Living Up to the Hype

A penny for your thoughts. That was printed on the outside of the comment card The Inn at Little Washington left for us to fill out about our stay. Inside the card read, “But at our rates, you’d probably expect more…”? Bold.?

A little background on The Inn at Little Washington.? The Inn is a cute historic building located in Washington, Virginia.? It is named after George Washington who designed the town and even named the streets.? The town has not grown any larger than Washington’s original design.???

Inside the inn is a restaurant that has earned not one, not two, but three Michelin stars.? Earning a Michelin star is a lot like winning the gold medal at the Olympics and setting a world record while doing it.? Only 13 restaurants in the U.S. have achieved three Michelin stars and The Inn at Little Washington is one of them.???

We always wanted to go while we lived in D.C. but never did.? But, on a recent road trip, we put the inn on our itinerary.? Would it live up to the hype?? We were making a significant investment financially to stay and eat there so our expectations were set extremely high.

From the straw hatted valet's whisking our bags up to our room to the welcome glass of bubbly, to tea, to dinner, to our departing picnic basket, The Inn at Little Washington lived up to the hype. Everything surpassed our expectations. ?

Here's an example of how their service is over and above. At the end of our fabulous multi-course dinner with wine pairing, we forgot there was still one more post dessert course on the way.? Our meal was already paid for in advance so we knew we could leave our table when we were ready.???

We retired to a sitting room to have an after-dinner drink, and our table staff quickly and graciously brought our final bite to us complete with silverware and napkin to the comfortable chairs in our nook of the sitting room.? Not once making us feel awkward for leaving the table early but truly wanting to ensure we got the complete experience. ?

With a decanter of a Washington cherry cordial waiting for us at the end of the night, our travel clothes neatly folded, and my phone charger cord neatly bound by a green wrap, this was an experience we will not forget.??

A penny for our thoughts on the stay.

There were two sections of the card.? The first was, “What did we do that was extraordinary? The second was, “What could we have done better?”??

Imagine if we all came with this type of comment card at work.? A penny for your thoughts.? With my experience and resume, you probably expected more…?

What do I do that is extraordinary?? What could I be doing better??

As a veteran, you come with a wealth of experience.? Mission focused, technical expertise, leadership, strategic thinking, and the list goes on.? What does your employer expect????

They have read the articles touting the value of veterans in the workplace and how they make great team members.? They have read your resume jam packed with achievements. Their expectations are high.? Will we live up to the hype??

Like The Inn at Little Washington, we can be confident in what we do well.? And we can be open to getting feedback on areas we could improve.? Working in two new industries post my military service, I had a lot to learn.? It was frustrating at times, but I had kind and patient bosses who encouraged me and showed me the ropes.? I just continued to get better, adding on to what I know I was already doing well.??

Today I continue to ask, “How can I help?”.? Opening that door for feedback and an invitation to grow and learn.? Ultimately, living up to the hype and then trying to exceed it.