You’re Enough
I have been researching and writing all week at Wheaton College at the Marion E. Wade Center in Wheaton, Illinois. I’ve been staying in Naperville, Illinois at the Hotel Indigo Naperville, which is the inspiration for this post. This hotel truly understands the customer experience. From checkin to the comping of meals and drinks to preferred parking this place has treated me better than I deserve. This hotel deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s!
This morning when I walked into Indigo’s Plank Bar & Kitchen the servers who had taken care of me all week already had coffee and tomato juice waiting on me. I asked what they would have done if I had switched to orange juice. They said they would have cried. This is just one example of the customer experience being provided here. It might seem trivial that I am excited about tomato juice and being acknowledge by name (if you recall there was a guy named Norm who thought that was cool), but these are so important to belonging. As a founder of a professional service firm, I understand that the customer experience is no trivial matter.
I was then asked if there would be anyone joining me, or just me like other mornings. I said just me and my server smiled and said, “You’re enough.” With a funny look on my face, I said, “Many would agree with you.” She said, “No. No. I meant that as a positive compliment.” Of course, I had to think about that phrase, which I guess could be taken negatively, but think about being told “You’re enough.” That’s pretty amazing. I found myself reflecting on all the great people in my life who are “enough.”
I get that the phrase “You’re enough” can be interpreted in several meaningful ways. Each of those ways is very personal and carries its own depth and resonance. Here are a few thoughts that come to mind:
- Self-Acceptance: It serves as a reminder that we don’t need to change who we are to be worthy. Embracing our true self—flaws and all—can foster a sense of confidence and contentment.
- Reassurance: In moments of doubt or insecurity, hearing “You’re enough” can be comforting. It reassures us that we are sufficient for the challenges we face and that our efforts have value. We need to remember to give others this same reassurance. Maybe we need to say “You’re enough” more often.
- Limiting Comparisons: This phrase encourages us to stop comparing ourselves to others. Recognizing that everyone has their unique strengths and weaknesses can help alleviate feelings of inadequacy.
- Encouragement for Growth: It suggests that while striving for improvement is valuable, it’s important to acknowledge our current self as worthy. We can pursue growth without feeling that we must first become “more” to be deserving of love and respect. We particularly need to help our young people understand this.
- Emotional Support: This phrase can also come from a place of empathy and support, reminding us that we are valued by others regardless of our accomplishments or failures.
- Mindfulness: It encourages a focus on the present moment. Accepting ourselves as enough can lead to a more mindful approach to life, promoting a sense of peace and gratitude.
- Foundation for Relationships: Recognizing that we are enough can enhance our relationships by allowing us to connect authentically with others, rather than seeking validation through them.
Each interpretation carries profound implications for personal growth and emotional well-being. Did any of these resonate with you? Remember: you’re enough!
Don’t Overlook The Brilliance Of Our Students
I’m still getting caught up on my reflection of the lessons from Kevin Eikenberry’s Virtual LeaderCon last week. This post is about Chip Bell’s response to my question about where education and the students we serve fall into the realm of the work he has put together in his latest book, Inside Your Customer’s Imagination: 5 Secrets For Creating Breakthrough Products, Services, and Solutions. The first thing he said was, “We must treat students like customers, not consumers.” There is brilliance in our students that so many times gets overlooked.
I asked Chip to go into a little more detail about treating students like customers and not consumers. To this he stated that we have board meetings and where are the students (I’m excited that many states have put students on their state boards of education – I’m still working on Indiana)? But, local school boards should think about student members in some capacity, too. He also asked us to think about where the student was when we were having planning meetings. Chip explained that everything we do should “have our customer’s fingerprints all over it.” He used the example of when we coach little league baseball we tell the kids to “be the ball.” We need to be telling our students to “be the customer.” And, then letting them be the customer. Chip believes our students should be partners along with our students’ families. He promotes student-staff partnership initiatives.
Chip Bell reminds us that customers can give us our best next idea. We should be asking the question, “What is something no-one else has ever thought of?” This discussion reminded me that the words “customer” and “consumers” are often interchangeably used and are easily confused with one another. While students are consumers and the ultimate user of the product, we need to treat them like customers – the person buying the product. We need to think of our students as a final customer– these are the customers who buy the product for their own need or desire. This kind of thinking will help us to better individualize education for every student.
We must innovate. Listening to our students will help us to do this. We can’t keep offering the same thing over and over and over again. We owe it to our students to be authentic. As Chip told us during Virtual LeaderCon, “Authenticity wins every time.”
Opportunities To Personalize
Dale Presenting Me With M&Ms!
Last spring while attending the 2019 National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) Legislative Conference I had an experience involving M&Ms. I chronicled the experience in Leading With No Brown M&Ms. Then, when I arrived at NASBE’s 2019 Annual Conference, I got my normal text from the Hilton Omaha welcoming me and asking me how my room was. I replied it was great and could use a bowl of M&Ms. I shortly got a text back that they did not have any M&Ms. This really by bummed me out. After my experience at The Madison Hotel (also a Hilton Hotel) where I got M&Ms with the brown ones sorted out. I thought the Hilton Omaha should too.
The next morning I was telling the above story in the breakfast buffet line before our board of directors meeting. Never underestimate the power of someone overhearing your conversation. Dale, of the Hilton Omaha catering staff, had overheard the conversation and took it upon himself to get some M&Ms and proceeded to bring me a bowl of M&Ms into our board meeting. I loved every minute of it. Needless to say everyone else was jealous of this personalized treatment I had received. The big story here is the customer service that Dale had provided. He heard my disappointment and made my experience memorable.
Dale’s level of excellence did not stop there, however. He proceeded to have a bowl of M&Ms delivered to every session I was in. I became the hit of whatever sessions I was in as everyone knew I would have M&Ms at every session. Customers have now come to expect remarkable service from every support organization they engage with. And, with that standard set, it becomes even more imperative for your service team to go above and beyond the customer’s expectations. This kind of above-and-beyond service will build great relationships and generate very positive word-of-mouth among your customers. Ultimately, this differentiates us from our competitors.
While it is great for support teams to be able to meet our initial needs, surpassing our expectations is a great way for our organizations to stand out and create a memorable experience. In other words, go above and beyond when it is not expected. Customers who are surprised with expected moments of delight are more likely to be loyal to your brand over time.
Unfortunately, every day won’t present the opportunity to create a customer service story that goes viral, but there is always the opportunity to personalize an experience for a customer. Dale took advantage of this opportunity by going and getting a party size bag of M&Ms and making sure I always had M&Ms available. He even put the bag of the remaining M&Ms in my room this morning. The goal should be for us to create a customer service experience that is valuable to the customer beyond the just the product.
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