Give people more than they expected and do it cheerfully.

” One way to influence people is to give them above and beyond their expectations and do it willingly “

Atip Muangsuwan
CEO Coach and Coach Supervisor

To be able to lead people well, the influential leaders need to give their people more than they expected and do it cheerfully— giving them above and beyond their expectations.

The other day, I drove my Mercedes car for service at an authorized Mercedes-Benz service center. I felt so very impressed by their 5-star welcome and service. It’s beyond my expectation from the very spot I was directed to park my car, there was a female staff coming to greet me and welcome me at my car. Then, she walked me to their welcome lounge which looks very luxurious. From the sight and sound, their lounge looked very much like a 5-star hotel’s lounge.

Then, I was seated at one of the cozy tables. There was another female staff approaching me and asking for what I would like to have for my drink. She showed me their drink menu on her hand-held smart menu. Their lounge’s atmosphere and experience were just like a lounge of a luxurious 5-star hotel indeed.

After a short while, there was another female staff approaching me and asking for what else I would like to have. She asked me to try their signature ice-cream and desserts.

Wow! This was above and beyond my expectation. It’s a 5-star service indeed! I think that’s why they call it, “Star Club”.

After reflecting on this, I think there are some valuable lessons learned here in the aspect of Leadership as follows:

1. If you’d like to influence your people, take this Mercedes’s 5-star service as a good example. You need to treat your people like they’re a 5-star people for you! Because everyone has the urge to be important.

2. You need to give your people more than they expected and do it cheerfully. While the Mercedes staff were providing their services to me, they kept smiling and showed their willingness to serve. They did it cheerfully.

3. You need to provide your people with an unforgettable experience so that they’ll remember you even when you already step down from the leadership position. From the sight and sound aspects, their lounge looked very much like a 5-star hotel’s lounge. So, their clients won’t forget to revisit this service center again and again in the future. The unforgettable experience will generate the repeated clients and repeated buying of the service.

To conclude, one way to influence people is to give them above and beyond their expectations and do it willingly and cheerfully. Give them the experience that they haven’t had it before. If you can do this, you’ll be able to influence people.

If you want to be able to influence people at work and/or at home, then let’s talk!