All the little things we do send messages of who we are and what we care about.
Years ago, I remember reading my annual employee feedback, and there was a comment about me being anti-social in an elevator. At the time, I was floored that someone would take the time to write down that I had not spoken to them in an elevator. My defensive reaction was to wonder why they didn’t understand I was probably deep in thought on some issue? It was a great lesson on the fact that the little things matter.
All the little things we do send messages of who we are and what we care about. Did you sit at the table or take a side chair? Were you being present in the moment or was your mind somewhere else? Did you make eye contact? Did you listen or were you thinking about what you wanted to say? Did you reply all when it wasn’t needed? Did you say thank you? Did you silence your phone?
A company I used to work for planned to spend a significant amount of money with a firm to help better understand our client base and our brand strategy. The firm had their CEO present the initial findings. The CEO mis-pronounced our company name over and over in his comments. No one heard anything else he said, and we did not proceed with that firm. Their research may have been terrific, but the detail of knowing the pronunciation of our company name mattered. After all, if they couldn’t bother to get our name correct, how could we trust them with a project of this size?
The little things communicate messages. Are you distracted? Are you genuine? Are you caring? Are you focused? Are you prepared? The little things really do matter.
At the end of the day… is an expression meaning an assessment of essential facts and truths. It’s a summation of the pros and cons of any situation and a straightforward statement of what really matters. It’s also the title of this blog series by Brenda Hodge, Nuance Healthcare’s Chief Marketing Officer, with insights about leadership, empathetic customer relationships, and marketing techniques.
