In This Issue: January 2016
- Quotations of the Month – Kindness
- Where in the World is Barbara?
- News at Barbara Glanz Communcations, Inc.
- Idea of the Month – Ideas for Appreciation and Recognition
- Article of the Month– Are you Kind?
- Circus Book Coming!
Quotations of the Month – Kindness
“Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ~ Mother Teresa
“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”~ Vincent Van Gogh
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”~ Aristotle
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” ~ Oscar Wilde
“But deep this truth impressed my mind:
Thro’ all His works abroad,
The heart benevolent and kind
The most resembles God”
~Robert Burns
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop
“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” ~ Henry James
“Help your neighbor’s boat across, and lo, your own has reached the shore.” ~ Hindu Proverb
“He who allows his day to pass without practicing generosity and enjoying life’s pleasures is like a blacksmith’s bellows; he breathes but does not live.” ~ Indian Proverb
“That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” ~ William Shakespeare
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~ Mark Twain
“Kind hearts are the gardens
Kind thoughts are the roots;
Kind words are the blossoms;
Kind deeds are the fruits.”
~19th Century Rhyme
For more inspiring quotations, go to the top of every page of Barbara’s website, www.barbaraglanz.com.
News at Barbara Glanz Communications, Inc.
NEW PRESENTATION ON KINDNESS
As you can see, the theme of this newsletter is KINDNESS.
Last year I was asked to be a part of an audio CD series where I was interviewed on KINDNESS with two other people, the former CEO of the Hearst Corporation and a lovely lady who is doing amazing things in Canada on Kindness.
As a result, I have been asked to give a keynote on the topic to 2000 people in North Carolina in May. Preparing this presentation has given me a passionate desire to inspire others to really begin to SEE other people they encounter, to EMPATHIZE with them, and finally to take some kind of ACTION.
Later in this newsletter you will see an article on KINDNESS as well as a description of this new presentation with the working title, “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm – Creating a Culture of Kindness.”
Please send me stories of kind things people have done for you or that you have done for others at bglanz@barbaraglanz.com.
TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND
In March I had the great privilege of taking a two week trip to the Holy Land with 19 other people. We had amazing guides and the pastor who led the trip is also an archaeologist, so we had the opportunity to experience not only the political and historical perspectives of the area but also the spiritual and archaeological significance.
We started in Petra, the ancient city that was totally underground, spent two more days in Jordan, nine days in Israel and ended in Masada, the last Jewish stronghold during the Roman occupation.
We climbed Mt.Nebo, sailed on the Sea of Galilee, walked in Jesus’ footsteps in the Valley of the Doves, prayed at the Wailing Wall, explored all the historical sites in Jerusalem, got baptized in the Jordan River, and walked and walked and walked! We will never read the Bible the same way again.
I will be posting a journal on my website soon, so watch for it if you are interested.
20th YEAR TO SPEAK AT THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL CONVENTION
On June 19 and 20 in New Orleans I am honored to speak for the 20th time to this amazing group of HR executives and practitioners. I will be doing a Smart Stage presentation as well as a Mega Session on “The Simple Truths of Appreciation and Recognition.” Please come to see me if you are attending the conference.
MAKE – A- WISH
Make-A-Wish is an amazing organization helping children who have cancer find hope and joy again. My16 year old grand daughter, Kinsey, has been fighting leukemia for nearly a year and was one of the children in Seattle honored with a wish.
Last week she was able to have her wish come true. She loves animals, and after a trip last summer to Maui, she found out that because there are so many stray dogs and not enough people on the island to take them, many are simply euthanized.
Kinsey’s wish was to rescue some dogs from Maui and place them with families in Seattle through a shelter there called Motley Zoo. Last Sunday Hawaiian Airlines flew Kinsey and her Mom and Dad to Maui where they picked up Copper, Galaxy, and Big Boy to be flown home to foster families in WA.
I am so very proud of her for choosing a wish that would make a difference to bring more love and joy to this world! Thank you, MAW, and all the groups who made this possible!
For more current news, visit the News section of Barbara’s web site.
Where in the World Is Barbara?
MARCH
13 Travel to Frankfurt and Amman
14 – 15 Amman, Jordan , Petra, and the Dead Sea
16 – Mt. Nebo, Jerash, Tiberias, Israel
17 Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Mt. of Beatitudes
18 Valley of the Doves, Magdala, Casrarea Philippi
19 – Nazareth and Jerusalem, Israel
20 Jericho, Qumran, Dead Sea, Jerusalem
21 Bethelem, Church of the Nativity, Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Mt. Zion, Upper Room
22 Southern Wall Excavations, Western Wall, Church of St. Anne, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Garden Tomb
23 Masada
24 Jerusalem
25 Travel home – Tel-Aviv to Newark to Tampa
APRIL
7 – 10 Chicago, IL
MAY
10 – 12 Nashville, TN
12 – 13 Coluimbus, OH
17 – -18 Toledo, OH
18 – 20 Asheville, NC
21 – 22 Winston-Salem, NC
22 – 23 Durango, CO
24 MY BIRTHDAY! ; Mesa Verde
24 – 27 Grand Junction, CO
JUNE
11 – 13 Amelia Island
18 – 22 New Orleans, LA
JULY
7 – 12 Orlando, FL
For a more current calendar, visit the Calendar on Barbara’s web site.
Kindness IS Contagious!
KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS!
Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE Hall of Fame Speaker
Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier. ~ Mother Teresa
This thought from Mother Teresa has long been a philosophy of life for me. My desire is that no one ever leave my presence or my presentations without feeling a little better about themselves. That is a CHOICE each of us can make in every interaction we have, simply by being kind!
Let me share a simple story with you about how I apply kindness in my life.:
“One snowy February day I walked into the Ladies washroom at O’Hare Airport. There was a woman there who was cleaning. She was all hunched over, glum-looking, and listlessly going through the motions of her job. I walked over, gently touched her on the arm, looked her directly in the eyes, and said, ‘Thank you so much for keeping this washroom clean. You’re really making a difference for all of us who travel.’
She stopped what she was doing, looked at me with wonder in her eyes, immediately straightened up, and began cleaning with a passion, a huge smile spreading across her face. By the time I left, she was passing out towels to all the women who were washing their hands!
I left that washroom with tears in my eyes because that interaction had cost me nothing. However, it changed her life, at least for a few moments. My appreciation of her and the value of her very important work gave her a purpose and a reason for being. SHE WAS MAKING A DIFFERENCE!”
(Reprinted with permission from “The Simple Truths of Appreciation”)
That kind act is one which any of us could repeat, and think what would happen in your home, your workplace, and your community if everyone chose to be kinder. Kindness raises morale. Wouldn’t you like to live and work in an environment where everyone was kind? It is simple!
I have been blessed to speak all over the world on Customer Service, Employee Engagement, Appreciation and Recognition, and Creating Workplaces of Joy. My focus is always on how one person can make a difference no matter what his or her station in life or job may be, and kindness is an integral part of that message.
In my presentations, I always use a model I created many years ago to help me understand the choices I have to be kind and make a difference every day. In every interaction we have, we have a CHOICE to create a minus, a zero or a plus for that other person. Each time we are kind and recognize them as a human being with value, we leave that person with a plus. Think about how I created a plus for the person in the restroom.
Can you imagine a world in which everyone is kind to everyone else? Think about the last kind thing someone did for you and then think about the last kind thing you did for someone else. What difference did that act make in each of your lives?
Let’s look at an acronym to help you remember how to be kind:
K = Kinesthetic
Touch enhances a sense of well-being. Just a simple handshake or touch of fingertips creates a connection between you and another person. So many people in our world today are desperate for the kindness of a gentle touch. In fact, research has shown that to be your healthiest, you need five hugs a day!
A friend’s husband tells about a manager he had who shook hands with each employee as they came in the door every morning. That simple act of kindness built trust, broke down barriers, and even the union members began to respect him as a kind man. After several years of working for him, when this manager thanked him for his good work, her husband came home and cried because it meant so much to him
Become aware, too, of your tone of voice, body language and facial expressions. Do you LOOK like a kind person? Remember that your words can make a huge difference. Mother Teresa says, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
I = Imaginative
Use your creativity to come up with ideas to be kinder to people. They will be surprised and you will have fun. Natalie Peace of Booster Juice Company started a “22 Days of Kiindness” program at three of the businesses she owned. She paid all 50 staff members to do shifts where their only duty was to perform creative acts of kindness : giving flowers to strangers, washing windows for neighboring businesses, and generally going out of their way to brighten someone’s day. She also ran a radio campaign to challenge others in the community. They even asked their customers to take a pledge to commit an act of kindness for the next 22 days.
She says, “There were so many wins from this creative initiative : free advertising for my businesses, more customers, increased loyalty among existing customers, and my staff became even more engaged and motivated. Did this make my businesses more profitable? You bet! But the truth is, I measure success on multiple bottom lines, including impact on my team and my community.”
N = Neighborly
Do you remember “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood”? He was one of the kindest men ever, and also think of State Farm Insurance’s motto: “Like a good neighbor, Sate Farm is there.” Even the Bible says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you think about someone who was a good neighbor, it was probably because they were kind and you could count on them. Look around your home, your workplace, and your community to find ways to be a better neighbor to those with whom you live and work.
D = Deliberate
Be purposeful and deliberate in planning ways to be kind. You need to have a strategy. One of the ways I encourage my audience members to be kinder is the following: In the morning put five pennies in your right hand pocket, and every time you do something kind for someone, move one penny to the other pocket, Don’t go home that night until all five pennies are in the other pocket. This is also a great strategy to use with your team or your family. At dinner or some chosen time during the day, each person share what they did to show kindness to others.
Finally, kindness IS contagious. By becoming aware of how you use your body, getting your creative juices going, thinking like a good neighbor, and planning a strategy to be kinder, you will spread that spirit throughout your workplace and your community, leading to business success and a far more caring world.
BARBARA GLANZ BIOGRAPHY
A member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame and one of fewer than 700 Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide, Barbara Glanz, CSP, CPAE, works with organizations to improve morale, retention and service and with people who want to rediscover the joy in their work and in their lives. She is the first speaker on record to have spoken on all 7 continents and in all 50 states. Known as “the business speaker who speaks to your heart as well as to your head,” Barbara is the author of twelve books including “The Simple Truths of Service Inspired by Johnny the Bagger®”, “CARE Packages for the Workplace,” and “180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm™”. Voted “best keynote presenter you have heard or used” by Meetings & Conventions Magazine, Barbara uses her Master’s degree in Adult Learning to design programs that cause behavior change. She lives and breathes her personal motto: “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™” and can be reached at bglanz@barbaraglanz.com and www.barbaraglanz.com.
For more inspiring articles, visit the Articles section on Barbara’s web site.
New Executive Edition of “The Simple Truths of Service”- Customized Version
Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines has said this about this book: “This book ignited my long-held passion for customer service delivery – so much so that I purchased more than 30,000 copies for our employees. That’s how good it is!”
We are especially excited about this new business edition of the “Johnny the Bagger®” gift book that has sold over half a million copies because it can also be customized as a meaningful gift for either your employees or your customers to celebrate, educate and motivate:
• Add a personalized name and your logo on the cover and at the start of each chapter,
• Write a custom dedication page,
• Put a personal message on the back cover.
• As an introductory offer, there is no minimum order and no setup fee.
Please call us at 941-312-9169 if you are interested in customizing this book for your organization.
To order the book, go to the Books section of Barbara’s Products.
New Presentation -“Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™-Creating a Culture of KINDNESS”
Our world is in desperate need of more compassion, caring, and kindness. Civility and common courtesy are seeming to go by the wayside because we are all just too busy. Just the smallest acts of kindness can make a huge difference in your workplace and in people’s lives and can raise not only your profits but the level of goodness in the world. And it can begin with YOU!
Being kind, to me, is noticing and loving all those persons with whom we live or work who “interrupt” our busy lives, oftentimes unexpectedly. Mother Teresa said, “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.” This applies to our customers, our colleagues, our friends and our families. We all have the choice to make this our philosophy of life. I hope you will choose KINDNESS.
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
As we become more technologically advanced, busier. and more stressed than ever before, we often don’t even see the opportunities around us every day to be kind. Our workplaces, our cities, and our homes are in desperate need of more simple kindness and caring.
Come and learn an acronym to awaken you to those chances to make a small difference in someone’s day:
K = Kinesthetic
I = Imaginative
N = Neighborly
D = Deliberate
From the CEO to the frontline worker, you will leave with many inspirational, concrete and simple ways to change your culture and your lives to ones of kindness and caring. Not only will it impact your bottom line, but it will also add more purpose and joy to each day of your life and the lives of others with whom you interact.
To learn more about this presentation, contact Barbara.