MS Society of Canada, AGM, (private event)
| October 6, 2009 | ||
| 6:00 pm |
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It's Time
“It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined” – Henry James
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to hang out with the adults and, yes, you guessed it “talk”. I never was much in to cartoons, or playing with toys or dolls. I was in to reading, watching Matlock, and playing Rummy (a card game my Gran taught me) in which we ‘gambled’ for Mars Bars. (I thought this was ridiculously cool at age 5.)
I remember going to Kindergarten and quickly realizing that I was the only kid (except for my best friend Steven) who was reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys novels, and in an effort to fit in with the rest of my classmates, I pretended that I didn’t know how to read either. (This facade only lasted until the first parent teacher interview in which I was outed and put in to the ‘gifted’ reading program from then on.) READ MORE
It All Starts With How You Think
A few weeks ago I was in a meeting with the director of a large west coast based sales team. We were chatting about the overall performance of the team, what the major competitors were up to in terms of activity and how they were (as an organization) approaching the market in lieu of the recent economic downturn. It was sad to hear all the doom and gloom in her voice as she plugged in the ‘tape recorded’ message that she’d obviously been sharing with her team, her colleagues and her customers. She used a lot of jargon and I must say that by the end of it – I was almost sucked in to the vortex of the way she was thinking and viewing her world. Customers don’t have access to financing, the competitor is being shady with their business practices and she has a team of 20% “Gretzkys” and 80% mediocrity. And to make matters worse she doesn’t believe that it’s possible for her to build and have a team of all Gretzkys. READ MORE
Breaking the Rules
It’s not a secret that I haven’t posted a blog since June 1st, and yes, I’m must admit, it can be quite distressing to have a blog sitting there, inactive, no recent content posted and the questions that run through your mind about whether anyone will ever follow your posts again? Truth is, I fell off the wagon. First it was a couple days, then a couple weeks and before I knew it, it was almost 2 months since my last post. But here’s the thing, I left my corporate job so that I could create my own rules. So that I didn’t have to be woken up by my cell phone ringing at 6am to some distraught customer who, momentarily, lost perspective and thought that a missing 4L jug of milk from their order was an ‘EMERGENCY’. And yet, here I am feeling guilty about not writing on my blog, hearing the voices of social media experts echoing ‘you HAVE to be CONSISTENT, or don’t bother doing it at all.’ – more rules!
So, as of this morning, I’m back posting regular blogs. BUT, I’m writing blogs because I love to write, not because I need other people to read them. If you happen to stumble across this blog, and enjoy the content I post – that excites me. However, I refuse to be governed by a set of rules that doesn’t serve me.
Thanks for stopping by! Check back soon for regular posts.
Warmest Regards,
Heather
The US Does Food Service Very Well
On a recent trip to the US I was yet again amazed at their food and beverage industry. The selection is unbelievable, the customer service is impeccable and the portion sizes – what can I say – huge. Everything they do is over the top.
One meal that blew me away was one I enjoyed at the acclaimed Cheesecake Factory Restaurant. First of all, the menu. It was ridiculously big, so big (20 pages long), it took us over 30 minutes to just decide what to order. The menu was so full of colour and the food all looked ridiculously amazing, not to mention as servers passed by our table delivering food to other guests, the plating was such a replica of menu pictures, we could easily identify each dish. (Thank god as this ultimately made our final selection.) One thing that also impressed me was that the menu had advertising for local retailers and attractions once again showcasing the collaborative model of business that is becoming so dominant.
The service – outstanding. Our server knew the menu inside out. He offered to answer any questions and was readily available, but at the same time, gave us space to take in the menu, make our selections and enjoy our meal. When we conceded our barely dented plates he quickly whisked them off to the kitchen to ‘box it’ and sent us out the door with lunch for the next day. Normally, I find left overs disgusting, but, when I opened the boxes the food looked as good as it did the night before. And all this for under $30 (not including drinks).
Once again the US blew me away with their food service!
A Room With A View
And the debate begins…was it non-partisan, was it a Liberal Party rally, a cocktail party…for me it was a room with a view. Last night a gathering of 1200 or so of Vancouver’s under 40 demographic gathered in what is one of the most spectacular venues I’ve seen in a while. Vancouver’s newly opened Convention Centre Ballroom (see below) has an incredible presence. Ridiculously high ceilings, simple, yet effective architecture and last but not least a view of Vancouver’s North Shore that will take your breath away.
Regardless of why any of us were there it was nothing short of inspiring to be together with my peers as we mingled with friends we haven’t seen for years, networked with like minded professionals, twittered live to those who couldn’t join us and connected offline with those whom we had only shared online dialogue with.
I personally did not find the event overly political. I was happy to be invited, enjoyed my time there and absolutely LOVED the venue. I highly recommend you check it out when you get a chance.
The Genius in you?
Wow, for those of you who are unaware of TED, I highly recommend you click the link and check it out – pretty amazing work that’s being done. Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of one of my favourite books of all time: Eat Pray Love, shares her ideas on the concept of genius. As a creative person, and someone who works with creative people all day long, I was totally moved by her take on the topic. Watch her very funny, engaging and moving speech here: Elizabeth Gilberat at TED.
Check Up Time
Here we are at the beginning of February and I’m already reviewing my annual plan thus far. I just taught a Goal Setting workshop on the weekend and was thrilled to give the message that anything is possible as long as it’s something you really want and you have created a measurable action plan to achieve it. That way, as in my case, a month in to the plan you know exactly where you need to be, based on your plan, whether you’re on or off course and therefore whether your plan needs tweaking. Setting the goal is the first step in a lengthy process of asking for what you want, taking action, checking in against the measurables, rethinking, more action, repeat. Do you have your goals set and plan in place? If not, start today by asking yourself - what do I really want?
Goal Setting Workshop – This Saturday – 2 Spots Left
“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.”
- Benjamin Mays
This Saturday you could change your life in one hour. Email me to register today!
heather@2020communications.ca
