A waitress at 5 am tells us her whole life story over egg sandwiches.
A barista berates me when I ask how long it’ll take to change the cold brew keg. I’ve got 7 minutes to catch a plane. Coffee or flight? (Clearly, I have a coffee problem)
A pilot on a small commercial plane takes it upon himself to load and reload the luggage on the plane to balance out the weight in the cabin and below. A one man show, a 20 minute exercise. The rest of the crew…just watching. He then flies us safely to our destination.
A rude customs agent. (I swear I didn’t use an orange pen on my customs form to ruin her day).
A taxi driver takes us to a ferry boat, but first stops for us to get groceries, gathers boxes so we can carry them and guides us through the shopping experience, so we know to tip the bag boys (their only form of pay).
The owner of an ice cream stand on a hot day opens the shop and leaves it unattended to go play basketball down the street. A 5-year-old boy on a bike rides up to us to let us know that’s where he is…if we want ice cream.
One grocery store on an island full of captive renters. The owner bakes fresh bread daily but leaves the shelves pretty much empty otherwise…missing his chance to make a killing.
A family feud over a misplaced onion – a flavourless dinner hanging in the balance.
A lady we just met loans us her car for a few days, leads us on a tour of the island and all the cool places we can go…now that we have wheels.
A sleepy village where nightlife looks like an evening stroll and a round of euchre.
Observations on human behaviour.
Just people in a slice of time. Anecdotes. Good stories for the group chat.
What makes them interesting isn’t what people do. It’s understanding why they do it.
Because observation is what happened.
Insight is what it tells us.
The waitress? None of us was up for the conversation – but she seemed lonely and wanted human connection.
The barista? The ratio of rude people to uber polite Canadians (ahem…me) is likely out of balance. She had a better than average chance she was running into the former.
The pilot? Who knows, but it was super nice to see someone go out of his way to be nice, courteous and solve a problem directly, vs. waiting for a ground crew to arrive. Maybe he had a hot date that night. Maybe he’s just a good leader.
That’s the difference between information and insight.
One tells you what happened.
The other tells you why it matters.
In our business, we’re communicators, relayers and interpreters of meaning. I’d argue, in your business, you are too.
Information and observation are everywhere.
They are delivered to us by the truckload, where insight is by the spoonful.
If we’re not careful, we mistake one for the other and miss the mark completely.
When we stop at information, we design policies, processes, marketing campaigns, and employee programs that sound right, but don’t feel right.
We give surface-level answers to deep human needs.
We check boxes instead of creating belonging.
We deliver features instead of solving real problems.
We speak at people instead of connecting with them.
But insight? That’s different.
Insight takes curiosity. It takes listening. It takes noticing what’s underneath the obvious.
That’s where the magic is.
No matter what your business produces, you’re in the people business.
That makes you a miner for meaning.
Spot the story behind the surface.
Look for the need behind the noise.
Let what you learn guide how you lead.
People are weird. And wonderful. And typically trying to tell you something, if you’re paying attention. Even at 5 am. Over an eggwich wrapped in cellophane and a little loneliness.
Mary
P.S. We help visionary leaders and organizations achieve more impact through purpose, engagement and storytelling. When you’re ready, here’s how we can help:
- Build the story of your impact through Envision OnPrpose™
- Develop purpose-driven leaders and storytellers with Lead OnPrpose™
- Energize your people’s potential from the inside out with Engage OnPrpose™
- Amplify your industry voice through Influence OnPrpose™
P.P.S. Check out past One Thing Thursdays here.
