Thinking and feeling about the extra mile

There are two types of ‘extra mile’.

The first is when you deliver more of a service than expected. If you buy a small slice of cake, but receive a large, that’s the extra mile. Noteworthy, appreciated.

The second is when you deliver more than a service they expected. If you buy a small slice of cake, and receive a ‘cake pals’ sticker with it, that’s a different kind of extra mile.

The first gives you more of a service, so you think you got good value for money.

The second gives you more than the service, so you feel like you’re a part of something alive and relatable.

The first might look like a mistake, or desperation, or maybe it delights them and they indulge themselves or share it with someone.

The second might feel quirky and unusual, where the sticker is given to a child and makes their day.

Both have an important role to play: one is for thinking, the other is for feeling.