In the world of fine wine, the most exceptional vintages don’t happen by chance. They are the result of patience, vision, and a deep respect for timing. A winemaker understands that rushing the process can spoil the harvest, while giving the grapes—and the craft—the time they need can yield something extraordinary.
Leadership works the same way.
The Allure of Speed
Today’s culture often values speed. We celebrate “overnight successes,” rapid growth, and quick exits. However, if you look beyond the headlines, most of those so-called overnight successes took years — sometimes decades — of preparation, failures, and quiet perseverance.
Like young wine, leaders who are rushed into high-stakes decisions before they’re ready risk becoming unbalanced. There’s a reason seasoned leadership carries a depth and complexity that can’t be faked — it’s the product of time in the barrel.
The Patience to Let Ideas Mature
In winemaking, there’s a stage where nothing appears to happen. The grapes are harvested, the fermentation tanks are still, and the wine rests in casks, drawing in subtle notes from the wood. To the untrained eye, it looks like a pause. But for the winemaker, this is when transformation takes place.
In business and leadership, those quiet periods are just as important. Not every quarter will show flashy growth. The most effective leaders know how to use these times to invest in their team, improve their strategy, and get ready for the moments when conditions improve.
Vision is the Vineyard
You can’t make a great wine from poor grapes, no matter how skilled you are. In leadership, the “vineyard” represents your vision — the environment you cultivate for your team and your business. This involves selecting the right people, fostering a culture of trust, and letting your values direct every decision. Without that foundation, even perfect timing won’t save you.
Timing is Everything
Even the most promising wine can be spoiled if bottled too early or left too long in the barrel. Leaders face similar challenges — launch too soon, and the market might not be ready; wait too long, and opportunities could pass by. The skill lies in recognizing the right moment, in understanding when a team or an idea has reached its full potential.
For the Next Generation
As we observe International Youth Day on August 12, it’s important to remember that leadership isn’t a race to the top. Young innovators have a special advantage: time. Don’t rush through the steps. Learn from each phase — the harvests and the droughts. Build your vineyard with patience, and when your moment arrives, you’ll be ready to share something truly extraordinary with the world.
Because in both wine and leadership, greatness isn’t just about what you produce — it’s about the patience, vision, and timing that make it possible.
Adam A. Kablanian is an Armenian-American entrepreneur whose journey from Aleppo, Syria, to Silicon Valley has been driven by a passion for science, a belief in innovation, and a commitment to community. After moving to California to attend college, Kablanian earned a B.A. degree in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University. That educational foundation set the stage for a career spent building innovative and transformative companies that connect deep technology with real-world impact.
In 2017, he founded Alexandrea Winery in Armenia to support local agriculture, create jobs, and elevate Armenian winemaking on the global stage. Combining traditional viticulture with modern techniques, Alexandrea Winery was the first in the country to produce international wine varieties, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, and create unique wines by blending international and Indigenous grape varietals to create international award-winning wines —an emblem of Kablanian ethos: innovation rooted in heritage.
