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.
Barbara at age 4

News at Barbara Glanz Communcations, Inc.

INTERNATIONAL GAMMA PHI BETA AWARD

Barbara has just received word that she has been selected as a Gamma Phi Beta Sorority – Carnation Award recipient for the 2014-16 biennium. The Carnation Award recognizes the accomplishments of distinguished alumnae in their professional and volunteer contributions to the communities, and this award is among the highest levels of recognition Gamma Phi Beta bestows on their members. Gamma Phi Beta International Sorority will present this award at their bi-annual convention June 22-25, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

SPEAKING AT NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CONVENTION, June 2016

Barbara will be presenting two sessions at the national SHRM convention in Washington, DC, for the 19th year. She will do a MEGA SESSION titled, ” The Simple Truths of Appreciation and Recognition – Low Cost or No-Cost Ideas to Keep Employees Engaged” as well as a Smart Stage presentation on Change. Each year she has been one of the top rated speakers at the convention which draws over 15,000 attendees.

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON

Very soon you will receive an email announcing Barbara’s new website. It will be much more exciting, clearer and easier to navigate. We will love to get your feedback.
To learn more about Barbara’s work, go to www.barbaraglanz.com.

Article of the Month– Are you Kind?

Are You Kind?

Next week I have been asked to be part of an interview on the subject of Kindness, so I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be kind. In my work in customer service, I use a three column chart model that has a minus column (-), a zero column (0) and a plus column (+). Below, it says “Your Choice in Any Interaction.”

It refers to the impact we have on each person we meet. We can either discount them and make them feel invisible or less important than us or our organization (-). we can simply do the work at hand (0), or we can make what I call a human level connection (+), seeing them as a unique and special person in the midst of that interaction

These interactions do not have to be long or involved. We can focus on another person simply by asking and remembering their name, giving them a compliment, asking something personal about them, or just sincerely thanking them for being there. I tell my audiences that I want them to leave with this simple 3 column model in their heads so that connecting with people on this level becomes part of their daily life. This, to me, is what kindness is all about!

I recently realized how much a part of my life this practice has become when Jed Liuzza, one of my clients, introduced me as the opening keynote speaker for the Oklahoma University Medical Systems Leadership Symposium this fall. After my formal introduction, he shared what had impressed him most was that I LIVED what I was going to talk to them about. He said the minute he picked me up for dinner the night before, I had begun asking him questions about his family, his goals, and his interests, focusing on him as a human being.

Then, when we entered the restaurant, there was a couple with a baby, and he noticed I stopped and talked to the little one and told the parents how blessed they were. Then, he shared, I immediately asked the server her name and gave her a compliment. Finally, when I was introduced to the rest of the team, I asked during dinner to have each of them tell about someone who had greatly impacted their lives. They all told touching stories, and this allowed for a much deeper level of sharing the rest of the meal. What he said he noticed most, however, was how each person simply “came alive” when someone truly connected with them.

I was deeply touched by his words as all of these things I had done unconsciously, simply wanting to acknowledge each person as a precious human being.

One of my beliefs is that every person who comes into our lives is a gift. We have the choice to either open that gift or pass it by. Sometimes, depending on time and circumstances, we may only be able to untie the ribbon, but other times we can dig down deeper to the true gift inside. However, if we ignore that gift, it is a loss for both us AND the other person.

Being kind to me is noticing and loving all those persons with whom you interact, and that day I realized I was modeling the message I was going to be sharing without even knowing it!

Mother Teresa said, “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.” In this new year, we all have the choice to make this our philosophy of life. I hope you will choose KINDNESS.
For more interesting articles you can use in your company newsletters, go to www.barbaraglanz.com/articles.
Barbara’s Human Business Model

Where in the World is Barbara?

JANUARY

7 Lead Like Jesus Facilitator Call

11 Interview and recording for the Kindness and Truth Foundation with Bob Danzig and Kathleen Betts

14 Eye surgery and recovery

FEBRUARY

8 – 11 Dan Diego, CA
11 – 16 Seattle, WA

MARCH

1 – 10 Family Vacation
17 -18 Covington, KY
For a more current calendar, go to www.barbaraglanz.com/calendar
Barbara Celebrating the New Year!

Idea of the Month – Ideas for Appreciation and Recognition

These ideas are excerpted from Barbara’s Book, “!80 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm™”:

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now . . . for I shall not pass this way again.”

Etienne de Grillet

“Praise is the single most powerful tool a supervisor at any level has at his or her disposal. Everyone wants, needs, and craves praise. It is effective — and free!”

Ken Slattery, Training Manager, BASF

Mark Twain said, “I can go two months on one good compliment!” The most valuable assets in any organization are the people who work there. Quality people produce quality products and services. If you’re able to increase the value of your co-workers, you create a more valuable company.

One of the most important ways to increase the value of those with whom you work is to appreciate them. In fact, it is the number two thing people want from their jobs, even before money and promotions. In a recent study by HR Magazine, 65% of employees interviewed said they had gotten NO APPRECIATION all last year for the good work they had done. Very few workers in today’s workplace will continue to give their very best to their jobs if no one ever notices!

William James, the great American psychologist, said, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” The Bible says, “Encourage each other and build each other up.” In his book The Greatest Management Principle in the World Michael LeBoeuf tells us that what every employee really wants is to be recognized and rewarded. The greatest management principle in the world is “The things that get rewarded get done.” Appreciation is the most important kind of reward one can get.

As Ken Blanchard said in The One Minute Manager, “Make a habit of catching people doing something right!” Not only will it make them feel good, but it will change the spirit in your place of work when you begin to truly appreciate others. You don’t have to be a manager to thank someone for a job well done!

It is also important to appreciate your customers. The real truth is that you wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for them. As you begin to create a culture of appreciation both internally and externally, you will find that you have happier employees AND happier customers!

IDEAS FOR APPRECIATION

* Send a handwritten note to at least one customer every week, thanking them for their business.

* When people in your organization first turn on their computers, have a message of the week such as a quotation on customer service, personal growth, something humorous, or even the birthdays of employees during that week.

* Purchase a “Red Plate” for your organization which says “You are SPECIAL today.” It is a fun and visible way to show appreciation and also to create a new organizational tradition. Each person who receives it gets to keep it in his or her office and then to “pass it on.” Legends grow up around who got the “Red Plate” and why! (You can purchase a Red Plate here).

* Invite your customers to a party planned by employees. This is also a great idea for your internal customers – invite a department which supports you and share a treat break with them.

* When an employee has spent a lot of extra time working on a project or has had to travel a great deal in a time period, send a gift certificate to his/her children or spouse. Thank them for sharing their parent/spouse and ask them to use the money to do something special together as a family.

* Keep a “Gift” closet and when employees do something exceptional or are having a bad day, let them choose something from the closet.

* Bring a carnation or other flower for everyone on a day when people are particularly stressed. Include a note that says, “Thank you for blossoming when we need you.”

* Send logo gifts to spouses and children at holiday time.

For more creative ideas, order Barbara’s books.

Circus Book Coming!

One of the reasons I am taking some time off this winter is to finish a book I have been wanting to write for some time on business lessons learned from the Ringling Brothers Circus.

Sarasota, Florida, my home, has been the historical headquarters of the Ringling Circus for many years. The winter headquarters were here where the performers and the animals perfected their acts, John Ringing lived here in his home called Ca d’Zan on the bayfront, and even today it is the home of the famous Ringling Circus Museum, including the extraordinary miniature circus created by .

As a result, many circus people still live in our city, and I have been blessed to get to know a number of them. They have shared stories with me that have never been told before, all tying into the efficiency during the heyday of the Ringling circus, principles which still apply to business today. It has been fascinating and loads of fun to hear about one of America’s most loved institutions, and I am excited to share it with all of you.
To learn more about the Ringling Circus Museum, go to https://www.ringling.org/circus-museum