Moments That Make You Go WOW!
Years ago, I read a book by Tom Peters titled In Search of Excellence. He also wrote The Pursuit of WOW!, which has stayed with me ever since.
So, let me ask you, when was the last time you saw excellence, character, or superior client service in action and it made you go, WOW?
That WOW doesn’t come from job titles, org charts, or slogans on the wall.
It comes from the choices leaders make every day in three areas:
1. Excellence
2. Character
3. Superior Client Relationships.
In fact, you don’t need a title to be a leader. Robin Sharma wrote a book titled The Leader Who Had No Title. In it, he shares a quote: “Daily ripples of superior performance equal a tidal wave of success.”
🔷 Excellence
Great leaders always want to improve. They ask, “How can I do better?” They ask for feedback and want to know their blind spots.
Here’s a great example.
Colin Powell, former U.S. Army General and Secretary of State (2001–2005), was known for his humility in leadership. He would invite lower-ranking soldiers into his office and ask for honest feedback on what he could do better. He took off his jacket with all the medals and sat next to the soldier as an equal.
He said, “I won’t get upset at you if you give me negative feedback, but I will be if all you give me is positive feedback.”
WOW!
🔷 Character
Lead authentically; be the same person everywhere.
Character isn’t something you switch on when you walk into the office. It shows up in how you treat people every day.
Last Thanksgiving, my wife Linda and I joined the Meadowlands Chamber for their Basket Brigade efforts. Along with other community members, we helped assemble more than 320 Thanksgiving baskets for families in need.
No titles. No egos. Just people pitching in shoulder to shoulder. Business owners, tradespeople, community volunteers were all driven by the same spirit of generosity and care.
That morning reminded me that real leaders don’t need an audience to lead. Their character shows up when no one’s watching whether they’re in the boardroom or packing food baskets.
There should be consistency in how you lead at work, at home, in your community, with everyone.
WOW!
🔷 Superior Client Relationships
It’s simple. People, including our clients, want to help those who help them, and they’re drawn to people who genuinely like and care about them.
Reciprocity and liking are two of the key principles Dr. Robert Cialdini explores in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, which explains the psychology behind why people say “yes.”
► Reciprocation: The internal pull to repay what another person has provided us.
► Liking: The propensity to agree with people we like and, just as importantly, the propensity for others to agree with us, if we like them
Small actions build relationships.
- Send thank you cards, congratulations notes, or comment on their social posts.
- Do five-minute favors. Thoughtful, unexpected gestures that show you’re invested in their success, and you like them.
- Share articles and events of interest, make an introduction, or invite for coffee—small things that say, “I’m thinking of you.”
Provide unconditional strokes. (Same with managers)
Clients, like everyone, are often stroke-deprived. We all live for acknowledgment and appreciation. Just look at how many times you check your likes on LinkedIn.
At the end of my training classes, I often say, “Thank you. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
In Closing
〰️ Let’s not aim for good.
〰️Let’s not even aim for great.
✅ Let’s aim for WOW!
► Additional Resource: Grab a copy of Why Sales Leaders Fail.
