Leadership Lessons From an Event Gone Wrong
Leaders of all stripes could learn from the epic fiasco that was Saturday night’s Cattle Baron’s Ball at the Star Brand Ranch in Kaufman. (See our SweetCharity blog for a complete report.) First, insiders tell us that–unlike in years past–the organizers had no backup plan for the bash in case it rained, which of course it did, turning the site into a world-class mud hole. Second, experts tell us they advised the ball honchos as early as last Wednesday that, if they proceeded, chaos and confusion would result. For whatever reason the bigwigs ignored the advice and plunged ahead, come hell or high water. It was only due to good samaritans like Web entrepreneurs Joe and Katie Tauscher (pictured) that attendees weren’t sleeping all night in their mud-stuck vehicles. The Tauschers toted four D folks, including yours truly, back to Dallas in their pristine BMW after the D car, like scores of others, got bogged down up to its wheelwells in the soggy pasture. (Joe and Katie had wisely parked on higher ground, foreseeing the fiasco to come.) The lessons to be learned? Listen to the experts when they tell you something–and always have a backup plan in place. And, when all else fails, make fast friends with cooler heads like Joe and Katie.
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5 comments
For those full-year hard-working planners whose hearts were broken…if not their hips and other misc. loins….below is what they mean when they say ‘all hell broke loose’.
The only time I ever was invited to anything involving ‘royalty’ was a 1992 wedding reception on an ocean- perched Conn. estate where, during the height of the event’s beginning in the seated dinner tents on the cliff, the wind and lightening struck followed by torrential rains so intense that the grin-and-bear-it Mother of bride, dancing as the band played to show her what-care-I ’spirit’ slipped when a wave washed over the elevated dancefloor, causing her to legs-in-the-air slip, crashing to the floor bleeding (she was the following morning care-flited to John Hopkins) as one of her Blahniks washed away while we all stood atop our tables to prevent a similar fate. The tent never collapsed…thank God. But a cool million dollar event went out to sea. C’est la vie, say the old folks, which goes to show you never can tell. (Unless you listen to the experts who warned the no-plan-B Titanic Crew planners.)
Meanwhile: Props to Jacque Wynne (and Patti Hunt)who hosted the first in 1974.
Even your most modest ranch-owner would not have botched it like this.
Stupid question perhaps but why didn’t organizers just postpone the event for a week or so?
Bigger question… Why didn’t Ms Wynne La Londe change vunue why she had the time to do so.. But she declined…Bad planning on her part…Wonder did she have to walk in the two feet of mud? Did her Limo get stuck? Sure didn’t see her there till 4 am waiting on her auto… Hats off to the Valet Guys busted their asses….
I just wish that I had only had to wait unitl 4:30 to get pulled out of that pasture. We spoke with one of the tractor operators around 4:00 when we were told that he had 3 other cars ahead of us and then never came back. At 6:00 a tractor finally showed up to pull us out. We were lucky, in that this tractor operator was not charging a fee and was reluctant to take the money we offered. Despite what the night turned into when we were ready to go home out of the rain and mud, we made the best of the evening. Montgomery Genrty was awesome!!!