Pain nourishes courage. You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.  ~ — Mary Tyler Moore (1937-) American Actress

 I so agree with Mary Tyler Moore… we need adversity, challenges, pain to help us build character attributes that are most positive powerful.    Tonight as you do (or do not ) celebrate this scary night… I invite you to be brave, be safe, be kind and celebrate all of the creativity out there.  Enjoy your weekend !!  ~ Kirk

I hit the wrong button little button the T4d and prematurely published “an illuminated perspective” …this T4D is the completed version(with improved graphics and additional content).  My apologies for the inadvertant SPAM.   Kirk

Yesterday I asked another group of technology leaders this question:

What’s it like when someone “lights up” when they see you?  The responses seem to come readily and sincerely from this group and were all wonderful.  A senior officer from the Airforce summed it up best when he said, “When I come home after a really bad day and my 4 year old lights up for me…. I instantly regain my perspective.  The bad day is gone as I remember what is most important.”

I have felt the same thing at work.  As others have “lit up” for me.  It somehow wonderfully helps to keep the focus on the “brigther side” of things.  With this enlightened perspective, even when the “poop hits the fan”, people can say with a smile … “Well it’s time to roll up our sleeves and go to work”  instead of rolling their eyes and saying “here we go again”.

Speaking of rolling up sleeves and lighting up faces…. here are some fun family pictures that illuminate today’s T4D from a slightly more spooky perspective.

Here Ashlyn Searches for the Perfect Pumpkin….she’s lit up! 

And Brooklyn finds hers and she’s lit up!

 

Sometimes to get people to light up is hard work.  But it’s work worth doing …so roll up your sleeves and get to it!

 

Finally with a little scooping of yucky and a little cutting through the cynicism…you get to that wonderful place of helping others lighten up so they can light up.

Then you repeat the process on a larger scale… because you want every member of your team to be lit up.  First you, then family, and then the world.  Because if we don’t the world could stay a very scary place.

Light Up for someone today….heck, light up for everyone!  SCARE WITH A SMILE!

Kirk Out

Speaking at the RIGHT NOW users conference in Colorado Springs.  Right Now made a major announcement to distance themselves from the world of CRM.  CEO Greg Gianforte essentially said that the idea of Customer Relationship Management was fundamentally flawed.  That customers(like co-workers) don’t want to be managed…. they want to be led, they want to be engaged, heard, connected and delighted!  They no longer want to be associated with CRM… they see themselves and their future as being all about CX.  Customer Experience.

the new RIGHT NOW mission:  “To Rid the World of Bad Experiences”

After Mr. Gianfortes opening remarks….. they showed a youtube clip that many of you have seen called.  “United Breaks Guitars” to illustrate two things.  A “bad experience” and the incredible power of social media.  I had watched this clip about 2 months ago… and was looking forward to watching it again… when Right Now raised the bar, and enhanced the experience by having the songwriter Dave Carroll step out onto the stage halfway through the song and finish it in person.

Later that day I would enjoy hearing Dave Carroll give his very first keynote speech as he told the story of his 9 month long losing battle with United Airlines to get them to pay for a guitar that they broke.  When they finally told him to stop calling and e-mailing that they were not going to respond anymore…. he promised them that he would write 3 songs with a goal to get 1 million views.   It turns out he was shooting a bit low on the goal which was exceed in a couple of weeks and is currently past 6 million.  His song resonates and gives rhythm and voice to the pain of millions who feel as if his song is justice for all the times their own cries for justice went unheard and unanswered.

You can watch this video at work as you discuss the implications of social media, customer service, and employee empowerment.  And you can have fun as you do.  United is reported to have lost 10 points or 10% of their market capitalization as a result of this one incident.  OUCH!

And Rebecca and I got to meet Dave Carroll too!  SUPER QUALITY GUY

“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.”  ~ Mary Kay Ash -1918-2001, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Reminds me of one of my all time favorite Youtube clips called “Validation“  It’s actually a short film nearly 15 minutes long so don’t lose your job watching it.  Instead get a raise or at least props by showing it as part of your next team meeting! 

Last night I tucked our youngest daughter Ashlyn into bed with her Dora pajamas on.  At 3:30 am she crawled into our bed wearing the swimsuit you see in this picture.  When she woke up later I asked her when she had changed.  She said she didn’t remember.  When I asked her why? She replied matter-of-factly, “So we can go swimming.”

She didn’t know how or when she had changed, but she did know why.

Some people talk in their sleep.  Some people walk in their sleep.  And I guess some people even change in their sleep.

If people can change unconsciously driven subconsciously by an inner desire then there seems to be little excuse for any of the rest of us to make some changes we know we need to make to accomplish and do the things we desire to do.

Awaken and Change…. And Change while your Awake.

Kirk

  “Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the idle, useless regretting.”  ~ Arthur Brisbane -1864-1936, Journalist and Editor

For another look at how we waste time click this link.  http://ytorf.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/procrastination.png

In many of my keynotes lately I have asked this question.  “What does it feel like when someone “lights up” when they see you? ”    Answers from audiences include -   Wonderful - GREAT - Warm Inside - “It makes me happy” - “It feels like a hug - Like someone cares - etc etc.

Next Question - “Who do you light up for?” 

Next Question - “Why don’t we light up for more people more often?”  and “Why don’t we light up for everyone?”

Answers I get include - “Because they may not deserve it.” - Because they don’t light up for me? - “Because I don’t fee like it…or I don’t have the energy.”  - Because I am burned out.

Next Question - “Does lighting up for others drain or charge our human battery?”

At least one great way to overcome burnout is to stop thinking, talking and acting like a burnout.  Put your shoulders back, put your chin up….STOP telling everyone(including yourself) that your tired, stressed, overwhelmed etc.  We’re all tired of hearing it… and your starting to depress us, and you have already depressed yourself.  The only way you can be truly burned out and unable to light up is if you are dead.  If you are reading this…then you are not dead.  So stop thinking about yourself and talking to everyone about “yourself”(a sure pathway to misery) and instead start being a bright spot in somone else’s day.   Lighten up and brighten up today.  

Turn your face on…. turn your eyes on!  And when someone…anyone, heck perhaps even eveyone walks into your world - LIGHT UP - be “deLIGHTed to see them.  This will help them feel better and you too!  This will brighten their day…and yours too.  This will lift their spirits and charge their batteries and yours too!

It’s Bright to Be a Light!  Unlike a store bought light bulb… the human light, the light naturally inside of us, burns out more quickly the less we use it, and shines bighter and longer the more we keep it turned on.  So let your light shine…brightly. 

Kirk Out

It’s time to form another line!

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”  Marcus Tullius Cicero
106 BC - 43 BC, Politician, Orator and Philosopher

Three cheers for Gratitude.  It is both something I can create and choose for myself…. it something I can recieve as gift from others as well as something I can freely express and give to others.  I like gratitude.  Let me just come right out and say it.. . “I am GRATEFUL for GRATITUDE.”  I invite you to express one thing you are grateful for in the comment box of today’s T4D blog posting at www.kirkweisler.com/t4d

I recently created FAN PAGES for both of my Best Smelling Books!  Please become a FAN by clicking the images below.

   

Survey Finds Most U.S. Adults Won’t Tolerate Mobile Technology Etiquette Violations, Especially During Holiday Gatherings  Just read an interesting piece of research conducted by Intel…. about our tolerance for the use of Technology during certain social situations.  To read more click here. Or use this link http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20091019corp.htm?cid=rss-90004-c1-243801 

“Happiness doesn’t depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel toward what we have. We can be happy with little and miserable with much.”  ~  William Dempster Hoard -1836-1918, Politician

The clip below is an absolute must for your next staff meeting. We have the ability to choose happiness or misery. MiserABILITY is a skill that can be developed… this video can show you how. And perhaps how to get out. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOFKsvBn7oQ

  “My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement - success will follow.”   ~ Helen Hayes  1900-1993, Award Winning Actress

Someone might have successfully changed the channel or hooked up the game console to the sounds system.  They may have even got the high score on Mario Brothers.   But if they have not left the couch to help their mother clean up the house or load the dishwasher or take the trash out, then what have they really achieved?

So “success” leans much more towards the subjective… it is judgement based, context affected and defined differently by the masses.   Whereas achievement is more like putting points on the scoreboard in your ability to measure it.  When a benchmark is achieved, a basket is made or a sale is closed.  It’s an undeniable measure of accomplishment.  Hmmn, I like the way she said it better.  :)   ~  Kirk Out