The first merit badge I earned in Girl Guides (our version of your Girl Scouts) was the Hostess badge. It was the lowest common denominator of badges. The one that everyone earned. The one you went for first if you were a bit rubbish at everything else.
No-one called it the Hostess badge. It was known as the Tea Makers badge because the emblem was a cup of tea. And all you had to do was make a cup of tea and serve it with some custard creams at your nearest Darby & Joan club.
I proudly sewed the badge onto my uniform alongside the Laundress badge – which I won easily because our iron looked just like the Victorian one pictured on the badge. And when I say ‘sewed’ I mean ‘glued’ because I failed to earn my Needlework badge.
I don’t know if there is anything more essentially British than a tea-makers badge and I suspect that it no longer exists in the modern day Guides. But it lay the foundations for a lifetime of tea drinking and serving. And unlike pointless badges like Country Dancer or Semaphore Signaler, my skills were transferable to the workplace.
So here’s 10 leadership skills tea has taught me:
1. Build Brand Loyalty
The motto in our house growing up was ‘Tetley’s till I die’. Tetley Tea being a Yorkshire staple beloved by my Yorkshire born parents. But once I left home I was easily swayed by the communal free box of PG Tips in our student Halls of Residence. Yes, even your most loyal supporters can be price sensitive.
2. Be Open to Change
In 1989 Tetley’s brought out round tea bags. I dismissed them as a fad, ridiculed them, said square is the best. U-turns are awkward. Embrace innovation early.
3. Recognize Strengths & Weaknesses
Not every biscuit works as a tea dunker. You have to know which ones you can trust to hold up and do the job (Ginger Nuts). Dunking a chocolate Hob Nob – or any chocolate topped biscuit – immediately marks you as an amateur.
4. Always Have a Backup Plan
What happens if your kettle breaks? Yes you can boil water in a pan or (shudder) the microwave but far better to have a back-up kettle to hand. Borrow the Boy Scouts ‘Be Prepared’ motto and you’ll never have to drink pan water tea.
Tip: *Stovetop kettles that whistle should only be used when summoning the devil*
5. Avoid Conflict
If you see them wring out the teabag when making your tea – let it go. If your non-British colleague announces that it’s time for “a cuppa OF tea” – leave it. Yes, they’re wrong but don’t make a scene. A raised eyebrow and a gentle tut under your breath should suffice.
6. Be a Good Judge of Character
Be thorough in your hiring process. Make sure they fit with the team. No one wants to experience that jarring moment when you offer someone a cup of tea and they say ‘no thanks, I don’t like tea’. A 90 day probation period is essential.
7. Always Offer a Solution
Tea is First Aid in a mug. Whatever your mental or physical state, what you need first is ‘a nice cup of tea’. Don’t faff around, don’t flap, stay calm and put the kettle on.
8. Be a Lifelong Learner
Don’t assume you’ve learned everything, or that the lessons of your TeaMaker badge still apply. Learn about types of tea, brewing techniques, and yes even Iced Tea. You may not love it (you won’t, it’s horrid) but you have to try it first.
9. Understand the Tea Circle of Life
It’s a rite of passage when you start a new job and you’re assigned to the tea run. Knowing how to make tea for all of your colleagues is the quickest way to fit in. Then another new hire joins and you move up the ladder while they take on the tea run. And so it keeps going until one day you become the boss and you go back to your roots and make tea for the whole team. Elton John got his start this way.
10. Appreciate Simple Pleasures
Recognize those moments of comfort and stop taking them for granted. Make a list and add to it every year.
- Tea from a flask on a road trip, preferably with your grandparents (preferably when they were still alive).
- The first tea back in your house after a holiday in a country where Lipton tea ruled.
- The tea poured from the giant teapot in the hospital cafeteria surrounded by people feeling just as anxious as you.
- Sitting at a kitchen table with your best mate, hands cupped around a mug.
- Post-hangover tea with a sausage sandwich.
Bonus Lesson
Never take yourself too seriously 😉
Which business lesson resonates most with you?
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