Peter Merrett: WONDERLICIOUS

Jason S. Bradshaw: Today's episode is all about wonder, the kind of wonder that lifts the team spirit, transform service into something truly unforgettable, and reminds us why leadership is a privilege. Because let's face it right now, too many organizations are flat. They're busy, they're tied. Teams are overwhelmed. Customers are feeling it, and leaders are feeling it as well. The spark has disappeared, if you will, not because people don't care, but because wonder has quietly slipped out the back door.

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Jason S. Bradshaw: Today's guest, Peter Merritt, is here to put wonder back into the workplace, and he is going to show us how to reignite culture, service leadership and connection.

Not with budgets, but with heart.

So if you're a leader who wants stronger engagement, if you're in customer or employee experience and you want people to feel something again. If you want a workplace that feels alive, connected, and proud, then today's conversation is your reset button.

This is Chats with Jason. I'm your host, Jason S. Bradshaw.

Peter, you've bought wonder to hotels, skyscrapers, workplaces, and countless leaders. I can't wait to dive in.

Welcome to the show.

Peter Merrett: Thank you Jason. Very excited to be with you today.

Jason S. Bradshaw: Absolutely. A great pleasure that you're joining us, and I know that we've got some great conversation ahead of us, so let's dive in.

What do you mean about bringing wonder back to life in leadership and service? And not only what do you mean by it, but when did you first realize that wonder was your calling and just not a nice idea?

But anything on reflection, I realized through my time in hotels, wonder was the one thing more than anything that was encouraged more than anything else. To see the unusual. To be curious. And I realized that I saw the business results of it from how people felt. As earlier in my hospitality career, I noticed the curiosity and when people feel genuinely seen, welcomed and [00:03:00] appreciated, everything always changes. The energy, loyalty, performance, even profitability. But I realized that wonder isn't and never will be, just the fluffy stuff. For us, it was functional. And I think that was the moment when everything just stopped for me, from something that was not just a nice idea, but it became a responsibility. And I suppose what I mean by that is where feelings drive behavior, behavior drives results, then wonder, or a sense of wonder isn't optional. It's leadership.

Jason S. Bradshaw: So, I'm wondering, you've mentioned your early careers in luxury hotels. I'm wondering what lesson from that world still guides you every single day?

So reflection in kitchens and in hotels, we learned that the magic didn't start, that a guest arrived into their suite or the luxury of their room. It started at the front door. So that you being entirely in the moment. Entirely in the present, right down to how we greet someone how present we are, whether we feel rushed or whether we feel welcoming.

So I suppose the biggest lesson that guides me right to this day, every single day is never underestimating the power of small moments done with heart.

So if I was to wrap up this question into just two single words, I would share what was our secret code that we practiced in hotels. That it was the two words - what else? What else can we do? Whether it's a little tweak, an enhancement, an improvement, but with anything and everything, whether it's a guest interaction or a customer service experience, or with a colleague, is continuously challenging ourselves with the two words. What else? I say this was our secret code. It's what we lived by each and every day we were always [00:06:00] restless with anything ordinary. So the beauty of what else is that it's something that anybody can put into practice immediately. And it doesn't need a big complicated instruction manual for this or a big complicated explanation. But just being curious with those two magic words - what else?

Jason S. Bradshaw: I really love how it forces you to be curious that question. What else? What next? Because so often we get stuck in the rut of doing things the same way. And of course if you're asking yourself what else will. You should be able to pull yourself outta that rut. You've spoken about feelings driving behaviors and you've often said that culture is a feeling, not a framework.

What's the quickest way that leaders can uplift the emotional energy of their teams?

Emotional energy always lifts the fastest when people feel noticed, not managed.

If I was to condense this entire question down into one single word, it would be the word appreciation. Not as a nice to have. Not as a special occasion word, but as an every moment word. Doing whatever it takes to make people absolutely without hesitation know that they are appreciated.

You've worked with, all organizations across the globe thinking about those organization, what separates workplaces that feel truly magnetic from those that feel just heavy and a challenge?

Peter Merrett: The heavy, I can feel the heaviness as you use the word heavy and some are really heavy. And I think it's a very simple answer that I'd love to share with this, is those that are light and are bright, and just feel refreshing are the ones that are entirely in the moment of now.

And it's something that we balanced. If you take your left foot and your right foot would have our left foot keeping an eye on what was coming up in the future. Hoteliers are masterful at keeping an eye on the future, but our right foot was entirely in the moment of now. And inside of that is it was down to us to share our permission with everybody. And this is where magnetic cultures come from, when people are given the permission to care. The permission to bring their personality. The sense and permission to make small human decisions without any kind of fear at all.

So the heavy ones, the heavy cultures are bound by rules. They're compliance driven and they're emotionally tight. But the ones that feel alive, have just got that sense of permission for people to just to be.

Peter Merrett: Yeah. And for not just encouraged, but celebrated. People know that they can be themselves. They know they can try and be creative and try new things and be curious in doing so. But celebrated not just... not just one-off little bursts of creativity every now and again, just each and every moment every day.

And this just causes things to feel light and to feel bright, and just a lot of fun as well, to be part of, when you can bring your full self to your task or to your role.

Jason S. Bradshaw: Your Revive And Shine experience back last November created some huge momentum. I'm wondering what did that event reveal to you about what teams are craving for right now?

So say for example, for the entire day at Revive and Shine, there was no agenda. We served a feast. So we prepared a menu and we welcomed everybody as guests, not delegates. So we created this environment that just felt very warm and welcoming.

But the biggest thing on reflection now was the realization of how much people are craving to feel human again. Not corporate. Not transactional, just that, with that sense of belonging. So Revive and Shine worked because it wasn't a conference, it was a gathering.

It was wonderful to watch how everybody responded. There were tears. There was laughter. There was a real depth of connection.

Jason S. Bradshaw: Makes a lot of sense. 'cause there is one thing that we're not short of these days is information, and it can be overwhelming, notwithstanding that people don't want more information. In fact, I think most times people have all the information they need that, but they need to understand how to transform that information into action.

You teach, best in class service without big budgets. I'm wondering what is one practical example any team could perhaps start using this week to start delivering a better experience or move towards delivering a best in class experience?

Peter Merrett: The word that comes to mind is the word rituals. I use that with real intention. The simplicity of rituals. It could be as simple as creating a moment of arrival ritual.

Jason S. Bradshaw: And being intentional around what, why they're doing whatever they've chosen.

You've spoken a lot about being in the moment. Paying attention to the small details. It makes me ask this question, what's the smallest act that's created the biggest business impact that you've seen?

Jason S. Bradshaw: So what holds back people showing their gratitude?

So time is often, we can say is a distraction. But it's probably the greatest, one of the greatest superpowers of modern leadership that is desperately needed more than anything right now.

Jason S. Bradshaw: Yeah, couldn't agree more.

In your book, Wonderlicious, you share recipes for service. I'm wondering what's one recipe you believe every organization should start with?

Jason S. Bradshaw: And if people want to get a copy of your book, how can they do that?

Peter Merrett: wonderlicousbook.com. We'll take you to all of the places, whether it's through an online retailer or any direct orders that, with copies directly from me that I can personalize as well. But wonderliciousbook.com.

Jason S. Bradshaw: Fantastic, we'll be sure to put that link in the show notes.

Peter Merrett: I believe that managers are often really good at watching the outcomes, watching the KPIs, watching the metrics. It's something that on reflection, I feel extremely fortunate some of the leaders that I've for and worked with in my career where they masterful at watching feelings. So being entirely in tune with noticing people.

And I suppose part of this, thinking about your question here is that people don't rise to KPIs. People rise to belief that they belong, that they, that what they do matters. So the biggest difference, and if anything, it's almost like when you sit around the table at family dinner where you can notice how people are. You can notice how your family are. And it's the same when we sit around the table of the weekly team meeting, noticing if people look like they're struggling or they're under pressure or something isn't quite right. So watching for feelings and being entirely connected with it. Not as a soft, not as a weakness or a thinking that's soft, but it's actually real seeing people where they are.

Peter Merrett: My mind immediately goes back to my general manager from 35 years ago.

Just breathtaking every single day, how he would stop every morning to greet the team. Members of the team by their name. And this was the healthiest, happiest working environment that I've been part of through my career, where everybody just was at ease of the sense and the feeling that they had from his leadership.

So if anything, I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that. This was transformational leadership, but it didn't come from strategy, it came from his presence. Everybody clearly knew what we were doing, what our values were and what our beliefs should be, but it came from his presence.

Jason S. Bradshaw: And so would you say that showing up being present is something that many leaders overlook, and that's why perhaps they're not creating magnetic organizations?

Peter Merrett: Yeah, it's something that just can change everything else, but equally, it's something that can suffocate everything.

Jason S. Bradshaw: So if a leader's listening today and they want to reignite pride and connection across their workplace, where should they start?

Jason S. Bradshaw: You know, I know a bit tongue in cheek putting the phone down, but does help us be less distracted if we're not, if we're not holding it. If we're not looking at it.

Peter Merrett: This is something for everybody at any level. And we would always watch all of the different people across a team. Whether it was in hotels or in my latter career in commercial real estate where you watch people become superstars. There'll be different people doing amazing things in different departments or different areas of a business. And when we actually start acknowledge that, recognize that make examples of that, it's something that continues to spread across everybody.

When you have an open culture where things like this are celebrated, it spirals and it amplifies, and it just keeps growing across everybody. If anything, I condensed this down into two little words, which is something that we were masterful at, which was baby steps.

But there's been no moment that everybody together at the start of the [00:27:00] day before we walk out and actually onto stage, as we would say in hotels. So the team huddle be something that I would, I can't recommend highly enough to anybody in any industry, in any sector.

Jason S. Bradshaw: What a fantastic tip to leave the show on. Peter, thank you very much for your time today.

Peter Merrett: Absolute pleasure. Thank you for having me, Jason.

Jason S. Bradshaw: Yeah, you've reminded us that wonder isn't a luxury. It's a leadership tool. A culture catalyst, if you will, and a business advantage hiding in plain sight. Absolutely appreciate and encourage organizations to take on board what you've heard today and if you're not already, start a huddle with your team. Bring alignment back to what it is that you're doing each day, and take a moment to really be present and recognize the efforts of your team members.

Peter, you've also shown us how small acts can transform teams and how language can lift, perform. And how heart led service can change the trajectory of a brand.

Until next time, keep leading with clarity, courage, and wonder. And remember, when you transform the experience, you transform the world around you