Surprises

Our precious daughter was delighted to answer the doorbell and find that her boyfriend from Miami had converted airline miles to surprise her for a post-Christmas visit.  This was a super surprise!  They are in sync.

And, in sync is the only right way to deliver surprises.

Surprises are only wonderful when they bring joy to the recipient. A surprise party for a super shy person, hosted by an exceptionally extroverted friend, seems to the extrovert the perfect way to spend a special day.  However, the introverted birthday person would much rather have spent the evening with one or two special friends. 

Positive surprises include visits, calls, letters and emails from those we cherish; photos from special events; a recommendation on LinkedIn; a referral; a congratulatory note...

And worst of all, are negative surprises.  If the employee is expecting a raise, and instead, receives a written performance plan, there's a clear and unacceptable disconnect.  There should be no surprises in this arena.  Employees should consistently know if they are meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet expectations.

Negative surprises tend to relate to allocation of time, unspoken expectations, inconsiderate behavior, treating another as we'd like to be treated rather than how they'd like to be treated...

May most of our 2010 surprises be positive!