FSO = Hospitality = YOU

"Thanks to all our employees for NEVER settling for mediocrity. Your smile, your enthusiasm and your hard work is what makes my vision come alive at FSO."

Good Morning Folks,

It's Monday and a new day, new week and a whole new opportunity to do great things. 

Today visiting Atlanta, like I do every day, I go on appointments and hear how the prospect thinks all outsourcing companies are the same. That's right, the market thinks we are the same! No way... The only thing we have in common with our competitors is the word “outsourcing.” Everything else is different! That difference is YOU, our folks! Yes, YOU the person on site and the person supporting the site.

Every site employee, YOU, are the FSO difference! Your commitment to service, to exceed the client expectations, to do just that little bit more, to be more professional, to have that better idea, to notice that detail, to take action when no one is watching. YOU make this company the best outsourcing provider in the business. YOU are the reason we have nothing in common with our competitors. YOU are the reason we have experienced Galactic Growth!

Thank YOU for doing the little things that make a big difference at our client sites and for supporting our client sites. Thank YOU for fueling the FSO passion. Thank YOU for waking up every day and realizing that today is a great day to serve our clients and stretch just a bit farther. 

Yes we have work to do. But we are a less than four year old start up company that has taken the market by storm, yet has only just begun. The future is so so bright.

Make this Monday the beginning of the best week of your life, professionally and personally. Put your mind right and know that if you do the right things, great things will happen. The past is the past and cannot be changed. Today is a new day, go effect your future. Go impact tomorrow.

Tom Peters said the difference between a good and great manager is 5 minutes. That 5 minutes was the extra time spent getting things right, thinking through an opportunity, organizing, etc... Be great and take the 5 minutes to write the extra email, respond to that question better, think through that problem and make that one more call.

The love running throughout this company is infectious so… take it personally because FSO is about hospitality and hospitality begins with YOU!

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Hugs all around,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why" 

— Bernard Mannes Baruch

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Kiss ME: It's My First Blogiversary. And We're Just Warming Up.

"Many of us we can remember a time in the not too distant past when we were hoping for a phone call that would be the answer to our prayers...a job offer...to end the drought of our unemployed status. Being jobless is often a desperate situation; especially with a family to support it can be a heavy weight to bear."

Good Morning Folks, 

What a wild ride here at FSO Onsite Outsourcing last week: a cruise around Manhattan as a "thank you" to the employees for all their hard work; 2 new sites were launched/ WENT LIVE; our National Sales Team were in NYC for an awesome and productive day of strategy, and 3 promotions were announced. 

Most importantly our galactic growth continues to fuel the creation of new jobs, put people back to work, and provide advancement opportunities for roles that traditionally had been glass ceilings. 

I have never taken my eye off what drives a successful company – continued innovations, changing with the times and having the ability to be flexible, and retaining great talent. Key is paying attention to the things your customer wants! Your customer is the one who creates success, you just have to be there to capture it.

And such customer-centric thinking has surely paid off for us:

• 100% Client Retention
• Exemplary Customer Satisfaction Scores
• Record Client Growth!

As we hit the midway point of 2014 we have a lot to be thankful for. So far 2014 has been a banner year for FSO across the USA!

I started this blog as a blank canvas 272 posts and twelve months ago, now with over 40,000 visits from 382 of the Fortune 500 leaders in Legal, Professional Services, Media, Financial Services, Building Management, Retail, Fashion  and Education.

I never pictured myself blogging or even being able to keep such a demanding commitment. But here I am and so glad I dipped in. Opines an Ted Keynoter that we shared with you last week, "employees, through social media, are changing how companies market to, and engage with, customers and prospects. Unauthentic sales pitches doesn’t work anymore. Instead, we are witnessing the rise of the social employee who creates a win/win proposition by leveraging their personal brands to build trust and increase the digital “surface area” of the brands for which they work."

MitchWeiner.com and our social media initiative have taken off beyond my wildest expectations. I would highly recommend that your brand follow suit. 

Blogging has become one of the most fulfilling, worthwhile and personally gratifying endeavours of my career. You make it so.

Every day, people show up on these pages in search for something that motivates them. Things to get them out of bed, things to get them pumped up, things to help them make it through the day and so much more! The sense purpose and emotional compensation that comes from interacting with and helping others get pumped through social media transcends cash. That in mind...

I want to end this Monday's musing by sharing an excerpt from a touching email I received from an employee. Joe writes:

"Many of us we can remember a time in the not too distant past when we were hoping for a phone call that would be the answer to our prayers...a job offer...to end the drought of our unemployed status. Being jobless is often a desperate situation; especially with a family to support it can be a heavy weight to bear.

For many of our folks (myself included) FSO was that beacon of Hope. Each and every day WE as a company help change people's lives for the better. Through succession planning with FLP we make it possible to help our folks forge a career where prior to joining FSO no such opportunities existed.

Faith is the complete trust in someone or something. We prefer to call it "Sleep Easy"…It's confidence. The confidence our clients have in us, the confidence we have in our leaders.

Hope & Faith is what makes us the Greatest Outsourcing Company on the Planet. Together we will make Mitch's vision a reality…and continue his legacy long into the distance.. 

Joe's right: Each and every day WE as a company help change people's lives for the better. My legacy is to pay it forward so people like Joe who show up with FIRE>>SKIP>> and TWINKLE... can have the same opportunities I had against all odds, coming from challenging circumstances.

Because…. HAPPIER Employees deliver more PRODUCTIVE and PROFITABLE results. 

And that's not only what makes us different, it makes us better.

Thank you for entrusting us with your business challenges. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Thank you for your support and readership of the blog and for taking time to write to me directly. 

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others. 

I take happiness very seriously. It is a creed, a philosophy and an objective" ~~Helen Keller                                                                                                                                    

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A Big Thank You To These Notable Readers of MitchWeiner.com:

Access Staffing, Adecco Usa, ADP, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, & Feld, Albert Einstein ], College Of Medicine, Amazon Corporate, American Express Company, American Honda Motor Company, American University, Amgen, Amster Rothstein & Ebanstein, Anchor Associates Group Inc, Angelo, Gordon & Co., Anne Arundel County Govt, Aquantive, Arent Fox Llp, Arhus, Kobmandsskole, Arrowhead Aea, Asrc Federal Holding Company, Llc, Aurelius Capital Management, Automatic Data Processing, Automattic, Ball State University, Baltimore Technology Park, Bank Of America, Barclays Financial Corp., Bbdo New York, Bechtel Corp, Best Buy, Black Oak Computers Inc, Blackrock Financial Management, Bloomberg Bloomberg, Brandprotect, Brookfield Asset Management, Bsnl, BT (UK searching for Denise), Cahill Gordon & Reindel, California Department Of Justice, California Education And Research Federation Network, California State University, Long Beach, Canon Usa, Carolinas, Healthcare System, Cb Richard Ellis, Cbi Connect, Cdw - Cdw Llc, Central Methodist University, Charles Schwab & Co., Choopa, Llc, Citigroup, City Of Houston, Clyde & Co Llp, Colgate-palmolive Co., Colliers Abr, Inc - Cassidy Turley, Colt Technology Services Group Limited, Columbia University, Completel, Comporium Communications, Conagra Foods, Concordia College, Condenast Publications, Control Risks Group Llc, Coral Graphics, Cottage Hospital, County Of Marin, County Of Suffolk, New York, Credit Suisse Group, Credit Suisse Group / Canada, Cuddy & Feder Llp, Cwie, Llc, Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc., Data Control And Systems, Datagram, Dell, Deloitte & Touche, Delta Dental Of California, Delta Dental Plan Of Michigan, Department Of Administrative Services (Ohio), Department Of The Interior, Office Of The Secretary, Department Of Veterans Affairs, Detroit Public Schools, Devry, Dga Security Systems, Dickstein Shapiro Llp, Discover, Financial Services, Distributed Systems Services, Duane Morris, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom,Edelman Pr, Emerge212, Equity Residential, Ernst & Young Llp, Esi International, Espn, European Police Office (europol), Evercore Partners Services East, Llc, Facebook Corporate, Factory Mutual Insurance Company, Federal Aviation Administration, Federated Systems Group, Fedex Office & Print Services, Fidelity National Financial, First American Equipment Financial, Fisher Scientific, Florida Department Of Management Services, Florida International University, Ford Motor Company, Fort Hays State University, Fortressitx, Free Sas, Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.c., GE, Genentech, Georgetown University, Gerson Lehrman Group, Godaddy.com, Llc, Google Corporate, Goose Creek Consolidated Isd, Government Of Saskatchewan, Graphnet Inc., Gravitas Technology, Greenberg Traurig P.a, Griffin Information Systems Limited, Group M Worldwide, Hachette Book Group, Hamilton-clermont Cooperative Assn., Hccs - Houston Community College System, Hearst Corporation, Hewlett-packard Company, Higher Colleges Of Technology, Hill & Knowlton, Inc, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Hma, Hughes Hubbard & Reed Llp, Humber College, IBM Corporation, Ikon Office Solutions, Illinois Wesleyan University, Immedion, Llc, Intergrated Office, Internal Revenue Service, International Business Times, International Monetary Fund, Io Capital Princess, Llc, Jefferies International Limited, Jewish Board Of Family & Children 's Services, Johnson & Johnson, Jones Apparel Group, Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Kabel Bw, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hayes, And Hudler, Kddi Corporation, King & Spalding Llp, Kirby Mcinerney Llp, Kirkland & Ellis Llp, Leaseweb Usa, Legal Source Ls Llc, Leslie Digital Imaging Llc, Lexis-nexis, Linode Resources, Liquidnet Holdings, Los Angeles County Office Of Education, Loyola Marymount University, Macquarie Bank, Macquarie Holdings, Marriott International, Marsh, Mayer, Brown & Platt, Mcnc, Mckesson Technologies, Medex Pharmacy, Mediadata, Memorial Sloan-kettering Cancer Center, Merck And Co, Miami University, Michaels Stores, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, Micro Graphic Info Svcs, Microsoft Corp, Middle Country Public Library, Milbank - Milbank Tweed Hadley Mccloy, Ministry Of Education Computer Center, Miox Corporation, Montclair State University, Morgan Stanley Group, Moses & Singer Llp, Motorola, Mount Sinai School Of Medicine, Multiverse, Munsch Hardt Kopf Harr, Namesco Limited, Nassau County Board Of Cooperative Education Services, Nassau County Boces, National Board Of Medical Examiners, National Chiao Tung University, Navy Network Information Center, NBC Universal, Nbs, Nbty, Nco Group, Ncs Pearson, Neuberger Berman, New Mexico State University, New York City Public Schools, New York Power Authority, New York Public Library, New York University, Next Jump, Nomura International Plc, Northern Michigan University, Northern Ohio Educational Computer Association, Nyedc, Off Campus Telecommunications, Old Republic, Onewest Bank Fsb, Openband Multimedia, Llc, Orange, Orange County - Telecommunications Department, Orange Israel, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Oshean, Partners Healthcare System, Pavlov Njencom Colo, Perfect Building Maintenance, Peter-paul_verduin Pfizer, Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, Pitney Bowes Plc, Plum Creek Marketing, Plus One Health Management, Polaris Project, Polytechnic University, Powerspace & Services, Preferred Office Products, Privax Limited, PwC (50 locations!); Qitx; R.r. Donnelley & Sons Company; r.sea; Readers Digest; Reed Smith Llp (PA); Regus Business Centers, Research In Motion; Revenue Assurance Test; Richards Kibbe & Orbe Llp; Robins, Kaplan, Miller, & Cire; Rockefeller Group Technology Solutions; Row 44; Royal Bank Of Canada; Rutgers University; Safra National Bank Of New York; Salesforce.com; San Diego City Schools; San Francisco Marriott Marquis; Santa Clara County Office Of Education; Sarah Lawrence College; Scholastic; Sfr; Sharp Electronics Corporation; Shearman & Sterling; Sidley Austin Brown & Wood; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Llp; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Llp; Social Law Library; Societe Generale; Socorro Independent School District; Softbank Bb Corp; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Spherion Corporation; src Federal Holding Company, Llc; Standard Motor Products; Starwood Hotels; State Of Montana; Stinson Morrison Hecker Llp; Straub Clinic & Hospital; Sungard Availability Services Usa; Syracuse University; Systems Research And Applications Corp; Talktalk; Teco Energy; Tesoro; Companies; Texas Blending & Warehousing Corp; Texas Instruments; Texas Medical Center; The Chubb Corporation; The City Of New York; The Coca-cola Company; The Heritage Foundation; The Interpublic Group Of Companies; The Jnt Association; The Limited, The Metrohealth System; The Municipal Communications Utility Of The City O (Iowa); The New York Times Company; Time; Toronto District School Board; Tower Group Companies; Trlg – Hq, Ttx Company; U.s. 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Thursday LinkUP: Millennials— If You Don't Develop Them, You'll Lose Them

"As a millennial myself, I would say that I connect deepest with brands that keep an active and inspiring social campaign. This means that their post, image, or link catches my attention in my already busy newsfeed, say images and quotes that are industry-related (but maybe not brand related) as well as industry-related articles are my favorite posts from the brands I follow." 

~~ Clark (FSO MVP)

Good Morning Folks,

I've been using Thursdays for throwback posts the past few weeks. Meanwhile I'm amassing more content than I can possibly share on social media, so today, I thought I'd LINK YOU UP to the business world's most forward thinking on my favorite topic: Millennials.

Once upon a time generations of workers had a life-long career in a single company with a progressive path upward inside the company (as in Detroit automakers), the reality is that most of us do not have that option today, and that path is no longer even viable (as in Detroit automakers).

The career escalator is jammed at every level. Unemployment rates are sky-high. Creative disruption is shaking every industry. Global competition for jobs is fierce. The employer-employee pact is over and traditional job security is a thing of the past.

At FSO our managers excel navigating a brave new world in which companies must manage four different generations from Millennials to Boomers — each with different needs and motivations. The challenge for our executive leadership team and in grooming our future leaders is... in an era of job hopping and fast rises, how do you turn young talent into leadership? The answer is if you don't develop them you'll lose them.

“The Millennial Compass“ study was released at this years SXSW holds some answers.

It found that Millennials are focused on achieving through personal networks and technology. They value a good work-life balance, perceive their managers as friends, and don’t want to be tied to an organization, a timetable or a hierarchy.

According to Mashable whose founder and editor Pete Cashmore participated in the study, (Pete Cashmore And Olivier Fleurot: The Truth About Millennials At Work), "The Boomers helped shape some of the great global companies that exist today and the Millennials are turning innovations into new businesses with speed we have never seen before. The boundaries of business today are expanding in America and around the world." 

"Successful leaders must drive constant innovation, manage with ease in a world of change, and must be able to navigate global markets. In that respect Millennials seem to be well prepared for the future. Whether they do that in large companies or in start-ups really doesn’t matter. Entrepreneurial skills should be valued in both."

"The Boomers helped shape some of the great global companies that exist today and the Millennials are turning innovations into new businesses with speed we have never seen before. The boundaries of business today are expanding in America and around the world. Successful leaders must drive constant innovation, manage with ease in a world of change, and must be able to navigate global markets. In that respect Millennials seem to be well prepared for the future. Whether they do that in large companies or in start-ups really doesn’t matter. Entrepreneurial skills should be valued in both."

Among the starkest data points in a different study (Deloitte's 2014 Global Human Capital Trends report) is this one: About two-thirds of companies around the world consider themselves weak in developing millennial leadership. Meanwhile, only 5 percent of companies rated themselves as "excellent" in that field.

The data comes on the heels of other reports showing trouble in leadership development programs. Among those findings: Companies are hurting themselves by failing to differentiate between high-performance and high-potential employees, and though they recognize the importance of talent development they're not putting their money where their mouth is by investing in development programs.

Every brand, well most of them, desperately want to understand millennials – their online behavior, where they spend their time, what they care about, how they work, purchase patterns, etc. And the reason is pretty simple. There are over 80 million of them roaming the Internet, which is by far the largest generation to date.

The only language that really counts is to "level with them". Knowing them is an edge to marketers who can provide efforts that builds awareness and cultivate referrals on long term basis.

At FSO, know we are doing an exceptional job meeting the millennial challenge and making the most of its unique technological skills and brainpower.

But if your company is like most others, you'll need all the help you can get. These article links that follow, the most informative from my large Millennial resources archive, may shed some light. 

And for millennials reading this I've also included a link to a great guide to retirement as many millennials feeling young and invincible live from paycheck to paycheck and may not otherwise consider these issues before it's too late.

Stern Advice - Getting real about retirement  (Reuters)

Get Creative to Recruit Millennials   (INC)

The Millennial Marketing Mix: Community, Innovation And Values  (Forbes)

The Paradox of Generation Y  (Entrepreneur)

Commitment-phobia: Millennials want different models of ownership and brands need to keep up (Marketing Magazine UK)

What We All Thought About Millennials Is Actually True  (LinkedIn, Log In required)

Pete Cashmore And Olivier Fleurot: The Truth About Millennials At Work (Forbes)

Why It's So Hard to Turn Fickle Millennials Into Leaders  (INC)

Millenials Believe Business Can Do More (LinkedIn, Log In required)

Millennials Are Changing the Wine Industry With Tasting Room (HuffPO)

Are Millennials Too Impatient At Work?  (LinkedIn, Log In required)

Sorry Banks, Millennials Hate You  (Ritholz Blog)

Love them or hate them, Millennials are here to stay and they carry the torch to take business into the next millennium and beyond. Therefore to my boomer peers running law firms or corporations I remind you that David Ogilvy once said "the consumer is not a moron, she is your wife" to which I say today "the consumer and brand she or he is buying from aren't morons, they are your kids!"

Next week I will return to the "throwback" mode with a review of the cell phone on its 30th anniversary.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

"Culture" Is What Happens When No One Is Looking

"My own leadership style 

to inspire others to greatness."

BTW, We are HIRING! And holding an open house at our New York office on Tuesday and Wednesday. Details HERE.

Good Morning Folks,

Over the weekend we made some new friends and they were curious what it is I do for a living. 

"Outsourcing, you have an office in India," they queried. 

I answered, "Onsite outsourcing is the business practice of hiring “experts” to manage on your behalf, the people, process and technology associated with non-core business functions. The business benefits are plentiful and most simply stated; this business model allows companies and firms to focus on their core, revenue-generating activities." 

After I explained that companies and firms outsource for management oversight, service Issues or cost, our new friends asked, "We understand that, but what makes FSO great— better at delivering this service than all of the competition?

I thought hard how to answer that simply.

I told them that we are personified by our unique corporate culture which in a nutshell is what happens when no one is looking.

Ultimately it’s the people and their passion that drives our success.

I went on to tell our new friends that FSO is building great leaders to make our great organization even greater.

Our high standards- striving for perfection and pursuit of excellence revolve around what we refer to as out 3 'p's:

• Personal
• Productive
• Passionate

When I think about our rapid growth consider every account we've brought on in the past three years is an account someone else had. There is a reason we were brought on- and it goes beyond being then better product at better price than anyone else.

From the newest hire to inspiring our current staff we are focusing on what really counts— being The HAPPIEST Place To Work on Earth.
And that's not only what makes us different, it makes us better.


Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Welcome To The HAPPIEST Place To Work on Earth

"Clients: Remember, HAPPIER Employees deliver more PRODUCTIVE and PROFITABLE results. Be ready as we help you accomplish more than had ever been thought possible before."

Hi Folks,

We're glad that you could join us on a fine but chilly morning in NYC. 

I hope you all enjoyed your time off over the holidays.

And, thank you for all the wonderful notes from our FSO employees supporting the closure of the company. It could never have happened without all of your amazing efforts in 2013.

Closing the company for a week, so we could all take a collective sigh of relief, was our way to say THANK YOU for the amazing effort and year that FSO realized in 2013.

2014 will be a an even more inspired year and we plan on lighting up the nation. 

We are planning our best year yet: national, growth, legal, client and employee love fest and more.. we won’t change our strategy as we know it works, but we will certainly use new ideas, new plans, and new strategies out of the 2014 play book to ensure success for all.

But I can only do it with each of you, and your positive attitudes and passions. So... From the first chapter of the 2014 play book....
                                                                                                                 
FSO WILL be the HAPPIEST PLACE TO WORK ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is my goal and your goal— from the newest hire to inspiring our current staff— to ensure that we are focusing on what counts and what’s important— being The HAPPIEST Place To Work on Earth. I love it.

I have never taken my eye off what drives a successful company – continued innovations, changing with the times and having the ability to be flexible, and retaining great talent.

In a blog post in December I suggested ten simple ways that we motivate our best people which collectively make FSO The HAPPIEST Place To Work On Earth!

1. Challenge them

2. Give them the opportunity to make a difference

3. Give them the opportunity to advance their career

4. Be one of the leading places to work

5. Pay them well

6. Give them the ability to make decisions on their own

7. Be the boss they want to work for

8. State the company's beliefs and values

9. Be supportive of their personal goals

10. Provide complementary team members

As a result, OUR team leads with consistency in mission and in corporate/strategic initiatives. At FSO, employees really do feel a sense of accomplishment after hard work. We show every employee where they can go inside our company. We share a detailed vision! 

"We excel at attracting and retaining
inspired and passionate people with
performance-based rewards and
opportunities for advancement"

We offer employees the opportunity to work with industry leaders, the latest and greatest technology, and some of the most forward–thinking customers in the world. FSO provides an environment that rewards innovation, is rich in resources and respects the incredibly talented team we’ve built over the last three years.

For employees, forging a fulfilling career is one of the most important — and often, most difficult —challenges in building a happy life. Most employees want to use their careers to make a difference in the world. We show them how they can accomplish that through their work for you, our clients.

For employers, building a culture of happiness is key to cementing their brand’s success. When these interests converge, the result is a sense of belonging through shared values and an intangible, emotional belief that we are on a shared journey. 

I am ready, I am pumped, I am ready to lead like never before to help each of us thrive by creating the work life and workplace that we want and deserve.

So to our employees: BE HAPPY.. BE THANKFUL. It’s our time to INSPIRE A COUNTRY, light up a nation and change our client's worlds.

Clients: Remember, HAPPIER Employees deliver more PRODUCTIVE and PROFITABLE results. Be ready as we help you accomplish more than had ever been thought possible before.

I can see 2020 clearly. I hope you can as well.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

LinkUP Thursday: This Holiday, Give The Gift of Knowledge

"Even if your not  a salesman, selling skills will help you in every facet of life from buying our selling a house, to blowing away that interview for the dream job, to negotiating your next car. All told these books leave a lasting impression that will accelerate and improve the quality of your life and career."

Good Morning Folks,

Books make great gifts, but they’re even more meaningful with a story behind them.

Inspired by the LinkedIn Influencer series  CEO and other thought leaders were asked "What Book Changed You" — a new tradition has been born as these recommendations are serving as great gift lists for the executives, students, managers and career seekers in your life.

Unlike the traditional sweater or tie, these life-changing books empower you with knowledge, tools, techniques and tips— lessons that keep giving for the res of your life.

At FSO, myself and team are are already receiving some of the recommendations from our thoughtful friends and partners . We wanted to share some favorites those with you.

The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino, was the first book that spoke directly to me and that addressed what I was going through while trying to seek clarity as a young businessman most, and when I first read it and every time since.

You can learn something from every experience — be open to learning new things and living new experiences.

1. Decide what you want.

2. Discover what the customer wants.

3. Deliver what the customer wants, plus one — SURPRISE THEM!

Many other books have changed me, one was the new bestseller from Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, Built to Last - Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. It was one of the first evidence-based books to explain the value of a vision. They found that the companies that got the vision and purpose right outperformed their industry (in stock market returns) by 1500% or 15 times! We knew that this would get the attention of CPAs as we asked them to help us create a vision for their future.

The lesson: Be a leader in your industry, not a “me too” company — understand and leverage your core competencies. Adapting to change and becoming a learning organization are competitive advantages.

In 1990, I discovered Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and was transformed.

For me, another book that transformed me the most is Dale Carnegie’s massive bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence People. While this classic, advice-driven read may seem like a no-brainer, you can never hear it enough times.

More recently: The Five Best Social Media Books For Holiday Giving 

This month, over 60 of the most powerful figures in business shared the one book that got them where they are, and described how reading it transformed them professionally and personally. “The Book That Changed Me,” November’s feature series of Influencer posts on LinkedIn, amounted to a library of life-altering books. Some were inspirational, some serious, and others downright silly. But they all had a profound impact on the lives of leaders, among them Virgin founder Richard Branson, executive recruiter James Citrin and GE CMO Beth Comstock.

LinkedIn’s members enthusiastically participated in the series, and added another shelf to that library. Responses in the comments and on social media layered new meaning onto some Influencer favorites and offered a whole new selection of great books.

HERE, you’ll find MORE the top ten books that LinkedIn members and Influencers say changed their lives.

Even if your not  a salesman, selling skills will help you in every facet of life from being our selling a house, to blowing away that interview for the dream job, to negotiating your next car. All told these books leave a lasting impression that will accelerate and improve the quality of your life and career.

Best of all, these books can be purchased online, gift wrapped with a personal message and delivered to your recipients door within two days. So why waste gas finding another sweater to collect dust in the closet?

In the spirit of the season.... CHEERS!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 

 "Stop being afraid of what could go wrong 

and start being positive about what could go right". — zig

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Barry Moltz: 10 Simple Ways To Motivate Your Best People

"Employees that are able to have control over their daily environment have a higher level of job satisfaction and stay longer."

Good Morning Folks,

Barry Moltz Small Business Speaker, Consultant, and Author offers 10 simple ways to motivate your best people that mesch exactly with the way we say and do things at FSO.

The path for making most small businesses successful goes directly to having outstanding employees. Hiring and rehiring staff is a time consuming and expensive proposition for any company. How do you retain the best people and keep them motivated?

The golden rule of employment is employee goals = company goals.

When the employees’ career goals match what the company is trying to achieve in the long term, people stay and prosper. As soon as this equation becomes unbalanced, great employees seek opportunities elsewhere.

Here are 10 simple ways to motivate your best people:

1. Challenge them
Every top performing employee wants to be challenged on a weekly basis. As you raise your expectations, their performance and job satisfaction will also increase.

2. Give them the opportunity to make a difference
Forget about hiring “the best.” Most employees want to use their careers to make a difference in the world. Show them how they can accomplish that through their work at your company. People really do feel a sense of accomplishment after hard work.

3. Give them the opportunity to advance their career
Show every employee where they can go inside your company. Share a detailed vision! I will never forget in the late 1980's how my IBM Branch Manager, Jim Corgel once took his business card and scratched out his name. He then wrote my name in its place. Jim was showing me where I could go in the organization.

4. Be one of the leading places to work
Give them bragging rights at every party and family event. How do you think the employees at Apple, Google and Groupon feel right about now? Like business rock stars? You bet!

5. Pay them well
This is not a place to save money in your business. Give your best employees golden handcuffs by paying them above market rate and provide incentives to be the highest paid employee in their field. If you pay the best, you can expect the best.

6. Give them the ability to make decisions on their own
“Empower” is an overused word in business. But, we still need to give employees the ability to make their own decisions and be responsible for their outcome. Employees that are able to have control over their daily environment have a higher level of job satisfaction and stay longer.

7. Be the boss they want to work for
Be someone that all employees can communicate with without fear of judgement. Be available to talk with them as they make their own decisions in  your business.

8. State the companies beliefs and values
Publish a company manifesto clearly and ensure that every company action is in harmony with them.

9. Be supportive of their personal goals
Katrina Markoff, Founder of Vosges Haut Chocolates always asks her employees what their personal dreams are over the next 3 years. She then figures out ways to be supportive in order for them to meet their personal goal.

10. Provide complementary team members
Weed out the non performing employees quickly (Everyone knows who they are anyway)

In the spirit of the season.... CHEERS!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 

 "If you're not happy with what you have, 

you'll never be happy with what you want."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Inspire ME Friday: Love Life

"Life is Short, Break the Rules, Forgive Quickly, Kiss Slowly, Love Truly, Laugh Uncontrollably, And Never Regret Anything That Made You Smile!"

Good Morning Folks,

I'm going to make it short and sweet. 

The quote above, and this week's dose of inspiration, great article from a man who watched 70 hours of TED talks; short, 18-minute talks given by inspirational leaders in the fields of Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED). He watched 296 talks in total, and recently went through the list of what he watched, weeded out the crappy and boring talks, and created a list of the 100 best things he learned. Have a look and you'll want to print it out and keep it close for anytime, anywhere priceless inspiration.

In closing, I started this blog as a blank canvas 134 posts and five months ago sharing with you "If you are tired of laziness and complacency in pursuing your dreams and need guidance in cultivating your career or profit center, you’re going to love my new blog here at MitchWeiner.com. I look forward to being your tour guide on this wild, wild ride that is today’s rapidly changing job market."

It's a post worth revisiting.

Meanwhile, the blog and our social media initiative has taken off beyond my wildest expectations. And I want to thank the ever growing list of brands who have become faithful readers and loyal fans:


Aarhus Kobmandsskole
Access Staffing
ADP
Amazon.com
American Express Company
American University
Arhus Kobmandsskole
Automatic Data Processing
Automattic
Baltimore Technology Park
Barclays Capital
Bbdo New York
Bloomberg
Brookfieldts Lp
Bsnl
Cahill Gordon & Reindel
California Department Of Justice
California Education And Research Federation
California State University, Long Beach
Cb Richard Ellis
Charles Schwab & Co.
Citigroup
Comporium Communications
Condenast Publications
Credit Suisse Group
Datagram
Deloitte & Touche 
Detroit Public Schools
Devry
Dga Security Systems
Dickstein Shapiro Llp
Discover Financial Services
Ernst & Young Llp
Esi International
Facebook
Fedex Neuberger Berman
Fisher Scientific
Florida International University
Fort Hays State University
Fortressitx
Free Sas
Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.c.
GE
Gerson Lehrman Group
Godaddy.com, Llc
Google 
Graphnet Inc.
Graphnet Inc.
Group M Worldwide
Hachette Book Group
Hearst Corporation
Hewlett-packard Company
Higher Colleges Of Technology
Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hma
Intergrated Office
Johnson & Johnson
Kabel Bw
Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hayes, And Hudler
Kirby Mcinerney Llp
Legal Source Ls Llc
Leslie Digital Imaging Llc
Lexis-nexis
Los Angeles County Office Of Education
Loyola Marymount University
Macquarie Bank
Macquarie Holdings
Mayer, Brown & Platt
Miami University
Microsoft Corp
Milbank - Milbank Tweed Hadley Mccloy
Ministry Of Education Computer Center
Moses & Singer Llp
Nassau County Board Of Cooperative Education Services
National Board Of Medical Examiners
Nbc Universal (multiple)
Nbs
Ncs Pearson
Neuberger Berman
Nomura International Plc
Old Republic
Peter-paul_verduin
Polytechnic University
Pricewaterhousecoopers, Llp (multiple)
Sarah Lawrence College
Sfr
Socorro Independent School District
Stinson Morrison Hecker Llp
Syracuse University
The Chubb Corporation
The City Of New York
The Coca-cola Company
Ungaretti & Harris
Universitypeter-paul_verduin
Us Department Of Defense Net
Volumedrive

You are forever in my heart and mind. As the season of gratitude rolls in, I am a grateful man indeed. You make it so. Together we are unstoppable.

In the spirit of the season.... CHEERS!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here