Back when I was in grade school, if you were sent to detention due to disruptive behaviour in class, a parent-teacher meeting wouldn’t have been too far behind. Today, it seems that the more you are willing to upset the status quo and disrupt an industry, the more likely you are to head a successful marketing or product development department. Looking at some of the most successful companies and business models over the last decade or so, you will find…
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The business of serving customers
After yet another protracted conversation with my home cable TV and Internet service provider, I was recently motivated to seek out answers for what ever happened to good old customer service. Sure, everybody talks a big game and says their customers always come first, but like with most things in life, talk is cheap. Whether it is indifference and apathy from hotel or restaurant staff in providing the minimally acceptable level of service or a large telecommunications company that has…
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Boosting your likeability factor
As I write this, I have just finished watching 21-year-old golf phenom Jordan Spieth win his second straight major tournament for 2015. Besides his obvious physical and mental talent on the golf course, what strikes me most about Spieth is his maturity and relative ease under the glare of the media spotlight. During interviews he appears humble, pleasant and self-effacing. In other words, he comes across as being a likeable person. Unlike some other athletes and celebrities who have a…
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Low-tech, high-touch skills for the successful event planner
As I am sure most of us can relate to, each time I am prompted to update my smartphone apps or operating system, I am reminded of just how dependent our society has become on keeping current with all things digital. Not surprisingly, the meetings industry is one where technology has had a pronounced effect on our daily activities. And while I certainly appreciate all of the efficiencies and benefits of using technology to plan, implement and manage projects and…
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Kaizen method: The magic of thinking small
As many of us can attest, change is rarely an easy process. Think about the last time you tried to make a major change in your life. Maybe you’ve tried to lose weight, quit smoking or embark on an entirely new healthy lifestyle. In your career, maybe you’ve tried to stretch your goals or take on bigger projects than ever before. In any of the above cases, change can often end up being overwhelming and may actually stop you in…
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Powerful habits, powerful results
I once heard R&B legend Stevie Wonder proclaim that “a whole lotta little makes a whole lotta lots.” While his statement would have made my Grade 10 English grammar teacher Mrs. Henry cringe, Stevie’s heart was in the right place as he was referring to the power of donating to the Haitian earthquake relief fund during a telethon a few years ago. While the power of small things that add up to much bigger things is evident in charitable fundraising,…
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The 80-20 rule and the power of focus
A few years ago when I decided to lose some weight and take part in a try-a-tri (think “triathlon for dummies”), I read everything I could get my hands on when it came to diet and exercise. It also didn’t hurt that I had spent a good deal of my career in the health and sports nutrition industry. One of the most effective and powerful concepts that came out of my study and personal experience was something called the Pareto…
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The benefits of developing cultural intelligence
As a Canadian, I am proud to live in a country, province and town with strong multicultural influences. Not only do we get to experience the wide spectrum of cultures, music, language, art, religion and cuisine, we get to do so without having to board a plane and put ourselves at risk for current air travel incidents known as “recline rage.” In all seriousness, I have learned a great deal from friends and neighbours who come from a different cultural…
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CASL: The short term pain of opting in
Like most people, my email inbox is full of messages from business contacts, co-workers and, of course, the ubiquitous e-news subscriptions. As the editor of three industry leading print publications, I also get more than my share of story pitches and press releases. Frustratingly, many of those messages are chock full of spammy irrelevance. A significant number, however, are subscriptions I willing chose to receive and signed up for (or more appropriately, opted-in for). Over the last few weeks, I…
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Four agreements for event professionals
As the old adage goes, good (or big) things come in small packages. Being an avid reader, I’ve noticed that this is often especially true when it comes to books. And one of the most empowering books I’ve ever read consists of a concise 135 very small pages – The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Now I am sure I am not the only person in the meetings industry to have read this inspirational little gem. Just recently, I…
