Unreasonable Hospitality

II'm only partway through Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, and last night I hit a passage that I’d like to share:

“When I encounter someone who thinks their work doesn’t matter, it’s usually because they haven’t dug deep enough to recognize the importance of the role they play. When I spoke at a real estate conference, it was easy for me to tell when someone was operating with passion and purpose. Many told me they sold houses; the great ones understood they were selling homes.

“You can be in the financial services business, or in the business of providing people with a plan so they can provide a future for their families. You can be in the insurance business, or in the business of offering people the comfort of knowing they and their loved ones are covered, safe and secure, no matter what happens. It’s the difference between coming to work to do a job, and coming to work to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

“Without exception, no matter what you do, you can make a difference in someone’s life.”

I love this! In fact, I believe in this.

As leaders we have to tell the story of our mission so clearly and compellingly that each person on our team sees their positive human impact in it. Because ultimately, whether we build software, sell real estate, or launch brand campaigns… it all connects back to people.

No matter what we do, it ultimately connects to another person, and it is in caring deeply about the impact of that connection that we find our purpose.

And when your team finds the purpose behind the work, the work changes... and so do the results.