It’s easy to get frustrated when people don’t do what they say they’re going to do. Unfortunately this practice is too common and so much time is wasted re-doing what should have been done the first time. It drives me crazy. Calling multiple times asking the same questions or receiving and sorting through an email with 14 answers, when I asked 42 questions.
But then you sometimes find those other people – those who over-deliver; the first people you would pick to be on your kick-ball team.
After the climax of an event, it’s easy to move back to the game of “catch up on life” when everything went as planned and the client was happy. Instead we decided it’s important post-event to review and discuss who did an outstanding job and over-delivered on their performance, to figure out who made a positive impact towards the success of the event. We also decided to recognize that special person. After all, who doesn’t like to be recognized and rewarded for a job well done? We thought, that this was better than having employee of the month (because let’s be serious, there are not that many of us to warrant this)…
We recently did a large event in Chicago. There was one person who we all agreed pulled the weight of 10 people. He was the Building Engineer. Before we arrived, he had all equipment we requested in the places designated on our event diagram. He saw to it that additional equipment was moved on site in case we needed it. He managed his staff so they assisted us every step of the way. He anticipated challenges and adjusted his schedule based on our needs for the event. It was a pleasure working with someone who was committed and conscientious.
This man made a real impact, when we realized we would have excessive food left over after lunch was served. None of the organizations we called would pick up the food on a Saturday. So he personally delivered the extra food to multiple charities within the community in his own vehicle.
After the dust settled post-event, we felt that the words “thank you” didn’t cover it for all he had done. I stopped by and dropped off a small gift for him and thanked him in person, once again. I could see he was touched that we appreciated his efforts so much that we went out of our way for him. It made me think more about acknowledgements and how little of this is around. No, I’m not talking about the “Don’t forget your bartenders and servers” from a musician at a crowded bar but truly recognizing when things go well, really well. The fact of the matter is, no matter how good you are (or think you are), you can’t do everything alone – especially successfully pulling off a large event. We’ve created a new NLED tradition and for me…it was probably the best dollars and time ever spent on a post-event visit.