Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
—Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime,” Remain in Light
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It’s easy to get caught in routines. As humans, we instinctively develop routines and habits. They make daily life easier.
Routines can increase your productivity. But, they can also be detrimental by taking you out of the present moment and ignoring what is happening.
Japanese people have an idiom derived from the Japanese tea ceremony: ichi-go ichi-e—one time, one meeting. It is a reminder to see each encounter you have with people as a once-in-a-lifetime moment, even though you may see those people often.
Inherent in the idea of ichi-go ichi-e is putting your full attention and whole heart into the moment and creating a great experience for people.
Training can improve people’s skills in dealing with customers, but it is only by seeing each encounter with a customer as unique and special that these learnable skills can be put to their maximum effectiveness.
Treating each customer encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime experience can create strong memories, emotional connections with your brand, and increase customer loyalty.
What can you do to get yourself and your employees to embrace each encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime moment?