Creating an Experience

Two weeks ago, April and I had the opportunity to attend the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert here in Denver and take two of our team members who are die hard Taylor Swift fans with us.  I am by no means a “Swiftie” but with all of the hype around what could set a record as the highest grossing tour ever, I had to check it out. Originally, I figured I’d show up and see a cool show. But as I learned more, I realized I needed to be all-in to truly appreciate the experience! So I pulled out my flamingo shorts suit, got there early for a “Tay-gate” put on by our own Lindsey Gertz, and even traded a few friendship bracelets. 

I must say the whole experience exceeded expectations. The production and theatrics were truly impressive - as you might expect from the 90 semi-trucks that accompany the tour from city to city. The energy and commitment of the fans was a spectacle in itself with more sparkles than I’ve ever seen. Her incredible vocal talent and commanding stage presence were on full display for three plus hours. And most impressive to me - she had a level of humility and gratitude that was cool to see for someone who is on top of the pop world and has the ability to sell out multiple stadium 
shows in the same city.

I love to ask people about the best concert they’ve ever been to and what made it so great. Over the years, I’ve gotten a wide variety of answers. A plethora of different genres, from bands to solo artists, big venues to intimate settings, from people going with a best friend to some attending with a group, fans traveling far to see a show when others walked to a park. While the stories are all unique, the thing that they have in common is that they are about much more than the music. At the core, a concert is about going to hear music, but the real reason we go is for the experience as a whole. Otherwise, you’d just throw your earbuds in and pull up your favorite set list or stay in your living room and put the music on your speakers or awesome sound system. In every story, people talk a little about the music and much more about the elements that made up their experience. Who they went with, where they saw it, the sound, how they got there, what they were going through in their life at the time, the energy of the crowd, how the artist interacted with the audience, and the type of show among many other things. 

I think we can take inspiration from this idea in our workplaces. Technically people have jobs to make a living, but when we think about their experience at work, we have an opportunity to differentiate our organizations. Just as a concert is about more than the music, work can be about much more than making money. It’s about the people you work with, the setting in which you do your work and the recognition you receive. It’s about how wins are celebrated (or not) and how failures are treated. It’s about the pride (or lack thereof) you have in the company you work for and it’s about the feeling you get not only when you are there, but when you leave at the end of the day.  All these things are within our control as leaders, we just have to spend our time and energy focusing on how we can enhance this experience for our team members.  And when we curate this experience with intentionality, we spark more joy and fulfillment in our teams creating the energy and excitement of a sold-out show that others are clamoring to get into.