Nagib and I took our granddaughter Amaal to the dentist today. And I’m not sure who enjoyed the experience more—her or us.
The place was buzzing with children who actually seemed happy to be at the dentist. Think about that for a moment.
Before Amaal even entered the examination room, she was invited to choose her toothbrush from a collection of different characters. She picked Unicorn, obviously.
When she walked into the room, there was a sign waiting for her on the chair.
WELCOME BACK, AMAAL!
Then came the toothpaste menu.
Not just mint or bubblegum.
There were about ten flavours to choose from – birthday cake, watermelon, piña colada, sprinkles and more.
And while they cleaned her teeth, they asked what she wanted to watch on the TV mounted on the ceiling. Her choice? Unicorn Academy of course.
I watched all of this and thought: This isn’t really about toothbrushes, toothpaste or televisions.
It’s about how thoughtfully the entire experience has been designed from the child’s point of view.
A visit to the dentist could easily be something a child fears. Instead, at every step, Amaal received a different message:
We were expecting you.
You belong here.
You get to make choices.
We know what matters to you.
We want you to feel comfortable.
And suddenly, something potentially scary became joyful.
It made me think about leadership, families, communities, even grandparenting. We often talk about creating cultures where people feel valued, included and engaged.
But culture isn’t created by the words on the wall. It’s created by the experience people have when they walk through the door.
Do they feel expected? Do they have some choice and agency? Have we considered the experience from their point of view rather than simply our own? Do the small details tell them, You matter here?
Because belonging isn’t something we announce. It’s something people experience.
Today, a unicorn toothbrush, watermelon toothpaste and Unicorn Academy reminded me of that. Sometimes the smallest details send the biggest message.
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