A few months ago, as you know, my daughter got married. She was a beautiful bride, and it was a beautiful wedding. Last year at this time, we were busy planning the big event, and now it’s hard to believe we are looking at pictures of it in the rearview mirror. This journey of life moves swiftly! Thankfully, our amazing photographer artfully captured once-in-a-lifetime images of the wedding, and we will treasure them always.

Here is what you may NOT know…just a few weeks before the wedding, our photographer canceled! That obviously was an example of NOT delivering the WOW.

But what happened afterward is almost too good to be true…

A business leader I know and respect heard of our dilemma, and he took action. Not only did he recommend a stellar photographer…he also paid him to photograph the wedding as a gift. That leader is Paul Martinelli, President of the John Maxwell Team.

That was an absolute WOW!

You hear it often these days: “Deliver the WOW!”

What does that really mean? And how do you deliver the WOW?

Work in your strengths.

Paul is a connector. This is evidenced by the fact that I even approached him in the first place to see if he knew anyone. Instinctively, I recognized him as such. And instinctively, he connected. In fact, he went way beyond my wildest expectations and proved to also be a very thoughtful, caring leader in a way that my family and I will never forget. These are his strengths, and we were definitely WOW’d.

Own the responsibility.

Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s not my job?” Have you ever said it yourself? Maybe you haven’t said it, but you have thought it. Paul could have easily said, “Why are you asking me? I’m a very busy person.” Instead, he not only gave me a recommendation, he “owned the problem” with me and came up with the best of solutions. This sets the bar high for the rest of us leaders. If something goes wrong, own it. If you did, own it. If you didn’t do it, but you can help, own it. Then fix it. Are the numbers in your company lower than expectations? Own it, and fix it. Are your people disengaged? Own it, and fix it. You must do this first as the leader…and then teach your people to do the same.

Watch for opportunities to serve.

It’s a tough market out there. But there is one proven way to success, and that is to serve. If you can identify the needs of the people in your market and serve those needs in an excellent way, your business will prosper despite the odds. Ideas come and go, products come and go, but great service is always in style. Serve your people. Serve your clients, your peers, and your employees. This is what Paul did. He looked for an opportunity to serve…and in doing so, he delivered one massive WOW to our family.

These are questions we must ask ourselves every day…

• Am I working in my strengths?
• Am I owning the responsibility?
• Am I watching for opportunities to serve?

When was the last time a business delivered a WOW experience to you?

And more importantly, when was the last time YOU delivered the WOW?