Here at See.Spark.Go, we value coming together as a team and learning valuable lessons from different voices. Currently we are going through a book called Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. Will has so much gold tucked inside this book. In this blog post you’ll find some of my takeaways from the recent chapters we read.
Will explains the extraordinary power of intention as: “Intention means every decision, from the most obviously significant to the seemingly mundane, matters. To do something with intentionality means to do it thoughtfully, with clear purpose and an eye on the desired result.” Being intentional with mundane moments gives way to an opportunity for the people who are showing up to that moment in time to make it into something beautiful, powerful, and focused on a common goal. A moment can simply just come and go without intentionality, but we have the opportunity to grab that moment and make it into something deeper and meaningful, whether that be professionally or personally.
Will goes on to talk about an experience he had at a restaurant where it felt “natural” to be there and he left taking that feeling with him and the impression of wanting to learn more about the team and the restaurant. As Will did more research on this company and it’s culture, he came to find out that Danny, the owner, had this philosophy called “enlightened hospitality” – which has the heart of prioritizing the people who worked there over everything else. After the workers knew they were taken care of and experienced this intentionality, they would then demonstrate this to the customers and all who walked through their doors.
The philosophy of “enlightened hospitality” covers the idea of the power of going above and beyond when interacting with others. When going above and beyond for others you have the opportunity to see the needs of someone, be willing to intentionally meet those needs, but not just meet the needs, but go above those needs to show that you really SEE them.
Another idea under “enlightened hospitality” is enthusiasm being contagious. This section of the book has such a great quote that shows the importance of enthusiasm. “All it takes for something extraordinary to happen is one person with enthusiasm.” Having authentic vision and enthusiasm for something can be an absolute tidal wave for an environment. This pairs well with another quote from the book: “Let your energy impact the people you’re talking to, as opposed to the other way around.” Instead of matching people’s negative energy, what would it look like for us to stand firm in enthusiasm and create a wave of energy that impacts everyone around us?
Challenge for you, the reader: What is a way this week that you can SEE the person that you’re working with? Either coworkers, clients, or even the people that we interact with after work hours? How can we push aside the traditional corporate work world for a minute and allow others to introduce themselves to us so that it creates a foundation of intentionality going forward?
