We know creativity increases with constraints.
So, what if one path to making wiser decisions faster is to tighten the screws?
And what if doing so were actually fun?
Only a handful of the roughly 200 books I’ve read over the past few years for Wiser by Choice still stand out in my mind. One recent title that I expect will stand the test of time is Unreasonable Hospitality.
It belongs on the same shelf as The Power of Moments and The Power of Wow — all books about intentionally creating remarkable moments for others.
The stories that captured my imagination in Will Guidara’s book were the ones that involved his team creating legendary, customized memories for their restaurant diners, all within the time it took them to serve a single meal. There’s a constraint that requires making fast decisions!
At Eleven Madison Park, this bespoke hospitality extended well beyond artistry on the plate — they sent people tobogganing, bought them hot dogs off the street, customized their champagne flutes…creative, personalized adventures that were completely unexpected from a restaurant.
It won them global awards. But it also energized their staff. They became people on a mission to make other people’s experience extraordinary. They were entrusted to make creative judgement calls on a tight timeframe that had positive ripple effects far beyond that meal.
Sometimes wisdom requires us to slow down. But what if we sped up instead?
The spring session of Wiser by Choice starts on April 21. It’ll become the highest value hour of your month. I hope you’ll choose to join us!