Thursday, March 29, 2012
Rock Solid Leadership Movie
Rock Solid Leadership Movie: Rock Solid Leadership is a little movie sharing the secrets all great leaders live by. Check it out...
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Cracking Under Pressure | Canadian Underwriter
Cracking Under Pressure | Canadian Underwriter
Well written article on Stress and how it impacts leaders, managers, their health and well being.
Well written article on Stress and how it impacts leaders, managers, their health and well being.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Birthdays are Always Worth Celebrating
I just celebrated another birthday on Sunday. Birthdays are important for me and I feel, should be celebrated by everyone on their day of birth. In the bigger scheme of life, we are put on this earth for a purpose. Most people don't know what that is or what's important about it. Those of us who are attuned to higher thinking and spiritual growth understand this and we work on understanding what our purpose is and learning and knowing our strengths. My purpose is to help people discover their significance and their strengths and then help them figure out how to incorporate this into their lives. I like working with business people because business people spend a good deal of their lives in their work so why not figure out how you can love what you do, understand your values and strengths and bring more balance and less stress into your life.
I believe we are born on a day that was meant to be, no coincidences even if your mom had a c-section. From the time we are babies, we are celebrated by our family and friends with cake, parties, cards, etc. As we get older as adults, we tend to discount the importance of celebrating our birthdays and at times, dread having one or we would rather people ignore the day. Isn't it funny by the time people get into our 80s and 90s, we appreciate each year and want to be celebrated. So, if you are one of the many people who chose to ignore your birthday, you do what you have to do but if you think about it, why not honor your day and who you are. Let others celebrate You and acknowledge You. It feels really good and it's human nature to want to be acknowledged and appreciated. Your birthday is a perfect day for allowing that to happen. Life is precious and the more open you are to living it with passion and love, the more likely you will live a longer, healthier life.
I believe we are born on a day that was meant to be, no coincidences even if your mom had a c-section. From the time we are babies, we are celebrated by our family and friends with cake, parties, cards, etc. As we get older as adults, we tend to discount the importance of celebrating our birthdays and at times, dread having one or we would rather people ignore the day. Isn't it funny by the time people get into our 80s and 90s, we appreciate each year and want to be celebrated. So, if you are one of the many people who chose to ignore your birthday, you do what you have to do but if you think about it, why not honor your day and who you are. Let others celebrate You and acknowledge You. It feels really good and it's human nature to want to be acknowledged and appreciated. Your birthday is a perfect day for allowing that to happen. Life is precious and the more open you are to living it with passion and love, the more likely you will live a longer, healthier life.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Proactive Customer Service
I have to write this blog after experiencing less than stellar customer service at a restaurant we ate and drank at last evening. Mark was so excited about sharing the experience at this new establishment which is beautifully decorated and the food is really good. High end restaurant that is expanding. We started out the evening at the outside bar enjoying a drink and chatting with the corporate person who is in town to make sure this establishment does really well (large space) so they can earn a reputation of being a "must go to/eat here place". He is a professional and it was enjoyable getting to know him. They have been struggling with issues and earning a reputation of being an excellent place to dine and drink. They have another location in South Florida.
Where there is major room for improvement is in how the wait staff treats the customer. The corporate manager escorted us to a small table near the fountain outside. No waiter was assigned to our table and we waited until we grabbed the waiter serving another table to ask for silverware, a menu and some water. We felt like we were an afterthought and for the next 45 minutes we got some of the food we asked to order and waited for another dish and had to ask the bus boy for a menu to order one more item. A waiter never stopped by and introduced himself, the corporate manager didn't grab a waiter and introduce us so consequently we were left to fend for ourselves (that is how I perceived it). Mark does not allow bad service to continue. He asked to speak to the manager who we never were introduced to. The waiter came by and asked what he could do, Mark told him he didn't like his style or lack of service and we didn't want him as our waiter. We decided to leave and asked for the check and decided to leave. Of course the general manager and the corporate manager came out to speak with us and apologize and wouldn't let us pay the bill. And, they were going to speak with the waiter when really they should have looked at themselves, more so the corporate manager. Pointing fingers is a defense mechanism that is used too frequently by management. Taking responsibility for lack of service starts at the top.
The corporate manager should have introduced us to a waiter, telling him that we were new customers and that I was going to help them be introduced to some key people in the area as that is a strength of mine - connecting people and I know a lot of people in this business community. My intention was to share names of companies who have recently moved into the area who would be excellent referrals as new customers for them. Instead he sat us down and left and at the end of our experience, blamed it on the waiter. The waiter was not proactive. He was serving one other outside table right next to us and never stopped or even acknowledged us. He could have stopped by our table, introduced himself asking us if someone was helping us and offering to take care of us, making sure we had menus, silverware, etc. While in dialog earlier with the corporate manager, the corporate manager should have introduced us to the general manager so the general manager would know what I had suggested about referral business. Never saw the general manager all evening until the end.
Don't know what the outcome will be going forward with this restaurant. Unless they take responsibility from the top to teach staff about the importance of the customer and what it takes to go beyond just serving food and drink, they are going to continue to struggle. They could benefit from reviewing their hiring policy and interviewing techniques to find people who exemplify what service is all about. I wish them well and because of what I experienced will not recommend anyone to their establishment at this point.
Where there is major room for improvement is in how the wait staff treats the customer. The corporate manager escorted us to a small table near the fountain outside. No waiter was assigned to our table and we waited until we grabbed the waiter serving another table to ask for silverware, a menu and some water. We felt like we were an afterthought and for the next 45 minutes we got some of the food we asked to order and waited for another dish and had to ask the bus boy for a menu to order one more item. A waiter never stopped by and introduced himself, the corporate manager didn't grab a waiter and introduce us so consequently we were left to fend for ourselves (that is how I perceived it). Mark does not allow bad service to continue. He asked to speak to the manager who we never were introduced to. The waiter came by and asked what he could do, Mark told him he didn't like his style or lack of service and we didn't want him as our waiter. We decided to leave and asked for the check and decided to leave. Of course the general manager and the corporate manager came out to speak with us and apologize and wouldn't let us pay the bill. And, they were going to speak with the waiter when really they should have looked at themselves, more so the corporate manager. Pointing fingers is a defense mechanism that is used too frequently by management. Taking responsibility for lack of service starts at the top.
The corporate manager should have introduced us to a waiter, telling him that we were new customers and that I was going to help them be introduced to some key people in the area as that is a strength of mine - connecting people and I know a lot of people in this business community. My intention was to share names of companies who have recently moved into the area who would be excellent referrals as new customers for them. Instead he sat us down and left and at the end of our experience, blamed it on the waiter. The waiter was not proactive. He was serving one other outside table right next to us and never stopped or even acknowledged us. He could have stopped by our table, introduced himself asking us if someone was helping us and offering to take care of us, making sure we had menus, silverware, etc. While in dialog earlier with the corporate manager, the corporate manager should have introduced us to the general manager so the general manager would know what I had suggested about referral business. Never saw the general manager all evening until the end.
Don't know what the outcome will be going forward with this restaurant. Unless they take responsibility from the top to teach staff about the importance of the customer and what it takes to go beyond just serving food and drink, they are going to continue to struggle. They could benefit from reviewing their hiring policy and interviewing techniques to find people who exemplify what service is all about. I wish them well and because of what I experienced will not recommend anyone to their establishment at this point.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Do You Value Your Staff?
I had fun last evening attending a women's networking group that met at the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum which I have not had the pleasure of visiting before. What a really nice place with rooms filled with beautiful pieces of art. One of our tasks was dividing into teams, getting to know each other and then going on a scavenger hunt throughout the museum. Our team (Team #1 - 5 people) engaged each other in conversation, getting to know each other before we headed out on the "hunt". We worked really well together as a team and actually won the contest which involved 10 teams.
Why did we blend so well together and choose to work together as a team on the hunt? Could have been the blend of our personalities, the common bond we found during our conversations and the fun we had during the hunt. On our name tags we had to write down a catch-phrase somehow linked to what we do for a living. It was fun guessing what the words meant and laughing in the process as some were really unique. In the end, I met some nice ladies who I will stay in contact with.
Our second exercise for the evening was walking across the street to the Auto National Art Learning Center where we all got to paint or sketch under the guidance of staff teachers. I had fun sketching in charcoal a still life scene of oranges, a pitcher and a bottle. We did this for about an hour and I must say my finished product wasn't too bad. I approached this fun activity knowing I am not an artist and so I just wanted to have fun but create something in the process. A little background music would have been inspiring.
What I want to pass on to others is to have fun in networking situations. Be open to conversation, making sure to ask about the other person/people getting curious of who they are and why they are at the event, etc. If you are entrepreneur, own your own business, are a sales person or anyone who has to find new clients and new connections networking is a necessary part of your job. You might as well figure out how you can leverage networking and more importantly get comfortable doing it. People like doing business with people they like and they trust so what better way to begin a relationship than engaging someone in conversation at a networking event. Golden Rule: never let it be all about you. Networking is easy for extroverts but not so much for introverts. I am blessed that networking comes naturally for me as I love engaging people and finding out about them. So most of the time I have fun, meet interesting people who sometimes join my circle of influence and become clients or I can introduce them to people they would benefit from meeting.
Why did we blend so well together and choose to work together as a team on the hunt? Could have been the blend of our personalities, the common bond we found during our conversations and the fun we had during the hunt. On our name tags we had to write down a catch-phrase somehow linked to what we do for a living. It was fun guessing what the words meant and laughing in the process as some were really unique. In the end, I met some nice ladies who I will stay in contact with.
Our second exercise for the evening was walking across the street to the Auto National Art Learning Center where we all got to paint or sketch under the guidance of staff teachers. I had fun sketching in charcoal a still life scene of oranges, a pitcher and a bottle. We did this for about an hour and I must say my finished product wasn't too bad. I approached this fun activity knowing I am not an artist and so I just wanted to have fun but create something in the process. A little background music would have been inspiring.
What I want to pass on to others is to have fun in networking situations. Be open to conversation, making sure to ask about the other person/people getting curious of who they are and why they are at the event, etc. If you are entrepreneur, own your own business, are a sales person or anyone who has to find new clients and new connections networking is a necessary part of your job. You might as well figure out how you can leverage networking and more importantly get comfortable doing it. People like doing business with people they like and they trust so what better way to begin a relationship than engaging someone in conversation at a networking event. Golden Rule: never let it be all about you. Networking is easy for extroverts but not so much for introverts. I am blessed that networking comes naturally for me as I love engaging people and finding out about them. So most of the time I have fun, meet interesting people who sometimes join my circle of influence and become clients or I can introduce them to people they would benefit from meeting.
Monday, February 6, 2012
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