Other than working in women’s retail for a short period of time in high school, very few of the jobs I’ve held would be considered working in customer service; however, over the years, I’ve come to believe that most of us actually engage in more hospitality opportunities than we realize. Although the responsibilities described in the faculty handbook do not choose the language of customer service or hospitality like my sister’s job at Seabrook Wallcoverings; when you reflect on the details, you see numerous opportunities for hospitality through vocabulary such as collaboration, service, and leadership. How a faculty member engages with a prospective student and their family is but one opportunity to express the people-focused core value of the University which is connected to customer service.

As highlighted in earlier posts, there is a vast difference between transactional moments and those that move into deeper transformational experiences. If we desire to create transformational encounters with those within our sphere of influence, we must consider our approach to hospitality. Recently, I was reading The Come Back Effect where Young and Malm share the story of how the phrase bumping the lamp has become a metaphor in the Disney culture any time they want to go the extra mile to make something excellent. It stems from the 1988 animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? where the challenge was to blend animation with live action and a scene where the lighting and shadows were an important detail. It is in these small details that a heart of hospitality or a core value of being people-focused creates an opportunity to Bump the Lamp.

So, where do you see opportunities to Bump the Lamp in your organization or community, to go the extra mile? Just this morning, the Our Daily Bread devotional led me to a passage in 1 Peter 4:9 where in my Bible I had underlined the verse that states, “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.” Although many of us may not be serving guests in our home, we are serving guests in our organizations, in our churches, and in our encounters with others. How can we cheerfully share with those around us? How can we make others feel that they are cared for?

In The Come Back Effect, the authors inspire readers through ten ways to foster a hospitable culture and one of those ways is to “focus on feeling as much as function.” Although their focus is on having guests return to the church, parallels can be made to many other types of organizations including athletics and higher education. “Hospitality is about caring for the emotions of the guest just as much as it is about serving them, if not even more. That means knowing when it’s time to go above and beyond the call of duty or when it’s time to walk away. Hospitality is about merging the function-the tasks-and the feeling.”

When people enter the doors of your organization, do they feel welcomed? One of the characteristics that has emerged in my research is that flourishing leaders know how to express empathy. “Empathy is one of the most important elements of hospitality-understanding and acknowledging what the guest is feeling.” When a person feels understood and acknowledged, they feel cared for which creates a desire to return for more. When a flourishing organization Bumps the Lamp, progressing to going above and beyond, it is demonstrating empathy towards the people they serve.

Is there an opportunity for me to Bump the Lamp with the students in my classroom by going above and beyond in my attempts to understand the environments where they learn best? Are there moments when an avid fan attending one of our athletic events might need a little tender loving care? Do I have a neighbor who is experiencing a difficult time and just needs a listening ear? Does the server at Chili’s just need someone to really see her, remember her name, and acknowledge her as a child of God? Each day we are provided the opportunity to Bump the Lamp in some way, will you embrace the moment?

Please feel free to share any comments below where someone Bumped the Lamp for you. How did that transformational moment make you feel and how has it allowed you to flourish in your life?