Healthcare, Resilience & All That Jazz

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noahu
Speaking to the New Orleans Association of Health Underwriters last week was cool on many levels…
NOAHU hosts an annual Benefits Expo for their members with  sponsors like United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield at exhibition booths providing all the latest in health care info. Industry speakers in the morning spouted stats ‘n’ facts relevant to this group and I learned some alarming news on obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in this country and how it will affect health care costs for us all moving forward.
 
Needless to say these folks are not happy campers in the Obama Care field.
 
But…
 
After my lunchtime keynote on “Learn from Lady Gaga: Extraordinary is the New Norm!”  they WERE happy campers feeling glad they attended the expo and leaving with new ideas & fresh motivation
(OMG! such shameless self promotion)
 
Cool Level # 1.
 
NOAHU’s President Rina Tikia & Treasurer Jennifer Toupes were two fine examples of New Orleans southern hospitality at its best. Monday night they took me and another speaker from Baltimore out to dinner at The Palace Cafe in the heart of downtown. I was amazed and delighted how crowded and lively the whole place was after the double whammy of Katrina followed by the BP spill. People were still coming in for dinner at 10 p.m. when we left! (Houston is such a snooze fest on Mondays – what about your city?)
 
Cool Level # 2.
 
I was taken on a whirlwind daytime tour by an old friend Marc Lenoir who has been working there for the past 8 years. Marc is from Belgium and drives like Batman in a BMW (ergo the word ‘whirlwind’) We drove throughout the city and surrounding areas at the speed of lightening but I was once again struck by the number of people I saw on Bourbon Street and around Jackson Square. Tourism is alive and well and once again thriving in New Orleans. Let the good times roll on!
 
Cool Level # 3.
 
From healthcare underwriters & major companies to shopkeepers & small businesses, ‘Nawlins adds a new image to its renowned brand of jazz and food – RESILIENCE.
 
Your success depends on the ability to persevere through the storms of competitive  chaos and the spillover effect of economic turbulence.
 
 Oh When The Saints Come Marchin’ In…………Who Dat???

Living Life Out Loud!

How’s your health these days? Do you have lots of energy? When you wake up estandingach morning do you look forward to the day ahead?

As a professional speaker helping people excel in today’s stressful world, I’m being booked alot within the healthcare industry and there are some common denominators worth noting in people living vibrant healthy lives. My happy self included.
 
1. Positive attitude
Blah, blah, blah…we’ve all heard this a gazillion times but the truth is everything starts in the mind. Did you know that being open to learn new things can keep you young? (and it’s cheaper than a face lift)
                                                                                         
Last week I spoke to a ‘mature’ group ranging from age 70 – 95 years old that blew me away with their zest for life and the energy of a 40 year old. Most of them knew how to email because they’d attended computer classes, some were absent ‘coz they’re still globe trotting, others were taking courses at a local university and all of them were living life out loud.
 
Awesome attitudes. Awesome place.
 
I’m pictured here with some seriously fun Buckingham staffers…Cathy Lightfoot at right is the Marketing Director that organized this event to roll out their new Masterpiece Lifestyle program.
staff
 
2. Pursue your passion
Is there something you’d love to do but think you don’t have time? Think again. Time is running out and ahem, you’re not getting any younger. I didn’t think I had time to play tennis in between speaking, writing, marketing, playing piano, volunteering and socializing. Now I’m totally addicted to the game, playing five times/week looking and feeling better than ever. In my audience last week were people who paint amazing artwork, swim every day, travel, raise trees, play poker and are excited about life. How about you?

 3. People                                                                                                                 Living a happy healthy life takes more than just you. Social interaction with other people keeps your mind active and your spirits up. Isolation can lead to depression and a miriad of other illnesses.

The group last week were a great example of how people flourish with friends to talk to. My life is blessed with wonderful people and one in particular that I call my everyday friend. Talking to her about victories, challenges and plain ol’ scoop takes the stress out of my day and gives me a innate feeling of peace knowing someone out there cares (such is the thinking of a single gal whose Prince has yet to ask for directions to her door)
 
Living life out loud doesn’t cost a large fortune. It takes a small change of mind.

It’s Not About You

                                  
meNext week Theresa does Dallas.

OK so I won’t exactly be ‘doing’ Dallas but I’m speaking to 500 women at a fundraiser luncheon for the Dallas Junior Forum at the very chic Union Station with the very chic Wolfgang Puck providing the food.
 
Very nice you say, but so what?
 
In preparing to customize my speech on Extraordinary Performance I researched The Dallas Junior Forum and all the amazing work they do for their community. Last year alone they logged up 12,000 volunteer service hours to non-profit agencies focused on children, families and the elderly. It got me thinking adallasbout how we can ALL make a difference if we think beyond ourselves for just a short while. The women in the Dallas Junior Forum are making this world a better place – one life at a time. Imagine if each of us did one little thing every single day to make someone else’s day, the ripple effect would be a much nicer, safer, happier city/country/world to live in.
 
Awesome thought. Totally possible.
 
Here’s a cool blog on how four little words “It’s not about you” changed one man’s life who nearly lost it all: 
 
Read it.  Then reach out and touch someone.

Reality Show or Reality Check?

Recently I was an honoree at the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation (TWEF) Celebration of Women’s History event where they wanted me to speak for two minutes on success for an audience of 400. Being a professional speaker let me tell you that was a huge challenge. How to cram a sixty minute keynote into two minutes?

Give ‘em meat with no fat (or pink slime!)

I shared the five principles it took for me to master the piano they can apply to succeed at anything in life: Passion, Persistence, Attitude, People, Focus and said if Aretha Franklin can come out with a new album at age 70, they too can rock like a rock star! They totally got it.

Enter the real diva du jour…

Cynthia Bailey glided up on stage. The Real Housewives of Atlanta TV star is also a 6 foot something model with her own agency and she doesn’t walk, she glides. Pictured here with TWEF’s founder Dr. Deavra Daughtry, Cynthia’s  stunning beauty, ever- ready smile and commanding presence had us at hello.

Ms.  Bailey came from small town humble beginnings in Alabama and took a leap of faith as a young woman by moving to New York all by herself with little money and a big dream: she wanted to be a model.

She came, she saw, she conquered.

Listening to her speak I was struck by several things: her courage, vulnerability and humility. As a young girl she knew there had to be more to life than the reality she was living so she set out to find it. That took lotsa spunk.  Now as a 44 year old success story she credits everything to her husband and daughter and said her biggest thrill today is seeing  students at The Bailey Agency School of Fashion become confident poised young adults with healthy self esteem.

Cynthia Bailey’s new reality paid off big time.

When did YOU last do a reality check? Do you like what you see or is it time to take a leap of faith and change channels?

Tick tock.

Low Cost Ways To Show Employees They’re Highly Valued

As a motivational keynote speaker on peak performance in the workplace I’m always looking for relevant info on current business trends. The following is a recent post on Fast Company.

BY EXPERT BLOGGER ROBERTA MATUSON 

Small businesses can compete for talent without breaking the bank. Yes, you still need to pay competitive wages to get people in the door, but it’s the perks that will help you retain them. Here are 30 low-cost ideas for small businesses who want to show employees that they are highly valued.

1. Flex time.  Some organizations require employees to be at work during core hours, and employee can set their schedule around this. Others allow employees to put in hours at their own discretion. Most require employees to have a set schedule so managers can plan for coverage. The schedule may be adjusted to accommodate personal matters like doctor’s appointments.

2. Innovation days.  Set aside several days a year to allow employees to step away from their usual responsibilities to tackle projects related to the way they work and the spaces they work in. Results are shared in a company meeting the following morning.

3. Monthly commuter benefits.  Offer a monthly stipend ($100 or so) for those who commute by public transportation. In many cities where mass transit is used, companies offer tax-free transit fare programs; you can learn more about the options available from programs like TransitChek or Commuter Check. These programs also save companies money in payroll taxes. 

4. Fully stocked kitchen.  Provide free coffee, soft drinks, and snacks for employees during work hours. Want to bump this up a notch? Keep organic milk in stock and add fresh fruit and healthy options to the shopping list.

5. Wellness benefits.  Employees can receive reimbursement for purchases related to fitness (up to $300/year). Typical items reimbursed include gym memberships, running shoes, yoga mats, bicycles, and so on.

6. Free lunch.  Order in for all your employees once a week to foster community and give employees a break from packing their lunches. 

7. Canine colleagues.  Got an office full of dog lovers? Then invite house-trained visitors to join the team.

8. Parental leave.   As this infographic shows, the U.S. has some of the weakest paid family-leave benefits anywhere–while some states guarantee paid leave, it’s not a federal mandate. You can immediately differentiate your company by making sure all employees are eligible for paid time off after the birth or adoption of a child.

9. No dress code.  Relax–ties are optional in this work environment.

10. Summer hours.  Employees kick back early on Fridays during the summer months, allowing them to beat the heat as well as the traffic if they’re heading out to the beach for a weekend.

11. Free chair massages.  Fifteen minutes in the chair once a week, and employees will return to their desks refreshed and ready to tackle their to-do lists.

12. Optional telecommuting.  In an increasingly mobile and digitally connected world, many employees can easily and successfully work from home part- or full-time. Here are some tips on working from home that will make the transition smooth.

13. Tech neutrality.  Offer the choice of PCs or Macs so employees can work on the machine with which they’re more comfortable. 

14. Flexibility in paid time off.  Employees can choose how to use their paid time off bank (vacation, sick, and personal time) to best meet the needs of their individual situations.

15. A culture of work/life balance. Create an atmosphere where it really is okay to leave the office before 8 p.m.

16. Perks for part-time employees.  Many organizations treat part-time workers like they were temps. Provide part-time workers with perks and they’ll be acting like full-time workers in no time.

17. Cultural extras.  Keep the workplace exciting by mixing in rewards like concert tickets, movie outings, or passes to sporting events. Don’t forget to throw some cash your employee’s way to cover the babysitter.

18. Sabbaticals.  Offer month-long sabbaticals after five years of service, or two months after 10 years of service.

19. Laundry service.  Employ a service to pick up employees’ clothes and drop them back at work, clean and folded.

20. Car care.  Who has time to take their car in for an oil change? Companies have arranged for a service to come to the office and take care of this messy task while employees are working.

21. Gift matching.  The company matches employee’s charitable donations, with the match based on what the company can afford.

22. Adoption assistance.  This financial assistance can be used for legal expenses, adoption agencies, or other professional fees. 

23. Take-out meals.  To help make things easier, new moms and dads are able to expense up to $300 for take-out meals during the first three months that they are home with their new baby.

24. Employee referral programs.  Good people know other good people, and the best employees are usually hired through referrals. Those who refer candidates who are hired receive a cash bonus award.

25. Green initiatives.  Preferred parking and/or subsidies for those who purchase and drive hybrid vehicles.

26. Paid time off to volunteer.  Employees are given a specific amount of time to volunteer in their communities.

27. Cleaning services.  Sweep employees off their feet–hire professional cleaners to tidy up employees’ homes every two weeks.

28. Tuition forgiveness.  Offer to pay a percentage of tuition owed, per year of employment, for hard-to-fill positions that are appropriate for recent grads.

29. Easier dinnertimes.  Take care of the people who matter by enlisting a vendor to deliver ready-to-eat healthy dinners that employees can elect to purchase and take home to their families.

30. Acknowledgment of significant others.  When employees do have to work late hours, the people who really pick up the slack are their spouses who are forced to work double duty. Acknowledge their contributions by sending flowers or gift cards, along with a personal note to acknowledge their contribution.

Incorporating perks like these into your organization will help you attract top talent, increase employee satisfaction, and reduce costly employee turnover, which in the end is far more profitable than scaling back on your benefit expenses to save a few bucks.

Why you need fans GaGa over you

As a motivational speaker at conferences around the country I need to stand out from the crowded speakers circuit to be in demand. I do that by playing the piano during my presentations on peak performance  and since music is a universal language that energizes people of all ages and cultures, I’m usually booked as the opening keynote.

The five principles of learning to master the piano are the same ones that apply to be successful at work: Passion, Persistence, Attitude, People and Focus.

Ready to rock?

Passion

The beginning of all motivation. Every rock star, athlete and billionaire  started out with one thing in common – they had a passion for what they do.  Fear and money are both great motivators and perceived obstacles. Taking small steps outside your comfort zone towards that dream job/new business can open up a world of opportunities.  

Persistence

Most people give up too easily… at the first sign of difficulty they’re outta there. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Outliers’ he writes how Bill Gates and The Beatles each took 10,000 hours worth of practice to reach the levels of excellence they did.  Think Lady Gaga was an overnight success? Not! She started playing piano when she was four. It took 10 years for me to play pop music worth listening to without sounding like a total dweeb.

Attitude

In today’s economy you have to be extraordinary to get the job/client and keep the job/client. This means constantly learning new ways of working. Translation: stay teachable. The days of managers that Know-It-All and We’ve-Always-Done-It-This-Way are SO over. Baby Boomers and Traditionalists need to learn about the latest gizmos from Gen X & Y who in turn need to learn about professional communications. Multi-millionaire Lady Gaga has the ultimate attitude of being willing to change by re-inventing herself almost every week with outrageous costumes, creative videos and spectacular sets. (You gotta get a load of this boomer standing up with one foot on the piano playing ‘Paparazzi’ during her keynotes!)

Stay humble and likeable. Mark Pincus CEO of Zynga a hugely successful online game company, says the main attribute he looks for when hiring is humility because it means someone is both approachable and open to new ideas. Lady Gaga is constantly thanking her fans that she affectionately calls ‘little monsters’. People buy from people they like. Having peeps gaga over you = cha ching!

People

Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump and Lady Gaga realized early on they needed other people to help them be successful so they each had mentors. For your organization to achieve goals great teamwork is essential and mentoring the younger generations is key. For your small business to thrive, brainstorm with peers in the industry for fresh ideas and solutions to challenges. Join group discussions on Linked In to stay current in your field, create a buzz about your biz on Facebook and post Tweets of value to your Twibe.

Focus

When I was offered the opportunity to audition for Coca Cola to perform at the 2006 Winter Olympics, I did nothing else for three days but focus on  winning. Through research I found out who was going to be in the audience in Italy and practiced piano relentlessly to WOW the judges within 30 seconds. To stay ahead of your competition today pay attention to changing market trends and keep up with technology to provide speedier customer service.  Focus on goals but stay open to new ideas.

I’m honored to say I bought home the Olympic gold (OK, so it’s a chocolate medal).

Got goals?

Get fans.

Boosting Productivity Slash ‘n’ Cut Style

As a motivational speaker on high performance one of the ways I stay current is to read the daily blogs on Fast.com and the following was a recent post.

WHAT GOOD BOSSES DO WITH BAD APPLES

Excerpted from Good Boss, Bad Boss a New York Times bestseller by Robert Sutton.

 

Making subtraction a way of life isn’t a theme raised in Good Boss, Bad Boss, but as I began thinking about many of the main ideas plus Matthew May’s great book In Pursuit of Elegance, I realized that great bosses have a “subtraction mind-set.” They are always looking to remove bad or unnecessary things.

As we know, “bad is stronger than good.” Getting rid of bad people is probably even more crucial than bringing in great people. We saw, for example how Paul Purcell enforces the “no jerks rule” at Baird. Removing selfish jerks has not only made Baird a civilized place but has helped keep it on Fortune’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For list since 2004. And it has helped Baird grow and improve profits in recent years even as many other financial services firms faltered and failed.

When I speak to managers and executives rotten apples provoke especially strong reactions. At a gathering of high-tech CEOs, there was an interesting segment where each described “what keeps me up at night.” One said it was a star executive who brought in a lot of business but was driving away good people. There was consensus among his fellow CEOs that “we’ve seen  this movie before” and they all learned after firing someone like that, “Why did I wait so long? Things are so much better now!”

Another way some bosses deal with rotten apples–especially those with skills that are tough to replace or who have so much job security they are impossible to fire–is to “subtract them” physically, to isolate them so they don’t infect others. In one organization, there was a deeply skilled and incredibly nasty engineer whom leaders could not bring themselves to fire. So they rented a beautiful private office for him several blocks from the building where his colleagues worked. His coworkers were a lot happier–and so was he, since he preferred working alone.

Bad apples aren’t the only thing great bosses remove…

Cumbersome rules and procedures waste time and energy–so great bosses find ways to simplify and eliminate them. After the General Motors bankruptcy in 2009, CEO Rick Wagoner was fired and replaced with Ed Whitacre. He immediately started slashing away at GM’s maze of irrational and ingrained procedures—such as cutting the number of reports prepared by his research group from ninety-four to four per year. Whitacre’s blazingly obvious belief in doing so would allow researchers to spend more time researching and less time writing reports.

 The lesson here isn’t so much about these specific subtraction stories. Rather, it is about the subtraction mind-set that every boss ought to keep searching for things to remove and simplify- ways to make life less frustrating and annoying.

Great bosses live the motto “When in doubt, take it out.”

Your Oscar Performance off the Red Carpet

Meryl Streep did it again winning a third Oscar for her extraordinary performance in the movie  ’The Iron Lady’. Since she’s been nominated a record 17 times for the award, it’s safe to say Meryl Streep is a top performer.

At 62, this talented actress has consistently performed at her best resulting in success outside of ordinary. In her acceptance speech she credited her husband “for everything in our lives I value most” and said of her Hollywood colleagues “the thing that counts most with me is the friends, the love and the sheer joy we have shared making movies together.”

Friends and love in tinsel town?

Top performers know it takes more than themselves to achieve success. Meryl Streep has built great relationships over the years with people she works with and now calls them friends.

What about you? Are you the go-to team member that everyone likes? Do you go the extra mile to please customers by getting to know them personally? Are you approachable to your employees?

High performance gets recognized by the Academy of Bottom Line Cha Ching.

And the winner is……..

Winning Teams at Work

Tennis is my new addiction.  Along with my work as a high performance speaker, tennis has become a passion ever since I picked up a racquet last summer after thirty years of not playing.

Insane?  Slightly…considering I live in Houston where we fry in 100+ degree heat with 90 something percent humidity all summer long and I began playing tennis outdoors.  Add to that I’m not quite, errr, 20 years old any more (SO not going there).

Playing doubles tennis four times weekly taught me a lesson on the court that applies to the workplace today…

When I play with someone that encourages me I play better. Conversely when I play with someone very competitive I play badly.  When you have a team leader recognizing  employees for their work you have a team motivated to be more productive. Using words of praise and appreciation boosts morale and raises performance levels that ultimately impacts the bottom line.

People join companies but leave bosses. The #1 reason? They feel unrecognized (ref:  StandOut by Marcus Buckingham)

I’ll never be good enough to play in the Australian Open but I am a good sport and a good team player.

How about you?

 

 

 

Valentines or Values?

Meet my Valentine for 2012.

OK, so maybe I don’t exactly have a date with George Clooney on February 14th. OK, so maybe I haven’t exactly met him even…..but he was totally real in my fantasy.

With all the hoopla of Valentine’s Day about diamonds, flowers and chocolates it seems love gets lost in the media. And what about the singles still looking for love in all the wrong places? What’s in it for us?

If every kiss begins with Kay’s Jewelers, Houston – we have a problem.

As a motivational speaker I have to be authentic and speak from the heart or my audiences know I’m a fake. I tell people that all business success begins with passion. You have to love what you do because that triggers the discipline to do whatever it takes.

For romantic relationships I believe passion is an essential ingredient in the delicious recipe for love.  In other words a little lust is a great thing (or in the case of me & George lotsa lust is even better!) Mix chemistry with core values of  integrity,  manners, loyalty, trust, respect and kindness and you’ve baked a cake made in heaven.

In the  song My Funny Valentine the lyrics read:  ”Is your figure less than Greek, Is your mouth a little weak, When you open it to speak, Are you smart? Don’t change a hair for me, Not if you care for me, Stay little Valentine, Stay. Each day is Valentine’s Day.”

My perfect Valentine may not look like George Clooney (he’s taller) but whoever he is, he’s going to know the true meaning of February 14th …….. and it has nothing to do with Kay.

Wishing you love & laughter, cake & kisses and whatever ignites your passion.

Happy Valentine’s Day.