The magic word

What if I told you there is a magic word?

A universal truth. A word that makes everyone’s ears perk up.

Let me tell you a quick story about a leadership lesson I learned at my local coffee shop…

Down the road here in Oslo, there’s a small coffee shop. No big chain or fancy stuff, just a guy working hard for the local community.

It’s the perfect place for someone like me, who enjoys few things more in life than to sit down with a good cup of coffee and watch other people.

He’s got different groups of regulars. From an early morning group of craftsmen to the midday group of pensioners, and from the afternoon parents on their way to school to people like me.

The other day I sat down in the corner, perfectly positioned to catch a glimpse of winter sun.

“No calls this afternoon?” He asked.

And that’s when it hit me. This guy knows everyone.

He knows what they do. He knows their favorite drink. He knows how they’ll pay. He knows their favorite spot. And he knows their name.

As I was thinking about it while sipping my coffee, he came by to clean some tables. It was quiet in the shop, so I could ask him about it.

“You really know everyone here huh?”

“That’s my job.”

What do you mean? I asked.

“People don’t come here for coffee. They come here for a laugh, a smile, a feeling of community. It costs them $4. And they get free coffee with it.”

How’s that for an answer?

You see, this guy is not Norwegian. Neither am I. He’s from southern Europe, and we spoke a little about some cultural differences.

He explained how he enjoys bringing some of the Mediterranean warmth to the Nordics, and how knowing people’s names is his not-so-secret weapon.

Think about it…

It’s such a simple thing. But the difference between “Good morning” and “Hi Jasper, good morning” is huge.

It makes me feel seen.

And it doesn’t just work that way in a coffee shop.

It works the same in your team. It’s a simple but incredibly powerful thing to do. Try it, and watch people’s ears perk up.

Ideally, you combine it with a quick personal note or a small piece of positive feedback.

The difference between “morning” and “Hey John, good morning. I saw you submitted XYZ last night, thanks for getting that done in time” is huge.

You know, when (not if) sh*t hits the fan, no Gantt chart is going to save you.

The only thing that’ll save you is your team.

And just like a cathedral is built brick by brick, you build relationships and teams with small things like this.

Go play with it.

Use people’s names and make a habit of giving positive feedback.

You’re leading - they’re watching. And if small habits like these start catching on in a team, you’re building an unstoppable flywheel.

And speaking of feedback…

If you’d like to work with me 1:1, a few slots for my project accelerator workshops opened up. Hit reply if you’d like to learn more.

Talk soon,
Jasper