B045: How to appreciate thoughtful details (as a core value)

Over the course of January, we are taking one core value of The Simplifiers, and breaking it down in our Friday bonus episodes. This will shine a light on what we believe in and why… and give you ideas on how you can incorporate the practice of core values in to your own work this year.

The next core value I want to place in the spotlight on is…

Never miss a moment…

to WOW them in the little details!

Earlier this week, I chatted with Arlene Pellicane, about how to have a better relationship with your phone and devices. It’s something that consumes quite a few of us in this day and age. Let’s face it… we are constantly distracted by NOISE and notifications.

And if you’re feeling it right now, I can almost guarantee your clients are too.

So, when I talk about thoughtful details as it relates to your work, I want you to keep in mind how ‘go, go, GO’ everyone is these days and how easily people are caught up in the whirlwind and dizzying pace of life.

What a perfect opportunity for you to slow down, be thoughtful and help people remember what’s most important in life…

It all boils down to three things:

1. You care
2. You share
3. You remember

Here’s how to do it:

1. You care

We are all in our little spaceships going 80 billion miles an hour in life. You’ve got to-do lists for your to-do lists, and mugs of coffee going cold in the microwave.

But then something magical happens that is so rare. So delightful. So appreciated… you get a handwritten letter in the mail. Maybe it’s your birthday. Maybe it’s a postcard. Maybe it’s just an everyday Friday and one of your favorite colleagues has sent a love bomb with encouraging words out of the blue.

BOOM. Your whole outlook on life changes.

You slow down, smile and feel all the feels, even if it’s just for a split second. Someone, somewhere in the world cares about you. Took the time, wrote the letter. Chose the stamp carefully and sent this message onwards, just to you. It’s everything. And it will sit on your desk for months to come, so you can feel that tingle of thoughtfulness again and again.

So…

My first challenge for you is this…

• Who is ONE person you could send a handwritten letter to today?
• Either a beloved client or trusted vendor?
• Maybe a colleague, or a friendly competitor?
• Who would you like to send a little love or a little encouragement to today?

#DoTheThing – and do it today. Show someone you care.

2. You share

As a trusted expert and guide in your field of work, your expertise is incredibly valuable and appreciated by your clients.

Think of the last project you worked on…

Maybe you helped a client save $10,000. Or you helped them make a decision that shaved hours off the timeline, so they got to the finish line faster. Or your guidance helped them rethink and redefine the scope of what they are working on. Simplify down and achieve greatness without the stress.

You shared.

You spoke up.

You had tricky conversations for the benefit of the client, the project, and the bottomline. You were bold, courageous and confident in your knowledge and you gave it freely when it was needed the most.

So…

My second challenge for you is this…

• Who can you serve this week?
• Where can your expertise be of benefit?
• Where can you share a small sliver of your time that would make a positive impact on the world around you?

Whether that’s volunteering to be on a board of advisors, or providing additional training to your team. Maybe it’s simply going above and beyond with your client to ensure they get a world-class experience whilst working with you.

Where can you share this week?

3. You remember

To never miss a moment, and to wow your clients and colleagues with the little details, you must remember – timing is everything.

While others are coasting on auto-pilot, you are remembering to apply the brakes and focus on the things that’ll make the most impact in your work. You remember to nourish yourself first, so you can serve your clients the best. You remember the subtle nuances of what your clients said in early meetings and sprinkled those thoughtful details into the entire project.

You don’t cut corners… but rather, you cut the NOISE, focusing on what’s most important, always.

This is where the magic lives. And this is the currency you trade in, which makes you remarkable. And the reason why so many of your clients refer you onwards to their friends like a gospel choir singing to the back row. You remember… so they remember you. Over and over and over again.

So…

My third and final challenge is this…

• What details have your current clients said to you recently that others might overlook?
• What’s one thing that’s super, super important to them?
• How can you incorporate it into the design plan?
• What needs to be subtracted out, in order to add this back in?
• What impact would this little detail make to the overall project and/or the client’s overall happiness?

Map it out and decide.

And just one final whisper, just from me to you, dear friend… come in closer.

Being thoughtful with the little details is the very best way to show you’re listening and that you care.

However, be careful to not slip down the rabbit hole of perfectionism, insisting everything is absolutely perfect before shipping it out to your client and the world.

There’s a fine line between obsessing over details and not letting it go, versus simply honing your listening skills to get to the core of what’s most, most important to others.

Zoom in to those details and give them love, care and attention. Zoom out your focus on the stuff that doesn’t matter to avoid wasted time, money and stress.

People appreciate how thoughtful you are. You care, you share and you remember.

Start small, start simple, and build from there.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It’s time to SIMPLIFY.

The Simplifiers’ Core Values, simplified:

B043: How to embrace simplicity

B044: How to create collaborations

B045: How to appreciate thoughtful details

B046: How to fail fast & learn faster

If this thought of the day inspired you…

Snap a photo of you doing the thing and send it to me via Instagram, privately or publicly… just tag @thesimplifiers – I’ll be your virtual accountability buddy in your quest to simplify your life.

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Big thanks to our undercover superheroes at The Simplifiers Podcast that help us create these episodes for you – Suzen Marie, our Podcast Editor. Jeffrey Lynn, our Video Editor. Janine Yardley, our Show Notes Editor. Lyden Yardley, our Director of Brilliance. Manminder Athwal, our Blogger. Our advisory board includes: Aubri Nowowiejski, Chris Justice and George Mills. And I’m your host, Mary Baird-Wilcock. Thank you so much for listening and telling your peeps about us.

As always friends, keep things simple.

Watch the video version of this episode