Thrill without setting expectations

Aha! is a company that’s been entirely distributed since at least 2014. Outside of their service offerings, they seem to position themselves as a thought leader in the remote leadership space. I’ve spent a lot of time within their blog this past month.

They came out with an article a few days ago on how to thrill people/clients/colleagues without setting any expectations at the onset of an engagement. I smiled at the word “thrill” when I read it.

I’ve been digging into the idea of creating an “experience” of us as remote professionals for our colleagues, supervisors, and senior leaders to encounter and appreciate. The ultimate goal would be to maneuver us for a promotion, cultivating a reputation for the skills and values that management wants in their remote leaders.

What’s fun about the Aha! article is that it feels more like a lesson in effective communication than in being thrilling… but I understand what they’re going for. Delighting a customer by making them feel heard and understood is the key here. If we set expectations for them at the onset of a meeting, we can dampen the “experience” (my word) by putting restrictions and barriers around what a customer should think, feel, or expect from us.

The more I read The Experience Economy, the more examples I see in everyday life of this concept. But I also recognize how easily a book can influence a person - especially with one as engaging (and validating) at The Experience Economy.

And so, dear reader, this leaves me with a question for you.

What are your thoughts on all of this?

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