There I was in Cancun, working, really, talking to a group of highly sophisticated meeting professionals and very experienced sales folks about looking for a second right answer and doing things differently. The point, of course, being that nothing is the same, and if you are, your results won’t be the same. We talked about how doing things differently starts with what we tell ourselves about today. I quoted that great philosopher, and 17-year old American Idol runner-up, David Archuleta, who said, “It’s like you think this one ice cream place is the best in the world, but then you try Graeter’s or Cold Stone, and you think, “My gosh, what have I been missing?’”
But I wish I had met Luisa before I spoke. Luisa was the “second service” housekeeper at the JW Marriott Cancun, the hotel my husband and I moved to after my work was done and the party (birthday – mine!) could begin. Luisa barely spoke English but she knew how to make people feel good and she knew how to do things differently. The first night, she left a turtle, and a sweet handwritten note, on our bed when she straightened up for the evening. Our turtle was towel origami and delightful. But the next day, we got a dog, even cuter and more complex. And the final night, she left two swans and a bath full of bubbles.
The hotel was beautiful, the people even more so, and Luisa made the stay perfect. She looked for a second right answer and it not only got her a great tip, it reminded me that doing just little things differently can make all the difference.
