Leaders, Do You Surprise and Delight?

Week 5

Mileage: 32 (I only ran 28- I fell down the steps on Sunday and my foot looked like this for the beginning of the week.)

Long Run Distance:  13 (Half- Marathon Race)

 

We ran 14 miles last Saturday, the longest distance my husband and training partner have ever run.  It went fairly well, but running towards the “finish line” of this run topped it off as a memorable one. As we rounded the corner, we could see that someone had left four cold beers on the curb for us.  Our neighbors had timed our return and set them out, gleefully watching through the windows to gauge our reactions. It was a fun surprise (regardless of whether or not we even wanted a beer or not) for a variety of reasons that I think leaders can learn from:

1. Pay attention. The surprise showed us that our neighbors knew enough about what we were doing and when we were doing it to time our “reward” right.   They were going out of their way to pay attention, placing the beers on the curb in just enough time to not be seen but also make sure they were still cold.  Do you pay attention enough as a leader to be able to catch people in a way that surprises and delights them?

2. Know your people in order to customize. They knew us well enough to customize our beer selections, and to even take it a step backwards, know that we actually drink beer. (Don’t get caught up on the beer here as the example if you’re not into alcohol or disagree with drinking.  More power to you if you are, but the beer is just a metaphor for anything that is customized to your people to surprise and delight).  Do you know your people well enough to customize surprise or planned rewards to be meaningful?

3. Create an experience that lasts longer than the actual reward. The surprise created an experience for us that we will remember.  It was unique, funny, and our neighbors came out of the house after we reacted to our treat (Drew gulped his down, I still reached for the water) and they helped us celebrate the run.  I’m sure this will become a “remember the time when story” amongst our neighbors. In the competitive marketplace for talent, employers and leaders who create experiences for their people that are memorable and unique will attract and retain talent more effectively.  Are you creating experiences that last with your employees?

Go surprise and delight today!