Overview
When people think of the term hospitality, they often think of the hospitality industry (restaurants, hotels, etc.). But hospitality is more than an industry. It’s a mindset that can work wonders whether you are interacting with people externally like customers, vendors, and other partners, or internally amongst teams and colleagues.
I waited tables before I graduated college, and I learned a lot about hospitality. Fundamentally, it’s taking care of people the way you would want to be treated. It makes a huge difference – after all, you are the face to the business and the impression you give reflects on everyone else at your organization.
In this article, we’ll discuss 8 habits of highly hospitable people. The idea is to get your mind thinking about how you can make small changes to your daily routine to be more hospitable and go the extra mile to show people you care.
The 8 Habits
- Anticipate people’s needs
- Have things ready before they ask
- Tell them about issues as soon as possible
- Always be thinking the golden rule
- Listen first, reflect, then respond
- Be polite, show gratitude, and apologize when needed
- Be observant and make eye contact
- Listen with intention
- Ask questions and summarize
- Put yourself in their shoes
- Focus on your similarities
- Listen but share
- Engage with people who do things differently
- Gamify your tasks
- Seek feedback often
- Don’t take things personally
- Don’t sweat the small stuff
- Don’t go at it alone
- Train yourself to think quickly
- Focus on teamwork
- Cut out the unnecessary steps
- Show some personality and have fun
- Don’t stress on what others think so much
- Define joy and success on your own terms
Summary
Being hospitable is absolutely worth the extra effort. There’s a reason so many companies define customer service and similar concepts as core values. Customers pay a premium for top-notch service. It’s also tough to automate, so it helps set you apart. Use the habits above as a guide to be more hospitable to the people you interact with on a daily basis. You’ll be amazed at the return on your investment!
What are some other habits or traits of people you’ve found to be hospitable? How have they helped you succeed?
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