Sometimes the Little Things are Everything

My wife and I are spending some time at the beach this week. The benefit of living in Central Florida is that it's a quick drive to the beach in any direction. We both grew up here and have wonderful memories of many trips and vacations at New Smyrna Beach. For the past couple of years, we've carved out a week to get away and recharge while doing some work on our businesses as well.

As we came into town, we planned to grab some dinner and then do some grocery shopping for the week. Following a meal, we walked over to Publix Super Markets and loaded the cart up with everything we thought we might need for the week. We were quite proud of ourselves as we also remembered to bring our Publix reusable bags which I had been gifted at the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) PR & Comms Summit a few weeks ago. You see, Publix was a sponsor of the annual event (for which we are always grateful).

One thing about Publix is that every employee understands they are there to help make the experience for customers a pleasure. For as long as I've lived in Central Florida (that would be all but two years) I believe the tag line for the grocery chain has been "where shopping is a pleasure". Today was no different and the gentleman on the register and lady bagging the groceries were working to quickly get our order through and making pleasant conversation as they did.

We cracked a joke about actually having our reusable bags with us and where I got them, when our bagger said, "Oh wow, did these magnets come with it too?" I had not yet seen the magnets, but there were a strip of four or five magnets each with a Publix branded image.

If you attend many conferences, you know that there will likely be a few sponsor gifts in the bag, and sometimes you put the bag down when you get home and may miss some of the swag in the bag. I could tell by the excited tone in her voice and beaming smile that she really liked the magnets and that she was so very proud to be a Publix employee.

My wife and I smiled at the joy she had in seeing her brand on display in the bag.

I said, "Why don't you take those since I have another set at home." You would think I had just given her the winning lottery ticket. She was so grateful and asked if she could give me a hug. And of course I did.

This is a small moment. And like all small moments, it contains the DNA to make a significant investment in the value that people feel or experience. In this case a small swag gift in a bag from a conference, which had a very small value to Kim or myself, completely lit up this person who may have spent a lifetime working for the company, or at the very least is completely sold out to their mission, vision and values.

I get so much joy from these moments, seeing people light up like that is awesome. I also respect Publix as a company and brand for their tireless effort to provide a pleasurable shopping experience.

Following my acute aortic dissection in 2019, I was out of work for six months recovering. One of the things I found myself doing was driving up to Publix to walk around (my only exercise at the time), take my blood pressure, and grab a few things. To this day, 1,913 days later, there's something special about going to that store close to home and shopping. It comes down to all the little things in that experience, each one prioritized as important by the employees if it makes my experience more pleasurable.

As leaders we have small moments every day where we can see a team member light up. Sometimes it may just be sharing a smile and a pleasant "hello" as we walk by.

There is always a great pay off when you share more of yourself with others in what may seem to be a small investment of your time or resources. It might just mean everything to them that day.