InspireME Friday: Shawn Curwen on TEAMwork!

"Nothing happens without the syncopated movement of our FSO TEAM. We are all here to win "championships" but it cannot be done without our team. I am quick to correct someone when they give kudos to one person when it was a T.E.A.M. effort."

Good Morning Folks,

As you know I task different folks from all walks of the company to send daily motivational messages to everyone.  Experience Director Shawn Curwen sent a great one last week on Teamwork. I want to share it with you because it embodies our whole philosophy of going to market and striving for excellence in our pursuit of the fulfillment of BOTH customer and employee dreams.

There is nothing more exciting or inspiring than TEAMWORK! We are surrounded and consumed by it everyday in sports, at work and even at home when parents are working together to raise a child to be successful or more important independent of them....WOW.   

Todays message is my Ode to a T.E.A.M. A team is constructed in such a way where you have a leader, a few "go to" people and supporting cast or "role players". I am reminded of the Chicago Bulls winning championship after championship with Phil Jackson as the leader...the coach, the guy who tells everyone where to go and how they will be better for it. Who does that remind you of (cue the Jeopardy music) MITCH!   

Where would we be without our G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) leader in this industry of on-site outsourcing.

Then we have the "go to" players like Michael Jordan.  eed I same more? This is our leadership, our ELT, RDs,  EDs, EMs, Leads and more. They are "scoring" and staying on top of the overall goal to win over our clients and get new clients for more opportunity. Then their our our role players...the folks that know what they have to do every day but when called upon can and will do more. I see this everyday at the "Mothership" and in field with my peers.   

Visiting with the Miami TEAM

Nothing happens without the syncopated movement of our FSO TEAM. We are all here to win "championships" but it cannot be done without our team. I am quick to correct someone when they give kudos to one person when it was a T.E.A.M. effort. 

TEAM Means TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE..more cross training... more support...more succession for your growth...more love for the client! I could not do it everyday without my Mothership TEAM.They had never really worked with one another as closely as they are now. After we meet I watch them go and it's a symphony of tactical movement that curls either end of my mouth.    

Pride follows. Of course I want to do more. Spend some time watching football and you will witness on every play one man working as hard to get to score a touchdown as the next. Every yard..every inch they scratch and claw for to reach that goal line.  This same determination happens at HQ and our sites everyday. The goal is that we all see 2020 clearly.  Use this as your team concept and we will all achieve this and many other goals.  

I follow an African saying symbolized by the word  "Umbuntu" which means I am because you are. Let's get to work TEAM and get excited! Love them up...they deserve it, trust me. I came all the way to Miami to love up Lissette's team in the PwC office in Miami.  Beautiful office...beautiful team. Let the TEAM lovefest be the catalyst to how great we make our client experience.  

Shawn thanks for the wonderful message this morning and super glad you are with the fso family.. love having you and your smile. Happy Friday to all of you.. and YES, it is a beautiful weekend forecast ahead in New York.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ted Tuesday: How To Spot A Liar

"All forms of self deception make us vulnerable to the scam, the con, the false promise, the bad hire, the unwise promotion, the faulty new product." ~~Portfolio.com

Good Morning Folks,

I am sure you can sense my passion and excitement as I looking forward to sharing another AMAZING TED!

People--friends, family members, work colleagues, salespeople--lie to us all the time. Daily, hourly, constantly. None of us is immune, and all of us are victims. According to studies by several different researchers, most of us encounter nearly 200 lies a day.

Social media expert Pamela Meyer can tell when you’re lying. If it’s not your words that give you away, it’s your posture, eyes, breathing rate, fidgets, and a host of other indicators. Worse, we are all lied to up to 200 times a day, she says, from the white lies that allow society to function smoothly to the devastating duplicities that bring down corporations and break up families.

Working with a team of researchers over several years, Meyer, who is CEO of social networking company Simpatico Networks, collected and reviewed most of the research on deception that has been published, from such fields as law-enforcement, military, psychology and espionage. She then became an expert herself, receiving advanced training in deception detection, including multiple courses of advanced training in interrogation, microexpression analysis, statement analysis, behavior and body language interpretation, and emotion recognition. Her research is synthesized in her bestselling book Liespotting.

Liespotting links three disciplines--facial recognition training, interrogation training, and a comprehensive survey of research in the field--into a specialized body of information developed specifically to help business leaders detect deception and get the information they need to successfully conduct their most important interactions and transactions.

Some of the nation's leading business executives have learned to use these methods to root out lies in high stakes situations. Liespotting for the first time brings years of knowledge--previously found only in the intelligence community, police training academies, and universities--into the corporate boardroom, the manager's meeting, the job interview, the legal proceeding, and the deal negotiation.

Check out her book and I guarantee you'll learn tons from her Ted Talk that follows.


There is so much excitement in all touch points of our business!! I'm SERIOUS about LIGHTING UP THE NATION. So.... please continue to help us spread the word about what an AMAZING opportunity it is to work with FSO.

We are pumped super excited and ready to rock.

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

*TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.  More at Ted.com

Enthusiasm Is a Priceless Commodity!

"He didn’t just blanket the market with a bunch of form letters. He researched and targeted. He wrote a brilliant, personalized and attention-grabbing letter. And it worked. Strategic chutzpah."

Good Morning Folks,

We had a busy work weekend and thanks to many for those efforts. 

My sales team has probably heard it enough from me though it's something in sales you can't stress enough: "We must propose. You must increase your outbound work through your personal database. Direct mail and more. You MUST create urgency in your prospecting and you MUST increase your overall volumes. Don't fool yourself with busy work. You have to pick up the phone and talk to somebody in order to get results."

Which leads me to a Steve Jobs story I was reading on A.J. Jacob's LinkedIN:

In a 1994 interview, Steve Jobs told a story about when he was in high school and, one day, just called up Silicon Valley legend Bill Hewlett (of Hewlett-Packard). “His number was still in the phone book," said Jobs. "He answered the phone himself.”

Jobs asked Hewlett if he had any spare parts for a frequency counter. Hewlett not only gave him the parts, but gave him a summer job at the factory.

“Most people never pick up the phone and call,” said Jobs. “And that’s what separates sometimes the people that do things from the people that just dream about them.”

I’m no Bill Hewlett, but the best hire of my career was someone with Steve-Jobs-like chutzpah. I call it “strategic chutzpah.” And I think it’s one of the best indicators of whether an employee will be a blazing success or a profound dud. (For those who aren’t familiar with Yiddish, chutzpah is sort of related to the Spanish concept of "cojones," but without the anatomical connotations).

It takes courage and confidence to pick up the telephone and succinctly request what you need and want. This is why the combination experience of start ups and large business are important. With the small business you learn discipline, the value of team and hands on and with big business you recognize everyone puts their pants on pretty much the same way so you make that call as an equal. You put forward your value proposition and more often than not you will get a positive response.

I have noticed that asking often leads to success. It's just like winning the lottery. You can't win, if you don't play. You don't get, if you don't ask.

It's your time. Don't let it pass you by. To my sales team: Find us folks and get referrals. Find deals in sales and you get paid. What else can you ask for?

Good luck folks and let's make it happen. Stay in touch. Mitch.  Good morning. :-)

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Ted Tuesday— Sally Kohn: Let's try emotional correctness

"We spend so much time talking past each other and not enough time talking through our disagreements. If we can start to find compassion for one another, then we have a shot at building common ground."

Good Morning Folks,

In this week's hand-picked optimistic talk, Sally Kohn shares what she learned as a progressive lesbian talking head on Fox News. 

"It's time for liberals and conservatives to put aside their political differences and really listen to each other," says Kohn. Sally searches for common ground with her political foes by focusing on the compassion and humanity in everyone.

Why you should listen to her:
Sally Kohn has a powerful vision for a more united United States. On Fox News, this progressive lesbian has sparred with some of the most conservative minds on television, and has sifted through hundreds of letters of hate mail a day. But she deeply believes in finding our common humanity, political differences aside. Before we can achieve political correctness, we must first establish emotional correctness — and this will ignite conversations that lead to real change.



Remember, challenges are there to be overcome and smashed to pieces. Believe in your leaders, follow their instructions, trust your teammates and know that together there is nothing we can't accomplish.  

We are pumped super excited and ready to rock.

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

*TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.  More at Ted.com

InspireME Friday: Remembering Steve Wow 'Em Every Time

"Every Steve Jobs  presentation builds up to one big scene. In past year's Macworld keynote, it  was the announcement of MacBook Air. To demonstrate just how thin it is, Jobs  said it would fit in an envelope."

Welcome to the weekend, friends:

Steve Jobs Sold the Steak, Sizzle and Wowed 'Em Every Time... whether you're applying for a job or about to introduce your company to a customer or your own new product to the world... here's how you can Wow 'Em too.

1.  Set the theme. "There is something in the air today." With those words, Jobs  opened Macworld.

2. Demonstrate enthusiasm. Jobs shows his passion for  computer design. During his presentation he used words like "extraordinary,"  "amazing," and "cool." When demonstrating a new location feature for the  iPhone, Jobs said, "It works pretty doggone well."

3. Provide an  outline. Jobs outlined the presentation by saying, "There are four things I  want to talk about today. So let's get started…"

4. Make numbers  meaningful. When Jobs announced that Apple had sold 4 million iPhones to date,  he didn't simply leave the number out of context. Instead, he put it in  perspective by adding, "That's 20,000 iPhones every day, on  average."

5. Try for an unforgettable moment. This is the moment in  your presentation that everyone will be talking about. Every Steve Jobs  presentation builds up to one big scene. In past year's Macworld keynote, it  was the announcement of MacBook Air. To demonstrate just how thin it is, Jobs  said it would fit in an envelope.

Thanks to Steve Jobs and Business Week and to you for listening.

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . ..  "“You have three names: One that you inherit,  one  that your parents give you,  and one that you make for yourself.” . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  .

RECRUITMENT OPEN HOUSE! 
Immediate openings: 
• Hospitality Services Concierge Security • Messenger Services Office 
Services Mailroom • Sales HR Operations • Record Management Marketing IT 

When: Tues. January 21st, 2014 7:00am – 5:00pm Wed. January, 22nd, 2014 12:00pm – 8:00pm 

Where: FSO 18-22 West 45th Street, 9th Floor New York, NY, 10036

InspireME Friday... IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER

"When loved ones come home, always run to greet them."

Good Morning Folks,

Time to go back to college philosophy course and reexamine the meaning in everything. You have to go outside your comfort zone for this one and have some fun.

IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER.....You would learn stuff like........

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let other people touch you.

Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.

On hot days, lay under water and lay under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how much your scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout....run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you had enough.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig into you find it (remember Lycos the fetcher?).

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Remember...... every dog has his day !

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . .  "Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail." ~~Josh Billings . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . .

InspireME Friday: You Know You Are on Top When...

"You are filled with faith, hope, and love; and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy, or thoughts of revenge."

Good Morning Folks,

Drawing on forty years as a world-class motivational speaker and author, Zig Ziglar identifies and outlines in his best-selling Over the Top precisely how to achieve what people desire most from life-to be happy, healthy, and reasonably prosperous and secure. 

As Ziglar delves into the hows and whys of living life with values, character, honesty, integrity, and sensitivity, you'll learn to be more at peace with yourself and accomplish more with your skills and abilities.

Over the Top will persuade you to develop what you have in order to be the best you can be. What you can do just may be astonishing! 

You are at the top when...

==> You clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person; that yesterday ended last night, and today is your brand-new day.

==> You have made friends with your past, are focused on the present, and optimistic about your future.

==> You know that success (a win) doesn't make you, and failure (a loss) doesn't break you.

==> You are filled with faith, hope, and love; and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy, or thoughts of revenge.

==> You are mature enough to delay gratification and shift your focus from your rights to your responsibilities.

==> You know that failure to stand for what is morally right is the prelude to being the victim of what is criminally wrong.

==> You are secure in who you, so you are at peace with God and in fellowship with man.

==> You have made friends of adversaries, and have gained the love and respect of those who know you best.

==> You understand that others can give you pleasure, but genuine happiness comes when you do things for others.

==> You are pleasant to the grouch, courteous to the rude, and generous to the needy.

==> You love the unlovable, give hope to the hopeless, friendship to the friendless, and encouragement to the discouraged.

==> You can look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion, and up with gratitude.

==> You know that "he who would be greatest among you must become the servant of all."

==> You recognize, confess, develop, and use your God-given physical, mental, and spiritual abilities to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.

==> You stand in front of the Creator of the universe, and He says to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  "First love yourself. Then give love to others.  Give love in abundance." ~ Buddhist Wisdom  . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . .

Inspire ME Friday: The Best Make Everyone Around Them Better

"But only the best of the best are willing to do what it takes to be great. The best don't just think about their desire for greatness; they act on it. When everyone else is sleeping, the best are practicing and thinking and improving."

Good Morning Folks,

To inspire you this "Friday the 13th" weekend, Excerpted from “Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else”, by Jon Gordon, these eleven traits of the Best of the Best that apply to every one reading this right now:

==>The Best know what they truly want. 

At some point in their lives, the best have a "Eureka!" moment when their vision becomes clear. Suddenly they realize what they really, truly want to achieve. They find their passion. When that happens they are ready to strive for greatness. They are ready to pay the price.

==>The Best want it more. We all want to be great. 

But only the best of the best are willing to do what it takes to be great. The best don't just think about their desire for greatness; they act on it. They have a high capacity for work. They do the things that others won't do, and they spend more time doing it. When everyone else is sleeping, the best are practicing and thinking and improving.

==>The Best are always striving to get better. 

They are always looking for ways to learn, apply, improve, and grow. They stay humble and hungry. They are lifelong learners. They never think they have "arrived"—because they know that once they think that, they'll start sliding back to the place from which they came.

==>The Best do ordinary things better than everyone else. 

For all their greatness, the best aren't that much better than the others. They are simply a little better at a lot of things. Everyone thinks that success is complicated, but it's really simple. In fact, the best don't do anything different. They just do the ordinary things better.

==>The Best zoom focus. 

Success is all about the fundamentals, and the fundamentals are little and ordinary and often boring. It's not just about practice, but focused practice. It's not just about taking action, but taking zoom-focused action. It's about practicing and perfecting the fundamentals.

==>The Best are mentally stronger. 

Today's world is no longer a sprint or a marathon. It's a series of sprints combined with a boxing match. You're not just running; you are getting hit along the way. The best are able to respond to and overcome all of this with mental and emotional toughness. They are able to tune out the distractions and stay calm, focused, and energized when it counts.

==>The Best overcome their fear. 

Everyone has fears. The best of the best all have fear, but they overcome it. To beat your enemy, you must know your enemy. Average people shy away from their fears. They either ignore them or hide from them. However, the best seek them out and face them with the intent of conquering them.

==>The Best seize the moment. 

When the best are in the middle of their performance, they are not thinking "What if I win?" or "What if I lose?" They are not thinking "What if I make a mistake or miss the shot?" They are not interested in what the moment produces but are concerned only with what they produce in the moment. When all eyes are watching, they rise to the occasion. As a result, the best define the moment rather than letting the moment define them.

==>The Best tap into a power greater than themselves. 

The best are conductors, not resistors. They don't generate their own power, but act as conduits for the greatest power source in the world. It's not always politically correct, but you can't talk about greatness without talking about God. It would be like talking about breathing without mentioning the importance of air.

==>The Best leave a legacy. 

The best live and work with a bigger purpose. They leave a legacy by making their lives about more than them. This larger purpose is what inspires them to be the best and strive for greatness over the long term. It helps them move from success to significance.

==>The Best make everyone around them better. 

They do this through their own pursuit of excellence and in the excellence they inspire in others. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards of everyone around them. And they do this in both their work and life. ...The point is to strive to be your best and inspire others to be their best, because it's in the striving where you find greatness, not in the outcome.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ted Tuesday: Do you love what you do for a living?

"There is never a job shortage for good people! There is an endless number of jobs that you could do successfully, and make a good living doing them. You never have to feel stuck in a particular position, company, or industry. You deserve to do what you love for a living." ~~ Brian Tracy

Good Morning Folks,

Brian Tracy made a very motivational post on Facebook (see above) that made me wonder if he ever given a TED talk.

I couldn't find a TED talk, but my online search led me to this timeless gem on YouTube (24 Techniques for Closing the Sale) that is a must for anyone in sales to watch or watch again. This being a long weekend, you might simply bookmark the link and hope to find time to consume it.

 

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. 

Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain

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Ted Tuesday: Rita Pierson— Every Kid Needs A Champion

"Simply outstanding and relevant to all those who dare to struggle and dare to win in the game of Education."

Good Morning Folks,

On this Ted Tuesday, I'm excited to share this inspiring talk from Rita Pierson.

Pierson, a teacher for over 40 years, has seen all sides of education. Both of Pierson’s parents and grandparents were teachers, and since 1972, Pierson has taught elementary school, junior high school and special education. According to Pierson, the most important component of learning – what keeps kids in school and passionate about reaching their goals – is simple: relationships. “Every child deserves a champion,” says Pierson,”an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

Rita Pierson is one of the best educators i've ever seen! Her powerful voice is also inspiring me. I bet this talk is strong enough to stimulate the educators all over the world!!

She has such a passionate, compassionate, witty way of bringing her ideas through! She made me think about the teachers I had who were there for me and my class mates. Our champions...I will never forget them.

Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

Indeed, it’s heroes just like Pierson and the educators we honor today that are these very champions. “Is this job tough? You betcha,” says Pierson. “But it is not impossible. We can do this. We are educators. We are born to make a difference.”

I hope you enjoy Pierson’s TED Talk as much as I did.


Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

~~Ayn Rand

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Ted Bonus: A Talk to Cheer You Up On Hump Day

"Take a moment this Wednesday to be thankful for all the wonderful things in your life. "

Good Afternoon Folks,

I thought that on hump day something to lift the spirits would be in order.
Louie Schwartzberg’s TEDxSanFrancisco talk “Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.” from June 2011 is an excellent mediation. 

Schwartzberg’s talk is a beautiful embodiment of these virtues, and while it’s not a typical presentation, there are certainly elements in it that we can use to better ours.

Most of the power in Schwartzberg’s presentation lies in his use of visuals. Arrestingly beautiful video plays in the background as an accompaniment to his words. Smartly, he avoids use slides riddled with bullet points and words, instead harnessing the power of the incredible photography and video he has collected over years. His visuals fit ideally with the topic at hand, and they do a great job of keeping the audience enthralled from start to finish.

With that said, take a moment this Wednesday to be thankful for all the wonderful things in your life. As Brother Steindel-Rast points out: we so rarely take time to look at the sky and at the faces of other people. Spend a few moments this upcoming holiday season letting gratefulness wash over you, and allow yourself to fall in love with nature’s enduring beauty.

For I am deeply thankful and grateful for all of you reading this right now!

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, 
whose presence calls forth your best." - Epictetus 
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