Transforming Moments Into Meaningful Connections

Hey Beloved!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, y’all! I hope this season finds you with peace and joy as we close out the year.

As 2024 comes to a close, I want to share an “unreasonable” update that has me absolutely stoked for 2025—a year that continues this theme for me of divine collisions and transformative opportunities.

But before I dive into the news…

Over the past couple of years, no book has had a greater impact on my life than Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.

For those unfamiliar, Unreasonable Hospitality isn’t just a book—it’s a call to embrace a posture that makes people feel truly valued and welcome. Will Guidara’s framework transformed Eleven Madison Park into the #1 restaurant in the world. But here’s the thing—it’s not just about restaurants. The principles of unreasonable hospitality are being applied across industries, helping businesses and leaders create unforgettable experiences for their customers and teams.

I’ve rarely recommended or engaged with a book—and its author—as much as I have with this one. I’ve shared about it here on this blog, discussed it in depth on a podcast, and even had Will “drop in” on a Zoom book club while I was working at Bolt Farm Treehouse.

What draws me to this framework most is its powerful simplicity: hospitality can be a huge driver for deepening the relationships we have with those we serve. From grand gestures to small acts of care, hospitality can be infused into nearly every interaction. And when it is, it becomes a win for your bottom line, a win for the people you serve, and a win for you and your team.

I believe that caring and engaging just a little more isn’t just a good business strategy—it’s a mindset that can be taught, cultivated, and systemized.

And that’s exactly what I want to explore with you today. (Also… read on for some exciting news!)

Creating a Journey That Inspires Connection

Every organization has a journey—whether it’s the experience of a customer engaging with your brand or an employee navigating their role within your team. The real question is: are you creating moments within that journey that make people feel truly seen, valued, and cared for?

This isn’t about adding more to your plate; it’s about looking at what’s already there and asking, “How can we make this better?” The answer often lies in the small but powerful touchpoints that define how people feel about your organization.

As I’ve explored the power of hospitality over the years, I’ve come to believe something deeply: hospitality isn’t just a practice—it’s a posture of the heart. And the more we practice it, the more it shapes who we are and how we lead.

The Art of the Elevating Ordinary Moments

Every moment of interaction with those we serve can either pass by unnoticed or become opportunities for connection and impact. When you focus on making key moments meaningful, you create experiences that that evoke an emotion response and give them a story to tell.

In his Unreasonable Hospitality framework, Guidara teaches how business of all sizes can identify and elevate the ordinary and turn them intro something extraordinary.

At the heart of this framework is a six-step process that helps organizations rethink their approach to connection, turning everyday interactions into extraordinary moments.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Rethink Customer Appreciation

Customer appreciation often gets reduced to routine gestures, like holiday cards or automated thank-you emails. But true appreciation means making people feel seen and valued in ways that are deeply personal and meaningful. This could be as simple as a handwritten note or as thoughtful as celebrating a customer’s milestone.

It’s about going beyond the expected to create moments of genuine connection.

2. Map Your Customer Journey

Mapping your customer (or employee) journey is about understanding every stage of their experience with your organization. From the first interaction to the closing thank-you, each step provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships. By laying out the journey, you’ll start to see where your greatest opportunities for connection are hiding.

Fun Fact: You probably have WAY more interactions than you think.

For instance, at a sporting event—a fan walking into a restroom is a touchpoint. Maybe an overlooked touchpoint but it is a touchpoint.

For a accounting, sending the invoice to your client IS a touchpoint.

For a hotel, a guest packing their bags and checking out is a touchpoint.

And in e-commerce, just the customer landing on your website is a basic touchpoint.

3. Examine Your Customer Touchpoints

Once you’ve mapped the journey, it’s time to examine the touchpoints—categorize them based on the emotional impact it may have—positive, negative, or overlooked. (Example: arriving at a restaurant is positive, getting the check is negative, going to the bathroom is overlooked).

4. The Magic of Surprise and Delight

This is where hospitality truly shines. Adding an element of surprise or delight into your touchpoints can transform them from functional to unforgettable. This could be a simple “wow” moment, like upgrading someone’s experience unexpectedly, or a thoughtful gesture, like sending a thank-you gift tailored to their preferences.

Surprise and delight are about creating stronger emotional moments people don’t see coming but will never forget.

5. Help Choosing Between Multiple Good Ideas

When brainstorming ideas to elevate your touchpoints, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s where this framework helps you prioritize. Ideas can be grouped into three categories:

Easy Wins: This is the low hanging fruit. Small, actionable changes that can be implemented quickly and with minimal resources.

Middle-of-the-Road Ideas: Strategies requiring moderate effort and resources but with a significant potential impact.

Audacious Moves: Bold, innovative ideas that can transform your entire customer or employee experience. These may require more resources or investment.

P.S. — While many audacious ideas may seem unrealistic, it’s essential to expand your perspective and explore what could be possible.

This approach ensures you focus your time and energy on the ideas that align best with your goals and capacity. Even though many of the audacious ideas are unrealistic, it’s important to open your mind up to what’s possible.

6. Create and Launch Your Plan

The final step is where it all comes together. Start by focusing on universal touchpoints—those that everyone in your journey experiences, like the first impression or final follow-up. This ensures your efforts reach the widest audience and have the greatest impact. Once these foundational moments are elevated, you can expand your efforts to create even more personalized and memorable experiences.

Why All This Matters

When you focus on putting a effort into these moments, you’re not just improving a process—you’re shaping how people feel. And how people feel determines whether they come back, whether they trust you, and whether they share their experience with others.

This isn’t limited to traditional hospitality settings. Whether you’re running a business, leading a team, or building a brand, these principles apply.

Hospitality is about showing people—customers, employees, or colleagues—that they matter…that you give a damn.

And that’s something every leader has the power to do.

Ok…Now for some cool news!

As I mentioned above before stepping into the “industry” of hospitality, I had the privilege of encountering Guidara’s work just as Unreasonable Hospitality was released. The ideas in the book resonated deeply, and the opportunity to engage further with the framework has been transformative for me both personally and professionally.

Earlier this year, I learned about an exciting new chapter in Will’s mission to share this framework with more people—a mission I’m now honored to be part of.

I’m thrilled to share that I’m now a certified Unreasonable Hospitality Coach, trained in the same principles and practices that helped Will Guidara lead Eleven Madison Park to become the #1 restaurant in the world.

What I appreciate most about this framework is its practicality—it takes abstract ideas like “hospitality” and “connection” and turns them into tangible, actionable steps that any organization or leader can embrace.

It’s a powerful reminder that hospitality isn’t just an action—it’s a practice that grows and evolves with intentionality. And now, I have the opportunity to guide others who want to bring its transformative impact into their own organizations. Through workshops, events, small groups, and one-on-one coaching, I’m excited to share the heart of Unreasonable Hospitality with a world that could use more connection, care, and thoughtfulness.

Final Thoughts

As you look ahead to the next season, I encourage you to take a closer look at the journey you’re creating—whether for your customers, your team, or even yourself. Where are the touchpoints that could be elevated? What small, intentional moments could make a big difference?

Because when we choose to lead with hospitality, we’re not just making better experiences—we’re making better relationships, better teams, and ultimately, a better world.

Warmly,

Nathan

If you want to explore the how you can enhance the Customer Journey Advantage map and learn more about how lens of hospitality can breathe a color into your relationship, let’s chat. Schedule a time to call or email me. More to come in 2025!