Tips vs. Gratuities

While twisting up a storm at Dave & Busters in Westminster the other night I ended up in a conversation that reminded me that we often confuse tips with gratuities. It is a simple enough mistake, both involve giving a subjective amount of money for a performance. However the difference is all in the timing of the thing.

When a grandmother comes up to me and hands me $20, asking me to make something really crazy for her grandchild's birthday, she is giving me a tip. I have not yet done anything to earn her patronage. In fact, I could be the WORST balloon guy in the world, and she's already put money in my hand, in the hopes that it will motivate me to do something spectacular. Tips are a motivational monetary gift.

When I do a balloon for a family and the grinning, giggling girl it hugging and happy with her balloon, the $5 that the parents give me is a gratuity. They are grateful for how I have made their daughter so happy and wish to give me something in thanks for the effort. In both of these cases, it is not a payment.

Personally, I am not a fan of tips. It is a blind assumption of skill and performance that I find rarely fits with reality. If you give me $100 to make balloons for your table, and then only 3 people want balloons, and what they want is teddy bears and flowers, there is little I can do to expand that offering. It is equally challenging when a parent pulls out $1 to give me before knowing what it is I am going to make and hands it to the child before turning away and ignoring the performance. Often that child wants a pirate ship, a mermaid, or perhaps a pod racer.

When calculating a proper gratuity for a server, I look to the effort and energy put into the work done during the meal. When giving a gratuity following a haircut, I look to see if my expectations are in line with the results, how much art was put into the efforts. When I tip my barista, it is a motivation to make a beautiful chocolate chai with maybe a little extra sweetness.

When giving a tip or a gratuity what do you consider?

How do you do it? A guide to being overcommitted!

So, I have a partner, kids, a day job, a business with my partner, friends, hobbies, and I volunteer for three organizations in the community. Writing it out makes it sound a little crazy, but mostly I love my life! People often ask, "how do you do it"? Here are some things that have worked for me!

1. I don't do everything well

No one can. But my biggest failure is not being prompt on returning calls and emails (sometimes losing track of correspondence all together). I don't strive for perfection on everything I do, anymore. Sometimes it's more important to get the job done, than give it 110%.

2. I am highly scheduled

My days are often broken out into tasks I expect to accomplish. I spend a lot of front end time planning and scheduling myself.

3. I rarely multi-task

Time and again studies have shown that people who multi-task are far less effective than those who simply focus on one activity at a time.

4. I set priorities
I do what needs to be done first. And my priorities reflect my values. So my children come first. Every time. It gives me a clear sense of perspective that balances out item #1. If I can't do it all well, I need to be sure I give my best to the most important things!

5. I take time off
Work hard. Play harder. I love to hike, camp, travel, sew, knit, dance, and so on. And I do all these things. If I have a huge event, I turn my phone off for a few days afterwards. I don't work when I am sick, unless it is a true emergency (of which there are far fewer than you might think). I don't check my email on my days off.

6. I am passionate about what I do

I truly believe the work I do makes a difference in people's lives. Both my day job, a for impact community center, and my work with A Simple Twist are less about what I do than why I do it. I am here because I have an incredible passion for the work we are doing. I have seen the impact this work has. And those moments of validation are beyond inspiring when it feels like there is too much to do and too little time to do it in!

Should fun be work?

The biggest problem people seem to have with making their presentations or deliverables sparkle is they believe it will require a lot more work on their part. My cousin, who works for a large company on the east coast, recently told me "I need your help, I give presentations that I sleep through. And every time I think, next time I'll get on the stick and make it better. But I never have the energy to take it to the next level." And this really is why people often don't make their work fun. They already have enough to do, so why add on one more thing?! Not only do I have to do a presentation, now I have to make it "fun"!

Which is why we want to add a twist to your presentation. Fun doesn't require more work, it requires different thinking. You don't need to become the Martha Stewart of the business world (and look, I made all the paper for this presentation this morning to give it that special touch). In fact, fun is often less work because it's about taking what you are doing and making it yours. It's the opposite of the fast-food, cookie-cutter approach to business, where you bring your personality and you make it part of the work you are doing.

So when you are getting ready to put together your next business meeting, ask yourself, what would make this more fun for me? And then do that, I guarantee your presentation will be more effective, your audience will respond more favorably, and you will enjoy your work in a way you never knew you could.