This story was sent to me from Tammy Ramsay after I spoke in the Battlefords, Saskatchewan, Canada. I shared with them a simple strategy to remember to appreciate people every day: Put five pennies in your right pocket when you leave for work in the morning. Every time you thank someone, you move a penny from your right to your left pocket. You do not go home at night until all five pennies are in your right pocket. It is fun to share with your family and others the stories of whom you thanked.
Dear Barbara,
It was an absolute pleasure meeting you in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Your inspirational stories were wonderful, and I carry them close to my heart. I loved the 5 penny idea and have made it a personal quest of mine to act out each day. Already I see the hearts of those who are hurting smile when they see me walk their way, I often giggle inside in anticipation as I wait to act out my next penny move.
For example. last week I stopped in at a local grocery store to pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers for a wonderful lady I knew. There were only three tills opened and the line ups were honestly half way down the aisles. I overheard the cashiers talking that an employee had not shown up for his last shift. The older lady cashier that was running the line I was in was definitely over worked and stressed. She had forgot to give the gentleman ( I use the term loosely) his change and was so flustered by his rolling of the eyes that she needed a calculator to figure out she owed him three dollars.
By time I got up to the till her lovely eyes were swimming in tears. By that time, I had waited about 15 – 20 minutes in line. She rang me through and thanked me for shopping at the store. I then turned to her as she was about to start the next transaction and said, “Excuse me. I would like to tell you something.” You could have heard a pin drop. All the cashiers stopped what they were doing and looked over in wait of what they thought was going to be an explosion.
I then proceeded to take some fresh flowers out of the bouquet and hand them to her. I told her, “THANK YOU for doing such a great job getting me served quickly. I appreciate the stress you are under,” and then told her she had done a great job. Tears rolled down her face and a grin a mile wide covered that weathered face. As I walked out, I am sure I hard her humming as she worked!
I left with so much more than a bouquet of flowers. Thank you, Barbara! You gave me something so much more than a seminar. You gave me a hope in mankind, that we CAN change the world….. one penny at a time.
Who will you give your pennies to? Tell us your stories.
A Wonderful Time in Saskatchewan!
Last week I was blessed to present a whole day seminar for the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce in North Battlefield, Saskatchewan, Canada. They billed it as “The Customer Service Event of the Year” and invited all the businesses in the town. I did the morning session on “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™– Creating Workplaces of Passion, Purpose and Productivity” which focused on the INTERNAL customer and the afternoon on “The Simple Truths of Service Inspired by Johnny the Bagger®” which focused on the EXTERNAL customer.
Barbara and the Battlefords Buffalo
The Royal Mounted Police of Canada!
There were a number of things about this day that really touched my heart! Derek Schmidt, a young man who is a partner in a haberdashery in town, drove 90 miles to pick me up in Saskatoon the day before and repeated the round trip to the airport two days later. When I arrived in my hotel room, there was a lovely arrangement of fresh flowers and a “goody bag” filled with mementos from the area. The next day Linda Machniak and her staff had decorated the whole presentation area with balloons and butterflies (my logo), and each table had grocery bags (Johnny the Bagger) with one of my books and CDs in each one for the participants.
Question: How can I quickly find out what customers think of our company? Barbara Answers
Click on the link above to see Barbara’s answer to this question.
For more questions and answers with Barbara, visit www.barbaraglanz.com/iquestions.
Barbara Receives “Legend of the Speaking Profession” Award
Press Release: This past weekend Barbara Glanz, Certified Speaking Professional, received the 2010 distinguished “Legends” award at the 23rd annual Veteran Speaker’s Retreat at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, PA. The criteria for selection for the “Legends – A Lifetime Achievement Award” is that each honoree must have outstanding national/international stature, have a minimum of 20 years as a professional speaker, and make unique contributions to the speaking profession.
The Class of 2010 award recipients are Ray Pelletier, posthumously (his brother accepted for him), Jim Rhode, Larry Baker, Barbara Glanz, Gil Eagles, Manny Steil, and also posthumously, Bill Brooks . Barbara is honored and thrilled to have received this prestigious award.
Barbara receiving the award from Naomi Rhode
All the past legends in attendance
Since those of you who are reading this blog are also my clients and friends, I thought you might want to read my acceptance speech:
I love quotations, and I always leave a “Thought for the Week” on my answering machine, so I am always looking for good ones. I was delighted to find Bounty paper towels last week that were covered with these inspiring and fun thoughts:
* Let your dreams guide your steps.
* Laughter is life’s sunshine.
* Each life needs its own quiet place.
* Breathe in the joy of the moment.
* Smiles are for sharing; always carry a spare!
* Peace is a journey, not a destination.
* Discover the magic within yourself.
* Find the wonderful in today.
* Let the world surprise you every day!
* Gratitude is an attitude of love.
* Be beautiful. Be yourself.
* Make a difference.
* Dare to live well!
* Bless this mess!
* Good moods are contagious!
* Dance in the direction of your dreams.
Is there one you especially like? Just goes to show that you can find inspiration in MANY places! 😉
This is one of the flip charts my daughter, Erin, did for me. They really brighten a classroom or ball room!
Family Time in Montana!
We have come to the end of our week of family vacation at Mandorla Ranch about an hour outside of Missoula, Montana. One of my clients offered me a week with all my children and grandchildren at her lovely bed and breakfast in the mountains, so we were all together for a vacation for the first time in nearly 5 years–the Gawliks: Gretchen, Randy, Owen 5, and Simon 2 3/4, from Portland, Oregon; Erin Glanz from Portland, Oregon, and the Glanz family: Garrett, Ashley, Gavin 12, and Kinsey 9, from Seattle, Washington and me from Sarasota, Florida.
The whole family in Montana
(Just a note: This was an interesting barter situation. My client is the Executive Director of the Educational Travel Association. She asked if I would be the keynote speaker for the Travel Learning Conference’s 25th anniversary in February of 2011 in exchange for a week for my family at her ranch. It was a win/win situation for everyone, and a creative idea for all of us during these tough economic times!)
I had asked each family to plan a family activity that would be fun for everyone, so the first morning Ashley and Garrett organized a “Family Scavenger Hunt.” We were placed in teams, and each team had to either find and put in their bag or take a picture of special things around the ranch, including a stuffed badger, a gold rooster, a man with a funny mustache (Randy!), an old wagon wheel, different colored rocks, 3 horses, and so on. We all had lots of fun, and the competition was fierce!
The family room at the ranch
The bar in the family room
Randy, my son-in-law is a skater, so after lunch we went to a skate park in St. Ignatius, then for huckleberry shakes (a specialty in this part of the country), a gorgeous scenic drive through the national Bison Range where we saw a black bear and elk but only ONE bison.
The Best Keynoters — Meetings & Conventions Magazine July 2010
Barbara is honored and thrilled to be voted by meeting planners as “one of the best keynote presenters ever heard or used!”
MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MAGAZINE, July 1, 2010
FEATURED ARTICLE: “Planners’ Favorite Speakers”
Loren G. Edelstein. July 1, 2010
Meeting planners were asked, “Who is the best keynote presenter you have ever heard or used?” Here’s what meeting planners told us (listed alphabetically).
(You can read the whole list on the link below; however, these are the impressive names just before and after Barbara):
Bill Gates (Microsoft chairman; )
Rudy Giuliani (former New York City mayor; )
Barbara Glanz (improving employee morale, retention, productivity;)
Dr. Al Gobar (real-estate economist; )
Doris Kearns Goodwin (presidential historian, political news analyst; )
Al Gore (45th U.S. vice president, author of An Inconvenient Truth; )
I just finished a heart-lifting experience of working for several days with Togo’s in San Jose, CA. They are a sandwich company with high quality ingredients which uses a unique deli style 1:1 service model. Unlike Subway and Quizno’s, they offer a personal connection between the sandwich maker and the guest. The company was founded in 1971 outside San Jose State University, by a young college student with a big appetite and a little money. He also had a clear vision of Togo’s as a service organization:
It was really fun working at Togo’s. We put on a show daily, dazzling the customers with our sandwich making skills, speed of service, and friendly interaction. There was a lot of camaraderie among the crew members and the atmosphere was a bit like a circus and the customers were part of the festivities.
Jeff Sweetman, Mike Cobler, the Founder of Togos, and Barbara
However, over the years, that vision became increasingly blurred and service became re-defined as a set of tasks instead of a passion to serve. So, our cause was to bring a team together for a day to craft a new service vision, mission, values, and plan that would re-energize the franchisees and employees and give them a laser focus on their strengths – quality of food, speed, one-on-one interactions, and an edgy, fun atmosphere. And what a day it was! 😉
Jeff Sweetman, the Director of Franchise Services, took the lead in this process by holding town hall meetings with many front line employees, surveying all Togo’s sandwich club members, and collating all the complaints since the beginning of the year. It was amazing how closely this feedback correlated! We also met with the founder of Togo’s, Tony Gioia, the CEO, and several members of the Executive Leadership Team to get their support and buy-in. Finally, a team was hand selected, consisting of several employees, some key franchisees, and several corporate staff, and we spent the day focusing on our objectives. The team is called “The Johnny Project” based on my story of “Johnny the Bagger®”, showing how one person can change a whole culture.
Barbara was recently featured in the “Gulf Coast Business Review Meeting Planners’ Guide 2010” in an article titled, “Make Your Presentations Sizzle!” by Heidi Kurpiela. The Headline:
“International motivational speaker and self-help author Barbara Glanz shares her presentation wisdom. One of her ‘musts’: Touch people’s hearts.”
She goes on to explain, “Here’s why she is regarded as one of the best:”
* SHE’S FUN.
* SHE MAKES THE CONTENT PERSONAL AND RELATABLE.
* HER ADVICE IS EASY TO FOLLOW AND SHARE.
* SHE USES SENSORY STIMULATION.
* SHE’S GENUINE.
* SHE EXUDES CONFIDENCE.
A sidebar includes “Barbara Glanz’s Do’s and Don’ts:”
DO’s
* Organize your thoughts before speaking.
* Share a few powerful personal stories.
* Practice what you preach.
* Be positive and energetic on the podium.
* Give people ideas and advice they can implement.
DON’Ts
* Don’t wing it.
* Don’t focus only on yourself.
* Don’t cram too much rhetoric or theory down people’s throats.
* Don’t lay it on too think.
* Don’t shamelessly pitch your own books and DVDs.
Yesterday I got an email from a person from Walmart who had heard me speak at the Society for Human Resource Management convention in San Diego last week. He had purchased my book, “The Simple Truths of Appreciation — How Each of Us Can Choose to Make a Difference” and these were his words:
“I just finished reading your book ‘The Simple Truths of Appreciation.’ I am in the middle of an e-mail to a colleague who has been a sounding board and truly become a good friend. I am sending him a note to thank him for being an important part of my life. I have a couple of others that are on my ‘hit’ list today to send e-mails to as a result of reading your book. I have a lunch appointment with a young man who is an HR professional with another company. Plan on appreciating him for the contributions he is making to our local SHRM chapter. I am also thinking through how to put my “personal signature” on all my work. This is fun stuff! You have a true gift, Barbara. Your ability to make people feel special is infectious. Thanks for making the (my) world a better place!”
Just a few minutes ago, I received this follow-up email from him:
“Wow! Look at the response I got from the first ‘thank you’ email I sent today. Made me feel good! This is an excerpt of the response:
Man! Just read this and I got a little emotional… I have an all day meeting with Store managers in my region today and this is just what I needed to get me going.
“Barbara is very unique in her ability to connect emotionally with her audience. Her use of story telling, personal research, and real life examples will inspire you to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around you.”
Tom Heetderks, Vice President, Human Resources/Talent Management
ResCare
Every noble life leaves its fiber interwoven forever in the work of the world. - John Ruskin -
