Be a 5. Be lovable.

Be a 5. Be lovable.  

Whether we are talking about creating that cultural guest experience or employee engagement, earning a 5 and being a 5 are not the same, nor are they interchangeable concepts. As customers, we have all experienced the annoying requests to complete a survey, accompanied by that ever-so-gentle (or maybe not so gentle) nudge to “give 5’s”. As though the path to 5’s (being loved) lies in the request, not the performance. If the experience did not drive a 5, a request surely won’t. Besides, if you must beg for a 5, what value is there in it? (not much) 

Being a 5, not begging for a 5 is the only genuine way to earn a 5. When our focus is on being a 5, we have all the power; we are in control. If we want to earn 5’s, we need to be 5’s.  Want to be a 5 to your employees? Earn it by being a 5 employer. Want to earn 5’s from your guests? Earn it by delivering a 5 guest experience. 

From our past discussions, we learned guests and employees describe 5’s as “love”. To get love, you must be lovable. Similar to how you must be trustworthy to be trusted.

Experience has shown me that those who don’t love are the least lovable, just like those who trust the least are usually the least trustworthy. If we want our people to love working with and for us, we’ll have to initiate and return the love. If we want our guest to love their experience to the point they return, we’ll need to initiate and return the love. Why is it up to us to initiate? Because we are the leaders … we own the message, we own the environment, we own the culture. 

• Employer love is simply engagement that nourishes and flourishes the people who choose to work for us, over countless other employers, I should add. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just sincere, genuine, with some intentionality.

• Creating a cultural guest experience that makes guests love returning is as simple as consistent hospitality. Let’s remind ourselves that service is a task that can be reduced to simply checking boxes, satisfying our purpose (think of mystery shops). In contrast, a guest who loves their experience so much that they want to return is hospitality. Service checks our boxes. Hospitality checks the guests’ boxes. Creating a cultural guest experience checks both boxes. 

There are 5’s and everything else. There is love and everything else. 

Be a 5. Create 5’s. Deliver 5’s.