MY SHARE-A-SMILE PROJECT, JOIN ME!

I am really excited to introduce you to my new project which I have named the Share-a-Smile Project, or SAS for short. After blogging about appreciation and doing small things to make someone's day, etc., I decided that blogging just wasn' enough. It was time I took my talk and turned it into action. Since I am currently "between job opportunities" the amount of action I can take is financially limited. What to do?

What I came up with isn't a new idea, nor will it end hunger, bring world peace, or solve the health care dilemma. What I hope it WILL do is bring a smile to someones face. And boy can we use a few more smiles. In my area of the country I'm seeing fewer and fewer smiles. People are as hard hit here as they are everywhere and while we can't solve all the big problems maybe we can make someones day just a little lighter one small smile at a time.

Here's my plan.

I took a small amount of dollar bills and put each one in brightly coloured envelopes. Inside the envelopes I included a short blurb about what I was doing and asked those who found them to share back with me on this site where they found the envelope and what they did with the money, if they wanted to of course. I also put on the front of the envelope the message that a free gift was enclosed and it was money. Will I get much response? I hope so but even if I don't I'll still continue with my project. I put the first envelope out last night on a bench at a public park and now we'll see what happens. Since I'm going to be travelling back to my family for the upcoming holidays I'll have plenty of opportunity to share a smile in various states.
I'm inviting everyone to join in with me in the Share-a-Smile Community. Even though it is a small monetary investment, think how much fun it can be. I already have three other people who will do the same thing in three other states. If you're interested I have included the blurb I put in the envelopes below. Let's see how far we can take this!

As always, thanks for listening,
Lindy


(Envelope insert)
Hi there and congratulations, you have found one of the envelopes from the Share-a-Smile Project. This is your dollar to use any way you want: spend it, save it, or pass it on.

I started this project with just one goal, to get people smiling again. See, even George Washington is smiling and I hope you are too. If you wanted to share your smile back I would love it if you would please post a comment on my blog at www.shareasmileproject.com, and let me know the number on the envelope and what you did with the dollar. You can do this anonymously.

Most of all, have fun and thank you for not throwing this envelope away!

Appreciation and AARP

I had the opportunity last week serve as a volunteer at the AARP 50+ convention in Las Vegas and the experience went so well that I just had to share it.

From the first day of orientation to the last day of my actual volunteering, ( I was a concert usher), everyone involved with AARP went out of their way to constantly thank the volunteers and let us know how much our participation was appreciated.

Thank you AARP for a wonderful volunteer experience and for the reminder to share our appreciation for those around us too. Whether in a business environment or a personal one, take the time to say "Thank you for your help, or for listening, or for doing a good job". And while you're at it, make sure to appreciate yourself too, you deserve it.

Thanks for listening,
Lindy

Don't Do This

I recently attended a social event where the purpose was to welcome prospective members in order to showcase a religious organization, (to remain nameless), and hopefully have prospective members become paying members. I had looked forward to this event for weeks. I am enthusiastic about this organization and speak highly of it whenever I can.

This organization prides itself on its member’s sense of ‘belonging’. That I have never officially joined the organization is due in part to the fact that the cost is substantial, particularly in view of the fact that I am still unemployed. What I had hoped for from this event was to meet some of the membership committee on an informal level. I wanted to explore the option of perhaps offsetting the cost of membership with volunteer work or see if there were any other arrangements that could be made.

I never got the chance.

No one ever approached me even though it was evident I was alone. No one spoke to me, no one smiled at me, and no one came over to introduce themselves while I sat at a large table by myself. I went through the food service line where I smiled at the members serving the food. They were very busy talking and laughing among themselves. When I said hello one man at least made an attempt at hello back. And that was the end of any interaction.

Now don’t think for a moment that this is a ‘poor me’ speech. It isn’t. Instead this is a reminder that if you are trying to get people involved in your mission, your organization, your cause, at least take the time to look around and acknowledge the new people who show up.

I wish I had been on the membership committee. If I had been the very least I would have done is smiled, welcomed the new person, found them a table to sit at with other new people, asked their name, introduced myself by name, and perhaps most important, thanked them for taking the time to come by my organization and considering us for their interest in becoming a member.

If I had the membership dues to become a paying member this experience would have caused me to take a large pause. I have even rethought my idea of volunteer work. In fact, I have not been back. I left the event feeling unimportant and ignored. I don’t need bells and whistles; I was looking for a friendly face and a welcoming hello. I received neither.

So please, if you’re an organization looking for new members, volunteers, or contributions, don’t do what I experienced. Walk up to the person, extend your hand, smile, make them feel like you’re glad they came. You never know where it may lead.

Thanks for listening,
Lindy

How Do You Get People to Trust You?

I recently had a job interview with US. Bank and one of the questions asked during the interview was "How do you get people to trust you"? I didn't have a snappy answer, not a good thing during a job interview I guess but my answer was, "I've never HAD to get someone to trust me, all my life I've just been trusted". The question has intrigued me ever since. Why do you trust one person and not another. Trust is one of the most important issues in business, never more so than now. Trust should be a major factor in business transactions, whether banking, or human resources, or putting your time and money into a new venture.

My Grandfather was a man who was trusted, my Father was always trusted both personally and professionally, I have been told frequently during my careers that I was trusted, and my children are continuing in the same manner. Why? I think a major factor is we were honest. Not the "does this dress make my rear end look big" kind of honesty, but more of the basic 'handshake' type of honesty. Integrity cannot be faked. Integrity is keeping your word, it's doing the right thing, and even in these confusing times we all know how to do the right thing. It's presenting our ideas clearly and without double talk. It's making sure the other person knows all the facts, not just the pretty ones. It's respect, not only just for others but respect for ourselves.

Trust is a complex issue and maybe my answer is too simplistic....or maybe not. Take a minute to think about who you trust in your life, both personally and professionally, and why. Trust should be the cornerstone for business. What can you do to make it so?

On a personal business note, if you're looking for someone who is honest, trustworthy, loyal, professional, and of course housebroken, I'm still available on the job market.

Thanks for listening,
Lindy

Taking A Second Look at Complaining

My daughter, who I've mentioned before and lives in a small Colorado rural town, was recently offered employment in that town. Other than being very happy over the job offer for her, I was also impressed by something her prospective employer said in the interview process. He made it clear that if she had any complaints or issues with anything relating to her job that he encouraged his employees to come to him immediately and they would sit down and talk about it. He did not want one of his employees to let a problem fester when maybe a simple discussion could solve the issue. His take on it was if an employee is unhappy then it affects the entire operation and that affects his customers. I haven't heard that philosophy in a long time. Oh I've heard lip service, but genuine commitment to listening and working things out? Refreshing.

Which got me to thinking about the complainers in the workplace. I'm not talking about the constant naggers who would complain even if in heaven, no no....I mean the employees who complain because there are real problems that affect the workplace. Part of being an effective manager is being an active listener. I'm finding that more and more managers ignore or even worse, hide from those employees who have issues that need to be addressed. Whether this is from inexperience or insecurity in their position or just plain overwork, ignoring the problem will never make it go away. How much better it would be to take a proactive position. Really listen to the employee and what they have to say. Most people don't like complaining and if they are complaining then they feel there is a genuine problem. Value their input, respect and listen to their issues, and don't dismiss the employee out of hand. Discreetly investigate the complaint. You may find that just by listening you can diffuse the issue, or maybe action is needed. Either way...just because an employee complains doesn't mean that they are a troublemaker. Take the opportunity to be a trouble solver.

Thanks for listening,
Lindy

Good Customer Service = Building Relationships

The following is a guest post by Aaron D. Rose

I am sure all of us eat at restaurants where the food may not be the best, but the customer service is outstanding. Perhaps we may pay more for a particular hotel because of the service that is provided. Despite the economic recession, we purchase our clothes at retail stores that may have prices compared to their competitors, but we feel "good" about making the purchase. The need for businesses to remain competitive is imperative to surviving the economic recession. While pricing is one way to create a comparative advantage, companies with exceptional customer service are positioned well to survive and grow when the economy recovers.

I watch the trends to see how businesses are coping with the down economy. Walk down any street in the United States and you will see businesses in all sectors struggling or worse yet, gone out of business. However, many businesses across America are not only surviving, but they are actually seeing increases in their revenue. What is the difference between failure and success? The difference often lies in the relationships businesses establish with their customers.

Good customer service is the result of establishing relationships with clients and patrons. After a purchase, retail businesses may want to send an e-mail message to the customer with a survey and a discount for their next purchase. I respect restaurants where I am greeted with a "hello," the manager is walking the floor asking about my dining experience, and I am thanked by the staff for my business. I travel often and I appreciate when the airline expresses their gratitude for my business. Good customer service is building relationships with your customers.

Aaron D. Rose is an entrepreneur and president of Rose Consulting, a global strategic planning and international growth management company. For more information about Rose Consulting, please visit http://www.roseconsult.com or http://www.aarondrose.blogspot.com.

The Need to Belong

I attended religious services last week and the religious leader made a comment that I've contemplated about all week...the need to belong, to be part of a community. He was speaking about belonging to a religious community of course but it made me look at other ways of belonging.

I've found that one of the surprising effects of being unemployed is the sense of isolation. Often you loose contact with your friends from work. Even if you do keep in contact there isn't the same feeling of shared experiences. You don't belong to the group anymore. I found the exception to this in the small town in Colorado where my daughter lives. There are a great many unemployed oil field workers there and they stay in close contact and support each other by having family picnics and camping and raft trips together and sharing employment news, as little news at it may be. They have the bond of a whole work force community being laid off. They belong.

How effective would it be for employer's to take the same approach? Make your employees feel like they belong to the big picture of the business's success. It's not that hard to do. You don't have to schedule picnics or raft trips to let your people know how important they are. No matter what the size or scope, a business is a community. Make your people feel like they belong, that they are crucial to your business's growth and prosperity. Give your employees the pride that comes with doing a job well and see how they respond. Start with weekly meetings, they don't have to be long affairs, more of a touching base kind of thing. Encourage ideas on how to improve a service or a product or anything. Name names..."John brought this idea up and I think it's one we can implement". Let people know that you value their time and creativity in making the business better. When you involve your employees in the business it creates a sense of accomplishment, a sense of belonging, and watch how pride in the company can make a difference.

As always, thanks for listening,
Lindy