do. The feel. Your life experience and your place in your network of relationships is utterly unique as a position from which to be of service.
Love this quote from Erin Collett :
No one can do you?as well as you do. Others can try, but it won’t come naturally. This means that you and your agency are not?really?actually?directly ‘competing’ with anyone
I'll still be interested in trying other people's BBQ. But I'm doing that to appreciate and learn. Not to copy, or to feel less than.
I've got enough on my plate.
Advisor
2 年So true. People spend so much time devising processes or designing tools - clients (the intelligent ones anyway) really don't care. They're buying who you are and what you can do for them, not a tried and tested framework. This article also resonates in terms of differentiation. But that's another topic...
Head of The Gov Com Group | Expert in Public Sector and Corporate Communications.
2 年I am a big fan of the notion first introduced to me by Mat Church that the core proposition of my business isn’t about me or my process, it’s about what problems I can solve for my clients. Customer first!
Industry comms and stakeholder engagement specialist
2 年Yes, yes! ???? this is everything I love about working with people who truly ‘get’ collaboration over competition. You can do so much more together!
???? Website Copywriter | ?? Content Strategist | ? Content Writer | ?? Keyword Researcher
2 年The value of 'me' and what I can bring to a project is something I'm slowly (but finally) learning to honour. Love this article, Matt ??
Co-Founder + Director of Keep Co - connecting CBR locals and endlessly rearranging furniture
2 年“We create value by the way we bring ourselves to the work we do” - need that on a t-shirt ?? Matt Fenwick Spot on and love the analogy. Also makes me want to rewatch Chefs Table!