Goodwill.

You know that maintaining goodwill towards your work or brand with regular ‘a-ha’ gestures for your clients, colleagues, and even yourself is essential, right?

You know what’s funny? How to maintain goodwill in biz is not talked about enough. Especially by those who need it most: seasoned professionals and brands.

You see, in the early moments of most pursuits, most folks grant goodwill. (This regularly happens even with new movies, TV shows, or books.) But goodwill goes away if it’s not maintained.

“What does an ‘a-ha’ goodwill gesture look like?”, you may be thinking.

It’s a subtle and intentional gesture of thoughtfulness and care. Let’s illustrate it with an example.

During the winter months in Canada, most Starbucks locations cover their patio tables and chairs with a plastic tarp like the one you see below. ??

Because, on a gut level, you know that plastic in any dose is not good for the environment, passing one of these ‘giant plastic bags’ in the winter may make you feel like, “Sheesh, look at that… come spring, it’s going straight to the garbage can, and then our ever-growing landfill…”

But Starbucks wouldn’t be a beloved and premium brand if they weren’t trying to engage in the conversations you may be having about them, would it? That’s why even their plastic tarps are trying to connect with you. ??

(In case the picture is blurry, the sign says “I will be recycled in the spring.”)

Is that a subtle and intentional attempt at maintaining goodwill, or what?