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Spreading Contagious EnthusiasmTM |
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In This Issue:
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March 2007
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A Reunion with David Hasselhof!
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"CARE Packages for Your Customers" Is Here At Last
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Barbara to Keynote at the International Conference on Humor and Creatvitiy
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"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a
fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting
somewhere behind the morning."
J.B. Priestly (1894-1984) English author
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
Mother Teresa
"The world always looks brighter from behind a smile."
"Praise is the single most powerful tool a supervisor at any level has at his or her disposal. Everyone wants, needs, and craves praise. It is effective -- and free!"
Ken Slattery
Training Manager, BASF
"People want to be appreciated, not impressed. They want to be regarded as human beings, not as mere sounding boards for other people's egos. They want to be treated as an end in themselves, not as a means toward the gratification of another's vanity."
Sydney J. Harris
"One can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
Plato
"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to the office!"
Robert Frost
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March 7, 2007
A Reunion with David Hasselhof!
I had a most delightful experience three weeks ago! On Sunday I flew from Sarasota to Las Vegas to speak to Allstate Insurance at their Distribution Leaders Forum. (They are a wonderful group of caring, committed folks, and they certainly know how to put on a first class conference. We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel and were treated like royalty every moment of the meeting starting with persons to meet us when we got off the plane to prepaid tips to all the hotel staff. Their gift to each of us was a 7" by 7" digital picture frame to capture the memories of the event. These included a chocolate and wine tasting evening that was a gourmet's delight! I was blessed to present four 90 minute sessions to their leaders on "Enhancing the Customer Experience," based on my book with Ken Blanchard, "The Simple Truths of Service")
The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane in Las Vegas was a huge sign announcing that David Hasselhof was starring in "The Producers" at the Paris Hotel. Many of you know that I was David's high school English teacher in 1968 and that summer directed him in his first high school play, "Once Upon a Mattress." (Looking back, I was only four years older than he was, but of course I felt quite grown up as a new college graduate!)
One of my most fun memories of that summer performance was our difficulty in finding tights to fit David's long, skinny legs --we ended up having to sew two pairs together! When I moved three years ago, in my files I found a letter he had written to me on the last day of his junior year. It said that when he came to La Grange and was put into my English class, he wanted to transfer out because he thought I was just too young to be a good teacher. However, he said he was so glad he had stayed because I was the best teacher he had ever had. (My kids thought I could sell that letter since he had become so famous!)
When I arrived at the hotel on Sunday, I asked the concierge to see if she could get me a ticket for David's show on Tuesday night after I was finished presenting. Then I also asked if she could get a note to him to tell him I was going to be in the audience. The next day, lo and behold, I had a message on my cell phone from David's assistant that he was really eager to see me and would send someone to take me backstage after the show.
Of course, my audiences were duly impressed as I shared this with them. One man came back after the break with a disposable camera to take a picture with David while another one brought me a picture of him to have signed, and of course everyone wanted to have a full report on Wednesday morning!
I went to the show which was wonderful (David plays the gay producer, a very different role from the romantic lead he played in our high school performance!) and then afterwards was taken backstage to meet all the actors and actresses and of course to have some time with David. He signed a picture for me with the words, "Your enthusiasm has carried me through." He shared about his daughters who are 14 and 16, his parents, new career opportunities, and the house he is thinking about renting in Las Vegas with 8 bedrooms. He looks wonderful, and it was a thrill to see how one of my students has been so successful.
I left Las Vegas for LA feeling so very blessed to be able to have such amazing experiences, to meet and have the privilege of touching so many wonderful people, and to be able to enjoy so many of the luxuries of this beautiful world of ours. I cannot imagine a more wonderful life! I think that each of us can find blessings in our lives every day - sometimes large like these of mine this week and sometimes small, but if we truly look for the blessings around us, they are always there. Who knows when your "David Hasselhof" experience might happen?
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Excerpted from Barbara's new book, "The Simple Truths of Appreciation--How Each of Us Can Choose to Make a Difference," Simple Truths, 2007, $15.95
Simple Truth #1: EVERYONE WANTS AND NEEDS IT
"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness."
No matter who we are or what our actions may say, we all want to be recognized and appreciated. I often quote Lou Holtz, the famous Notre Dame coach, who said, "Why is it that the people who need love, (appreciation), and understanding the most usually deserve it the least."
Jaime Escalante, the teacher whom the movie," Stand and Deliver," was based on, tells an amazing story about a mistaken identity and the difference it made in a young man's life.
This teacher had two students in his class who were both named Johnny. One Johnny was an excellent student, a happy child, and always had his homework completed on time. The other Johnny was always in trouble, never had his work finished, and generally made the teacher's life miserable.
The night of their first PTA Open House of the year a mother stayed after the meeting to ask about her son, Johnny, and how he was getting along in the class. Assuming it was the mother of the "good" Johnny, the teacher replied, "I can't tell you how much I appreciate him. I am so glad he's in my class."
The next day, for the first time all year, the "problem" Johnny had all his work done, he spoke up in class, and never once caused a disruption. He even volunteered to help another student. The teacher was astounded!
At the end of the day when everyone else had left, "problem" Johnny came up to the teacher and said, "My Mom told me what you said about me last night. I haven't ever had a teacher who wanted me in his class."
That Johnny became one of the best students the teacher ever had - and all because of a mistaken dose of appreciation! No matter who we are and what our situation in life, we all need to be appreciated.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
* Think about yourself - do you want people to appreciate you?
* Watch what happens when you appreciate five people in your life today.
* Try to think of each person you meet as a gift and find something you can appreciate about them.
COMMENTS FROM A READER ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Bill Willard of Portland, Oregon, writes:
"I thought you would like to know of how you influenced a group of people I know. The background is that the high school graduating class at East Waterloo Iowa before me has retained a continuing bond and have frequent communication via email even though they are spread all over the country. I am included in the contact list because I was on the athletic teams with them.
I think all of us are influenced by a very few teachers. Our band teacher was a good one and he recently passed away at age 93. His obituary generated a lot of shared memories about how he made a difference in each of their lives. Following that writing, a good teammate of mine forwarded a message about your story of "Appreciation for All," the story of a man who finally made contact with a former teacher and found out how important it was to a very old and alone person and the lesson it had for him.
We have another living teacher, also age 93, who made a difference in many lives of her students. She is living in Cedar Rapids and attends all of our East High class reunions. She is 90 pounds of energy and brains. She has never married and is living alone in an apartment. The upshot is that my friend who forwarded your story is now organizing a trip to see this wonderful woman. This brings tears to my eyes. I think of the instruction to conduct your life and make decisions as if you were going to die today. Your powerful, heartfelt writing reinforces this lesson. Thank you, Barbara."
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WHERE IS BARBARA?
FEBRUARY
9-11 National Speakers Association Winter Workshop, Denver, CO
15-16 Payless Shoesource, Kansas City, MO
28 HEB Markets, Dallas, TX
MARCH
5-6 Allstate Insurance, Las Vegas, NV
8 Kinecta Federal Credit Union, Long Beach, CA
9-11 Guideposts Advisory Board, Newport Beach, CA
15 Teleseminar, The Humor Project
30 Texas Association of Counties, Austin, TX
31-1 San Antonio, TX
APRIL
1-2 Kerrville, TX
3-9 Portland, OR
10-11 Women's Leadership Initiative, San Diego, CA
17 HR Symposium, Kent State University, North Canton, OH
18 Allstate Insurance, Irving, TX
19 Hold, Leadership Forum, Denver, CO
26 Teleseminar
27-28 Hold, American Food Institute, Longboat Key, FL
MAY
10 Hold, ADL Associates, Orlando, FL
15 Hold, Brooks International, Cigna, Chicago, IL
18-21 Reunion, Omaha, NE
22-23 Durango Chamber of Commerce, Durango, CO
24-25 Grand Junction, CO
JUNE
2 Hold, Wellness Retreat, St. Petersburg, FL
7 VMS, Chicago, IL
20-21 CDPHP, Albany, NY
22-23 Humor Project, Silver Bay, NY
24-27 Society for Human Resource Management National Conference
(Presentations 6/26 and 6/27)
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CARE PACKAGES FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS -- AN IDEA A WEEK TO ENHANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE, McGraw-Hill, 2007, $18.95
For all of you who have been waiting, this new book will be the perfect reinforcement for any work I have done with your organization. Here is the marketing copy for the book:
"Are you building enough customer loyalty in your organization? Bestselling business author Barbara Glanz has created the ideal, hands-on customer service survival kit to help you keep your customers coming back for more. "CARE Packages for Your Customers" gives you 52 proven, actionable ideas for providing extraordinary service, increasing sales, and ensuring continual business success.
Providing examples of each technique and tips for successful implementation, this solution-oriented tool also includes:
* Self-assessments, brainstorming exercises, checklists, and worksheets.
* Real-life examples of how companies have created enhanced experiences for their customers.
* Helpful "how-to" tips on obtaining customer feedback, organizing employee focus groups, and boosting employee performance.
* Unique, time-tested strategies for doing business such as The Emotional Bank Account, The Five Loyalty Builders, and The Eleven Commandments for Good Listening.
You can make every interaction with a customer meaningful, memorable, and beneficial for your business. All you have to do is CARE!"
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Please join us at The HUMOR Project's 51st international convention on "The Positive Power of Humor & Creativity" on June 22- 24 at Silver Bay Conference Center on majestic Lake George, NY. Renowned speaker and author Barbara Glanz, PBS humorist Loretta LaRoche, Kevin Clash, and Elmo from "Sesame Street" will be among the featured speakers at this learning-filled, laughter-fueled program, which has attracted participants from all 50 states and 6 continents. Covered in 4500+ TV and radio shows, newspapers, and magazines in 150 countries, the conference has attracted 20,000 people over the years.
You can listen to a one hour teleseminar recorded live of Barbara being interviewed by Margie Ingram, one of the founders of the Humor Project, by emailing margie@humorproject.com with "Barbara Glanz Teleseminar" in the subject line. The day after the teleseminar Margie emailed saying, "I heard from a number of people who were on the call last night, and they were uniformly praising you and your practical, refreshing and inspiring ideas!"
Barbara will be presenting a keynote on "Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm: Creating Workplaces of Passion, Purpose and Productivity" on June 23 and two breakout sessions: "Balancing Acts: Dozens of Guiltfree, Creative Ways to Blend your Work and your Life" and "Accelerating Learning, Accelerating Laughter: Memorable and Meaningful Adult Education in Action."
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© Barbara Glanz Communications, Inc. 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted to reproduce or forward this newsletter with copyright and contact information intact. If you are receiving this as a forward and would like your own no-cost, no-obligation subscription, enroll at www.BarbaraGlanz.com or write SUBSCRIBE in the subject of an email to: bglanz@barbaraglanz.com. To stop receiving it, write UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Back to www.barbaraglanz.com.
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