Good teachers always consider the larger narrative of which a particular unit or lesson is a part. One way they do this is through backward design, wherein they begin their planning at the end of a curricular section and clearly elucidate the deep, significant questions that students should be able to answer when they reach that end. Then, they plan forward – all the activities, all the readings, all the assessments, all the discussion – with that end in mind.

• What a seller‐as‐teacher can do …

Selling is often a matter of cutting through the noise. But how do you ensure that you're not just repeating what could be found elsewhere? How do you ensure that your offering is going to add value? Many products are able to self‐serve these days because a customer can experience them, recognize their value, and then make a transaction decision. But self‐service doesn't work for all products or services, and a human needs to help a customer understand or recognize that, “wow, this product or service is not only solving a problem, but also, it's adding new value.” Complexity, sophistication, or nuance can certainly be part of a value proposition, but if you intend to include them (or sell them), prepare to deploy (or be) a skilled human to help lead customers to understanding and appreciation of the finer details.

• What a trainer‐as‐teacher can do …

In training, much like teaching, everyone is going to be aware of all the choices that the trainer or learning leader has for instructional delivery, for assessment, and for content. That audience will want to experience training in a way that doesn't only “get the job done” or convert them, as novices let's say, to a certified status. Instead, whether they know it or not, they will want to be encouraged to return to the subject matter in an intrinsically motivated way. Good training should instill in the trainee a desire for more training, for more knowledge. It should breed curiosity in the learner.

• What a service professional–as‐teacher can do …

Service is a lot like delight, especially because somebody who's attending to services – either planned or in response to an urgent problem – has to consider the emotional state of the served. From a service standpoint, nobody likes to part with cash on an ongoing basis, regardless of what service is being performed or what was negotiated. They want to know that the service is being completed and done so in the best possible way. In a support transaction, whether via phone, chat, or email, it's the same. How do you avoid merely serving up the status quo, and instead, make sure something is happening that adds to the customer's delight? We're not simply talking about clever messages – though they are nice – or simple hits of novelty. We're talking about those things that make the customer think, “Hey, my time is really being considered here.” Something as simple as a call‐back feature on a support line can be a beacon of delight for customers.

• What a leader‐as‐teacher can do …

Leaders have to consider the habits, routines, and processes of those they are leading and should be particularly cognizant of those habits, routines, and processes that they have the authority to influence and demand that others follow. The led will always be aware that a leader has choices, and they will especially appreciate leaders who consider them and think of all the ways that a work experience could have happened and whether or not it is happening in a way that adds value, spreads joy and satisfaction, and offers long‐term fulfillment.