What a great honor for me to be inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame. The announcement was made December 7, 2010, at the annual CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) Convention held in Montreal.
The Hall of Fame is a peer award for individuals who are recognized for their excellence on the platform, their longevity and success in the business, and their contributions to the speaking industry. That’s Warren Evans CSP, long time speaker colleague and friend (and HoF member himself) presenting me with the award. There are now 24 members from across the country who have been inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame.
I am the fourth female speaker, and the second speaker working from Saskatchewan to be honored as a member of the Hall. Needless to say, I am delighted by the recognition. Even more than that, I so appreciate the support I have received over more than two decades in business from this great community of generous and talented colleagues.
Congratulations to Linda Edgecombe, CSP, a friend and colleague from British Columbia, who was also inducted on the same evening.
Thanks to Dov Friedman, CAPS Convention photographer, for so graciously gifting me with these images from the awards ceremony. This link will take you to Dov’s website, where you can learn more about his wonderful photography.
PAUSE -10.36- What Really Counts?
November 30, 2010
REFLECTION:
My three year old grandson has learned to count. Everything around him is fodder for practice: fingers, books, days on the calendar. As he gets more proficient at counting, concepts like yours/mine and more/less are also popping to the fore. Who has more smarties? Who scored more points? The comparisons fuel both victory dances and mini meltdowns.
As we mature, we continue to count. Only the objects of our affection or attention change. How many widgets sold? Clients served? Dollars banked? Gadgets owned? Miles traveled? This raises the question of what REALLY counts in life.
My niece waxed eloquent on this very concept in a recent blog posting. Jillian is a young entrepreneurial craftswoman currently living in Pocatello, Idaho. As a one woman shop, she’s making a name for herself in the world of web community and online commerce through her unique jewelry designs, novel photography and engaging writing. She notes the pressure to ‘make the numbers’. With Jill’s permission, I’m sharing her recent commentary on success.
“Which of these do you value more – quantity or quality? Success, for me, in this crafty world of mine, is when I enter into my creative space and perfectly translate a vision into metal and stone. Success for many others is in the numbers. Numbers of Twitter followers. Numbers of Facebook friends. Numbers of sales. Numbers! Numbers! Numbers!
Does any of that matter if you feel unfulfilled in your work? Does any of that matter if you aren’t true to who you are?
Today I experienced a glorious nibble of success. I finished three pieces of jewelry. I scraped one piece-of-crap-ruined-jewelry into my metal recycling bin on my workbench. I went for a walk in the weather. I loved my husband. I connected with a few wonderful folks out there in the interwebs. I gave my cat a belly rub. I made a delicious pizza for supper and now I’m going to go eat it, with a glass of Malbec. I’m all about the quality in this life – to hell with the numbers (please do pardon my French).
This kind of day to day success is so delightful. It really is. What else could matter? Just live each day well, I say. Just do your best. The rest is not your business.”
ACTION:
There is a time, a place and a purpose for measuring, counting, monitoring. We just need to be clear that we are scoring and tracking the things that truly matter – in our work and in our lives at large.
What will you choose to keep an eye on today? Manage your attention with intention.
_________________________
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Be selective about your external influences.” – Brian Tracy
_________________________
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
If Jillian’s voice caught your attention, you might enjoy more of her take on life and work at: http://thenoisyplume.blogspot.com/
_________________________
READERS WRITE:
Two Pause readers comment on last week’s message on TAT (Turn Around Time).
EF writes: Thanks for sharing ideas to help folks stop, look and listen to what is going on in the fast track of life when we forget to build in turn around time.
KL writes: We just returned from a trip to Ontario which included a little work, visits with relatives, a wedding and a visit with friends. It was great, but as we were coming home my husband commented that we should have built in some down time. It wasn’t rushed or even too packed – just too many.
REFLECTION: My three year old grandson has learned to count. Everything around him is fodder for practice: fingers, books, days on the calendar. As he gets more proficient at counting, concepts like yours/mine and more/less are also popping to the fore. Who has more smarties? Who scored more points? The comparisons fuel both victory dances and mini meltdowns.
As we mature, we continue to count. Only the objects of our affection or attention change. How many widgets sold? Clients served? Dollars banked? Gadgets owned? Miles traveled? This raises the question of what REALLY counts in life.
My niece waxed eloquent on this very concept in a recent blog posting. Jillian is a young entrepreneurial craftswoman currently living in Pocatello, Idaho. As a one woman shop, she’s making a name for herself in the world of web community and online commerce through her unique jewelry designs, novel photography and engaging writing. She notes the pressure to ‘make the numbers’. With Jill’s permission, I’m sharing her recent commentary on success.
“Which of these do you value more – quantity or quality? Success, for me, in this crafty world of mine, is when I enter into my creative space and perfectly translate a vision into metal and stone. Success for many others is in the numbers. Numbers of Twitter followers. Numbers of Facebook friends. Numbers of sales. Numbers! Numbers! Numbers!
Does any of that matter if you feel unfulfilled in your work? Does any of that matter if you aren’t true to who you are? (more…)
PAUSE – 10.34 – Purpose Packs Power
November 16, 2010
NOTE: A Big Box Bonus Bundle could have your name on it. Check the end of this message for details.
REFLECTION: Have you ever wondered if tapping into the ‘why’ of what we do makes a difference? Here’s a study that suggests it does.
Researcher Adam Grant, at the University of North Carolina put the thesis to the test. He divided employees at a university fund-raising call center (charged with raising funds for student scholarships) into three groups.
Group One read stories written by previous employees about the personal benefits of the call center job in advancing their own skills and knowledge. The stories also touched on how individuals had leveraged what they’d learned to their advantage in their own careers and grad school. (The Personal Benefit Group)
Group Two read stories written by scholarship recipients about how the funding they received as a result of the campaign had given these students better access to education. The stories described how the gift had connected them to fellow scholarship students, and helped them engage in important extracurricular activities. (The Task Significance Group)
Group Three simply continued doing their job as before – no stories at all. (The Control Group)
PAUSE -10.32- Make Renewing Pauses Your 90 Minute Habit
November 2, 2010
REFLECTION:
You’re working away – head down – afterburners aflame. You’ve been making great progress and, blessedly, the interruptions have been few. Still, after an hour and a half or so, you start feeling restless. Your attention begins to wander. And, you find yourself becoming a touch irritable and impatient.
Why are you having trouble with focus when the stars are aligned for work? It could be your internal body rhythms clamoring for your attention.
The human body isn’t built for nonstop high performance. We do a better job of maintaining energy over the long haul when periods of focused concentration are offset by time out for renewal.
There are parallels in other life situations. For example, a race car driver’s success depends on fast, high speed performance on the track. But an equally important part of that racer’s success is knowing when to pull off the track and into the pit for adjustments and repairs. Ignore, postpone or cancel the pit stops, and the race is lost.
Top performers in all kinds of fields tend to work in approximately 90 minute cycles – sprints if you will. They shift back and forth between periods of intense effort offset by periods of purposeful renewal.
A key word here is purposeful. The impact of automatically grabbing a caffeine or sugar hit, or giving yourself a ‘rev it up’ pep talk to drive your energy back up the ergometer, will be short lived. Many of these ‘short term quick fix’ energizers fizzle fast and end up harmful in the long term.
Plan for variety and be more intentional in choosing your renewing pauses. For instance, if you’re focused on developing a project plan or writing a report, you’ll be expending a lot of mental energy. During your break, you might engage in a contrasting way – move your body (walk or stretch) or connect socially with others (share a chat or a joke).
The length of a pause is not as critical as the regularity. Make sure you DO step away from the work, and that you choose the best recharging option for your needs and your situation.
ACTION:
With the fast pace and high expectations of today’s workplace, many people abandon the practice of taking breaks. If that’s the case for you and your colleagues, share these ideas with them, and build support for each other. Talk about the kinds of renewing breaks you can try solo or with others that might make sense in your world.
Set an alarm or reminder to interrupt you at 90 minute intervals – or at the very least mid morning and mid afternoon. It’s easy to get caught up in the press and flow of the work, so help each other to step away before exhaustion and inefficiency set in.
With regular bits of time away, you’ll return to the work at hand with fresh energy and be able to maintain a higher level of focus and concentration for the long haul.
_________________________
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“The higher the demand, the greater and more frequent the need for renewal.” – Tony Schwartz
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
For more on the impact on productivity of time out for renewal, check out this article, The Productivity Myth, from the Harvard Business Review Blog at: http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2010/05/the-productivity-myth.html
_________________________
READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message, Along For The Ride Or Deeply Engaged, Pause reader DB writes: “What an awesome opportunity! I’m so glad you took advantage of it and shared it with us, your readers. This reminded me of my own experience. One Sunday morning several years ago, when I asked an old farmer at church how harvest was going, he asked if I’d ever been on a combine. When I said no, he asked if I’d like to go for a ride with him. I did and absolutely loved it. He let me take the wheel and began patiently teaching me and answering my questions. What a thrill for this city bred girl! Would you believe that for the past 3 years, ever since I retired from teaching school, I’ve been operating his combine in the fall and his harrow/packer during spring seeding? Like your captain, he noticed my interest, extended an invitation and taught me bit by bit until I felt both comfortable and competent behind the wheel. My life has been so enriched because of it.”
REFLECTION: You’re working away – head down – afterburners aflame. You’ve been making great progress and, blessedly, the interruptions have been few. Still, after an hour and a half or so, you start feeling restless. Your attention begins to wander. And, you find yourself becoming a touch irritable and impatient.
Why are you having trouble with focus when the stars are aligned for work? It could be your internal body rhythms clamoring for your attention.
The human body isn’t built for nonstop high performance. We do a better job of maintaining energy over the long haul when periods of focused concentration are offset by time out for renewal.
There are parallels in other life situations. For example, a race car driver’s success depends on fast, high speed performance on the track. But an equally important part of that racer’s success is knowing when to pull off the track and into the pit for adjustments and repairs. Ignore, postpone or cancel the pit stops, and the race is lost.
Top performers in all kinds of fields tend to work in approximately 90 minute cycles – sprints if you will. They shift back and forth between periods of intense effort offset by periods of purposeful renewal. (more…)
Sign Your Work
August 20, 2010
Artists sign their paintings. Authors’ names are featured prominently on the covers and spines of their books. If taking pride in what you create is important in the artistic world, why couldn’t it be just as important in the business world?
Here’s a message on a chalkboard that you’ll find high up on the wall in a space with a 20 foot ceiling. The board hangs over the kitchen prep area in the Saskatoon restaurant/coffee shop/wine bar/grocery that is known as Souleio Foods.
Since, apparently, Felix Rules, I had to discover his identity. It turns out that Felix is the painter who added the color to this gloriously resurrected space. I get the feeling that Felix loves what he does, cares about his work, and has no qualms letting the world know. Good for him!
How about you? Are you and your team proud of the job you do? One of the great antidotes to overload and overwhelm is to stay connected to the meaning and the purpose in the tasks.
How could you sign your work and spread the spirit of joy and excellence?
PS – Souleio is a great place to lunch. I highly recommend the gazpacho – best I’ve had anywhere in the world!
PAUSE -10.20- Perfunctory?
July 28, 2010
REFLECTION:
I spent last week attending the National Speakers’ Association Convention in Orlando, Florida. As I’m sure you know, Orlando is the eastern US headquarters for the Disney operation. I did manage an evening visit to the Magic Kingdom and took an extra day post-conference to visit Epcot.
Disney theme parks are renowned for their high level of service to their guests. And, we encountered many kind, welcoming and helpful employees. That’s what made our contrasting experience with a couple of employees stand out so strongly. With both of these individuals, the word, perfunctory sprang to mind.
Perfunctory: mechanical, indifferent, careless, listless, superficial, as a formality only. You know perfunctory when you see it or hear it. How many times has a ‘Have a good day’ greeting been carelessly tossed your way, with no investment of emotion? That’s perfunctory.
Carry a bag to Disney (as with many other public places), and you’re subject to a search. Our security guy zipped open my bag, half-heartedly shifted the top item to the side, while looking over his shoulder in another direction, then pushed the bag back across the table with no further exploration. So much for security – perfunctory at best.
Our Jungle Cruise boat captain clearly wanted to be anywhere but at the wheel. His nonstop patter consisted of halfhearted attempts at humor, cynical comments, and sarcastic asides. Clearly on auto-pilot. To call his performance perfunctory would be generous.
Both were a real contrast to Alex, an employee at the Orlando World Center Marriott where I stayed. When I had trouble connecting to WiFi in the lobby one morning, Alex tried to give me a hand. It soon became clear the problem exceeded his expertise as well as mine. Rather than just shrugging and wishing me luck, Alex offered to call their IT department to give me a hand. When he learned I was headed into my next conference session, he asked what time I would be through and set an appointment time to reconvene with an IT rep to resolve the issue.
Alex was as good as his word. When I returned at the appointed time and place, Alex introduced me to Frederic who sat down with me and solved my access problems in the most congenial way in less than 5 minutes. Now that’s anything but perfunctory. In fact, I’d place Alex’s response clearly in the attentive, mindful, solicitous, and considerate department.
ACTION:
These experiences have me thinking about my own everyday reactions and interactions. Here’s the thing. It’s easy to see perfunctory responses in others. It’s not so easy to recognize them in ourselves.
Pause to consider:
* How often do you toss off an answer to a colleague’s question from that mindless auto responder part of your brain?
* Would your voice mail message be described as personal or perfunctory? How about the quaility of your good bye kiss to your spouse or life partner?
* When you put a meal on the table is it presented with care and attention, or tossed down in a perfunctory ‘That oughta fill you up’ manner?
If you find you’re in an auto-pilot rut, try responding in a more personal, less perfunctory way to more of the people and situations that show up in your life this week. It’s sure to make a difference for them and for you.
_________________________
QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. – Grandma Moses
Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out. – Anton Chekhov
_________________________
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
For a few additional thoughts on this theme, see ‘Are You Just Going Through The Motions?’ at http://hilife2b.com/blog/motions
________________________
READERS WRITE:
In response to the latest ezine message, Summer Reading, Pause reader PM writes: “Thanks for the reading tips. Another great read you recommended in the past was ‘Crazy Busy’. It’s definitely worth a re-recommendation. It was a great read and I often refer it on to others.
REFLECTION: I spent last week attending the National Speakers’ Association Convention in Orlando, Florida. As I’m sure you know, Orlando is the eastern US headquarters for the Disney operation. I did manage an evening visit to the Magic Kingdom and took an extra day post-conference to visit Epcot.
Disney theme parks are renowned for their high level of service to their guests. And, we encountered many kind, welcoming and helpful employees. That’s what made our contrasting experience with a couple of employees stand out so strongly. With both of these individuals, the word, perfunctory sprang to mind.
Perfunctory: mechanical, indifferent, careless, listless, superficial, as a formality only. You know perfunctory when you see it or hear it. How many times has a ‘Have a good day’ greeting been carelessly tossed your way, with no investment of emotion? That’s perfunctory. (more…)
The Hall of Fame is a peer award for individuals who are recognized for their excellence on the platform, their longevity and success in the business, and their contributions to the speaking industry. That’s Warren Evans CSP, long time speaker colleague and friend (and HoF member himself) presenting me with the award. There are now 24 members from across the country who have been inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame.
I am the fourth female speaker, and the second speaker working from Saskatchewan to be honored as a member of the Hall. Needless to say, I am delighted by the recognition. Even more than that, I so appreciate the support I have received over more than two decades in business from this great community of generous and talented colleagues.
REFLECTION: My three year old grandson has learned to count. Everything around him is fodder for practice: fingers, books, days on the calendar. As he gets more proficient at counting, concepts like yours/mine and more/less are also popping to the fore. Who has more smarties? Who scored more points? The comparisons fuel both victory dances and mini meltdowns.
REFLECTION: Have you ever wondered if tapping into the ‘why’ of what we do makes a difference? Here’s a study that suggests it does.
REFLECTION: You’re working away – head down – afterburners aflame. You’ve been making great progress and, blessedly, the interruptions have been few. Still, after an hour and a half or so, you start feeling restless. Your attention begins to wander. And, you find yourself becoming a touch irritable and impatient.
Here’s a message on a chalkboard that you’ll find high up on the wall in a space with a 20 foot ceiling. The board hangs over the kitchen prep area in the Saskatoon restaurant/coffee shop/wine bar/grocery that is known as 
REFLECTION: I spent last week attending the National Speakers’ Association Convention in Orlando, Florida. As I’m sure you know, Orlando is the eastern US headquarters for the Disney operation. I did manage an evening visit to the Magic Kingdom and took an extra day post-conference to visit Epcot.