One size fits one

Amazing things happen when you focus on the one rather than the many.

In one of my favourite books “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara he highlights how the greatest gestures are the ones where “one size fits one”.

The classic (famous) example from the book is when he heard some guests mention that their one regret after visiting all the main restaurants in New York was that they had not tried a dirty water hot dog. Will heard this and went out to the street, bought one and then served it to them before their next food course.

This simple act got the best response he had ever seen. As this action was specifically for them it had way more impact than a generic gesture such as a free glass of champagne.

These gestures don’t need to be grand, they just need to be focused on the one.

A similar example occurred when a child left behind their favourite cuddly toy, Joshie the giraffe. Their parents called the Ritz-Carlton where they had stayed and told them. Not only did the team find the toy and return it, they included photos of Joshie by the pool, having a massage and driving a buggy to the beach.

It is not just in hospitality …

Seth Godin often argues against “average” products for “average” people. He suggests that the most powerful impact is when you create something so specific it would be irrelevant to anyone else but is essential to the person right in front of you.

Will Guidara also says that being present with someone means caring so much about them, what they are saying and doing, that you don’t care about anything else that is going on.

A famous quote from the author Maya Angelou fits this concept beautifully:

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Focusing on the one person can take many forms.

Each year at our church, everyone writes down the name of one person who they are praying for to come to know Jesus. At the end of every service we pray for our “ones”.

It is easy in this world to get focused on the many but sometimes the biggest impact can be from focusing on the one.