TED Tuesday: Nilofer Merchant — Got a meeting? Take a walk

"Sitting has become the smoking of our generation."

Good Morning Folks,

In her VERY short TED talk, Nilofer Merchant suggests a small idea that just might have a big impact on your life and health: Next time you have a one-on-one meeting, make it into a "walking meeting" — and let ideas flow while you walk and talk.

You'll be surprised at how fresh air drives fresh thinking, and in the way that you do, you'll bring into your life an entirely new set of ideas.  Gave a look:


TED offers you more ways to Work Smarter.  Here is a playlist of 11 other talks about working smarter that you might enjoy. This isn't traditional business advice. These talks offer unconventional, and uncommonly useful, advice on leading, working and making the most of each day.

Have a GREAT day!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time."

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Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Shout-Out Wednesday: "Infectious Enthusiasm, Professionalism And Genuine Care"

"Luther takes pride in his team. He is always ready and willing to being incredibly responsive to all requests. Thanks for being awesome!"

Good Morning Folks,

As FSO continues to grow and welcome new clients, we are constantly raising the bar to (re)IMAGINE™ the way to go to business - ensuring we deliver the very best experience to our clients and employees. 

We believe people make or break the success of an organization. We take care of our people and in turn, they take care of you. They bring a passion for hospitality and service that just can't be faked or duplicated.  

Here are this week's Shout-Outs:

                                    From Our AMLAW 200 Clients

Mark Vella – Newark
"Thank you to Mark for being a HUGE team player and going above and beyond to switch to the evening shift to help cover an open position. We appreciate you."

Jeremy — Boston
"Kudos to Jeremy for his quick and efficient response to all the client needs and his pleasant demeanor every day and in all that he does."

Linda — (Future Leader) Dallas
"Linda continues to show a great attitude at work every day while she handles multiple responsibilities that come into the office services department. Her big smile and welcoming demeanor puts out client at ease. She has been a huge asset and she does more and more each day to improve not only herself but her team. "

                                          From Our Retail Clients

NY/NJ Staff
"Great job to our staff who maintained flawless execution during a two week brand review all while covering for the CRM who was on bereavement leave. Their hard work and excellent service allowed the CRM to be with his family during a difficult time with the confidence that his team was providing great service and attention."

From Our Wall Street / Financial Services Clients

Team
“I wanted to send you a quick thank you note for your team’s hard work and diligence. All of the ladies and gentlemen from facilities and reception helped us pull together a successful event from start to finish. Andrew, Sharifa, and the rest of the team express a warm charisma and positive attitude that can be infectious to those around them. Not only that, they are diligent in their processes and follow through on their work. Both teams successfully helped us work through logistics and audible for the past two weeks and I am truly grateful for their efforts.”

At The Headquarters Of The World's Largest Communications Agencies

Katherine – New York
"Katherine was essential in helping during a week with a large number of internal and external meetings. She assist with the food deliveries, the calendar invites, follow up and any other logistics that were needed for the meetings. She made it all look effortless and without incident. She is the main reason all the meetings went on successfully."

From The World's Largest Professional Services Firms 

Faiza — Madison Ave
"Faiza’s quick and professional  assistance makes things much easier for the team and the client. She has managed to handle various issues that are time consuming but with her assistance the end user is able to focus on other matters. She gets things done quickly, efficiently and always with a smile and a positive attitude. She checks in with the end users every morning and afternoon to see where she can be of assistance. She is a great asset."

Icelsa — Madison Ave
“Icelsa stops by daily to see how she can help. Yesterday, she was the "perfect extra set of hands," helping me prepare to host a workshop. She gathered supplies and with troubleshooting a projector issue with IT. She was prompt, timely and professional. I especially appreciated her independence and initiative in helping me.” 

Elaine — Madison Ave
Elaine is the best floor person we've had in years. She is here every day and comes by at least twice a day to see if she can assist in any way. She is cheerful, courteous and very efficient. She gets the job done whatever it may be and way before the deadline. We so often are quick to write a criticism of people but I thought Elaine should be recognized for her accomplishments.” 

Kimberly, Darryl & Faiza — Madison Ave
"Kimberly, Darryl and Faiza were essential in helping with a large event. All three were the extra pair of hands that made the event a huge success."

Floor Host Team - PwC, 300 Madison
Last week Francis has an appreciation lunch for her Floor Host team at PwC, 300 Madison. It was a Hawaii theme were May birthdays, Mother’s Day and a graduation from Columbia University were celebrated. It was a great gathering to highlight the achievements and hard work of all the floor hosts.

At One Of The Big Four Mobile Communications Companies

Michelle & Rachel — Bellevue
"Kudos to Michelle And Rachel for their outstanding customer service provides to the end users at the client site every day. Their partnership with the client is appreciated and valued."

Mailroom Team – Bellevue
"Great job to Michelle and the team for all the support they provide to client, especially the Treasury side. They have been great in providing assistance with all the projects on site."

 From Our Clients In Property Management

Carlos  – Liberty Terrace
"Carlos continues to lead his team in the right direction. While the client has been out of the country Carlos has not only taken care of the FSO responsibilities but of other needs at the client site. He is a true team player and leader."

Belinda – Greene Street
"Belinda is the lead concierge at her site and she has no easy task. She works at one of the busiest properties and she carries out her responsibilities always with a smile on her face. She has been in the role for some time now but she continues to grow and learn."

To Our Professionals On Campus

Staff
“Thanks for all your kind help with mailing and shipping, whether it’s a big office project or a birthday gift that has to get to another state (or country), you always come through with a smile!” 


                                  To Our Team At The Tax Innovator Of The Year

Team
"Our day to day contact and the senior decision maker toured the client site last week and expressed how happy they are with the great work of the team. They were impressed with the space and the progress the team has made. The client appreciates the efforts of the team and look forward to more great work and service."

Thanks fort taking the time to write to me about these gifted employees. I am always eager to hear more about how we are doing.

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

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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TED Tuesday: Why So Serious?

As the old saying goes, "you can either soar like an eagle or flock like a duck." In this disarmingly simple presentation, we learn to differentiate clearly between the avians of the business world.

Good Morning,

Today something different. Something funny. A satire of TED talks from The Onion.

A friend recently posted 21 short videos worth more than an MBA, the 13 most inspirational videos of all time, and the 7 most motivational feature films of all time.  Presenting Onion Talks: the most important ideas from greatest thinkers on the planet. No mind will be left unchanged

However, to quote another great motivational speaker in a famous movie: "Why so serious?"

Enough of the serious. The videos in this post are not worth an MBA and are neither inspirational nor motivational. But they're funny as all get out, IMHO.

More than that, they illustrate some fairly important truths about human behavior and the realities of the business world.

Enjoy any or all of my favorite three.

1. Ducks and chickens.
Amazing talk on cultural barriers. This minimalistic approach was very insightful and had an important message on how we should all get past our differences and communicate as the one true race that we are - the human race. Great job.

As the old saying goes, "you can either soar like an eagle or flock like a duck." In this disarmingly simple presentation, we learn to differentiate clearly between the avians of the business world. The duck says quack, while some animals on the farm take quite a different approach. Award-winning animal behaviorist Peter Garcia discusses these contrasting philosophies, and how we can reconcile them for a brighter future. 

VIEW HERE


2. The power of social media.
The world's most successful companies know that social media is a powerful marketing tool, and Cameron Hughes knows how to make social marketing even more effective: by never injecting an ounce of effort into it. No technology has ever had a bigger effect on our business culture than social media. In this groundbreaking presentation, we learn of the true power of social media to increase a company's value proposition.

VIEW HERE

3. The value of patience.
In our fast paced world, we expect everything at once. But Peter Redd says there is merit to waiting for desirable outcomes-- like savoring a delicious homemade pie. A perfect metaphor for a perfect talk.

In a world where everything moves so quickly, it's essential to cultivate the value of patience. Science shows that attentions spans are growing shorter each year and the ability to delay gratification is a strong indicator of life success.

VIEW HERE

Were it not for the conspicuous green logo propped up behind him, one might be excused for failing to realize that this is not, as it seems, a ted Talk, but rather, one of the first in a series that premières today called, “Onion Talks.” A year ago, YouTube announced a list of winning proposals for “YouTube Original Channels,” to expand the platform’s content; among them were ones submitted both by the Onion and ted. Sam West, the head writer of the Onion Talks series, imagined it would be just like ted, “only instead of a good idea, it will be a ludicrous one.” At first, he said, “We actually reached out to ted to see if they were interested in collaborating with us. But when they saw what we were up to, they didn’t really think it was an idea worth spreading.”

“Ideas worth spreading” is the tagline of ted Talks; for Onion Talks, it’s “No mind will be left unchanged.” During a popular ted Talk from last March, the author Susan Cain discussed the merits of being quiet, saying, “Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi—all these people described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy;” in an Onion Talk, a lecturer offers, “Did you know that this generation will be ten times louder than their grandparents? If George Washington were alive today, we would not be able to see or hear him.” From Cain’s ted Talk: “At the risk of sounding grandiose, it is the world’s loss, because when it comes to creativity and to leadership we need introverts doing what they do best.” As West and I discussed the irksome self-importance of these lectures, he stopped himself, and said, “I’m sounding all grandiose here.”

Ted has inspired an idea worth spreading, after all, which is that comedy emerges from people taking themselves too seriously. Nathan Heller, in his profile of the program for the magazine this summer, characterized the ted Talk personality like this:

People frequently say that ted has a low irony quotient. Actually there is plenty of irony at TED; what’s missing is a particular kind of irony, the underdog kind… . It is the mood of professionals who wear Converse to work, own multimillion-dollar homes at thirty-two, eat local, donate profits to charity, learn Mandarin, and rock-climb in the Pinnacles on Sundays. It is the friendly, self-effacing irony of winners. There is a joke around the ted offices which distills this West Coast irony for me. It goes, “Oh, so you’ve lost your legs and climbed Everest? So did everyone else.” Continued on The New Yorker...

And you can view the whole series HERE.

Have a GREAT day,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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“Nothing will work unless you do."
 ~~ Maya Angelou

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Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Ted Tuesday: Dr. Dan Gilbert— The Surprising Science of Happiness

"Gilbert's elbow-in-the-ribs social-science humor is actually funny. ... But underneath the goofball brilliance, he has a serious argument to make about why human beings are forever wrongly predicting what will make them happy." 

~~ New York Times Book Review

Good Morning Folks,

I woke up this beautiful morning I wanted to share an inspirational Ted Talk with all of you. When you watch it you may wonder why you hadn't heard of this before, or better yet be surprised that over a million people have already watched it (between YouTube and Ted postings alone). That's the power of Ted.

Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don't go as planned.

Gilbert believes that, in our ardent, lifelong pursuit of happiness, most of us have the wrong map. In the same way that optical illusions fool our eyes -- and fool everyone's eyes in the same way -- Gilbert argues that our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy. And these quirks in our cognition make humans very poor predictors of our own bliss.

The premise of his current research -- that our assumptions about what will make us happy are often wrong -- is supported with clinical research drawn from psychology and neuroscience. But his delivery is what sets him apart. His engaging -- and often hilarious -- style pokes fun at typical human behavior and invokes pop-culture references everyone can relate to. This winning style translates also to Gilbert's writing, which is lucid, approachable and laugh-out-loud funny. The immensely readable Stumbling on Happiness, published in 2006, became a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 20 languages.

Dr. Gilbert asks us to imagine two different futures ... One, winning the lottery (yes, I like this ... I will buy a plane, and maybe an island suitable for the construction of a landing strip ... and definitely a sail boat, a small one ... I will recreate the Corona ad and learn to enjoy beer or at least ice cold limeade ... ). The other is become paraplegic.  (No thanks.)

He informs us that "Happiness" data has been collected on these two different groups.

"Because the fact is that a year after losing the use of their legs, and a year after winning the lotto, lottery winners and paraplegics are equally happy with their lives."



The lesson I want to leave you with from these talk is that our longings and our worries are both to some degree overblown, because we have within us the capacity to manufacture the very commodity we seek.

What an inspiration Gilbert is to the very core and spirit of FSO's brand. 

We are pumped, super excited and ready to rock.

Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

TED Tuesday: Tim Urban— Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator

"This just might be the funniest TED talk I have ever seen—Wait  Tim Urban goes inside the mind of a master procrastinator." ~~Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

Good Morning Folks,

The term paper looms. Your computer sits open before you, the cursor blinking on your pristine white screen like a tiny black devil come to taunt you. On the corner of your screen, a notification pops up. Now you have a choice. You can either start writing the paper that’s due next week, or you can watch the latest YouTube video on Poodle-haircuts gone wrong.

If you choose the Poodle, you’re not alone. Tim Urban’s hilariously entertaining TED Talk entitled “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator” has gotten over 10 million views and counting. I agree with Tim - in the modern age, we're all procrastinators. The key to getting rid of it, in my humble opinion, is different for anyone. 

Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn't make sense, but he's never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window — and encourages us to think harder about what we're really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.

Tim Urban is a brilliant presenter!!! That is the best ever explanation of importance of setting deadlines! Urban doesn’t believe non-procrastinators exist.  He believes we’re all procrastinating about something. We all have-- excuse the cliche-- a monkey on our backs. And we all need to be aware of it when he (or she) takes the wheel. Have a look:

His ending argument? Life is short. He puts up a visual filled with tiny boxes, one for each week in a 90 year life. It’s not that long. For online high school students, your future begins with what you do today. So, in the words, of Master Procrastinator Tim Urban, be aware of your instant gratification monkey. Be aware of why you’re procrastinating. And embrace your life while you can.

Thinking long and well about that last slide might help out the efforts. Good luck out there, fellow sufferers. Thanks to CMASAS, the top 5 of the 50 Best Online High School Diploma programs, for pointing me to this great presentation. And thanks to all of you for watching.

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have."
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Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

Ted Tuesday: Julian Treasure— ‘How to Speak So That People Want to Listen’

"Every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully."

Good Morning Folks

At FSO, listening to our clients needs is paramount to (re)IMAGINING their future. Ironically we win because our competitors fail in listening.

With that in mind and 3,591,725 combined Ted and YouTube views that have come before your own…. Julian Treasure's talk, "5 ways to listen better" is sure to enlighten you.

There are seven deadly sins of speaking, according to sound consultant Julian:

• Gossiping
• Judging
• Negativity
• Complaining
• Excuses
• Exaggeration
• Dogmatism

It can be difficult to stay away from these conversation killers, but Treasure says there are plenty of ways to make sure you don’t lose your listener. In this TED Talk, he shares tips to speak powerfully—and with a purpose.

The first step is to hail, an exercise in using honesty, authenticity, integrity and love to give your words meaning. Treasure says these things allow you to be clear in what you’re saying—to be straightforward in a way that establishes trust.

After you’ve nailed down what to say, you have to think about how to say it. That’s where the human voice comes into play. Treasure says using different vocal inflections and rates of speech can add an extra layer of meaning to your words—and really drive a point home.

“You have an amazing toolbox. This instrument is incredible, and yet this is a toolbox that very few people have ever opened,” Treasure says.

Is your voice giving you the presence you need? Here are some of the best tools in the box:

1. Register
“If you want weight, you need to go down here to the chest…. We vote for politicians with lower voices, it's true, because we associate depth with power and with authority. That's register.”

2. Timbre
“It's the way your voice feels. Again, the research shows that we prefer voices which are rich, smooth, warm, like hot chocolate.”

3. Prosody
“People who speak all on one note are really quite hard to listen to if they don't have any prosody at all. That's where the word monotonic comes from, or monotonous, monotone.”

4. Pace and Pitch
“I can get very excited by saying something really quickly, or I can slow right down to emphasize…. Of course, pitch often goes along with pace to indicate arousal."

5. Volume
“I can get really excited by using volume…. Or, I can have you really pay attention by getting very quiet. Some people broadcast the whole time. Try not to do that.”

By teaching the next generation to listen and to be empathetic, they will have a better chance at creating an understanding world, and ultimately a more peaceful world.

“Conscious listening creates a world of connection, of understanding and of peace.”

Watch Julian’s talk here:

Thanks to Success magazine for their insights that contributed to this post, to TED and most of all to you for listening. 

Let's all go make things happen today. I look forward to seeing you soon.


Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Shout-Out: Cheers To Our FSO Rockstars

"Her smiling personality and professionalism is always shining. She is willing to take the extra step to assist greets our guests and our employees.”

Good Morning Folks,

Hearing feedback about some of the AWESOME ways our motivated, team oriented, passionate people support our clients is one of the joys of my position.

I'd like to share some of my favorite kudos received in letters and emails so far this year:

From The World's Largest Advertising Companies, NYC
Re: Manny & Nicolle 
"Great job to Manny and Nicolle for doing such a great job in helping during the Creative Boot Camp event. They were both very involved, engaged and delivered exceptional services and assistance."

Re: Marcos
"A huge thank you to Marcos for springing into action during an emergency situation at the client site. Someone fell and was injured on site and Marcos immediately assisted, bandaging the person’s knee and even staying with them until the ambulance arrived. HE is truly an example of the “All Hands In” philosophy."

From Our AMLAW 200 Clients
Re: Clemencia, Stephen & Demetrius  –Boston
"These three awesome employees go above and beyond the call of duty for me when there is a request or issue while always being professional, efficient and friendly."

Re: Lisa & Team – Hartford
"Great job to the team for their support and great job in support of a meeting at the client site. The team's efficiency allowed for the training session to run very smoothly."

Re: Office Services – Boston
"Just wanted to send along a belated but sincere thank you for helping me last week with my VERY last minute request to create spiral bound presentations for a meeting 'in 15 minutes'. I apologize for the urgency of the request but appreciate the team getting this done -- with a smile no less. Great job team!!!"

Re: Marcus – Dallas
"Kudos to Marcus for taking the initiative and assisting in unpacking and setting someone’s new Varidesk. Marcus is always upbeat and shows a 
wonderful demeanor while delivering services."

Re: Pat – Boston)
Congratulations to Pat Murphy for winning the Site Manager of the Year 2016.

At One Of The Big Four Mobile Communications Companies 
To: Mariel, Musa, Terence & Ashton – Bellevue
"Great job to the team for going above and beyond on a high visibility project at the client site. Not only did they stay late the day before to set up but also step in the day of the event and ensured everything went off without a hitch."

To: Terence – Bellevue
"Kudos to Terence for his great communication skills to the customer and he tireless work in making the impossible almost always possible."

 

From A Healthcare Leader
To: Martin – California Laboratory 
"Marty does a wonderful job and goes above and beyond. Last week, there were a few times where shipments came in late, and he focused on getting the job done before going on his lunch. He ended up taking lunch almost 2 hours late! He told me didn’t mind, he just wanted to do a good job! He is very committed to his job and I am very grateful to have him as a part of my team!"

To: Claire – California Laboratory 
"Claire works hard to complete all tasks assigned to her! She has the skip, fire, and twinkle that FSO looks for! Since moving up to this position, she has been amazing, and I don’t know what I would do without her!"

To: Yang  & Li Y – California Laboratory 
"Yang & Li work hard every day to fulfil the demands for end users. Even with little notice, they are able to prepare plates everyone. They do the best that they can to uphold the level of customer service that FSO is proud of!"

 From Our Wall Street / Financial Services Clients

To: Orelbi – International Bank
"Orelbi consistently provides great service to the client, exemplifying our company standards and qualities."

To: Janessa –  Big 8 Accounting Firm, Chicago
"Awesome job to Danielle for her attention to detail and noticing a duplicate lunch order. Her great customer service and quick response is truly appreciated."

To: Jonathan & The Team –  Financial Services
"Great job to Jonathan and his team for being so efficient during a client event. They all went above and being as always and the success of the event could not have been possible with them."

To: Kelly – Financial Services
"Extremely grateful to Kelly for all she does every day. From ordering food to coordinating with facilities to booking rooms, she has been a true asset to the operations."

To: Sharifa – Financial Services
"Sharifa has become the client's right hand woman. She goes above and beyond with booking rooms, printing names tags, welcoming candidates and overall logistics."

  To: Rossi – Big 8 Accounting Firm, Chicago
Congratulations from our clients to Rossi for being named Associate of the Year.

From The NYC HQ Of The World's Preeminent Daily Newspaper

To: Louis – Times Square

"Kudos to Louis for making an urgent hand delivery. His efficiency and quick action is appreciated and shows his impact in such a short time with the organization."

There are no unimportant positions in a firm, and any person (like those commended above) that is interacting with clients is contributing to the overall impression of the client's firm. All of our employees that interact with clients are carefully selected and trained. So I'd like to commend Shalaine for her incredible patience in all her comprehensive orientations and training. She is always supportive, encouraging, compassionate to her training team and students.

To all of those applauded, CHEERS to you and THANK YOU for working tirelessly to deliver Service Extraordinaire with a smile. I am so proud of all of you, and to count you among the FSO family. 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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"There is nothing wrong with you that isn't made worse by being unhappy. Make yourself better, by making the best of everything."

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