Monday Morning Match is a simple post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
Making It Memorable
I love to “catch” people doing great things. If you’ve attended any of my presentations or classes you might have heard me tell stories about my awesome experiences with Fred the Shuttle Bus driver or Marciano at the Hilton in San Francisco. Maybe you remember me talking about my friends at the Marriott family of properties or the great service from Erin & Hannah at The Virginian in Charlottesville?
I often talk about the big difference between brands or service providers who spend their time listening instead of talking. Are they more focused on talking about themselves or listening to their customers, clients, and community? As I like to say, what are those companies doing…and more importantly, what are YOU doing to catch people being #Blogworthy? If you don’t have a blog, are you finding people being Facebook-worthy? Tweet-worthy? Instagram-worthy? Write-the-manager-a-note-worthy? Or what about just telling someone else about something that exceeded your expectations?
The neat thing is that when you start looking for people in all areas – from your next interaction with a barista at Starbucks to a random barbershop in Zebulon, North Carolina, or the next burger joint you find in some random city – doing something amazing for you or someone else, it will start making you a little more likely to do something amazing for someone else. You never know who you might impact or influence with your next action, a kind word, or gesture. Maya Angelou said it best…
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
A New Perk of Being on the A-List
When I travel I try to be as loyal as I can to Southwest Airlines. Sure, there are some times and certain destinations that I need to fly on another airline but when given the choice, I love to ride with my friends at Southwest. Some people don’t like their “open seating” policy and others see them as irreverent or kitschy. I love, love, love everything about them because they not only get me where I’m going but I always have fun with their crew members on the ground and in the air. I flew enough with Southwest in 2019 to earn membership on their “A-List” for frequent flyers. Now, I’m not “A-List Elite” yet but being on the “A-List” does earn me a few perks like being among the first 60 passengers to board the flight (which is nice) and occasionally they send me a few drink coupons (which is even nicer), but this week I received a “perk” I am super excited to put to use in 2020. In the new year, I’ll be looking forward to catching crewmembers of Southwest Airlines “kicking tail.”
When a Southwest Employee goes above and beyond to make a positive difference during your travels, we love hearing about it. On the ground or in the air, when you hand a Kick Tail to one of our employees, it’s your way of letting them – and us – know they’re doing a great job.
Your feedback is invaluable, and we thank you for taking the time to recognize the Heart of Southwest Airlines – our Employees. “
from the Southwest Airlines “Kick Tail” program
How cool is that? Catch people doing something amazing and let them know you appreciate it. What a great way to challenge every employee to elevate their efforts, and take a little more pride in what they do, even if no one is watching. Every “little bit more” just might help improve a passenger’s experience on their journey. When that happens, it can’t help but make people want to come back and fly SWA again. When that happens, people tell others about their great experience, and when that happens, the A-List gets a little bit longer.
Now don’t think I’m worried about how more people being on the A-List might affect me and the service I’ll receive in the future. Trust me, I’m savvy enough to know that other people having great experiences can’t stop me from having memorable experiences too. It just means there’s a better chance I’ll be sitting next to other happy passengers…but it’s okay if the middle seat next to me is empty too. #TravelKarma is always welcomed.
Who’s Tail Will You Kick in 2020?
As you turn your attention to a new year and the brand new decade, I hope you’re thinking about what you need to do to deliver the kind of service for your customers and clients that will make people take notice. How can you create experiences that people will not only remember but tell others about? Where can you find opportunities to “turn it up to 11” and elicit a standing ovation from your audience?
It starts by building relationships, solving problems and having fun…and it doesn’t hurt when your “bags fly free.”
Good luck in 2020. Let’s all kick some tail.
