Creating Moments

I recently listened to an inspiring interview of Chip Heath by Craig Groeschel. It centered around Chip’s book, The Power of Moments.

They talked about why some experiences create more of an impact than others, what makes them memorable and how they can be used to benefit your professional and personal life. For me, it served as a catalyst to explore how I can leverage impactful moments within my company to improve culture, delight customers and create a shared purpose for my teammates. It also gave me pause to think about how I can be more intentional about creating moments with my family.

Until now, I didn’t realize how deeply I’ve been affected by the topic.  It’s as though I’m looking at life through a different pair of lenses and see everything as a collection of experiences, i.e. basic building blocks, many of which I can influence by being mindful about creating the moments I want. By default, this perspective takes the focus off myself and places it on others and what they feel.

I was moved to create the following moments this week:

1. Surprise Saturdays. These are days I will do whatever my kids feel like doing. When a “Surprise Saturday” is declared, they get to choose what we do for the day, and I have to do it.
2. Anniversary Celebrations. The insurance industry has a bad habit of being too internally focused. For example, the day coverage starts is defined as the customer’s effective date or renewal date. Not any longer at First National Insurance. Moving forward, this date will be know as the customer’s anniversary, and we will celebrate it. We will show our gratitude for every additional year they choose to stay with us. Their loyalty warrants special treatment, and as with a marriage, major milestones will be extra special.
3. Day One. On their first day, every new employee gets a “Day One” e-mail from the President.  It will be the first e-mail they see in their inbox. Here’s an example of one that was sent this week:

This is a big day. We’re so excited to have you part of our team. We’re doing great things, and we’re now poised to do even greater things with you on board.

I’m a big believer in the concept of synergy, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. 1 + 1 = 3. We are stronger with each new teammate.

We have a fast-paced, results-oriented, entrepreneurial culture that is balanced with empathy and compassion. At the end of the day, we intrinsically understand everyone wants to feel heard and are mindful of that with all stakeholders.

We are on a purposeful mission to build the most hospitable insurance brokerage on Earth. We are one-step closer to accomplishing that today and are so grateful for the faith you’ve shown in us.

I am committed to being more intentional about creating meaningful moments with those I am blessed to have in my life. I can see it becoming a lifestyle. It will help me grow in wisdom in the ways I relate to people.

Unlike “earthly” wisdom, which harbors envy and selfish ambition and causes discord, this “heavenly” wisdom initiates kind, authentic actions and yields peace-loving relationships. It is considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  It is willing to listen and be open to ideas and suggestions.

As I grow in creating moments, I can also see myself growing in awareness about not disguising my weaknesses. People appreciate honesty and straightforwardness. By being more open about where I struggle, it will help those with whom I’m sharing the moment to be more open, as they may be struggling too.

Thank you Chip Heath for a wonderful book, and thank you Craig Groeschel for an inspiring interview. I am forever grateful.

If you’d like to learn more about creating moments, then here’s a link to the podcast: click here. Enjoy.