==> Wealth, Power, and Success

Photo: NorthForker.com

"So, how can you find more success, peace, and happiness in your life? You have to make a decision. The decision is whether to pursue your passion and enjoy it and be at peace with that path in life … even if you never make much money doing it."

Good Morning Folks,

What a beautiful fall, pumpkin picking weekend it was on Long Island.. amazing.. chilly, quiet, peaceful, and more.. a day full of inspiration and spirituality.

I was catching up on my reading file links this weekend and really liked this piece by ace copywriter Bob Bly. As Bob sees it, there are 6 factors responsible for any individual’s success or lack thereof, especially in business and wealth building.

They are:

==> Aptitude … 
some people gravitate towards activities that make money (e.g., they are interested in investing or business) – while others are naturally attracted to fields that are less lucrative (e.g., poetry, pottery).

==> Hard work … 
some people are willing to put in grueling hours to achieve great wealth and material abundance. Others are not willing to sacrifice their hours for dollars, and would rather spend their time in other ways, from playing golf to going camping with their kids.

==> Luck … 
no matter how much of a technical genius or savvy businessman Bill Gates is, a lot of his success was largely the result of being in the right place at the right time.

==> Perseverance … 
many rich and successful people got that way simply because they persisted vs. the vast majority who give up at the first roadblock or failure.

==> Brains … 
being smart – either in the classic I.Q. smart or street smarts – is a decided advantage. And despite what our Constitution says, not all of us are born equal in this regard.

==> Talent … 
no matter how much I want it or how much I train, there is no chance on Earth of me becoming the next American Idol – or even runner-up.

All of these factors obviously have a great effect on the course of your life. But of these, I believe aptitude is the most important – and unfortunately, the one least under our control. I mean: you like what you like.

You read about those guys on Wall Street with their million-dollar bonuses. And maybe you turn green with envy. But in your mind you know — and say to yourself — “Hey, that ain’t for me.”

The comforting old saying motivational speakers love to spout is that “if you pursue your passion, the money will come.” Sadly, this often isn’t true.

My friend SB pursued his passion as a poet for over 40 years. He had dozens of his poems published in magazines. But he is neither rich nor famous – although I believe (but don’t know for certain) that SB is pretty happy.

So, how can you find more success, peace, and happiness in your life? You have to make a decision. The decision is whether to pursue your passion and enjoy it and be at peace with that path in life … even if you never make much money doing it.

Or, you can decide that your primary goal is money; i.e., You want to be rich, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen – reasoning that once you are rich, then you can afford to indulge in your passions.

Which path have you chosen — and why?

Have a GREAT Day and LOVE Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Inspire ME Friday: Where Are You Running To?

"There’s a wonderful Future Leaders Program on this course that I’ve had to pleasure to be a part of. In just my first 8 months here I was given many challenges and ultimately awarded my first promotion."

Good Morning Folks, 

Before I reveal my pick from this week's inspiring, internal communiques, I wanted to share some thoughts.

As you know, FSO’s Future Leaders (FLP) are among our greatest assets. The primary intention of our FLP is to know who our top performing employees are so that we can cultivate a deep bench of great talent to keep pace with our galactic growth. 

Nothing is more important than having great people who care about the service and experiences they provide to our customers. Our Future Leaders have the desire to grow and be a part of something amazing, something BIGGER. We have 260 employees in the FLP and I expect see at least 45 more promotions before the end of the year.

All of which leads me to my pick for today's inspiring share from our internal employee communications this week. It's authored by Peter, an Experience Associate Director based out of one of FSO's Boston client sites. Peter is a shining example of the success of our Future Leaders Program. Here's Peter:

"I joined FSO 11 months ago as an Experience Manager after working for our client directly for 8 years. I am truly honored to deliver this message, my first, to you today.

One thing that I enjoy very much is getting up each morning before the sun comes out and hitting the streets for a morning run. I use that time to organize my thoughts and compile the tasks that I’d like to complete over the course of the day. I decide how I’m going to use the next 24 hours to grow personally and professionally and then feed off of that energy to get out there and make every minute count.

I think of my career at FSO as the ultimate marathon. The start gun went off nearly 4 years ago with a small group of elite runners. Along the course hundreds of other hard working colleagues recruited by our amazing People Solutions team joined into this exciting race. There’s a wonderful Future Leaders Program on this course that I’ve had to pleasure to be a part of. Our leaders are committed to our development and growth and in just my first 8 months here I was given many challenges and ultimately awarded my first promotion. We have our Sales and Marketing teams that climb up the hills making calls, getting proposals together, doing site visits and securing new business to get to the top. At the top of those hills there are rows of clients ringing cowbells cheering us on realizing that we were the best decision.

Who is that elite runner at the front of the pack that shows no signs of slowing?  Mitch Weiner!!! He broke through the finish line that our competitors wish they could make it to, created a new course and refuses to slow down. And why would he? There is no better brand in the entire business and he will continue to conquer.

For the rest of you I ask… As you begin your marathon today, what are you going to do to make it a personal, passionate and productive journey? LET YOUR LEADERS KNOW!!! Mitch, Jim and the rest of the ELT are personally committed to helping each and every one of us succeed.

So folks, there’s a lot of time between now and the end of the day. I personally challenge you to use it well. 3...2...1…GO! FSO  USA"

These future leaders, like Peter, from mail room clerks to front of house to our Sr. Management team are driven by one simple goal: make today better than it was yesterday. 

Everyday we open our eyes to see what's else we can do to serve, to make our presence known, to solve problems, to help the client. Everyday we smile, say good morning, and make someone feel good about themselves. Our people never stop looking for ways to make our clients life better. 

Your energy, enthusiasm and professionalism are always greatly appreciated. 

Have a wonderful fun weekend!

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

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"You are never a loser until you quit trying”- Mike Ditka                                                                                                                                  

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A Better Way To Fly

FSO is growing at an extremely fast pace. Outsiders want to know the keys to that success -- the driving force behind the ambition. We know it's our people that make the difference. 

Good Morning Folks,

FSO is driven by passionate people and the value they create. They are passionate about their work. Their passion and enthusiasm are the fuel that ignites our success,

With that in mind, the best way to get to know the size, scope and spirit of FSO is to hear what our employees have to say, and every Friday right here, I share my favorite of the employee internal communications motivational messages from the week.

This week however, the messages were so good, I have two to share, so be inspired on a Thursday by this analogy from @AlexVizcarra 
(FSO Experience Manager
, PWC, Chicago).

There was a time when the lone eagle on the mountain was a popular symbol for leadership. But in a fast-moving organization such as FSO, we should have – MUST HAVE – leaders at EVERY position. If you want a better metaphor than the eagle, consider the wild and wily Great Northern Geese.  

EVERYONE is ALIGNED: A flock of Great Northern Geese will fly thousands of miles in a perfect V formation – and therein lies the secret: As each bird moves its great wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following.  Formation flying is 70 percent more efficient than flying alone. If every associate at every site is aligned and FOCUSED  on delivering the hospitality experience, we will create an uplift for each other to continue delivering white glove service as a unit.  

EVERYONE LEADS: At a distance, the flock appears to be guided by a single leader. The lead bird does in fact guide the formation, winging smoothly and confidently through the oncoming elements.  If the lead bird tires, however, it rotates back into formation and another bird moves quickly to the point position. Leadership is willingly shared, and each bird knows exactly where the entire group is headed. At FSO, every associate knows where we are headed and can see 2020 clearly. Each one of our teammates should be able to wing smoothly and confidently through any and all challenges they may face on a daily basis.   

EVERYONE INSPIRES: Each flock finds its own unique rhythm and spirit. The pulsating sound of the huge wings beating together excites and energizes the entire formation. The geese enthusiastically honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up with their speed.  Likewise, inspire and encourage your teams, “honk” by recognizing and rewarding an employee with a pat on the back, a kudo, a special mention during the daily huddle, it will go a long way to making everyone feel appreciated as well as promote camaraderie and teamwork.  

EVERYONE CARES: In good time or bad, Great Northern Geese stand by each other.  When a member of the flock gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again. Then they soar off together to catch up with their flock. Know that you have easy access to an entire NATION of counterparts that can support you and guide you at any time…  all you have to do is reach out and they will help and support you to soar along with the rest, the best, FSO. If WE have as much sense as geese, we TOO will share the leadership and stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Alex wrote another piece on Leadership titled "Everybody Leads" that was so good I published it on Pulse, LinkedIn's publishing platform. According to a hot-off-the press piece from ReadWrite "LinkedIn's publishing platform began as an idea roughly three years ago. Initially, Roslansky, the content-products chief, wanted to make every LinkedIn member a publisher with the flip of a switch. But Weiner advised him to hold off and start with famous businesspeople first. 

Weiner hired Dan Roth, a former editor at Fortune and Wired, as LinkedIn's executive editor. (Roth, who's based in New York and has an editorial team there, has a few editors reporting to him in the new San Francisco office. Full disclosure: Roth and I worked together at Time Inc.) Roth went about recruiting LinkedIn's first publishers—the Influencers—and hired a team of editors to pick headlines for LinkedIn's homepage.

From those 150 Influencers, LinkedIn gradually expanded its publishing tool, from 25,000 members in February to 15 million in July. Now, in the U.S., all 100 million members now have the ability to publish longer pieces to the site, and LinkedIn will expand that to other English-speaking countries by the end of this year. 

In total, those using the tool are producing 7,000 pieces on an average weekday, a LinkedIn spokesperson told ReadWrite. By comparison, The 1,330-person newsroom of the New York Times publishes 700 articles a day.

Behold the power of the Internet. Now we can take you inside the hearts, minds and souls of our employees, and that' the best way to judge the character of our company.

Make a difference - catch someone doing something good… make it count.. make it great and always SMILE!

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

When Times Grow Tough, A Leader's True Colors Are Revealed

"Regardless of where you work, always continue to learn what makes leaders successful and what makes them fail" 

Good Morning Folks,

As I have often reminded our teams, anything is possible. Regardless of where you work, or what you do, always continue to learn what makes people successful and what makes them fail.

Because.. The most important resource in the entire universe is YOU. Products, services, innovation, ideas, breakthroughs – they all exist in your head, your heart and your hands. The output of your thinking, the engaging of your heart and the enlistment of your hands create profound results.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people can’t do”. Find me anyone with skip, fire and twinkle who wants to learn and grow, and I will promise you a career in my company, never just a job. No one ever sets out to be average at FSO, we need to be the best at everything we do.

I am forever grateful to you all for being such a loyal audience and for the great feedback you've been sending my way. I really appreciate it!

Great leadership seems easy when things are good and everybody's happy. When times grow tough, however, a leader's true colors are revealed.

Ten years ago, a group of U.S. soldiers tasted combat for the first time in Sadr City, Iraq. Bill Murphy Jr. got to know one of the junior U.S. leaders in that battle when he wrote a book about West Point and wartime.  

Murphy chronicles the lives of representative 2002 graduates of the United States Military Academy. A former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and an army veteran, Murphy was protégé of celebrity journalist Bob Woodward and has military experience that may have helped him connect to his subjects and perhaps encouraged them to be open with him. He also reported from Iraq for the Post. Here's an excerpt from In Time of War that first appeared in INC:

Dave Swanson was a 26-year-old lieutenant then. He's out of the military now, and we talked recently about what he learned by leading 40 soldiers in 82 straight days of combat. Most of us probably won't be taking a platoon into a hail of gunfire anytime soon, but applying these principles can greatly improve your effectiveness as a leader, no matter what challenges you face. 

1. Control your fear.
As bullets whizzed by him for the first time, Swanson says he was very much afraid. However, he realized he had to subdue his fear because his soldiers were looking to him for clues as to how they should react. 

Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear, and of course being a leader certainly doesn't mean charging ahead blindly in the face of adversity. It does mean you can't allow your fear to become contagious. Your team needs to believe you're in control of yourself, if they're to have confidence that you can make smart decisions in tough times. 

2. Remember that the mission comes first.
You owe a lot to your team for giving you the privilege of placing their trust in you. First on the list, you owe them a goal worth dedicating their efforts to, and you need to demonstrate that you're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. 

"I say complete the mission at minimal expense to the people," Swanson says. "Every military leader will publicly say that the mission comes first, but we always accomplished the mission with the soldiers in mind."

3. Remember that the mission comes before you, too.
The only way that "mission-first" mantra can work is if your people truly believe that you will put the mission before yourself, too. In a life-imitates-art moment, Swanson says that in the heat of combat, he thought of a line from the 2001 HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers: "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier." 

In combat, this means being willing to risk your own safety for others in the unit and the mission. In other contexts, it means demonstrating that you'll sacrifice your personal short-term interests for the team's goal. Otherwise, how can you ask them to do so? 

4. Rely on your preparation.
Swanson spent years preparing for battle. He had been an enlisted solider, he spent four years at West Point, and he trained for nearly two years after graduation. While training alone will never quite prepare you to lead in real life, he says, it's as close as you can get to the real thing. 

The same principle applies in any leadership context. Think ahead of time about how you'll react to tough situations, so you can free your mind in crucial moments to react and adapt quickly. 

5. Be tough, but human.
"To those who have been in combat," Swanson explains, "you live by hardness, intuition, and compassion." 

As an example, he stayed awake and on duty for 60 straight hours at the start of the battle, pushing himself until he physically collapsed, but he also found moments of humanity and even humor in the heat of combat. Your team needs to know that you're tough, but also that you're reacting to the world around you like an engaged leader, not a machine. 

6. Encourage your people.
Business is rarely a matter of life and death, but war certainly is. One of Swanson's soldiers, Specialist Jacob Martir, was killed in action during the months of fighting, and several others were wounded and sent home to hospitals in the U.S. 

"It absolutely ate me alive to lose anyone in the platoon," Swanson says. However, he realized that it fell to him to encourage his soldiers and inspire them to keep going. "They were all special. The next day after any [casualty], I would remind them that each of them had already sacrificed themselves for each other on a daily basis--and how, if required, I would sacrifice myself for any of them." 

7. Communicate effectively.
In the heat of battle, it's easy--almost natural--to shut down everything else and focus exclusively on the job at hand. That's a dangerous inclination, however. It's important to make communicating what's going on a priority as well. Your team and all of your stakeholders need to know what's going on, or they can't contribute. 

"Early on in combat, radio communications weren't always the greatest, but that was no excuse," Swanson says. "When technology fails--and it always does at the worst possible moment--you need to have backup ways of getting and giving information." 

8. Use your resources wisely. But use them.
Especially in the first days of combat, Swanson's unit dealt with destroyed and unarmored vehicles, and insufficient supplies of almost every sort. More important, confusion, combat, and casualties left them critically short of soldiers. 

At the same time, they made full use of everything they had. At the end of the first week of fighting, for example, Swanson reflected that he had personally gone through ten 30-round magazines, meaning he had fired 300 bullets at the enemy. Just about everyone else in his platoon had, as well. 

9. Imitate the leaders who inspire you.
When Swanson had to act in the heat of battle, especially when his soldiers' eyes were on him, he thought back to the lessons he had learned at West Point, and some of the other leaders he had known and respected. He also found himself asking a question that has circulated for years among military leaders as a sort of joke: "What would John Wayne do?"

"Regardless of where you work, always continue to learn what makes leaders successful and what makes them fail," he says.

We have amazing employees, customers and leaders at FSO. Thanks to our employees for all you do for us, and to our clients for awarding us with the privilege of serving you.

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

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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

"Excellence is not an act, but a habit"

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Inspire ME Friday: More

"Everyday we open our eyes to see what's else we can do to serve, to make our presence known, to solve problems, to help the client. Everyday we smile, say good morning, and make someone feel good about themselves. Everyday we (re)Imagine!

Good Morning Folks, 

It is so hard to believe that it is already the end of another week. Thanks for all your support.

Before I reveal my pick from this week's inspiring, internal communiques, I wanted to share some thoughts.

As you know, FSO’s Future Leaders (FLP) are among our greatest assets. The primary intention of our FLP is to know who our top performing employees are so that we can cultivate a deep bench of great talent to keep pace with our galactic growth. 

Nothing is more important than having great people who care about the service and experiences they provide to our customers. Our Future Leaders have the desire to grow and be a part of something amazing, something BIGGER. We have 260 employees in the FLP and I expect see at least 45 more promotions before the end of the year.

These future leaders, from mail room clerks to front of house to our Sr. Management team are driven by one simple goal: make today better than it was yesterday. Our people never stop looking for ways to make our clients life better. When we talk about passion, it is not just a tagline for our brand, it is the way we approach everything we do. 

All of which leads me to my pick for today's inspiring share from our internal employee communications this week. It's authored by our Vice President of Sales, Pat Mustico and his topic is "MORE". Here's Pat….

As I get up in Atlanta and get ready for our first appointment at 7:00 am, I realize that this is what we are about... Doing a little more. Our competitors aren't getting up for a 7:00 am sales meeting. They weren't at a prospect dinner until 10:30 pm last night. It is doing the "little more" that is what FSO is all about.  

Why do our clients love us? Because everyday we do a little more than the expected. 

Everyday we open our eyes to see what's else we can do to serve, to make our presence known, solve their problems, to help the client. Everyday we smile, say good morning, and make someone feel good about themselves. Everyday we (re)Imagine! 

(re)Imagine is something we do... It is who we are. (re)Imagine is that skip, fire and twinkle; the clean, pressed career apparel; the morning smile! (re)Imagine is alive and well every time you do a little more. Think through a problem, go the extra mile, do more than expected, provide a solution... (re)Imagine! 

Today go do what's makes us unique and what makes us the best outsourcing company on the planet, go (re)Imagine and do a little more. It is that little more, that (re)Imagine, that creates clients that love us, creates growth, creates opportunities, creates more clients. Think about that today. Do a little more today. (re)Imagine today! Be great today! ~~Pat

I want FSO to be the happiest place to work. A company that helps people first and foremost. It is in my heart and soul to ensure this takes place.

Love life folks. We have so much to be thankful for. Blessed for. I am the Chief Happiness Officer and I intend to ensure FSO is just that.

Have a wonderful fun summer weekend!

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

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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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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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InspireME Friday: 'Happy Friday! Whoo-hoo! Let's Celebrate!!'

"These are not just words or “things” that we think sound nice… or “things” that we think you want to hear… this is the fabric of FSO. This is what makes us different from every other outsourcing company."

Good Morning Folks,

It is so hard to believe how fast the week goes… I can’t believe that it is already the end of another month and we are at summer's halftime! The stats are in and July 2014 we have 2.5 times the readers we had on this blog a year ago. Thanks for all your support.

Before I share my pick from this week's inspiring, internal communiqués, I wanted to share some thoughts.

Did you know that we promoted 45 Future Leaders Program (FLP) members this year? Isn’t that AWESOME?! I am so proud of each of YOU…the hard work, the dedication, the skip, fire, twinkle…

THANK YOU! 

We have 260 more employees in the FLP and I want to see at least 45 more promotions before the end of the year!! 

We provide GREAT training as I blogged about yesterday, and we just need YOU to WANT to be promoted… to want to receive the training so when that next GREAT OPPORTUNITY arrives, you are READY for the BIG promotion. Are you in?? 

EVERY day my mind is focused on YOU… about loving our employees, about loving our clients, about CARE… the HAPPIEST PLACE TO WORK. These are not just words or “things” that we think sound nice…or  “things” that we think you want to hear…this is the fabric of FSO. This is what makes us different from every other outsourcing company. 

We want you to WANT to come to work every day and LOVE what you do and LOVE working for FSO and we WANT our clients to see you SMILING every day and delivering the WOW! factor that you all know is expected.

We have so many great communications, actions and initiatives in play across FSO — so… now ripped from the pages of FSO's internal communications is a Friday dose of inspiration to send you off to the weekend on a high note… Here is Southeast Region Experience Director, Lissette Umpierre's piece appropriately titled "Happy Friday! Whoo-hoo! Let's Celebrate!!

Good Morning TEAM Us/FSO USA – Happy Friday! Hoot – hoot!! I hope this email finds you with a twinkle, fire, skipJ

I think we should all celebrate each other, because I think we sometimes forget how great the people here at FSO can be. I challenge YOU today for YOU to celebrate YOU/Us, YOUR Family, Friends, Pets, Team(s), Client(s), and Peer(s). No PO needed to celebrate (LOL) – PromiseJ.

We have so many people to Celebrate and so much to be thankful for.   You/Me/Us are a part of industry history and a part of a blessed Family/ Company that truly cares.  

Our Founder, Owner and Chief Happiness Officer Mitch Weiner celebrates You/Us, the field employees and our Clients everydayJ! Yes we have the best field events because we work hard – and so we play hardJ!  But what about that personal note signed by our Founder, returning emails on the fly (how many Founders/Owner you know personally that returns field employee emails?), being our Visionary to make sure we have career opportunities, Fulfilling Dreams (I am a Believer – because I live it every day), empowering, stretching and strengthening Us, helping and believing in Us that we can be the Master of our Trade and make solid business decisions. I will not mention the dollar investments because I said no PO neededJ.

Today as YOU are getting ready to start YOUR day – look at YOURSELF in the mirror and tell YOURSELF – I am FABULOUS and I am LOVEDJ -- FSO Ownership truly cares and loves you! I challenge YOU to celebrate your Team(s) and Client(s) with the same Passion our Founder has for Us. Have that one on one with that employee that works hard every day and has the potential to be a FLP – perhaps that employee needs your validation and needs to feel empowered or confidence to get to the next level. Drop off a “Happy Summer” note to your Client with one of our cool summer promos or leave an appreciation note to your Peer who helped you with a solution.

Let’s CELEBRATE our Wins, Goals, Visions, Mission, and Blessings - lend a hand to those who need guidance, training, or industry knowledge.

Let’s CELEBRATE one another – WE are the BEST of the BEST in our Industry and handpicked to be part of History and the Happiest Place to Work.

Cheers!
Lissette

Strong message, Lissette, thanks!

Summer soldiers on with so much momentum in the market and so much talent across our great company as we continue to attract new blood. We have something special that no competitor no matter how they try, will have my heart and care for employees and clients. You can take that to the bank. :-))

I have a favorite line. It is not a matter of if. "It is a matter of when. I will get to it all." Just have to keep me healthy, smiling and strong. Lol

I trust you feel my passion - we will deliver and execute to perfection and we will keep smiling… and keep making a DIFFERENCE.

We are FSO USA!!!!!  

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

InspireME: An Old Man Was Walking On The Beach One Morning After A Storm...

"Each and every one of us are FSO starfish; every day it should be our goal to spread the love and happiness of our wonderful company to the field, the clients and future members of our family. The love running throughout this company is infectious and it’s impossible to not share it with everyone I come in contact"

TGIF Folks,

This is Friday, InspireME Friday to be exact, the day of the week day when MitchWeiner.com sends you off to your weekend on a high note. Because, achievement begins with an inspiration. 

For the past few weeks we've gotten great response selecting and sharing with the world some very special motivational messages that our own employees, from all walks of the company, publish internally every day.

To cap off an amazing week I know a girl, she puts COLOR inside my world. She's my daughter, FSO people Solutions Specialist, Chelsea Weiner. Today I share her story and an analogy that is incredibly meaningful to her, as it soon will be to all of us, in a highly personal way: The tale of the Starfish. 

Whenever someone brings anything Starfish related to Chelsea's attention it reminds her that she has kept promise to a dear friend whose young life was cut short when he volunteered to be designated driver from a party and got rear ended at a stoplight by a drunk driver which pushed the car into oncoming traffic. He was killed instantly and everyone else in the car survived. This story is Chelsea's way of honoring her friend's memory and letting his love and light shine brightly on. Chelsea writes:

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING FSO AND WELCOME TO YOUR WEEKEND! 

What a great day for everyone to reach out their arms (NO YAWNING HAHA) and spread the FSO love!

Speaking of spreading our arms; did you know if you cut a starfish into pieces all of its appendages will grow back, creating a few new starfish?! How cool is that! Each and every one of us are FSO starfish; every day it should be our goal to spread the love and happiness of our wonderful company to the field, the clients and future members of our family.

Imagine you’re one of the pieces of the once whole starfish; this is your chance, today, it’s your new beginning! You have been given the opportunity to show what you’re made of, to be so much stronger and better than you were just the day before.

We are so lucky that we have Mitch, our incredible and fearless leader, who continues to pave the way for us every day. He never fails to show us the true meaning of being available 25/8 not 24/7. Mitch is the perfect example of what it means to be an FSO starfish; going above and beyond and giving everything he has to us, the field, and the clients. It’s our job to give that same effort and more back to him and the field as well! Show ‘em what you’ve got!

Recently, I have shifted from spending all of my time training and developing our employees to having the privilege of meeting with clients, sitting in sales meetings, meeting future prospects and more. I have been given the opportunity to be a starfish myself! I wear my FSO pin proudly while showing what PERSONAL, PASSIONATE AND PRODUCTIVE means everywhere I go. What do you do every day to do the same? Are you an FSO brand ambassador?

The love running throughout this company is infectious and it’s impossible to not share it with everyone I come in contact with (and if you don’t feel the love, let me know, and The Wonder Twins will show you what it’s all about!!). So as you get ready to start your day take a second to think; how am I contributing to the FSO competitive difference? How can I be better? How can I get to infinity and beyond? How can I be that starfish?

START YOUR DAY WITH A BANG!
WE CAN DO IT!
WE WILL DO IT!
MAKE IT COUNT FSO USA!" ~~  Chelsea Weiner
People Solutions Specialist

How did the Starfish become a powerful and fitting tribute to her friend's life? Chelsea explained, "On my 16th birthday he told me he couldn’t make it to my party but brought me a gift which was a starfish necklace. It was BEAUTIFUL, he told me that starfish can be cut up into little pieces and re-grow their appendages and that reminded him of me. I asked him why and he said because I’m was part of every clique in the school - athletes, popular, choral, acting, skater, loners, etc. He could see that I just loved making friends, letting people know that I was someone they could always come to; he had never met anyone else like me. I was in tears just listening to him and he made me promise that no matter what I would never lose that characteristic."

Though it's a sad story where Chelsea's love of Starfish came from, it is a constant reminder that friends are always looking over us. That in mind, it's not just an advertising slogan that "friends don't let friends drink and drive."

Remember alcohol + driving = death. It happened to Chelsea's friend and it can happen to anyone. Please drink responsibly.

With this weekend approaching seasonal halftime and "peak party", I can't think of a more important message to leave you with as you soak up all of the weekend fun that is uniquely summer and precious in the time that remains.

Make a difference - catch someone doing something good… make it count.. make it great and always SMILE!

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

InspireME Friday: The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It

"There is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you are passionate about doing the right things for the right reasons."

Good Morning Folks,

I hope you are all having a PERSONAL, PASSIONATE, and PRODUCTIVE week!!

Every Friday we send you off to the weekend with an inspiring message selected by me personally from all the daily motivational messages circulating inside our company, authored by employees across all geographies and roles.

That in mind, I am pleased to introduce one of our Dallas Experience Managers, Stephen Lafley, and his post, "The best way to predict the future is to create it!" Here's Stephen:

When I first started off in the work force many years ago, I can remember being in a job interview with a fortune 250 Company. The District Manager asked me to tell him what I thought I would like my future to be with them. I told him that I wanted to be successful, happy, productive but mostly employed. I knew deep down in me I had enormous drive, fortitude and had what it took to be successful.   

He then asked me to define what success meant to me. I can remember sitting there thinking of all of the things that I wanted to say, but when I said them in my head they sounded so cliché. I knew that what he was asking me was how I was going to be successful with them and what I would bring to the table. Not what is success, but how to achieve it. I was just 20 years old and had not worked in such an environment. I thought for a moment and then told him that success would be to achieve his position and eventually move further up the ladder. Not knowing if I blew the interview, I had to just wait to hear if I got the entry level job or not. To my surprise I was offered the job. Once the 90 day trial period ended and I was doing well, I asked the District Manager why he hired me. He laughed and said that he saw it in my eyes, the passion and desire to do well and told me never to sell myself short as I have the power to create my future. 

After 36 successful years with this company, I have now since retired from them and have started a new career with FSO. When you give a 100% in everything you do, always being positive and work hard, you create your future.  Success does not happen by chance, you (we) make it happen. Having a dream without action is just a dream. Having a vision of where you want to be in the future and acting on it, is building that future.  

There is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you are passionate about doing the right things for the right reasons. Like Mitch's "See 2020 clearly" vision, he is predicting our future and we are here to help him (us) create that vision. As the company's future grows, so does ours. So, predict your future and act on it every day.

Thanks, Stephen! Appreciate it. 

There is so much excitement and activity going on throughout the entire company. We have a great team and this is our time. Each day we show our prospects and our clients a REIMAGINED way to go to business. That is why they hire us. 

You have value to bring, a contribution to make, and your happiness is on the line. BELIEVE in the service you provide and the passion you sell from within. 

Make a difference - catch someone doing something good… make it count.. make it great and always SMILE!

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE