Friday Four No.17
On a Friday, (admittedly not every Friday, but on as many as possible) I share “Four Things For Friday”. They are a collection of things I’ve seen, heard, or experienced during the week. Thoughtfully chosen, and intended to spark your curiosity, imagination, or inspiration. HAPPY EXPLORING!
Who stood out this week?
The Chap in Starbucks and the Gal in Five Guys.
I found myself visiting two spots that aren’t usually part of my rhythm this week - Starbucks and Five Guys. Here’s what I witnessed.
Both individuals I interacted with did three things that are becoming a lost art in consumer customer service experiences:
They made eye-contact and smiled.
They engaged in genuine conversation, without me prompting.
They showed good humor, kindness, and respect to their team colleagues and you could tell the team enjoyed spending time and working together.
You might be thinking that’s a very normal thing to happen but I’ve witnessed a decline in these behaviors over the years. It’s a joy to see people being engaged in what they’re doing, rather than being caught up in their own minds with dramas that take them away from being present with what they’re doing.
When it comes to consumer customer experience, the people that stand out are those that engage in a genuine, kind, and authentic way. It lightens the space around them and that is contagious. I, and other visitors, walked out of these two locations with a brighter outlook and it was all because the people serving were shining their lights brightly. They were being who they were, and were present to the activities they were engaged in. They didn’t shy away or dim their lights because of others, they stood tall and beamed.
It’s important to celebrate the goodness we see and experience, and the individuals in these two Five Guys and Starbucks locations in New York made a true difference to those they interacted with.
As you go about your week, notice what consumer customer service behaviors stand out for you?
Which menu caught my eye?
Porchlight’s Menu. I visited this New York City bar this week and while browsing through the menu before deciding on my choice of cocktail I spotted this: ‘Borrow an Instax instant film camera’. Genius! The nostalgic fun of snapping photos and instantly having them available is one way to create engagement.
This idea is often reserved for the wedding tracks, but adding the option of borrowing a camera in a bar is a creative way of bringing people together, and getting them off their phones, while combining two things well-known in a new way.
The camera is not a new concept, the bar is not a new concept, but bringing them together is, and that generates a new experience.
The menu kept me turning pages (as an establishment that’s what you want) wondering what else I might discover and learn (and order - it worked!), and that’s when I found a new fact about whiskey and the first U.S. president! ——>
Later this week I read this post on LinkedIn about knowledge, experience, and creativity and I was reminded about how Porchlight is tapping into thoughtfulness to re-energize the way we socially gather and experience a bar by adding simple and creative details to their menu.
This further prompted me to consider how we can all bring ordinary things together to create new experiences?
It’s that time Again
Thanksgiving! I arrived in the U.S. on the eve of Thanksgiving quite a few years ago. I remember being absolutely delighted that I had the day off work to unpack my boxes and get slightly organized before heading to work on the Friday. I remember not having heard of Thanksgiving before and was sort of baffled by a holiday that always fell on the last Thursday of November where everyone ate turkey and then generally went back to work the next day. Although the trend over the last decade has been to take the Friday off work as well to get an extended weekend holiday in.
My only reference to a day of eating turkey was Christmas Day in the U.K. and that usually meant a two-week holiday, so I wondered about this strange American holiday I’d stumbled on and didn’t know what it was all about.
Of course, over the years I’ve come to learn the origins of Thanksgiving. While the details can be debated, and if you ask a few Americans what the origins are it’s likely you’ll get a variety of answers. The Britannica Encyclopedia states its modeled on the harvest feast of 1621 shared by the English colonists or Pilgrims of Plymouth and Wampanoag people. In modern times it’s a celebration of thanks, gratefulness, and considering the blessings in your life. Extending that onwards to others to envelope them in your thoughts of gratitude and show you care. A day shared with family or friends (Friendsgiving), where the table is decorated and richly filled with roast turkey, mashed potato, sweet potato and vegetables, followed by some sort of pie - pumpkin, apple, or cherry. It’s also the biggest U.S. holiday of the year, a non-religious celebration, traversing all beliefs and values, where no gifts are exchanged, and sees the the biggest travel time of the year, as well as most businesses being closed, or closing early.
It begins the season of goodwill, and you’ll see all sorts of kindness unfold as a result.
Could it be that this day reminds us to soften our hardened shells and extend kindness and thankfulness onward to others - just that little bit more than we normally do?
When we pause our negativity and complaining something positive happens. It connects us back to who we really are and connections between people happen in new ways. On a last minute run to the supermarket I found myself consider the homeless man I walked past and wondered if there was a way I could show him kindness? I bought him lunch, wished him well, and left it by his spot on my return. Thanksgiving gave me the gift of shifting my thoughts, softening my humanity, releasing judgements, and showing kindness. It wasn’t my job to question, judge, or debate, it was my moment to give spontaneous kindness.
What did I ponder this week?
Cultures. I’ve had some brilliant conversations this week, quite by chance, I found myself learning about different cultures far and wide, and I was reminded of the beauty in our differences. It prompted me to consider cultural lessons in engaging with others that I’ve learned from others, or seen over the years from the different countries I’ve lived in or visited. Here’s a list of the cultural insights, countries removed, that came to mind this week:
Don’t smile - it’s strange, and people will think you’re crazy.
In your school test, the emphasis is “you got 2 wrong out of 10”, not “8 right out of 10”.
Clean your house from top to bottom, including the windows, before any guests arrive at your home.
Take all the food out of your fridge and put it on the table when your guests are present.
Put the best food dishes closest to your favorite guest.
Clean the plates away as soon as anyone finishes.
Clean the plates away only once everyone has finished.
Don’t play any music loudly after 9pm.
Decorate your table to make guests feel welcome.
If someone tells you about an experience or something they have, and you’ve done it or have it, don’t tell them about your experience. Give them the courtesy of enjoying sharing with you as if it was the first time you’d heard of it.
Never ask where someone lives.
Never ask how old someone is.
Don’t give a gift with black gift wrap.
Don’t speak to someone driving you.
Always speak to someone driving you.
Never take photos of sacred places or people.
Always whisper at the theater or in cinemas.
Never peer into someone’s home window.
Always stare at strangers.
Never stare at strangers.
Always take a business card with two hands and study it thoroughly.
Always prepare enough food to invite one more to dinner.
Set the table with one extra place, even if it’s not filled.
Always bake a cake, never buy one, when you have guests.
Never yell in public (or in private for that matter.)
Always finish everything on your plate.
Always leave a little bit of food on your plate.
Always put your hands on the table when you’re sharing a meal.
Keep your hands on your lap unless they’re holding a knife and fork.
Alway greet someone when you pass them, no matter what.
There are so many cultural expectations, rules, and traditions that every single country has, and across countries many of them are conflicting, so it’s worthwhile studying up on etiquette when you travel.
What I loved about these thoughts this week, is that we are all so beautifully different. None of these cultural aspects are right or wrong, they just make up cultural expectations from a variety of counties, and in theory they are there to help us navigate society and live in harmony with each other as a wider community.
It prompted me to wonder, how is my English upbringing and culture influencing my American experience of life and what aspects are ingrained, what are newly learned, and what are the unconscious biases that I have. I love learning about cultural customs, traditions, and etiquette, so if anyone has a good book to recommend, do let me know.
If you’re curious about British culture then I highly recommend this hilarious series on Amazon Prime - “Very British Problems”… and yes, many of these I understand!
Here’s to the next week of your adventures, may the week bring inspirations, ideas, dreams, and new perspectives. If you missed last week’s Friday Four you can read it here.