Delivering a Couch with a Prius

Last year, a potential client reached out to me. Over email, they said all the right things, so we scheduled a call to discuss working together.

Our phone conversation started off very well, and I had high hopes for our future working relationship. My point of contact was clear about what she wanted, and her goals for the event aligned with my values. She wanted the event to be engaging and interactive. She was seeking a transformational experience, not another lecture.

That was music to my ears.

As we wrapped up the conversation, I told her I’d send over a proposal within the next 24 hours. But just before hanging up, something in my gut told me to ask, “Can you tell me about the space we’d be meeting in?”

She replied, “Oh yes, it’s our main meeting room. It’s where we have all our important conversations and team meetings.”

I asked for more details.

“Sure. It’s fairly dated, lecture-style with a platform and podium, and the chairs are all attached to the floor in rows.”

The room she described didn’t match the experience she was requesting.

I explained that we’d be having small group conversations. We’d move around the room, using images on the floor, and large sheets of paper on the walls. I explained that we often sit in a circle to flatten hierarchy and foster more dialogue.

I then asked, “Would you be open to using a different room?”

Her response was immediate. “No. We always meet in this room. Everything important happens in this room.”

There was literally no room to negotiate.

That’s when I realized she hadn’t prioritized setting me up for success. She wanted me to create something transformational, but the space would not support that experience.

It felt like she wanted me to deliver a couch… in a Prius.

Maybe it could be done. But not with the grace or care it deserved.

Eventually, I turned down the opportunity.

That experience opened my eyes. I’ve noticed how often we set high expectations but forget to check if the culture can hold what we’re asking for. We say we want innovation, but punish the risk-takers and reward those who play it safe. We ask for vulnerability in a team meeting, but never intentionally build relationships with people outside of a meeting. We want connection, but we’re always leading from a distance.

I can’t speak for you, but I know I have done these things. None of it was ill-intentioned, but I want to approach every conversation, client engagement, and moment of leadership with an awareness of what people need from me to succeed.

My reflection on this moment has only reinforced my belief that high-performing leaders do things differently. Consciously setting your people up for success is a different way to lead. That difference shows up in the culture you create, the risks your people take, and the trust you build with them over time. People notice what you are or aren’t doing to help them succeed.

Sometimes leadership isn’t about asking people to give more and more and more. Sometimes it’s about us giving them what they’ve been asking for all along. I believe most people want to achieve results, they just don’t want to spend their energy navigating the barriers we’ve unintentionally placed in their way.

We owe it to our people to set them up for success because no one wants to deliver a couch in a Prius.

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P.S. Ready to set your team up for success? Consider a leadership development program or workshop that foster growth, innovation, and high performance for your team.