By Nadia Virani, OD
Leadership Uncorked is designed to give leaders and business owners a refreshing pause—part learnings, part toast—offering insights from the office and the vineyard alike.
I’m Dr. Nadia Virani, part health care executive, part sommelier and always a believer in the power of both head and heart in leadership. Like many leaders, my path has been anything but linear—from practicing optometrist, to healthcare executive, to becoming a sommelier somewhere along the way. Along this journey, I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors and experiences that shaped me, and I want to share those insights with the community so we can all continue to better ourselves together.
I love the way a good glass of wine or cocktail can spark connection and creativity, and I believe leadership learnings can be just as approachable when paired with stories that feel familiar and human. Each month, I’ll share reflections that are as approachable as your favorite glass—something to savor, something to spark thought and something to take back to your own teams.
Think of this series as your monthly reset: a little bit of business insight, a little bit of happy hour and always a reminder that leadership can (and should) be savored. Here’s to ideas worth swirling, lessons worth savoring, and leadership that leaves a lasting finish!
HAPPY HOUR LEADERSHIP: WHY INFORMAL CONNECTION TIME MATTERS
If you’ve ever lingered at a happy hour after work, you know the energy is different. People relax, laugh a little louder and open up in ways they never do in the office. Titles and positions fade into the background, and what’s left is human connection.
In leadership, those moments matter more than we realize.
As optometrists, we already embody this kind of leadership. Every day, patients look to you for confidence, clarity and care. Whether it’s a reassuring word before a surgery or a quick check-in with a colleague between patients, doctors lead naturally in ways that extend far beyond medicine. The same instincts that guide you in the clinic—presence, empathy and calm authority—are what make you powerful leaders in informal team settings too.
BEYOND THE AGENDA
Think about the last time you bonded with your team. Was it in a formal meeting you held at the office, or was it during a coffee run, a quick walk or a post-work drink? Chances are, it was the latter.
As optometrists, you know this well. Some of the most genuine connections with your staff don’t happen in a structured morning huddle—they happen in the dispensary while adjusting a patient’s glasses together, or in between exams when you share a quick laugh with a technician. These informal moments remind the team that you’re more than the “doctor in the lane”—you’re also a leader who sees and values the people working alongside you.
That’s because informal time removes pressure. Without the clock ticking or a heavy expectation to produce an outcome, people reveal more of themselves—their passions, their worries, their ideas that feel half-baked but promising. These conversations plant the seeds for trust, and trust is the soil where creativity grows.
PUTTING HAPPY HOUR LEADERSHIP INTO PRACTICE
You don’t need a bar tab to practice this kind of leadership. Here are a few simple ways to weave informal connection into your leadership style:
Walk-and-talks – Swap a office room chat for a 15-minute walk. Movement shifts energy and makes tough conversations easier.
Deliberate Coffee breaks – Schedule optional 20-minute coffee breaks where the only rule is no agenda.
Celebrate small wins- Take a moment after a long week to toast a project finished or a tough day survived – whether with sparkling water or sangria.
Be human first – Ask about the weekend, the kids, the marathon training. Remember details. It’s the small talk that builds big trust.
CREATIVITY NEEDS SPACE
Creativity needs space: It has been long noted that our best ideas often appear when we’re relaxed—in the shower, on a walk or over a glass of wine. That’s because creativity thrives in openness, not rigidity.
Sometimes the best solution to a tricky refraction or a patient’s complaint comes not during the exam, but in a casual conversation with a tech afterward. The same applies to teams. When leaders create environments where casual connection is welcome, they open the door to unexpected breakthroughs.
Happy hour leadership isn’t about the drink in your hand—it’s about the space created when people feel safe, seen, and comfortable enough to let their guard down.
THE LASTING TOAST
Leadership isn’t just built in the office. It’s cultivated in the moments between—over a shared laugh, a casual story or a clink of glasses at the end of a long day. When doctors make time for those spaces, they build stronger teams, spark creativity and create cultures where people want to stay.
So the next time you think leadership has to be formal, remember: sometimes the best ideas—and the best connections—are uncorked at happy hour.
| And now, The Last Drop: a fun sip fact from yours truly.
The most common pair you’ll spot on a happy hour menu is Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Cabernet Sauvignon is the “default” red—bold, familiar and perfect with heavier bar bites. It also happens to be the world’s most planted wine grape, born by accident centuries ago in France when Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc crossed naturally. Chardonnay is the reigning white—the best-selling varietal in the U.S. and a happy hour staple because everyone knows it. It’s also a true chameleon, showing up buttery and rich in California or crisp and mineral in France. |
