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By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
Yes. It was a simple answer. And it wasn’t the one he was expecting. I was standing in the front of a crowded auditorium in Shanghai and had just finished sharing the defining story of my life. For the previous hour during my keynote speech I’d described the day I was terribly burned as a child, the months I spent in the hospital, and the vast challenges I faced afterward. It was a devastating, transformative, and tragic experience. So, this man asked a question with a seemingly obvious answer: “John, if you could go back in time, go back to that Saturday morning, go back to that moment when you picked up the gasoline and got burned, would you do it all again?” I looked at him, thought about it for a moment, and answered honestly. Yes! He looked at me with a puzzled expression. Would you really choose to almost die? Would you choose to be burned on 100 percent of your body? Would you actually opt in to the desperate fight for life, or spending five months in the hospital, or being barely functioning for another eight months after that? And would you seriously choose to walk through life with scars covering your body, fingers amputated, and whispered glances and pointed fingers every day of your life? Yes! And I’ll tell you why. The fire was devastating, almost killed me, and certainly sparked a lifetime of challenges. But it also molded me into who I am today. So while it is true that if I’d not been burned, I’d remove all the difficulties caused by the fire. It is also true that I’d destroy all the gifts galvanized because of it. You see, everything beautiful and enriching in my life today was born through the tragedy of those flames. Through the painful ashes of recovery as a child, I grew in character, audacity, compassion, faithfulness, and drive. It led to a clear perspective on what actually matters and a bold vision for what’s possible. Because of the fire, I don’t take things for granted, am grateful for each day, and am certain that the best is yet to come… …So, would I do it again? Yes! * * * My friends, the traumatic experiences in your life most likely looked much different than mine. From bankruptcy to divorce and medical diagnosis to broken relationships, we’ve all had inflection points or times after which our sense of “normal” was completely rocked. More important than the inflection points themselves, though, is how you choose to react to them. It’s your choice. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success!
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By Laurie Guest
Reframing issues, a specialized topic in communication, assists in restructuring thinking and addressing problems. Because mindsets are powerful and influence future choices and behaviors, successful reframing puts your organization in a favorable position through accurate communication. When should you consider reframing your issues? When the public perception of a situation is skewed or when false information is floating in your marketplace, consider reframing. What does reframing look like? When I worked for two doctors who were married, we photographed them separately any time we planned a special event so we could get more photos done with our guests in a shorter period of time. She would be seen with some referral sources while he would be seen with others. Those professional photos would then be sent to the local papers of the referring source as a press release. As a result of the published photos, the rumors started that they were headed for a divorce. How did we reframe it? We simply took the photos with three people in the picture so they no longer looked separated. Another even wider known example is with Domino’s Pizza. For years, they’ve had a reputation of producing subpar pizza. Taking the issue head on, they put it in their advertising, “We want to make our pizza taste better.” They called it as people were seeing it, which was a very bold move. It was also a great way to reframe how consumers felt about their product. Most of the time, thinking in advance about framing the issue pays off. If there’s a false rumor surrounding your organization or maybe a truth to the gossip, you need to take a stand for your position. Steps to Reframing An Issue What are the steps to reframe an issue and avoid pitfalls? Begin by asking what is the issue, who’s involved, what lead to the problem, and what’s the best solution? Does the public need to know about this? What will be different in the public opinion after we reframe? You may be wondering how staff play a role in this topic. It may seem like this is a management and business owner issue. However, staff play a large role in keeping the issues rolling. Sharing inside gossip at backyard barbecues with friends and family exacerbates the rumor mill. Like the old game of telephone, the retelling of data is rarely exactly the same. By the time it has passed between several people, the message becomes unrecognizable from the original. Though this is certainly easier said than done, remember what goes on at work should stay at work. What is the image you send to the community? If a friend asks, “How are things going at work?” and you respond, “Man, I’m telling you, things are so messed up over there. I don’t know how much longer we can even keep the doors open,” you just pushed yourself one more millimeter out of a job. Instead, reframe the issue in positive language. Say, “Well, things have been stressful lately, but I really believe in the work we’re doing. I’m hoping the new management will make things easier.” When you reframe your image, remember to choose words to your advantage. As a team, discuss whether you need to reframe current issues in the marketplace. If you do, then develop a campaign to reframe and improve your image. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By David Glickman
Recently, I had the pleasure of delivering the closing keynote speech for the Michigan HomeCare and Hospice Association. In addition to the keynote, I also presented a breakout session on how to develop improvisational skills. Usually when I present a breakout at a conference, it is scheduled after the keynote. But in this case, the breakout was scheduled for the afternoon before the keynote. With the breakout being before the keynote, it gave me the opportunity to enlist the attendees in the breakout session to help me deliver a joke during the keynote. I told them that I would be opening the keynote with what appeared to be some housekeeping business. I would pretend to read from a note that had just been handed to me and would say, “Quick announcement before we get started. Apparently, there is a green 1995 Dodge Neon parked in front of the hotel. (pause) There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s making the place look like hell. So if you could move it, they’d appreciate it.” I’ve told this joke hundreds of times—and it always gets a laugh. (Point of clarification: If the audience is from a very conservative organization, I won’t use the joke and risk the word “hell” offending the group.) But here was the twist this time: I told the breakout session attendees that when I hit the last line—“So if you could move it, they’d appreciate it.”—they should immediately stand up and pretend like it’s their car and start walking, as though they need to move it. The premise was that to see a dozen people leap to their feet—in a room of several hundred—and pretend it was their car would be very funny. Fast forward to the next morning. I began my keynote. I said the joke. When I delivered the last line, “So if you could move it, they would appreciate it”--the entire audience stood up and started to walk out. It turns out that some of the attendees in the breakout session came up with a way to make the joke even funnier, and, more importantly, to surprise me. They spent that evening after the breakout, and the next morning at breakfast, spreading the word to everyone. Think about the dynamics of this. The more people who were now in on the surprise, the larger the investment in its outcome. Everyone was making sure everyone else knew and the anticipation kept growing. By the time I walked onto the stage that morning, they were all on the edge of their chairs—waiting for the joke—and knowing that their participation in the surprise was going to be a crucial part of its success. And it played out exactly as they intended. I hit the line—they all stood up and pretended to walk to the parking lot—and the laughter was enormous. (Both from them and me.) As they returned to their seats, they were all high-fiving each other, and it was obvious that everyone was happy with their execution of the joke. The beauty of orchestrating a surprise like this is the joy is shared equally between the recipient of the surprise and the perpetrators of the surprise. As a matter of fact, the participants in the surprise may actually derive more joy than the recipient. That’s because the participants have had the luxury of being in on the planning and have enjoyed the mounting anticipation as the moment of surprise grows closer. I recently threw a surprise party to honor my wife, Susan, on completing her 25th consecutive Disney World Marathon. We had about 50 of her close friends and family join us for a surprise luncheon at the hotel In Orlando where we staying. And while Susan was absolutely and totally surprised and thrilled when she walked into the room, I would argue that the 50 of us—who had been in on the surprise for months—were even more happy. The reason is simple: We got to experience both the joy of the months-long anticipation and the joy of the actual event. Think of times when you’ve been surprised in your life. The people who orchestrated the surprise shared the same joy in planning it as you did in experiencing it. I remember once seeing Celine Dion in concert—and she surprised the audience by bringing out the Bee Gees to sing a song with her. The crowd went wild—but I know that the performers and their teams were just as excited at knowing that they were about to totally surprise the audience. When people say, “I don’t like surprises,” what they mean is, “I don’t like bad surprises.” They’re typically referring to the kind of surprise that brings bad news or an “uh oh” response—something that’s going to require an immediate change of plans or an instant shift in priorities. However, people love “good” surprises—something they never saw coming, but is designed to immediately bring joy to the recipient. Surprises don’t have to be elaborate or extravagant. They can be as simple as the joke my audience pulled on me. Don’t get me wrong—the elaborate ones are awesome! But they also can be as simple as you bringing home a take-out meal from a loved one’s favorite restaurant, so that it’s waiting for them when they get home from work. Surprise! The key is to always have the mind-set of looking for opportunities for surprises: “How could I surprise my co-workers? Or my boss?” “How could I surprise my family members?” “How could I surprise an old friend?” “How could I surprise our customers? Our clients?” Don’t be surprised if you get hooked on surprises. They are truly the gift that is as much fun to give as it is to receive. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kristin Baird
This is the time of year when we all step back from our busy lives and reflect on what, and for whom, we are grateful. Gratitude is a practice and one that will reap huge rewards when exercised daily. I’ve read studies that demonstrate how gratitude can improve both mental and physical well being. Research conducted by Shawn Achor, and summarized in his Ted Talk, The Happy Secret to Better Work, concludes that writing down three things for which you are grateful, every day for 21 days, you achieve what they call the “happiness advantage.” He says that by raising your level of positivity in the present, you will perform significantly better level in productivity and creativity. He cites several examples where his team has documented significant improvement. One such example is that doctors are 19% more accurate in coming up with the correct diagnosis when they are happy. Compared to when they are negative, neutral, or stressed. Thank You Note Challenge The secret is to find a way to be more positive in the present. Achor says that you can train the brain in two minutes per day. He says that if you write down three new things for which you are grateful each day, your brain retains the pattern of scanning the world to see things more positively. Journaling one positive experience each day helps retain that experience at a deeper level. Conscious acts of kindness, like sending a positive email or a thank you note each day will not only improve your own happiness, but will help spread the happiness. If you’ve ever gotten a thank you note out of the blue from someone expressing gratitude for something you did, you know the impact it can have. It can make your day and keep on giving because most people save those cherished notes. Gratitude can become a habit and the gift that keeps on giving. Take this 21 day challenge and see how gratitude can change your life. I’m in! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
My wife says I’m sometimes grumpy. My nephews say I’m not as fun as I used to be. My friend Michael says I’m just a bitter old man. Maybe I have gotten a bit cynical. Truth be told, though, I really don’t have a reason to be cynical. I think I typically get that way when I focus on the wrong things—my “don’t haves” instead of my “do haves.” When life gets busy or we encounter stress, it’s easy to focus on the things that are going poorly rather that all of the things that are going well. So for those times when we want to have a pity party for ourselves, consider these alternatives… If you’re feeling old, be thankful that you’re still getting old (things get bad fast when you stop getting old). If you have aches and pains, be thankful that you can have pains without having to be one. If you have a crummy job, be thankful that you have a job—and that you could probably find another job if you didn’t do such a good job complaining about your crummy job. If you get too many emails, be thankful that you’re so popular…and that you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inherit money from Nigerian royalty which could be used to purchase a mortgage, drugs from Canada, or anatomical enhancements. If your children are a challenge, be thankful for time out—because the longer you stay in time out, the less you have to deal with them. If your clothes fit more snugly than they used to, be thankful that the tightness is not nearly as problematic as the style of your clothes which, by the way, went out of date in the 90’s. If you’re losing your hair, be thankful that balding men are sexy, virile, handsome and much more appealing to women than those girly men with wavy mousse-filled follicles (not that I’m sensitive about this). If you have relationship problems, it’s probably your fault. Be thankful that you now know this and can change how you relate to others. If you’re unhappy with the government, be thankful that you live in a country where you’re free to be unhappy with the government. If you never get the parking spot near the mall door, be thankful for the exercise you get while walking from the far end of the parking lot (also see “If your clothes fit more snugly” above). If you’re a bad driver, be thankful that you’re not alone since everyone but me seems to be a bad driver. If you’re having financial problems, be thankful that you don’t owe Tony Soprano money and that 16% interest on your MasterCard account is better than getting whacked. If your spouse watches too much TV, be thankful that you have a TV and that he or she is contentedly occupied and not bugging you instead. If you have a clunker of a car, be thankful that you don’t have to worry about fender benders, door dings, and bird crap. If you find yourself struggling with the meaning of life, be thankful that even though you’re apparently not smart enough to figure it out, everyone else also struggles with the meaning of life and you’re just self-assured enough to admit it. If you have trouble being thankful, be thankful for the many reality TV stars who prove time and time again that there are lots of people worse off than you. Now, don’t you feel better? Happy Thanksgiving. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Colette Carlson
No matter how much you enjoy spending quality time with family and friends around the holidays, tensions and stress inevitably escalate as different personalities and preferences collide. Perhaps you have a politically passionate or pushy relative who excels at making you uncomfortable with their opinions or overly-personal questions. Even under the best of circumstances, with everyone’s emotions, expectations and exhaustion under one roof, misunderstandings are bound to happen. Rather than gobble up your feelings or lash out in frustration, chew on one of these three options to create deeper, healthier connections. 1 – Show up prepared. Similar to knowing what dishes will likely be on the Thanksgiving menu, you probably can guess what emotional buttons those in attendance might push. Rather than play defense or keep score on game day, plan for how you will handle uncomfortable situations. If you know your sibling will eventually serve up sarcasm on your parenting skills or career choice in front of others, be proactive. Pick up the phone prior and say, “It’s been too long since we’ve truly connected, and I’m looking forward to really hearing what’s going on in your life Turkey Day, rather than falling into old habits of teasing each other. Life is too short for that stuff anymore.” Should your sibling slam you anyway that day, be prepared to deliver a respectful, follow-up comment or question. Two options include, “When we gather together, I’ve noticed you choose to openly find fault with my style or choices. Today would be way more fun for everyone if we could find ways to support one another. Are you game?”. Or, if you want to be more direct, ask, “May I ask why you feel the need to speak negatively of me and my choices when you have an audience?” Oftentimes, family patterns continue because no one is bold enough to have an authentic, honest conversation (while staying calm and respectful) about changing them. 2 – Recognize your role. It takes two to tango, so how are you contributing to the toxic environment you want to avoid? Does confirmation bias influence you to only see what you already believe about another, rather than focus on how others have changed or grown? Did you hear the seven wonderful statements your mother made before she mentioned you looked tired and thin? Sure, your brother’s girlfriend may have more tattoos or piercings than you prefer, but did you notice how his eyes sparkle when she speaks? Do you need to be right rather than get it right and let others form their own opinions? Do you refer to your children as the athlete, smart or messy one in front of them or others? Labels create limits, both in the eyes of others and the hearts of those you reference. Recognizing the unhealthy behavior you bring to the table allows you the opportunity to make better choices. 3 – Think before you speak. Easier said than done, right? My 82-year old mother and I share the annoying trait of processing our thoughts out loud. This behavior lends itself to saying things better left unsaid. Last week, during a visit with my folks, my 92-year old dad accidentally wore his hearing aid in the shower. As he handed my mother the wet device, out came her vocalized thoughts. “I hope you didn’t ruin it!” Being me, I said, “That wasn’t kind to say.” Only after the words left my mouth did I realize we were both guilty of shaming and blaming. Thankfully, my family now places value on speaking our truth, not our mind, so both mom and I took responsibility and apologized for our unhealthy words. Mom let Dad know he’s still a strong man who simply made a mistake anyone could, and I acknowledged mom for all the hard work she puts in daily to keep her husband of 59 years going strong! May you use these strategies to deepen your relationships, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day, making the world around you a more blessed place. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Zonya Foco
Family get-togethers, neighborhood parties, work celebrations: eat, drink, eat, drink, eat, eat, eat. It seems that all parties revolve around FOOD! And typically, party fare isn’t necessarily healthy fare. But even the busiest "Party Animals" can survive without disaster if these simple party survival tips are followed: Plan ahead Eat a light breakfast and lunch to save up a few extra calories to spend at the party. However, do NOT arrive at the party overly hungry either! In fact, eating a small snack before you go is a good idea. Include exercise before you go Let’s face it, parties generally mean a few more calories than you usually eat. Overindulge on a day you don’t exercise and together the two can add up! To prevent this from happening, be sure to exercise before you go. Search out REAL FOOD As your eyes venture down the festive buffet, search out and load up on REAL FOOD, like vegetables, fruit, hummus, nuts, salads, and chicken kabobs. Also look for grainy crackers or pita bread, plus a cube or two of authentic cheese. Skip the green cool-whip jello "salad" (it’s not real food). Don’t fall into the "I have to try some of everything" trap. If something looks overly processed or full of refined sugars or empty white calories, just pass it by. Foods with fiber, nutrients, and minimal added sugars and sodium are the ones that will satiate you and help you avoid the regretful food coma. Use a plate One thing that puts on weight is eating more than you're aware of. Anytime you nibble on things directly from the bowl, you can end up eating more than if you put all the food on a plate. Therefore, create a healthful boundary for yourself: Everything goes on a plate. Make it a small plate for even better results! P.S. There's freedom within boundaries. Save room for dessert Since sweets are what the holidays are all about, are you wise to eat your usual amount (or more) for dinner, then add a dessert (or two or more) on top of that? No! Think through now how will you "make room" to indulge in dessert. Perhaps skip items like the buttery crackers, chips or other forgettable appetizers to make room for it. Or have only one cocktail (or no cocktail at all). Yes, checks and balances are the key! Halve it and you can have it! When faced with an assortment of tempting treats, think, "Halve it and you can have it." This strategy works anytime, anywhere, and will keep you from feeling deprived while halving the calories you would normally eat. Avoid drinking all your calories "But I hardly ate a thing all holiday season! How did I gain weight?" Think before you drink: • Egg Nog (4 oz.): 355 calories • Wine (3 oz.): 85 calories • Beer, regular (12 oz.): 150 calories • Beer, light (12 oz.): 100 calories • Cider (12 oz.): 180 calories • Fruit punch (12 oz.): 180 calories • Piña colada (6 oz.): 325 calories Opt for: Club soda or sparkling water to dilute punch or fruit juice; mineral water, low-calorie soda or diet tonic water. Or better yet, add a slice of lemon or lime to a refreshing glass of pure water! Keep your focus away from the food While good food is certainly an important part of an enjoyable party, be sure you keep it in perspective. Appreciate the other great things: Socializing, the beautiful decorations, music, games and activities. Stop eating early Even if you stay late, decide when you will quit eating and do just that: Quit eating. This strategy can do wonders to prevent that continuous "just because it's there" munching, saving you hundreds of calories. No matter what, stay positive Even if you did overdo it at the party, keep things in perspective. You do not need to be "perfect" all the time, and one event does not make you an overweight person or give you high cholesterol. Say, "It's no big deal," and start your next day back on your healthy fitness regime. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Vicki Hess
I was at a yoga class recently and the teacher was reminding us to focus on our inhale and exhale – the yin & yang of breathing. It was a great reminder that inhaling all the time doesn’t work. We need to stop to exhale – to disengage – to fill up again. Don’t worry, the newsletter isn’t a Zen diatribe (is there such a thing) on finding your true self (although that might be a good one for the future – haha). Today is all about letting go in order to be more engaged. It’s easy to get stuck and feel disengaged at work. We often see others around us who feel overwhelmed or out of sorts due to rapid change, heavy workloads, drama in the workplace and more. That’s why we need to disengage and create some distance (mental and/or physical). Distance gives a new perspective. New perspectives change beliefs and mindsets. New beliefs and mindsets change actions. New actions change outcomes. Try these 3 ideas to reconnect to what makes you feel satisfied, energized & productive (AKA engaged)... 1. Disengage fully. Take time off. Have fun. Relax. Explore. Disconnect. Find joy in serving others. Do what makes your boat float. 2. Disengage from a specific situation. Just because something happens around you at work, it doesn’t mean you must join in whatever is happening. If one of your coworkers is felling the pull of The Chain Gang (AKA disengagement), you can walk away. Choose another direction. Choose a new perspective (see above). 3. Disengage from circumstances that are out of your control. If there’s a systemic issue that you encounter and you don’t have the ability to change whatever is happening, then disengage. Use the rule of 3 related to complaining about something. You can complain to 3 different people and then disengage. After a while, complaining is just a way we hurt ourselves. As you go about your day today, think about the yin/yang of engagement. Where can you disengage to engage and create your own Professional Paradise? Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Barb Bartlein
What brings more happiness; a new flat-screen TV or that trip you have always been dreaming about? No question, the TV is more immediate and you can use it every day. The vacation is in the future and when it is over, all you have are photos and memories. But new research demonstrates that it is experiences that stay with us, not things. "One of the enemies of happiness is adaptation," Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, told Fast Company. "We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed, but only for a while. New things are exciting to use at first, but then we adapt to them." Gilovich has been studying the relationship between money and happiness for more than 20 years and has found that spending money on experiences - travel, outdoor activities, concerts, classes, etc., - bring us more joy than buying material things. In one of his studies he asked people to report their happiness with a major material or experiential purchase. Initially, people ranked both purchases about the same. But over time their happiness with material objects decreased while their satisfaction with experiences increased. Gilovich believes that one reason for this diminishing satisfaction with material goods is that our experiences are a bigger part of our identity than our possessions. Our experiences make up who we are and how we interact with the world. Even negative experiences, ie, vacation disasters, can become positive over time. They become time honored stories that are shared with family and friends. Most importantly, experiences usually are shared with other people. We feel connected, a part of a group. Whether it is a group of people going down the Colorado River or backpacking through Europe, there is a shared connection. Interestingly, spending money on experiences also seems to make people more generous and more likely to participate in social activities. Time to book my next trip. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Dan Coughlin
A lot of people talk about thinking outside the box. I want you to think inside the box. Imagine two boxes, one quite large and the other rather small. The small box is inside the big box. In the large box is everything that you are capable of doing. Inside the small box are the few things you can do that you believe will have the greatest positive impact on improving your most important desired business outcome. STAY INSIDE THE SMALL BOX Too often, in my opinion, people allow themselves to be pulled into all kinds of activities because they are able to do them. Weeks, months, and even years fly by while these people are busy doing all sorts of different things that they are able to do. They go home quite exhausted at the end of each day knowing that they worked hard. The problem is they haven’t penetrated the desired results to anywhere near the degree that they could have. They essentially tried to please people in different departments and different customers and different prospective customers and different volunteer groups. They kept moving all around in the big box. Rather than allowing yourself to fill up your day doing everything you are capable of doing, I encourage you to stay very disciplined about choosing at most four things you can do that will have the greatest positive impact on improving results and not allowing yourself to be pulled into two dozen different activities just because you are able to do them. Staying inside the small box might mean you actually have a few hours each day where you are not racing off to put out the latest fire or to have lunch with a customer that you just talked with last week or to listen to your co-worker rant about the company’s new direction. It might mean that you actually slow down, relax your brain, go for long walks, and work fewer hours. However, in those fewer hours, your efforts and your activities will be concentrated on improving a specific outcome or two. There is still plenty of room for freedom inside the small box. You can figure out ways to do these few activities better. You might find ways to combine two of the activities together so they have an even greater impact. You might even decide to stop doing one of these four things and start doing one new thing. What you’re not going to do though is allow 12 different activities into the small box. That’s why I call this “freedom in a framework.” The framework is the small box, the choosing of at most four activities that you are going to focus on doing as well as you can. You can be an innovator in the small box. You don’t always have to do what you have done in the past. You can direct your four activities toward creating more appropriate value for your customers. The folks at Apple innovated to an extraordinarily high degree in creating their magical devices, but they did it by operating inside a small box. THE 30-MINUTE QUESTIONS When I’m giving an Executive Mentoring session over the phone, I will ask the person what he or she can do this month to really impact a desired business result. Many times, I’ve heard, “I can do lots of things, but I don’t have enough time.” Then I ask, “If you had the time, what would you do?” Over the years I’ve heard all kinds of answers like “I would spend time with my top 10 employees to help them get to the next level,” “I would spend time with our newest employees to make sure they transition successfully into our company,” “I would spend time with our best customers to make sure they are getting their needs met properly” and on and on. Then I ask, “Well, why not choose one of those ideas and do it this month?” Invariably the answer is, “I wish I could, but I don’t have enough time. I’m way too busy doing other stuff.” Let’s think about that for a moment. The person is saying they don’t have any time to do the things that he or she believes would matter the most. At that point, I probe a little further. I’ll say, “I understand you are super busy. In a month’s time I’m guessing you are working between 150 and 250 hours a month. In that time frame how much time do you think you have to dedicate to one of these activities?” Usually I hear, “Maybe 30 minutes at the most here and there during the month.” To which I say, “30 minutes is more than zero. So we’ve established that you do have some time, just not very much. Is that correct?” At that point I start to get some buy-in to where I’m heading. Now I try to get the person focused by asking, “What can you do in less than 30 minutes to strengthen your relationship with a great customer?” (or “…to strengthen your relationship with your best employee?” or “…to strengthen your relationship with your newest employee?” or wherever he or she said was the desired area of focus.) Within the very tight framework of 30 minutes, the person suddenly becomes very creative in thinking of ideas he or she could actually do. A handwritten letter takes less than 30 minutes. Picking up the phone and asking the person how he or she is doing takes less than 30 minutes. Sitting in a customer’s office to ask how your product is working out for him or her takes less than 30 minutes. When you get people to take the pressure off of having to carve out 20 hours to accomplish something, they start to see all kinds of things they can actually do in less than 30 minutes. STRATEGIC PLANNING & A DECK OF CARDS One more area where I feel people can operate within a tighter framework is strategic planning. Many times I’ve observed a business planning process where people search for ideas on how to improve results. They come into the meeting room with a lot of good ideas on how to improve results over the next 12 months. Let’s say they bring in 52 ideas. Then they start to plan out the next 12 months by organizing the 52 ideas and saying, “We will do the first 13 ideas in the first quarter, the next 13 in the second quarter, the next 13 in the third quarter, and the next 13 in the fourth quarter.” It’s as though they feel they have to play every card in their deck at some point during the year and they need to plan out when each card will be laid down. I encourage you to add in one more step into that approach. I call it “search for the four Aces.” Before you commit anything to a calendar, go through your 52 ideas and search for the four best ideas you have. It might mean one person has three of the best ideas from the entire group. It doesn’t matter who came up with the four best ideas. Just keep discussing and debating and arguing until your group lands on the four best ideas. Set the other 48 ideas over to the side. You’re not going to play those cards. Then schedule just these four ideas. What’s the best idea to implement in the first quarter, in the second quarter, the third quarter, and the fourth quarter? Then execute them as well as you possibly can. Don’t try to do all 52 ideas. Remember that in poker four Aces beats almost every other combination of five cards. Rather than hoping that by playing all 52 cards you might end up with a straight flush, just select the four Aces and play them. You will win in the marketplace far more often this way. If you just play your four Aces, are you guaranteed to achieve great results? Nope. Every idea contains risk and the possibility of failure. If you just play your four Aces, do you have a better chance of executing each idea really well and increase your chances of the idea producing results than if you had tried to do all 52 ideas? Yes, I think so, and that’s why I encourage you to be courageous enough to select four cards and play them as well as you can. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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