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IN SEARCH OF DELIGHT
Very few people read this newsletter.
But those that do read it are some of the most influential people in the world.
University Presidents. Experts in many fields. Heads of states. CEOs. Students. About 1,000 in all. And you are among them. Thank you!
We do nothing to promote this newsletter. 90% of those who see it on our website enter the website by name. That shows that they already know us.
We don't want to attract readers by using the deplorable tricks that bring on the unwanted spam that all of us waste time on deleting every day.
We would like to have this letter read by like minded people! By people who would like to make this world a better place.
We think that the study of high performance will bring unparalleled prosperity and great satisfaction to everyone who knows the principles behind it, and practices them.
We think it is the quickest way to overcome the scourges of humanity: Poverty, disease, hunger, perhaps even war and conflicts.
All of us believe this! And we have the evidence from our work with countries, corporations, and individuals. The evidence is undeniable. And we shall present it to you in the coming months.
We would like to share our findings with the world.
So, we invite you to be part of an experiment.
Would you be willing to send it to 10 of your friends or colleagues?
If you do, then some amazing things can happen!
The readers of this newsletter would go from 1,000 to 10,000. And then, if they do the same, to 100,000. And then a million.
A million like minded people all over the world.
We'll keep track of the numbers, and report them to you.
We have no illusions about EVERYONE being interested in this work. But we'll report facts on issues that will not be known by anyone else.
For example:
How do you create high performance anytime, anyplace?
What are the most important lessons learned?
What are the deepest wells of human satisfaction, and how can they be tapped at work?
What are the most common sources of negative stress, and how are they best conquered?
There will be stories about people who exemplify the power of what one person can do. In fact, more than 100 topics are awaiting publication this year for the first time, building on more than 30 years of research, and more than 400 client engagements.
And we won't charge anything for it.
There is a point in one's life when the horizon is no longer endless, and when the urge to share overcomes the urge to earn.
The Internet, I think, happened for that purpose.
It created the knowledge economy, where the true riches are ideas. You and I share our ideas, and suddenly we have doubled our wealth of knowledge. Already 80% of our economy trades in knowledge. Soon it will be 100%.
You are invited to contribute your knowledge, experience and insights about performance, and we'll share it with others!
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Imagine this: We already have about 1 million years of human performance experience in our files.
What if that becomes 1 billion years of experience? And what if that can be compressed and absorbed by those who learn about it?
That's why we ask you to involve like minded people: To share, and to learn.
Our regular newsletter content must be brief this time, out of necessity. But I wanted to share the secret about how satisfaction is turned into delight.
It happened to me in Seattle. The airline had lost my luggage, and I had to address a distinguished group of people that very evening. I was, shall we say, informally dressed, and the event required business attire.
I went to Nordstrom's Department Store, and explained my predicament to the clerk in the men's department.
“I can see you are a man of good taste,” said my new helper.
I had no idea about how he could see that, but it pleased me, and I opened up about what I needed.
Then he asked me about the audience. I said that they would mainly be executives, and that it would be in conjunction with an elegant dinner.
“We tend to less formal in the Northwest than in the East,” he said. “But your Midwestern tastes and standards will fit very well with our ways. You are European, aren't you? Is that accent Scandinavian? Yes? Well, you came to the right place! But I noticed that your sports jacket is Italian...let me show you something...”, he proceeded.
Before I could say another word, he had pulled out a number of items that were my size, each fit beautifully, each complementing the others, and together would be just fine. Since I hate to shop, like most men, I was very grateful for the expertise and care that he showed me. And I was delighted!
What was it that created my delight? It was very simple: The salesman had somehow lifted my self-esteem!
THAT is the secret to creating delight! The Nordstrom employee was not trading in clothes – he was trading in knowledge, experience and psychology – he knew his field, and he knew his store. And somehow, I got the feeling that he knew me.
My favorite walk is across the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, high above the foaming St. Anthony Falls of the Mississippi River. Along the way I meet many homeless people, and I often stop and talk to them.
One of them surprised me. He was grilling on a park grill, and he used spices I had not seen. He had just arrived in town. In just a minute or so, he had introduced me to the fine art of grilling, he shared his hazardous trip with me, and he taught me much about his tenacity, his hopes and dreams about Minneapolis, and about a life that was so much more challenging than mine. I told myself that I must not forget this man.
When I left, I said: “It was an honor to meet you, sir!”
It was as if his stature somehow had changed. His eyes lit up. He embraced me. He offered to share his food with me.
That's when I discovered the other secret to creating delight. If you delight another human being, that delight will also be yours.
And I remembered the salesman at Nordstrom's. The trousers had needed to be adjusted, and he offered to have it done and bring it to my hotel before the dinner.
He did. And I told the audience later that night how a salesman at Nordstrom's had created delight in their town.
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