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By Mary Kelly
The media is full of people who seem interesting. Their lives look glamorous, and they just seem to light up rooms whenever they show up. As leaders, we are often expected to show up at business conferences, conventions, and business meetings and be interesting and charismatic. This may be a struggle if we are a natural introvert, overwhelmed with things on our to-do lists, and preoccupied with trying to figure out what to do next. The truth is that most conversations are superficial. Why? People are afraid of being controversial. People want to fit in. However, the most interesting people are those that embrace their uniqueness and know how to use it. For those of us who just want to be more fun, now that we are getting back to work and being around other people, here are some ideas: 1. Travel. People who travel and experience new places are interesting. You may not have the vacation time or the funds to cover the globe, but you probably can afford one big adventure every couple of years if you make it a priority. 2. Have an interesting hobby. Explore activities that are a little different. Study fencing and enter competitions. Participate in long-range rifle shooting. Kayak. Breed llamas. Do something fun and out of the norm. You will not generate a lot of interest from others while discussing your favorite television show or your dog’s latest antic, unless it is from other people who share that interest. I have dogs. Yes, I think they are cute. Yes, I actually do want to see pictures of your dogs, cats, horses, gerbils, turtles, parrots, ferrets, and any other animal you care for. Tag me on your social media so I can tell you how adorable your pets are! 3. Take an interest in others. We find others interesting when they find us interesting. People generally enjoy talking about themselves, so show a genuine interest in other people. Ask relevant questions. We all want attention. Give people attention about what matters to them, and you might receive some attention back. 4. Be confident. People who are confident instill confidence in others. We feel more at ease when we are around someone who is comfortable with themselves. Developing self-confidence helps others enjoy being around you. At the other end of the spectrum, when you are nervous or uncomfortable, you make others feel the same. 5. Be a good listener. Give others your full attention. Be an active listener and keep the conversation going. Look at them when they talk. You can be considered a great conversationalist without saying much at all if you actively listen to others. 6. Have a couple of entertaining stories to share. Be prepared with a few interesting facts or stories. Talk show hosts and stand-up comics are always prepared. Have a few good stories to share and practice telling them. People tend to like short, entertaining stories. 7. Be childlike. That is childlike, not childish. When you are enthusiastic, you bring out the same in others. Everyone wants to experience childlike joy and enthusiasm for the moment they are in. 8. Find the positive. Life is not all rainbows, sparkles and unicorns all the time. We get curveballs. Tragic events happen. People struggle. Some people respond to even the smallest inconveniences with constant complaining. That is exhausting for the people around them. Staying positive throughout difficult events demonstrates a strong character and builds resiliency. 9. Raise your eyebrows. I recently watched the incomparable, motivating, and very funny Michael Hoffman perform for a group of extremely focused businesspeople. While not minimizing the seriousness of what the audience does, Michael reminded us of all to raise our eyebrows. And smile. A welcoming smile is irreplaceable. Happy people are more interesting that those who are not. Wherever you are, be genuinely happy to be there and show it. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
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By Chip Bell
I have a friend who is a big chocolate fan. He would tell me, “There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.” He considers a balanced diet to be a piece of chocolate in both hands. He would love to eat chocolate and nothing else. He told me he tried that once, and you know the outcome. He got sick. After that, despite his desire to gorge, he learned that moderation was a better path. We love a gentle rain; too much, and we have a flood. We love the warm sun; too hot and we get a drought. Customer experience has its share of excesses. Excellent service means remaining ever vigilant for those excesses that can frustrate our customers. I had an online retailer that had products I loved. Their website was easy, their returns policy was compassionate, and their response time was excellent. However, despite my feedback, they sent me way too many emails. Not only did I unsubscribe, I found another retailer. They could not seem to understand why I would not want to hear from them every other day. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is renowned for its “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen” philosophy when serving others. Their elegant and gracious style extends to their language when communicating with each other and with guests. For example, you would never hear “no problem” in response to your expression of gratitude. However, when the hotel company got feedback that guests got weary of hearing “my pleasure” repeatedly, they shifted to a protocol that communicated more of a style than a precise script. Guests still hear, “It would be my pleasure,” but it is not the only version used of “certainly” or “absolutely.” Examine all the excesses in your service delivery. Might your customers be tired of your version of “Thank you for shopping at J-Mart” or always getting that same flyer or insert. Could they be fatigued at repeatedly providing the same information when trying to reach someone or navigating that same boring phone tree? Just like eating chocolate, moderation is essential. “Too much” can cause your customer to go elsewhere while your bottom line gets sick! Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
Few of us need to be encouraged to be mentally active. Instead, most of us need a nudge — or a shove — to take time every day for mental rest and relaxation. Deep relaxation breathing is one of the best and most effective tools, but it is so simple that most people discount it. It’s the same breathing technique that’s taught in yoga and childbirth classes. This rhythmic breathing not only releases stress and tension but endorphins, the chemical in our brain that causes us to feel good. I’m told endorphins have the same molecular makeup as morphine! We have this “drug” on tap and forget to use it by doing rhythmic breathing. I was a childbirth educator for thirteen years, and I taught moms to breathe slowly, deeply, and easily to reduce stress in labor. The same principles apply as we “labor” through life. When laboring women get too stressed, they have increased adrenaline and that shuts down the release of oxytocin, which is responsible for making the uterus contract and the baby come out. Too much adrenaline from increased stress makes for a longer, harder labor. Stress raises adrenaline levels in all of us, putting us into the “fight or flight mode,” an ancient survival mechanism left over from when cavemen were chased by wild beasts. In this mode, our bodies send all the energy and circulation to the organs that are needed at that moment and take energy away from those not needed for survival at that time. That’s why our hearts beat so fast and our breathing is so rapid when we get scared. We need a heartbeat and breathing to survive. What we don’t need is a bladder. That’s why kindergarteners wet their pants on stage. They are so nervous up there trying to sing their songs, their little hearts and lungs are working overtime to help them survive. That’s also why the bride has to go to the bathroom just one more time before she walks down the aisle or guys at work have to duck into the men’s room before talking to their supervisor. Think of the last time you were really nervous and afraid. Did you have to go to the bathroom? You’ve likely read stories of a hero in a “fight or flight mode” who lifted a car off the injured victim, proving that adrenaline kicks in to help the organs needed to survive. Too much adrenaline, however, interrupts healthy body functions. Breathing and relaxing decrease adrenaline output and allow our organs and body parts to work at their best and “save” us. Let’s breathe slow, deep, and easy three to four times a day for three to four minutes and relax. Relaxation Breathing: Simply breathe In-two-three-four, Out –two-three-four. The breaths should be slow, deep, and easy from your abdomen. Imagine a hot air balloon expanding in your chest with each breath in, then deflating as you exhale. Breathe in a relaxing pace you could keep up for hours, never feeling short of breath. Breaths will grow deeper as you continue. You can add a thought with each, perhaps breathing in thinking, “I am-two-three four” and out “relaxed-two-three-four.” Continue this for three to four minutes three to four times a day. The good news is we can do it in the breakroom, bathroom, or even at our desks or the bedside. Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune at their own private pace, like the ticking of a clock during a thunderstorm.” Quiet your mind. Breathe. Relax. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Josh Linkner
The allure of the corner office has captured the imagination of nearly everyone in the working world. A promotion to the next level – or the level after that – would be a gigantic win, both personally and professionally. You’d be able to create a bigger impact, serve and lead more, and leave your fingerprints on the organization. The extra money and perks could really help out on the family front too, allowing you to better provide for your loved ones. We all want that brass ring, but don’t always know specifically how to snag it. To help accelerate your journey, here are five time-tested moves that will put you on the fast track to success: 1) Master the 5X Rule – Calculate the amount you’ll get paid when you get that big promotion. Next, calculate in real dollars the value you add to (or save) your company each year. If those numbers are close, you’ve got some work to do. On the other hand, if you can clearly show you’re delivering five times the value of what you’re getting paid, you’ll be promoted quickly (and never fired). 2) Add Hot Sauce to Everything – If you’re delivering a project or task, never just deliver what was requested. Instead, take it upon yourself to add a little extra zip. A fresh idea, some extra value that no one asked for. That extra little spice on everything you do will get you noticed, appreciated, and promoted. 3) Make Self-improvement a Job Requirement – Don’t wait for a boss or HR director to set your learning curriculum. Instead, make a commitment to drive your own personal growth and skill development. It’s your job to elevate your capacity and understanding. Push yourself to learn more and get better and you’ll soon be fully prepared to take on the bigger role you seek. 4) Be User friendly – Make it easy, pleasant, and energizing for others to interact with you. Clear communication, friction-free exchanges. Unlike the pain-in-the-neck guy down the hall, strive to be as positive and accommodating as possible. This stuff gets noticed. Every interaction is your chance to reinforce your brand and leave a mark. To a degree, you’re always interviewing so don’t squander that opportunity. 5) Inject Artistry – Think of your work product as an artist thinks of her paintings, taking personal pride in both the quality and design of every email, live interaction, service, report, or product you ship. Before hitting “send”, ask yourself if you’d be excited to showcase what you’re delivering as a shining example of your best work. If you are reluctant to autograph the work, as a musician would sign his new album, take another stab at improving your art. Follow these five simple steps, and you’ll rise through the ranks like a bottle rocket. Miss them, and you could be looking for your next gig. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kristin Baird
It seems everybody wants a magic wand to fix culture and live the organizational values. Immediately. The reality is that your culture wasn’t shaped in a week, nor will it be shifted quickly. One of the surest ways to create and sustain a desirable culture is to get anchored in your values. Simple, right? Just not as easy as it sounds. When senior and mid-level leaders call on us to help them “fix” their culture but need to consult their website, wall plaque, or the back of their name badge to recall their values, it’s usually a clear sign of what’s broken. If you need to look up your values, you’re not living them. WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE? We define culture as how you really do things. In other words, it’s not the plaque on the wall or the list of enticing words on your website declaring your commitments that shape your culture. It’s how everyone lives those commitments at every point of the human experience, from the digital front door to the final bill. Here are a few questions to start your organization-wide assessment:
Their values are a living, breathing element of daily life. For them, the values aren’t just lip service or a plaque on the wall. Each associate knows and lives the values, and it was obvious from the first encounter to the last. Want to improve your culture? Make sure your values are off the wall and into everyone’s hearts and minds. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Shep Hyken
“Is customer service more important than price?” That’s exactly what we asked more than 1,000 consumers in our customer service research. The response was that 58% said, “Yes.” And just to make sure, we asked a similar question later in the survey, “Would you pay more if you knew you would receive great customer service?” Once again, 58% said, “Yes.” “Please take care of me, and I’ll even pay a little more.” When more than half of your customers are saying, “Please take care of me, and I’ll even pay a little more,” you have to listen. The point is that price becomes less relevant when you know you’re going to get better service or have a better experience. Amazon is an excellent example. People trust Amazon, not just for its reliability, which is an important part of the customer experience, but also for its customer service. They like the instant email confirmations, the ability to track a package, a notification when the package is delivered, and the comfort of knowing that if the item is damaged or lost – or they simply don’t like the product – Amazon will take care of them. The result of that trust for the service and experience Amazon provides means price becomes less relevant to its customers. Some of you may be thinking, “Isn’t Amazon always the lowest price?” The answer is, “No.” At one time, Amazon was typically the lowest priced online retailer, but not anymore. Today Amazon is competitively priced, which means customers may find the same merchandise on another website for a little less. Even so, customers often come back to Amazon because they know what to expect. The experience is consistent and predictable, and they know if they need customer service for a problem, they will get it, and it will be good. Furthermore, Amazon is so confident about its service that its website displays where certain products can be purchased for lower prices through third-party sellers that use Amazon as a marketplace but sell directly to the customer. Yet once again, many Amazon customers still choose to buy through the Amazon Prime program. And some customers are willing to pay more than others. Specifically, younger customers are less price-sensitive than older customers: Sixty-two percent of Millennials and 60% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for great customer service versus just 46% of Boomers. Offering the lowest prices makes sense for some businesses, but you can’t ignore the findings. A great service experience creates price tolerance. How much tolerance depends on the market or industry. That’s up to you to determine. You’ll have to experiment to determine the tolerance levels. Just consider the findings. You can’t ignore that more than half of the customers we surveyed said, “Great customer service is more important than price.” Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your 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.
What would you do if you knew today was your last? As a nine-year-old, this wasn’t just a hypothetical question to consider, but a reality I faced daily. After being burned on 100% of my body in a gasoline explosion, I was given less than a 1% chance to survive the first night. Although I survived that first night and the five months in hospital that followed, the specter of death remained ever-present during that time. Never was it more real, though, than the nights before surgeries. A severely burned patient’s skin will never grow back on its own. So doctors are charged with taking skin from one part of the body, called a donor site, and covering the rest of the body with it. In my case, this was extremely difficult, dangerous and time consuming because the only part of my body suitable was my scalp. This meant that more than a dozen times skin was taken from my scalp and transplanted to cover, piece by piece, the rest of my body. Because of my weakened condition, the additional stress of surgery and blood loss presented the very real prospect that the next surgery could be my last. With this in mind, my parents would make the evening before surgeries extremely special. They’d bring me a gift, my siblings would visit, we’d eat pizza, down milkshakes, and stay up late. We’d do our very best to ignore the painful reality before us. The focus was on me. That’s how I spent my nights when I thought they might be my last. How would you want to spend yours? Would you have a party for hundreds? Toasts offered, music playing, slideshow running? Would you have an intimate gathering of family? Enjoy a favorite meal with loved ones and share the remarkable, funny and sacred stories that only your family knows, that only your family gets? Or would you be even more reflective? Maybe a long walk in nature. Praying, reflecting, waiting on that first hint of dawn. Waiting in anticipation, fear, faith, hope? My friends, it’s unlikely we’ll ever know the exact date of our death. We can imagine where we might go, what we might do, how we might feel, and what we might say. But for us, it’s just a guess, simply imagination. But last Thursday I was reminded how Jesus chose to spend his last night when he knew it was the end. He knew he’d been betrayed. He knew perfectly the unimaginable rejection, loneliness, struggle and suffering certain to come. Knowing that the end was near, that the very reason for his birth was about to be perfectly achieved, he brought together his closest friends. He sat with them. He prayed with them. He broke bread with them. He shared drink with them. He talked with them. In other words, he did the normal stuff of life with them. And then the unexpected happened. He got up from the table. He took a bowl of water, wrapped a towel around his waist, and bent down before them. One by one, their Rabbi, their Teacher washed their feet. His focus, until the end, was always on others, always on serving, always revealing love in action. My friends, as a child I enjoyed big parties before every surgery. It was all about me. Yet Jesus uses one of the final moments of his life, not to mask anxiety or receive gifts, but to harness the significance of the moment by reminding his friends one more time what real victory, true celebration, and an abundant life looks like. His example was less about how to spend the last day of our lives, and much more a spectacular reminder on how we are called to live each and every day leading up to it. This is your day. Live Inspired. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kenneth Kaufman
How soon they forget. Throughout 2020 and 2021, the media was full of praise for hospitals and healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic was new in the spring of 2020, Americans were effusive in their appreciation of hospitals and the people who worked in them. At that time, a COVID vaccine was a distant dream, and personal protective equipment was so scarce it had to be rationed and reused. To all who valued the safety of home in those early days, it was clear that healthcare workers weren’t running away from danger; they were running toward it. In New York City, which was the U.S. pandemic epicenter that spring, a curious ritual played out every evening at 7 o’clock. People emerged from quarantine onto balconies, fire escapes, front stoops, and rooftops to cheer for their city’s healthcare heroes using whatever makeshift noisemakers they could find. They shared videos of these flash events on social media. Later, as the pandemic spread across the country, yard signs popped up in cities large and small: “A healthcare hero lives here”…“Thank you, healthcare heroes.” Press coverage conveyed a sense of awe at both the personal sacrifices and the heroic efforts healthcare workers made on a daily basis. That was then. This is now: We are currently witnessing a media free-for-all challenging the tax-exempt status, financial practices, and ostensible market power of not-for-profit hospitals and health systems. This is happening despite the fact that thousands of Americans are still hospitalized with the COVID-19 virus and more than 400 are dying of it on any given day. And despite the fact that America’s hospitals are dealing with an exceptional and unexpected aftermath of the pandemic. Today, the financial health of America’s hospitals is in serious jeopardy. Indeed, our projections show that 2022 is shaping up as the worst financial year for hospitals in memory. In the first six months of 2022, hospital operating margins fell 102% compared with pre-pandemic levels. Median operating margins for hospitals have been negative through all of 2022. Through the end of 2022, hospitals are projected to lose billions of dollars with no foreseeable federal support. Expenses are projected to increase nearly $135 billion over 2021 levels. More than half of hospitals are projected to have negative operating margins in 2022. At the same time, shortages of nurses and other clinicians are putting severe pressure on clinical teams and creating backlogs of patients in desperate need of hospital beds. As one hospital nurse put it, “We’re drowning.” There are other, more nuanced stories behind healthcare industry headlines. For example, media commentators often applaud the big-tech companies disrupting healthcare, such as Amazon, Google, and Apple, for their customer-centric, technology-savvy approach to healthcare. What doesn’t get mentioned is what hospitals do every day that these other companies do not and will not: Take care of people with the most critical ill patients requiring the most sophisticated treatments and procedures. Take care of people who do not have insurance or the means to pay. And do all that 24 hours a day in a face-to-face environment. These big tech players don’t have the costly stand-ready responsibilities or the duty to provide unprofitable but medically essential services that hospitals do. We as a society need to realize that all of these “must have” clinical services, which we and our families depend on in every kind of healthcare situation, don’t just magically appear. It requires the work and cooperation and self-sacrifice of doctors, frontline healthcare workers, administrators and Board members. It requires enough money, the right facilities, and some of the most complex processes and procedures operating within any part of our overall economy. It requires the hardest of hard work each and every day. During a period marked by both existential challenges and daily crises, our country’s hospitals and healthcare workers found a multitude of ways to meet the moment, and without question saved countless lives. But hospitals and healthcare workers aren’t looking for impromptu serenades. Or even yard signs. They’re just doing their jobs. Hospitals and healthcare workers are simply looking for our support and validation in the face of extreme economic and organizational headwinds. The cooperation, the support, and the best thoughts and intentions of all who are involved in the American healthcare system, from those who provide the care to those who provide the funding and to the patients who participate, are essential for that system to be one we can all be proud of. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! |
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