Shout Out Wednesday: And The Praise Keeps Coming For Our Talented Rock Stars

"He is so helpful in keeping the kitchen clean and stocked, making sure the conference rooms are ready for big meetings, and always responds to our requests in a timely fashion. Most notably, he carries out even the smallest of tasks with a great attitude. 

When it comes to hospitality, you are the best!"

Good Morning Folks,

Seems like only yesterday I was getting calls about how the service in the legacy outsourcing companies that I had built, had fallen short, which began picking up the back of a napkin as a blank canvas to doodle my ideas on how I could come out of retirement and do it right.

Since then not only have we become the fastest growing company in all of outsourcing, but so far in 2015, as companies everywhere and even our competitors are cutting back and being spun off, we've hired over 200 employees, added major accounts like Burns and Levinson, MCCarter & English to join PwC in keeping us Boston strong as well Ruben Companies, Sage, Fosun  KCG and Chicago Title to our ever expanding national roster of clients.... and best of all we promoted several of our Future Leaders to support our budding infrastructure!! FSO is truly embarking on something remarkable.

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

And what a challenging time for those true colors to shine with the severe winter all around us. But as you'll see from the comments below, when clients needed a true strategic partner they could count on, they counted on us. And we delivered.

Here are some of the AWESOME things our clients said about our motivated, team oriented, passionate people in the month of April… Keep up the EXCELLENT work!

PHD Team

"Just wanted to send a quick thank-you note out to the not so small village of folks that made yesterday’s Bring Your Daughters and Sons To Work day such a hoot: The kids had a blast and quite frankly so did I."

Monica Middlebrooks, IMG

"Thanks for all of your help with Hillary Mandel’s meetings today.  It’s hard to plan things from another location but helpful to have you working on our team. We really appreciate it!"

Daniel, IMG

"DANNY DID A GREAT JOB WITH THE FLOOR CLEANING !"

Victor, IMG  ***2Kudos in 1 Month***

"My name is Sammi and I work in the 200 5^th Ave office. I am writing to you in regards to Victor and what a pleasure it is to have him in the office. He is so helpful in keeping the kitchen clean and stocked, making sure the conference rooms are ready for big meetings, and always responds to our requests in a timely fashion. Most notably, he carries out even the smallest of tasks with a great attitude. You’re the best !"

                             Kenneth, NY Times

"You are really on top of your game. 

I am glad you are on our team. Thank you"

ASME Team

"I wanted to be sure I thanked each of you for your assistance with setting up for the 3D display event yesterday.  It really means a lot that you were all so willing to get things done fast and efficiently."

"I am traveling next Monday and Tuesday but when I return in on Wednesday, I will have lunch catered in for all of you."

Karen Russo, ?/ ASME

Cecilio Aponte, FSO

"My name is Kelly Iselin and I work in Bridgewater, NJ for the Brother account, Bomsi and I have recently met because things here had not been going so smoothly actually in all honesty things were pretty bad but then you put Cecilio Aponte on our account. 

We heard all the promises before and yet nothing had changed throughout the year, but Cecilio asked for one more chance and at that point we had nothing to lose….and then it happened he actually did what he said he was going to do, whether it was a simple call back or finally putting into place a resolution to the floater problem we had from day one.

Cecilio calls to check on us, he visits us to make sure (we) and the client are happy (and he brings us awesome popcorn). When I had a personal tragedy in my home life happened he checked on me daily whether it was call, a text or a note on email. For the first time since joining FSO I felt appreciated and what I was doing for the client actually meant something. Earlier this week we (Malka and I) were beyond surprised to receive beautiful flowers from Cecilio to let us know how awesome we are

(His words) and for me I can’t stop smiling, I am proud to share with everyone who walks 

by our reception desk who they are from and why.

Thank you for giving us Cecilio he has made a difference and I love working with him, he deserves to be recognized for his contribution to FSO.

My colleague Malka and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary next week with FSO/Brother, although the first 10 months were pretty rough having Cecilio working with us has made our future look a lot brighter."

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Kelly Iselin, Informationalist/ Brother International

Daniel, Sarah Lawrence College

"I wanted to let you know that Daniel Lugo is always super helpful and friendly and I really enjoy working with him."

Whether a salesperson, an experience associate, a records manager, an informationalist, or messenger, what makes our folks so special is their ability to think beyond their daily tasks and think like our clients. 

"What would the client want? What do they need? How could i be more proactive in their eyes? How could i really impress them?"

Do you know? Have you asked? Or are you assuming?  A true partner who never stops looking out for you, who takes that extra second to ask and then ACTS! 

Never lose the passion, the smile and what makes you special but put yourself in our clients shoes and get to know what they might be thinking! 

All of you are out in the field and have the power to make an incredible impact and a difference in the wealth and success of others.

I look forward to hearing stories from our clients how our team has made an impact by being a leader.

IT IS YOU that makes FSO who we are. Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"None of us is as smart as all of us." --Ken Blanchard

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Shout Out Wednesday: Caught In The Act of Delivering the WOW!

"Brenda and Jean have consistently demonstrated competent and timely support to assist me in meeting my professional needs and have demonstrated a positive attitude even when faced with challenging short-term requests."

Good Morning Folks,

Today we honor our PwC team members who have been caught delivering the WOW! to our client who has told us so in these words:

Anthony, PwC Stamford

"I am the CRE on Bridgewater and I wanted to let you know how helpful Anthony has been to the team over the last few months. on two different occasions my team made an error and had documents sent to NY to be printed and they should have been sent to Stamford. I had to ask Anthony to drop everything he was doing and to have it printed quickly for two big meetings. He has been phenomenal."

Angela, PwC Melville

"It was my pleasure to finally visit the Melville office, and it was beautiful! It was very clean and I could tell managed well, so thank you for you and Daniel's efforts regarding the office space. I hope to visit more often in the future."

Brenda & Cattell, PwC Columbus
"I am local to the PwC Chicago office however do extensive travelling in my role with the Firm. Specifically, I spent about half of my last year travelling to Columbus to support roles on the JPMorgan Chase and Huntington Engagements. My overall feedback is that in my trips to other offices I have not experienced an Office Services team more helpful and responsive as Brenda and Jean have been during my time working out of the Columbus office. Specifically, the following represent primary areas of assistance / support over the past year:
•               Long-term hotelling needs and conference room reservations;
•               Document production requests (regularly short notice and high volume) for client presentations;
•               Specialized supply requests; and,
•               Office access needs for travelling resources.

In each of the above circumstances, Brenda and Jean have consistently demonstrated competent and timely support to assist me in meeting my professional needs and have demonstrated a positive attitude even when faced with challenging short-term requests.
Further, during the last year the Columbus office has undergone a number of staffing changes to the third member of the Office Services team and in many cases Brenda and Jean have taken on the responsibilities of that role themselves. I have observed that this has often led to Brenda and Jean working longer then standard hours (e.g. often until 7 PM) to meet rush document production jobs or other needs of the Office's personnel. Despite this additional strain, Brenda and Jean consistently maintained a positive attitude throughout and did not let the quality and / or timeliness of support to office personnel slip. Thanks for your assistance and support and look forward to working with you both in the future."

Cacharel, PwC Seattle *2 Kudos in One Month*

"I wanted to share some Kudos around the move and since the move. Thanks for catching up with us this morning! Cacharel (Seattle): Has, and continues to, go above and beyond to resolve move related Challenges and the transition go smoothly. We couldn't do it without her!"

Elinor, PwC San Juan
"You are the best!! Thanks very much for what you did, it was just great!! Many thanks."

Francis, PwC Jersey City *2 Kudos in One Month*

"Thanks Francis for your help the last couple of weeks securing interview spots for our team and summer interns- it is appreciated!"

"I want to say a BIG thank you for all of your help yesterday with coordinating our many visitors who came to the Jersey City office --- from connecting with building security to have them on the access list, granting them access to the floor when they arrived and organizing hoteling space. Our visitors from our other PwC office locations received a good experience to Jersey City because of you."

Jennifer, PwC Hartford
"Thanks for always letting me know when I have received certified mail. It is much appreciated!"

Jeremy, PwC Harford *2 Kudos in One Month*

"I wanted to share a quick note detailing the performance of Records Center Associate Jeremy. Jeremy helped me today and yesterday archive the 2013 Integrated Audit external workpaper binders for the Cigna Engagement team and processed the approval of the 2014 binders as well. I dropped in to the records center yesterday at approximately 4:15pm yesterday with a stack of 45+ binders to be stamped and signed and a car load of 2013 binders to be stocked and archived. Jeremy was more than helpful in assisting me in my request, despite the short notice. He made the process seamless and has always been most helpful in any situation since I've dealt with him. Jeremy is an outstanding asset to the Hartford Office. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out. Thank you and have a great day!"

"I’m an experienced associate here at PwC Hartford. I want to take the time and write this note to acknowledge and show our appreciation for all the service that Jeremy provided us during our Lydall Inc. yearend audit. From mailing out confirmation to sending support to GADM, Jeremy provided us excellent service. Jeremy conducted himself with class and professionalism. We requested several requests during the audit and Mr. Ifill provided service in a timely and professional manner. As is well known, the most stressful period of this job is during the year end of an audit. Teams are very busy and stress overtakes people’s emotions. I want to note that Jeremy provided a positive attitude and was will to accommodate any changes we had to our request. It was a pleasure working with Jeremy and we look forward to working with him in the future."

GREAT JOB TEAM! It’s All About The Hospitality And DNA Of Our Folks. Thanks For Making Our Clients Proud They Hired FSO And You.

Have a fabulous day filled with love and inspiration.

Hugs all around,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Excellence is not an act, but a habit."

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Shout Out Wednesday: Thanks. Dankie. Do Jeh. Tak. Merci. Grazie. Arigato. Gracias. Toda. Xie Xie. Pasibo.

"Friendly, precise, swift in their care that we get packages, and clearly committed to making sure we have our work materials right away, as soon as humanly possible knowing print deadlines are lurking. They are so professional and so eager and friendly and personable." ~~New York Times

Good Morning Folks,

The weather in New York has been fabulous. I hope all of you have had the chance to enjoy the Spring weekends with family and friends. The FSO Nation has been going full steam ahead, delivering the world class experience that has made us famous from coast to coast.  

Before we get to the awards, I'd like to point out a passage from my fellow workforce happiness leader, Simon Sinek's. new book (Leaders Eat Last) where Simon (who has been featured right here on MitchWeiner.com's Ted Tuesday), talks about employees and happiness at work. He contends that only a minority of employees feel fulfilled and truly happy at work… and it is of our own doing.  

Sinek reckons employees are not happy because we have built systems and constructed organizations that force the human animal to work in environments in which it does not work best…. and one which encourages us to look after ourselves first and be suspicious of others.

The takeaway was confirmation that trust plays such an important part in creating the right environment for employees … and acts as the lubrication that reduces friction and creates conditions much more conducive to high performance.

At FSO we create the "trust" environment that brings out the best in all of our employees and results in client salutes like these. Whether greeting visitors to the the busiest and most famous building in the world or providing IT support directly to the CEO transitioning sensitive email accounts or the supporting the world's biggest newspaper brand who depends on us to get stories out to you, as these customers will confirm, you can count on FSO. 

Following are the names of our team members who have been caught delivering the WOW! to our clients and have made it to SHOUT OUT Wednesday on MitchWeiner.com!

Christopher, Liquidnet

"I went into the 12th floor kitchen tonight …It looks amazing !!! Thank you so much for keeping it that way, And for keeping on top of all the other floors" J

Ray & Cleon, PHD

"Man, it has been fun high fiving you lot around the halls of our humble office space these past few days. What a bloody great start to our year and as Nathan said, we will find time for us all to celebrate, in PHD style. But for now, I want to celebrate the swarm of people who each contributed to this win for our agency. (Cue Oscar music)To Ray, Cleon and the office services crew from FSO, who came in on the weekend to turn PHD into planet Converse- our best first impression ever…"

           

Ariel, The Sheffield –Roseland Property

"My name is Michael Rivera. I am the lead at The Sheffield in Englewood NJ. We recently acquired a new member to our team. His name is Ariel. He's been off to a great start since he got here to our site and has been nothing but a great team player. Both him and I have received a Kudos from the client yesterday for doing an excellent job with the shift log on Buildinglink. I hope he gets recognized for the work he's been putting in here."

Jennifer / The Sheffield

Brookfield One Liberty Plaza Team

"FSO is doing very well in the building at One Liberty Plaza. We have had no issues or concerns and it was a very smooth transition. We have only gotten positive feedback from tenants and thought we would share with you. Please have your team keep up the good work at One Liberty Plaza."

Christina, IMG

"This is to let you know that it is a pleasure to have Christina fill in for Kim. Christina is very polite, quick to respond to our needs and very conscientious. She has a wonderful happy attitude about doing her job, unfortunately something a bit too rare these days. I think she likes working with us too."


"I work in finance at 45th Street in NYC and for what it’s worth, there’s many people here who have an incredibly high opinion of Christina currently working reception. She’s incredibly pleasant, punctual and has an incredible work ethic. Though we’re not belittling Kim at all, many have hoped that Christina would stay until possible Kim returns and though I’m sure that’s not in your plans, I figured I’d pass on the word."
                                                                                             

Evelyn, Medimmune

"I had an emergency request to produce oversize copies of posters and she managed to complete my request in less than 15 minutes. She was very friendly, polite and very understanding of my short notice request. Please pass along my appreciation."

Stephanie, Medimmune

"This is the third email in this vein I have seen from Stephanie today and I just wanted to express my appreciation (which I will convey to her directly but I hope you can do the same on my behalf from your side of the house as well). Very glad to have her on board and super excited that she is doing everything we had hoped for, even after only a few days. Look forward to having this continue while we build a fabulous team!"

Sepideh, Medimmune

"Sharing news…. A little bit of bragging!Not knowing what a MedImmune SPOT AWARD was, I received one, today, from Mr. Richard Louis Remmele in appreciation for the work I did for him, a scientist at MedImmune whom I helped with an infographics/slide project which will be used in a conference in Boston this April. MedImmune is an awesome place to work at. Thanks for having me here."

James, Sarah & Tareek, NY Times

"We have had the pleasure of the the care and professionalism of your staff members, James, Sarah and Tareek for a while now. About a month ago, I reached out to Janet, cc'd above,to tell her how particularly fine each of these members of your team are. Friendly, precise, swift in their care that we get packages, and clearly committed to making sure we have our work materials right away. They are so professional and so eager and friendly and personable. They are so purposeful in their deliveries to us, which often come throughout the day. They make sure that we have what has come in for us as soon as humanly possible. We rely heavily upon timely delivery of packages because those are all deadline materials needed by us on a fairly quick turn-around, sometimes the same day, for our various closing deadlines for The Book Review and TimesDigest and for our reporting booksellers. I have meant to write to you this way for this entire month. During these weeks since I first communicated with Janet, our high regard and admiration and utmost appreciation for these three individuals has only grown. They each in individual ways, and as a team, that represents your organization, contribute so much to the quality of our work and to the atmosphere of collegiality and mutual high regard and standards here. And we want you to know that."

Talmas, Capco

"Over the last three weeks, Talmas Innocent has helped the Office of the CEO with the migration from Google to Outlook.  For this period of time Talmas worked diligently to make sure our issues were resolved.  He made himself available early in the morning, late in the evening, and on weekends, to enable our office to be fully operational.  Talmas has done a great job for us! Please consider this e-mail as a commendation for a job well done."

As you know, our culture is ALL about RECOGNITION. I always stress the importance of catching someone on your team doing something good and recognizing him/her. 

Thank you all for your care and commitment ensuring our standards are set. Will we get to see YOUR name in next Wednesday's column??

Be inspired. Remember the power of focus and positive energy. It's FSO that makes a difference and you lead the charge. 

Have a fabulous day filled with love and inspiration.  

Hugs all around,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say" 
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Shout Out Wednesday- Clients Praise Our Teams

"First impressions are everything and having Kelly represent us the way she does leaves a lasting impression with our guests. She displays a genuine “brother at your side” commitment!"

Good Morning Folks,

I hope you are having a successful start to your week. Every Wednesday I bring Kudos - Shout Outs direct from a clients praising the great work our employees are doing at their sites. Let's go!

David, Perseus Books

"I am not sure if David is on staff and if he reports to one of you guys now, but I wanted to let you know that I think he does such an amazing job here. So helpful and always goes the extra mile. Great employee, for what it is worth."

Dian, Metropolitan College of NY

"I am writing to commend Dian for her professionalism, outstanding customer service skills and work ethic. Regardless of the number of requests or deadlines, Dian accomplishes the task at hand quickly and efficiently while always maintaining a pleasant persona to the benefit of her operation and the college community. She is a role model to all who have the opportunity to observe her actions and/or interact with her. In sum I appreciate the leadership of Dian and the services of the Mail Room/Copy Center."

Kellyanne, Brother International Corp.
"Just wanted to send you a quick note regarding Kelly and the front desk before my tenure as a contractor here ends.I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to let you know what a difference it makes for our candidates, vendors and various guests to be greeted by Kelly. She does so with the utmost professionalism and makes everyone feel welcomed and comfortable. Often, she is the first person that our prospective new hires meet. First impressions are everything and having Kelly represent us the way she does leaves a lasting impression with our guests. She displays a genuine “brother at your side” commitment!

Kimathi, Hilton 
"Please be informed that our Office Systems team has received excellent customer service and technical support from Kimathi ! She is not only helpful but has a pleasant and positive attitude. She also demonstrates diligent professionalism."



Luis, SMP
"I am writing you to express my appreciation and commendation for Luis who in the short period of time of working with and for me as his client, has demonstrated daily great displays of professionalism, courtesy, respect and manners. That will be a great gain for any employer to have on their side. It is not often that you see goof and wholesome work qualities and ethics in the young men of today but you gave all that and more in Luis!"

Marcos , United Nations Book Shop

"Marcos just called me to give me excellent news about the sales trend in the Bookshop that I wanted to share with you: We just had two record-breaking days, and will close today with nearly $9000 worth of sales. The sunshine and warmer weather must be having a positive impact on our customers, but I think it's mostly due to the efforts made by our team here and especially Marcos and the Bookshop staff to get the new space up and running."

"WOW!!!!!!!  RECORD BREAKING $9000.00 in sales…………………….in one day!!! HUGE CONGRATS to Marcos and the entire team at the United Nations Book Shop – THANK YOU to Marcos, Claudia, Lale, Beatrice, George, Brandi & Kareem!!!!!! I was at the book shop today and when I walked in the line of customers was out the door – EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE was in place, ringing customers up at the register, answering questions on the floor…………….a work of art!!!! We SOOOO appreciate the effort guys. Thank you all for the pride you take in your work and the effort you put forth each and every day. Congrats on the RECORDS BREAKING SALES !!!!!!!!!! GREAT GREAT GREAT JOB."

To all of those applauded, CHEERS to you and THANK YOU for working tirelessly to deliver Service Extraordinaire with a smile. Keep up the great work!!

Have a great day and thanks for being a part of our amazing journey.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." 
--Amelia Earhart

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“We need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable” ~~Oscar Wilde

"Permanent happiness comes from you choosing to be permanently happy. When you choose happiness, then you attract all the happy things as well. The happy things are the icing on the cake, but the cake is happiness" ~~Rhonda Byrne

Good Morning Folks,

Whether it is health, money, a loving relationship, material things, accomplishments, a job, or anything at all, the desire for happiness is the bottom line of all of them. But remember that happiness is a state inside of us, and something on the outside can only bring fleeting happiness, because material things are impermanent.

Regardless of your looks, skills or intelligence, or what struggles you have had in your life --  if you don’t have a good attitude, if you don’t believe that happiness is a “choice”, if you don’t believe you can accomplish great things then you will never achieve success.  

Look around you. You work for a HAPPY company, with a Chief HAPPINESS Officer at the helm - who truly wants you to be happy, who gives you all the tools, opportunities and support to grow and be happy at what you do. You know why? 

Unhappy people, negative people, uncooperative people, complaining people just attract more unhappiness, negativity and difficulty into their lives. Those people can never truly be PERSONAL, PASSIONATE and PRODUCTIVE. 

But... on the FSO side of the coin... happy employees are contagious. Happy employees create a great work environment, and happy employees create more opportunity.

Our Sales, Marketing, and Operations teams are firing on all cylinders! We have the competition on their heels, with more and more of their clients taking a serious look at FSO and deciding that we are the only real choice when it comes to outsourcing.   

The FSO Train is screaming down the track, exceeding our client’s expectations and delivering on our promise to love and nurture our most valuable asset, our employees!  

==>  FSO is the Fastest growing outsourcer in the Industry
==>  FSO is the displacing its competitors every day
==>  FSO is the best place to work in the industry
==>  FSO is providing thousands a chance to reach their goals
==>  FSO is the most sought out company in the industry to work

What a great thing to say about your job!  

I talk to a lot of prospects that have our competitors currently. EVERY time I speak with them I get a bit nauseas because they tell me they are marginally happy, that they do not get any ideas from the current provider, that the staff onsite isn’t happy, that the management from the current company has never been to the site or met with them, that the local manager never provides reports, and the list goes on. UGH! I have seen the great work we do on-site and I am a true believer that (re)Imagine is our differentiator. 

Every time we (re)Imagine we win! Do not underestimate the impact that wiping off finger prints on a glass door can have. Do not underestimate the impact of your smile on a customer. Little things like straightening up an unsightly lobby, helping to set up a conference room when it is not our service agreement, it is the kind words and great attitude and providing ideas and recommendations for improvements. 

Your career and your growth is top of mind for me every single moment of the day. We have excitement in our company and I want you all to be excited. 

YOU are always appreciated for what YOU do, being who YOU are and the role YOU play in the company. Without YOU there could be no FSO. 

Set your goals and expectations high but more importantly, achieve them.  

Have a great day and thanks for being a part of our amazing journey.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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“Of all sad words or tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 
"It might have been!" -J.G. Whittier

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ABOUT FSO:

Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies and ranked among the top 25 of New York's fastest growing privately held companies by Crain's magazine,for three consecutive years, FSO can proudly boast: 

• 98 % client retention with ZERO displacements 
• 98 % employee retention – twice the industry average 
• 300+ years of industry experience residing in its Senior Leadership Team 
• 120+ corporate support staff supporting our national footprint (HR, IT, Analysts, Subject matter experts etc) 

Led by Mitchell Weiner, the co-founder and pioneer of onsite outsourcing, FSO was created to deliver what the industry has lost sight of – and everything you deserve: 

• An outsourcing experience powered by passionate people. 
• An intimate and personal approach to service. 
• A partnership based on care, trust and mutual success. 
• Involved owners listening to your needs and proposing customized solutions. 

To learn more, please contact our national direct line: 212.204.1193.

VIDEO:

Brief "corporate portrait" video shows who we are and what we can do for you HERE