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By Laurie Guest
Onboarding is the current buzzword for new employee orientation. No matter what you name it, please tell me you do it. Why? Onboarding is a must because the success of a new employee depends on not only learning how to do the tasks required in a job but also learning all the rules and regulations that go into the job. After all, many of these might be rules you haven’t thought to tell someone without an existing onboarding process. Onboarding contains knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lead to long-term success and proper understanding of the culture of your organization. Something so important cannot be left to chance. How Onboarding Works Begin with a structured plan for all new hires to follow during the first few days or even weeks on the job, depending upon the depth of the position and the size of your company. Oddly enough, it may even begin before their first day of work. When the job offer is given, set the expectation of the onboarding process so the applicant knows what to expect. In our organization, we started a buddy system where veteran staff people volunteered to take a new hire to lunch the first day or at least sit with them in the lunch room. This may sound like junior high, but not knowing how to fit in the first day is a moment of stress no matter what your age. Informing the new hire in advance who his or her veteran will be on the first day is a simple way to introduce the social aspect of the job. Make sure that the system you put in place for big picture exposure is the same for all new employees. I know of a hospital that didn’t take the time for big picture explanations for certain positions, like housekeeping and dietary roles. This proved to be a mistake for them. It indicated the gap between departments and how they were respected within the system. Include everyone in the same orientation until it is time for a job-specific task training. Also, be sure to include indoctrination into appropriate work culture on day one. What are the expectations of proper behavior? Is it in writing? How is it taught? What are the consequences of noncompliance? Why is the culture important to the success of the company? Finally, what words do you use to show the new hires how important they are to the organization regardless of position? Why put it in writing? Prepare a written policy and procedure guidebook for new hires to review and keep. It’s a good idea to have a signature page at the back for the new hire to sign and return to you after he or she has read and understands the guidelines. In our organization, we had a policy manual that was the same for every employee that included mostly human resource information: time-off policies, dress code, and disciplinary matters. In addition, each department had a policy and procedure manual specific to that team. Be purposeful about the documents you prepare. If you treat the policies with the respect they deserve, you demonstrate to the new hire that we take the rules seriously. If you don’t do that, too much is left to chance. Consequently, learning then comes by making mistakes. Take the unspoken rule in our medical facility: No microwave popcorn allowed. Our doctor felt that a medical facility should not smell like a movie theater, and everyone who worked there knew we were not allowed to make popcorn. However, no one thought to tell the new people this. Sure enough, within the first few weeks, a new staff member ultimately ended up making popcorn for lunch, and every employee came in going, “Who’s making popcorn? Who’s making popcorn?” As you can imagine, the new employee felt foolish! Eventually, we added that rule to the onboarding information sheet. Though that sounds like a silly example, put yourself in the shoes of the new employee. Even little things can make a big impact on the success of the first quarter on the job. 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 Courtney Clark
There’s nothing really wrong. Things are mostly going pretty well. So why can’t you just… be happy? Seriously, it’s not that hard. Except… it is. Just “being happy” turns out to be a lot more complicated than it sounds. For starters, some people’s brains just don’t naturally cooperate with society’s expectations of happiness, because of depression or anxiety. For other people, we anticipate we’ll be happy when we reach a certain goal, or have a certain experience, but it doesn’t happen automatically. Admit It: The Holidays Sometimes Stink For a perfect example, just look at the holidays. This time of year, we’re expected to be happy. We should either be basking peacefully in the glow of the reason for the season, or bouncing joyfully between friends and parties and glitter-covered wrapping paper. But what we get instead is stress, overwhelm, and disappointment. See, expectations of happiness often ruin actual happiness. If we feel like happiness is REQUIRED, or else we must be broken, we put so much pressure on ourselves that happiness becomes nearly impossible. Who can be happy on demand? Probably not you. Who Needs Happiness, Anyway? In fact, studies have shown that the things that make us ACTUALLY happy are pretty hard to predict. Happiness doesn’t always come from the things we think it comes from, because a greater sense of overall joy in life comes from feelings like “meaning” and “significance.” Happiness and meaning are similar, but different, according to research out of Stanford. If you’re looking for happiness that’s longer-lasting, go for meaning, not contentedness. But I Just Want A Little Joy Just because it’s not so easy, that doesn’t mean you should give up on being happy. It just means you won’t find it in any of the presents under the Christmas tree. For a deeper, longer-lasting happy, try these strategies:
Don’t let happiness and the actions that bring true happiness end up buried at the bottom of your to do list in your busy life. Find what matters most and bring some meaning to your days. 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
Have you ever noticed how feelings of joy might be fleeting, but anger seems to stick around? I’m working on a new keynote about resilience called Journey to Joy™ and this process has me thinking a lot about joy and anger. We have all experienced anger at work. According to Science of People, “psychologists have discovered that there are three causes of anger:
It’s easy to see how healthcare professionals in all roles can experience these causes at work…especially #1. When you’re angry your body releases stress hormones that lead to a fight or flight response. Over time, if anger persists, these hormones can lead to headaches, increased blood pressure and more. The external ramifications of anger may also include damaged relationships and work-related performance issues. When you’re cool, calm and collected, this all makes sense but in the heat of the moment, when your hot buttons are being pushed, it can be difficult. What most folks want to know is what to do with the anger. It’s not good to ignore those feelings. Repressing the anger can lead to a bigger burst down the road and that’s not healthy either. My suggestion is to SHIFT from anger to joy. Some of you have heard me speak or read my work about SHIFTing your POWs to WOWs and these steps may look familiar. Here are 5 steps to shrink the anger and choose joy:
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 LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
The healthcare field is far from free of its fair share of stressors. So, it’s no stretch of the mind that nurses, doctors, and other caretakers are burning out. Statistics embody this truth: About one out of every five nurses quit their job in their first year of practice, and about one out of every three nurses will leave their place of work within their first two years (according to a study published in Sage Journals). Nurse burnout is on the rise, and nurse retention is at a low. Nurses and other caretakers are simply overworked, overwhelmed, and overstressed. Today, we’re addressing that latter issue: Stress. Let’s take a keen look at the stressors which, unfortunately, plague nurses. Common Healthcare Workplace Stressors Stress in the healthcare field doesn’t just occur in some hospitals and clinics. It’s a common issue. Healthcare facilities around the world are experiencing difficulty with nurse retention due to caretaker burnout. This issue is uniquely difficult, because there isn’t just one concise source problem. Stress in the field of nursing can crop up due to any and all of the following issues: Exposure to Illness Nurses care for those who are injured and ill. With illness, nurses are inherently prone to contract illnesses themselves. Even with the best practices and facilities, nurses are vulnerable to contract the very illnesses that they are treating. That’s why it is crucial that nurses remain mindful of their own health, as well as the wellbeing of their patients. Nurses should support their own health to ensure that they remain immune to the airborne illnesses that affect those around them. Mortality Healthcare workers are surrounded by injury, illness, and aging – all of which can result in the death of patients. As caretakers become attached to those that they care for, it can be heart wrenching to lose a close patient. Death is inevitable a part of the job. That’s difficult to cope with! Once again, it’s crucial to remain mindful in the face of death – stay conscious that you, as a nurse, aid your patients, providing comfort and care, even in the final days of their life. Nurses help people! Physical Strain Nurses are constantly on their feet. A nurse often walks miles in a day, moving charts, checking on patients, providing care, etc., etc. That means physical strain, as well as the aforementioned mental strain. Nurses often suffer from sore joints, including foot pain, backaches, shoulder soreness, and leg pain. After a 12-hour shift, a caretaker can be in pain and near exhaustion, which brings us to another stressor… Little Sleep Nurses often lose sleep, or they’re forced to sleep during irregular hours. Losing sleep can be draining, and irregular sleep can be jarring. It’s difficult just to start the day while tired, let alone work a full day while exhausted. That’s why it’s crucial for healthcare facilities to assess their scheduling to adapt to their caretakers’ schedules, not the other way around. Long Hours If a facility is understaffed, its caretakers may be required to work long hours. While that can cause a loss of sleep, as we just mentioned, it can also take away from a caretakers’ free time and personal life. Like any professional, nurses need a healthy work-life balance to thrive. Lack of Support Nurses need support. Like any other person, our caretakers need positive relationships (in and out of the workplace), healthy nutrition, regular exercise, plenty of sleep, free time, etc. Healthcare facilities can, and should, provide support programs to their caretakers to ensure that they remain happy and healthy. To learn how to reduce nurse burnout and improve caretaker retention, visit SelfCare for HealthCare. 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 Kathleen Passanisi. Kathleen Passanisi PT, CSP, CPAE is an internationally recognized transformational speaker, therapeutic humor expert, healthcare professional and author. She has spoken to bajillions of people about life balance, wellness, the power of perception, and the link that exists between humor and health. Kathleen is a member of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame and the funniest woman in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri (and, quite possibly, the Western Hemisphere.) For more information on Kathleen's presentations, books and products please visit the New Perspectives website at www.KathleenPassanisi.com
You’ve seen it in a hundred movies: The girl, face streaming with tears, surrounded by wads of tissues, creates a bonfire out of pictures of her ex and dives head-first into a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, box of donuts or super-sized bag of cheese puffs. This eating and crying routine has become the post-breakup standard in modern media. Between sitcoms, movies, Lifetime, WE, and Oxygen, you can probably find this scene on TV at all times. Usually, in the next scene, the crying has moved onto a stationary bike or jog with a friend where our heroine laments not only the fact that her dream man is married, but that she ate an entire box of Ho-Ho’s. It’s no surprise to American women that food is an antidote to sadness, stress, disappointment, frustration, etc. Why else would the term “comfort food” exist? But, recent studies are showing a much more common cause of over-eating for both women and men, boredom. Consider a scenario from your life. You’re home alone or with your everyday companions. You flip channels until you find something that’s just engaging enough to keep you awake. How many trips to the refrigerator do you then make? Do you hit the pizza place phone number you have on speed dial? When you finally choose to do something productive, is there a telltale trail of snack leftovers between you and the TV? If not, you may stop reading now. Pat yourself on the back and go do three hours of spinning or whatever it is you perfect people do for fun. But, if so, resist the urge to wallow amongst your candy bar wrappers. Feeling blue will only enhance the problem (see paragraph one.) Wellness relies on being proactive, even if you don’t want to leave your couch. What is boredom? Overeater’s Anonymous will tell you that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Your particular problem is not that you are hungry. You are bored. But what is boredom? Boredom is the brain’s reaction to perceived monotony. Much like fatigue, it is involuntary and affects some people more suddenly and severely than others. In a bored state, the brain basically shifts into auto-pilot. Stresses and high emotions flat line, details blur, your attention wanes. You find yourself asking “What did I come in here after?” or “What did he just say?” Much like insomnia, you’re not really awake, but you are not asleep either. To break out of this boredom rut, people seek sleep or, more often, instant gratification. Here’s an easy riddle. What’s readily accessible, inexpensive, somewhat comforting, and requires no effort? Junk food, of course! And the odds of avoiding it are against you. Studies at the Beth Israel Methadone clinic found that boredom is a key factor in whether drug addicts will relapse. If it can bring someone back to drugs, it can surely bring you back to the freezer! So what can you do? On ambitious days: If you’re feeling up to leaving the magical Land of Couch, do so! Many people associate food with home and/or privacy, so leave your comfort zone. Seek out places and activities that don’t have a built in lazy or snack-filled component. Ballpark hotdogs, and movie theatre popcorn are not your best bets. Exercise your mind and body, instead of your jaw.
On lazier days: If the Land of Couch is just too enticing (or there is a Law and Order marathon on TV), staying in may be irresistible. Do not let that defeat you. There are plenty of ways to fight the big blue boredom monster.
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
In 1995 I first learned the DISC Method, and I found it to be intriguing. It was about how different people have different needs that have to be met before they make a decision. Over the past almost quarter-century I’ve seen many, many different ways of explaining this topic including using the four main characters from the I Love Lucy series: Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel. Here is my attempt. Four Types of Decision-makers I see four types: The Quick Decision-Maker, The Relationship Decision-Maker, The Logical Decision-Maker, and the Conscientious Decision-Maker. Here is what is most important to each type and the question the person needs answered: The Quick Decision-Maker Speed is most important. The question is, “What are my options, and which one am I going to go with right now?” The Relationship Decision-Maker Chemistry is most important. The question is, “Do I feel good about working with this person?” The Logical Decision-Maker Logic is most important. The question is, “Does it make sense to do this?” The Conscientious Decision-Maker A clear conscience is most important. The question is, “Will this be the right thing to do?” What type of decision-maker are you? So what drives your decision-making process? Is it speed? Is it imperative that you make a decision right now? Do you hate the thought of leaving the meeting without making a definite decision? Do you have to get to know the person you’re buying from and have a good feeling about the person before you will say yes? Do you need to look at data and timelines and see how all the pieces are going to fit together before you make a decision? Do you need to talk with references and see proof that the decision is the right thing to do? If you know what type of decision-maker you are, you don’t have to waste time on stuff you don’t need in order to make a decision. You can just reach for what you need. A quick decision-maker needs to know the options, a relationship decision-maker needs to get to know the person, a logical decision-maker needs to know information, and a conscientious decision-maker needs evidence. You can also let other people know what your needs are so they will be able to help you get what you need in order to make a decision. How do you meet the needs of the different types of decision-makers? Imagine you are the head of a project and you have four team members, each of whom is a different type of decision-maker. How do you meet all of their needs at the same time? Let’s say you have to tell your boss in a week what your team has decided to do. You could say to your team members: “We don’t have forever. We need to make a decision quickly. Let’s narrow our options down to three choices, and then make a choice in two days. (For the Quick Decision-Maker) “However, we don’t need to make a decision tonight. Here is the data we have gathered on this topic. Here is a flowchart that shows various approaches, and the timeline it would take to do each of them. (For the Logical Decision-Maker) “Here is a set of names, phone numbers, and email addresses for seven people who have tried different ways of doing this project. You are welcome to call them and ask about how the project went for them. (For the Conscientious Decision-Maker) “And here is the contact information for the four candidates that we could possibly work with on this project. You are welcome to contact them and get to know them if you want.” (For the Relationship Decision-Maker) You are not forcing anyone to do what is not important to him or her, but you are meeting the needs of each of them. 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 Bobbe White
While in St. Louis, my daughter-in-law, Jenna, treated me to Cycle Bar for spin class. I spin occasionally and do other cardio workouts, so I was certain I could hold up for 45 minutes. Walking Lily used to be cardio, but, seriously, how many 77 year olds do you know who can clip off a four-minute mile? But, I digress. We received emails and texts, welcoming and preparing us for class. I was fitted with shoes and given a welcome water bottle. It was even personalized. I loved this place! Our bikes #25-26, were located on the second tier. It felt like we were sitting in the piccolo section of an orchestra room. Our instructor, Michelle, adjusted my bike. I think LeBron James had ridden this bike in the previous class. The seat reached my armpits. Michelle lowered the seat and locked my shoes into the pedals. However would I escape in the event of fire? I’d be the last man out dragging the damn bike with me, because I wouldn’t be able to unhook my shoes. In previous classes, I’d worn my own shoes. I must admit, I felt smugly professional in the clamp-ons. Two towels hung on each bike. One was for sweat; the other to cover the dashboard. Michelle explained that in classic spin classes, the dashboard was utilized to motivate us to reach “push” levels. The stats revealed velocity, degree of difficulty, caloric burn and minutes remaining until my legs might fall off. Or my tush, whichever came first. I’d forgotten how unforgiving the hard saddle was. Fortunately, the class was taught mostly from a standing stride. Rather than being dashboard directed, Michelle helped us attain limits from desire and inspirational encouragement. She motivated us by getting into our heads. I do adore psychobabble! Did I mention I loved this place? Michelle’s mantra unfurled in a smooth, but convincing voice, fit for a DJ. Her monologue was punctuated by dancing lights and playlist that could rev up Rumpelstiltskin. It went like this... (My internal reply is in parentheses.) “What do you want for yourself today?” (“I don’t know, but let’s get it, Gurl!”) “Come to the edge, farther than before!” (YES! Show me the razor’s edge!”) “Leave behind all that which does not enhance your existence.” (Bobs is leavin’ it in the smoke, Baby. Raaahhrrrrr!) It occurred to me that pacing myself, regardless of my stoked inner power, might be wise. I backed off a teensy bit. Jenna dialed up her resistance and velocity. She meant business. I merely hoped to leave Cycle Bar on something besides a gurney and oxygen. Like my legs. At the end, everyone applauded Michelle. She was an amazing instructor. I felt like I’d attended Tony Robbins’ seminar. Shortly, our compiled stats were emailed to us. This was new. I’d no idea I was being assessed. How cool is that? Jenna read hers first. She’d nearly ruled the class, being ranked for effort and workload, ranking her #2 out of 23 participants. Impressive, but not surprising. She is a fitness machine, that one! “Check yours!” Jenna encouraged. “It’s in your email.” “Oh, I hope I didn’t perform really badly…” I envisioned being #10-11…middle of the pack.I was pumped. I’d pedaled hard. I felt gooooooood! I LOVED THIS STUFF! My recap showed that I’d burned 263 calories, my average speeds and workloads. Then in all its glory, we read my ranking…. #23. That’s out of 23. WHAT? I WAS THE WORST? I HATE THAT PLACE! Devastation flooded my head, for, like, one 23rd of a nanosecond. Then we started laughing. It got funnier. Take two bikes, side by side. Jenna was nearly the best in class; I must’ve had a flat tire. Yet, here was the method in the madness: numbers don’t always justify results. I felt great and had a great experience. Nobody could take that away from me, #23. The laughter was pretty great too. Pedal on, my friends. 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 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! 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! |
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