Hot Hot Hot

No question summer has arrived in the Kawartha's. in fact it is over the top hot. Even the little chickadees are fighting for a drink from the fountain.

So, the question is, how do you handle the heat?

No, not the weather, the heat of life? Do you attack new opportunities or see them as problems?

Is your world constantly changing and demanding more of your time? 

What to do? Well,chill.... Yup chill. As you know from our Emotional Intelligence course, when emotions are high, intelligence is low. So relax, make a list of what you can and can't do about it, seek the advice of a trusted mentor or friend, meditate, pray, reflect on how will this affect your life in five years? Give it a day and see what you come up with, strangely this works for many people. Once you take the emotion out of the equation you can start to see the solution. 

As for the heat outside, head for the pool! 

Till next time.

Customer Service

So today was market day. Saturday mornings around here mean the Peterborough Farmers Market is a must visit. I have been going there for over 40 years and during that time you find your favourite vendors. I dragged kids there over the years, bribing them with cookies to fill my belly with fresh produce.

One of my favourite vendors is the potato lady and her son. She has been filling bags of potatoes for over 60 years at the market. For fresh corn I have visited Stapleton's for years. Always with a great smile and terrific corn and he has a certain salesmanship about him I like.

Well, now the next generation is helping at the stand. His 9(?) yr old daughter was helping out this morning. As she took the basket of peas I had chosen and put them in the bag several pods fell off to the side. My mind immediately went to that place...sure now I will get less peas. (Like I really need each and every one) but this young lady has been well trained by her dad in customer service.

Without missing a beat or even noticing my look she immediately picked up a whole HANDFUL of peas and added them to the bag! 

Now that is knowing your customer and treating them right! I looked at her and said " how many times has your dad told you that was important?" She just smiled and said "about a million". I chuckled and then thought how often do we miss the opportunity to treat our customers so well? 

Next time I wonder if going the extra mile for a client is worth it, I will remember a nine yr old's lesson. 

5 Ideas for Engaging Employees

How do we engage employees in the workplace? Here are 5 suggestions you might find helpful...

1. Listen. How often do we pass off a comment made in a meeting or session and not really hear what the person is asking for? By increasing our active listening skills we can better understand what the employees are asking. Happily the majority of workers in today's world say they do have input and are listened to. This is a good start but not the ultimate answer. 
2. Share Values. Do your company values reflect your employees values? How often do you review these with new staff? Do they have input when joining a team? Perhaps a semi annual review is in order to ensure these two match up.
3. Ask. When our son hires a new employee, he asks the employee the following questions after a couple of weeks. What do we do here that does not make sense to you? How can we improve our systems? This is a brilliant idea as you get fresh eyes to view existing methods. Often what we think works really well can be improved and it all starts with asking.
4. Coach, Train, Mentor. Do you provide professional coaching to your staff? Why not? Expensive? Much less than inefficiency and lack of self confidence on the job. What about the retirees who are now leaving the company? Do you have a system in place to gather and use that knowledge? Most retirees I know would love to make an extra couple hundred dollars to share their information and wisdom. After all it pays for the golf fees...
5. Teamwork. Such an overused phrase, but we know for Gen Y's it is all about collaboration. What kind of team environment are you building that encourages collaboration? These future leaders are not looking for another meeting, they will use social media, the internet, and work groups to solve issues in a fraction of the time. If they feel part of the team how much more will they share? 

May Two Four

May Two Four.

If you are a Canadian then you know what that means. This is that unique weekend spent by Canadians to celebrate the end of winter. After all when you have what seems like 82 months of winter you are doing anything to welcome summer!

This is the traditional weekend for planting the flowers getting outside and enjoying the sun. The boats are back here on the lake and every few minutes we hear another engine buzzing by.

This long weekend we have two guests, our three-year-old granddaughter and a six-year-old British bulldog who can snore as loud as I can!

Just imagine the great memories that we will create in these few days for that little girl. Fishing in the lake, planting flowers, sowing the vegetable garden, all life experiences that sadly we get too busy to enjoy with our hectic lives when we are young. Almost forgot, tonight we get to go to the fireworks at Little lake! ( not sure who is more excited about that one)

I think this is one of the greatest blessings of being a grandparent, getting to spend that quality time to mentor and teach and have fun! I was way too serious when our kids were growing up, so now, I get to act like a goof and the three little girls love it! The goofier the better! In fact I think I do a pretty good Goofy impression. 

Jessica (the three yr old) and I were pretty much rolling on the ground with laughter yesterday as we worked the flower beds in preparation for today's planting. 

A trip to the market this morning and we are good to go with the planting. She pooped out on me though and is taking a nap... Again, why is it I can't take one of those Barb? 

So we are all ready to do our duty on this May two four weekend. 

Heck there may even be a bottle of beer in it for Grandpa!

Apologies are not always the same

Have you ever wondered if different personalities apologize differently?

Quite often this is the way it sounds...

The "D" style will say "Well, I am sorry" in a tone that makes you feel it was your fault anyway...:)

The "I" style will usually say "Hey sorry, want to grab a pizza and a beer?" with a big smile!

The "S" style gives the most sincere apology, "I am so sorry please forgive me, how can I make it up to you?"

And then there is my style (Bill) the "C" will just say

Yup, that's right nothing. We "C" styles hate to admit a mistake and so will seldom acknowledge it.

Of course this is a generalization, but you would be surprised how accurate it can be. Think about the people around you and their apology style...

Oh, by the way my "S" is screaming at me "I am so sorry if I have offended anyone with this!" LOL

Canada eh?

Canada eh?

Yes, well we Canadians are a hearty breed. While others are basking in warmer climates enjoying the sunshine and heat, we like to be hardy like these poor crocus'. I took this shot on the first day of spring here in the land of the Great White North. 

Nothing says unstoppable like a crocus in a Canadian garden on the first day of Spring. While we mere mortals extol the virtues of the sunny south, these patriots deem to stay with the country though out the entire winter. No snowbirds here.

Of course, Barb and I are exempt from our defection of our country for the sun drenched beaches of Central and South America. Hey, we were working! It is tough work to be paid to sit on board a 5 star luxury liner, eat lobster, and assist passengers with their travel questions. We have hazards on the job too. 

What about sunburn, what about weight gain, what about any other BS you can think of to try and make us feel a little less guilty at having left the motherland for this Nirvana?

Oh well, the trials of being us. 

Now, about that groundhog who obviously messed up this year. Where's my 22?

Movember and Sons

I had a call from our son Chris asking if I wanted to participate in this years campaign. New this year is an opportunity for sons and fathers to work together. 

I am very proud of Chris who has lead a BIG team in the Kitchener area for the past three years. Of course any chance to spend time with your son is invaluable so here goes...

It's been a very long time since I wore a "stache" about three decades! I am the guy in the middle...

So what is Movember all about? Here is some info from their website. 

Check out the team site here. http://ca.movember.com/team/426821

 

Movember is an annual charity initiative responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on men’s faces around the world, to raise awareness, support and funding for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health. Movember is the world's largest men's health movement and the largest non-government funder of prostate cancer globally.

 

I encourage you to all support this great cause, form a team or just support a friend. No friends? Support me!! :) 

 

You can donate by clicking this link. http://mobro.co/billbob3 

 

Thanks for caring! I will keep you up to date on the "growth"