Imagine a hotel bar. Dim lighting. A martini, two olives. And in the background: people who, for a moment, forget just how much pressure they’re under.
That’s exactly what today is all about.
World Cocktail Day commemorates the first documented definition of the word “cocktail” on May 13, 1806.
The cocktail wasn’t invented during Prohibition—but Prohibition “made it big” in its own way: Under restrictions, new places (speakeasies), new mixes, and new rituals emerged. Because people had to make something out of nothing.
And now we’re back in a time when many organizations lead as if there were only two modes:
- Increase control
- Cut back on creativity
That’s understandable. And often fatal.
Because in crises, you don’t need less leeway. You need better leeway.
Photo credit: Dall-E by DIKT
The fallacy: “When things get tight, nothing can go wrong.”
That’s the moment when many teams stop experimenting. And start covering each other’s backs.
You know the result:
- Meetings get longer, decisions get smaller.
- Innovation becomes a PowerPoint slide.
- And in the end, the company loses not only momentum—but courage.
Correct. But ineffective.
My “cocktail logic”: Good drinks don’t happen without a recipe—but they also don’t happen without courage
A bartender does two things at once:
1. He sets a clear framework (glass, ingredients, technique).
2. He allows for variations (balance, twists, new combinations).
Leadership in times of crisis works exactly the same way.
5 leadership principles every executive team needs today
1) Provide a “mixing framework”—not the solution. Define: What must not happen? (Guardrails) And then: What can be tried? (Scope)
2) Allow low-stakes experiments. Innovation dies when every attempt becomes a career-defining moment. Create mini-experiments: 2 weeks, 1 hypothesis, 1 metric.
3) Ease the team’s burden through rituals. People cope better with pressure when there are stable rituals:
- short check-ins
- clear priorities
- a place where problems can be voiced without losing face
4) Reward not just success—but well-executed attempts. “Didn’t work” isn’t a mistake if you learn from it. The mistake is: not trying anything because you’re afraid of looking bad.
5) Make room for freedom visible. Room to maneuver is not a luxury. It is a leadership decision. If you don’t defend it, day-to-day business will consume everything.
Conclusion: Crises need less panic—and more structured freedom
Prohibition was a restriction.
Yet a culture of mixing, experimenting, and improvising emerged.
Not because the situation was comfortable.
But because people found ways to stay creative despite the pressure.
Your job as a leader isn’t to mix every drink yourself.
Your job is to create the framework in which your team can find the courage to innovate again.
Where in your organization is there currently “too much control”—and where would a little leeway be the fastest way to drive innovation?
May 13, 2026