Shout Out Wednesday: CHO Club— Bringing Out Our Best

"Thank you for CHO Club. It was an honor to be chosen, and the venue was awesome. So many people work for companies and don't have the privilege of being able to interact with the President and Founders let alone share a drink with them after work! THIS is what sets us aside from the competition! These events are great because it puts us in touch with one another. The personal aspect of FSO is alive and well in this company."

Good Morning Folks,

FSO loves nothing more than rewarding our hard-working and valued employees! That in mind, our 7th monthly CHO Club convened before the holiday break at The Liberty in New York City.

Today, I write to say, "THANK YOU for INSPIRING ME." CHO Club was perfect, exciting, and, most important, INSPIRING. I so enjoy when we have a casual time to chat, recognize your victories, listen to your ideas, wins, strategies, and hopes for personal accomplishments.

The CHO club is just another example of going above and beyond to say thanks to the wonderful people who serve our clients each and every day. These monthly recognition meetings provide the perfect platform to award, recognize, and incentivize our top performers.

The entire executive Leadership Team and I were excited for some time to get PERSONAL and share your FSO experiences so we can learn and continue to grow. As you can see, we had tons of fun....

There is still time to qualify for September's CHO Club. Among the prerequisites for being nominated are kudos from managers and our clients. Kudos like...

The Banking Vice President of Administrative Services and Facilities who wrote about our James & Shanika .....

"Just wanted to say that James has brought the energy level way up for the entire team! He has people working harder and faster than I have seen before. The new associate, Shanika, continues to do fast accurate work, which has been nothing less than AWESOME!!!!  I want to thank you for your continued help in trying to build a successful team. We seem to be making progress, and I appreciate all of the work you are personally doing to make this happen."

Or the Telecom executive who wrote to us about Pernissa & Leo at a major national account...

"I wanted to recognize the fantastic work that you and Pernissa provided during our distribution of the new phones. This is a very high profile implementation requiring meticulous and careful inspection and packaging, and your help allowed me to turn the shipments around in the same day. I realize that the help you provided is above and beyond your normal scope of work and I sincerely appreciate it!  I have been raving to everyone about how great you guys are. Thanks Again!"

Plus, these kudos directly from the account's president about Ray & Cleon's ability to deliver hospitality and execute a beautiful experience that surrounds it...

"A huge and personal thanks from me to all of you for the tireless effort that went into yesterday’s sessions. The fact that we pulled it off was nothing short of an advertising miracle made possible because of all of you and the hustle. We secured a cinema, visited the site (twice), ordered more audio and tech equipment (who knew what a confidence monitor was?) fed 300 people, and had great attendance. We created four great stories for four of our next generation clients,and we invited our people to learn and share in our work. We even had a fake fire crackling in the background for our fireside chats. I mean, C’mon. We hosted a dinner with an ever changing cast of characters. A huge thanks to Jen W in the final days for the epic effort yesterday and to Theonia for arranging that site visit on a minutes notice and getting us there last week. As always, you make our space look legitimate- thank you."

From a Healthcare client testifying to the benefit of having an informed concierge like our Miguel and his "do anything for the customer" attitude...

"Several weeks ago, I reserved a “hotel room” on the website Hotels.com.   I arrived at your place to find out that "Luxury on the Hudson” was in fact a sublet apartment that I had reserved and, in fact, had already been charged for…. And, in fact, had been double booked. I was completely screwed. No place to stay and nowhere to go. One of your AMAZING concierge or desk service personnel, Miguel, helped me for HOURS.  He went SO FAR above and beyond to help me get settled, find a room, get a cab… everything.  He was absolutely fantastic and although continued to do his ACTUAL job…. He went out of his way to help me. I hope he is recognized for his professionalism, his help and his overall work ethic. Miguel… thank you. You are the man."

And finally a tribute to Carolin working on site for us at the world's largest advertising and public relations headquarters....

"You should all give Carolin a big THANK YOU for stepping up today. It was a tough Monday, fielding difficult and last minutes requests from our parent company for two different meetings/reservations. Although Carolin had not been involved in any of the bookings she handled all requests with professionalism, courtesy and  a true desire to help! She is to be commended."

Folks like those welcomed into CHO Club and given a shout out here truly personify the FSO experience and pleasant demeanor that keep our client's office running like a well-oiled machine. These folks come to work each with a big  smile on their face ready to help anyone out.  

THANKS for all you do each and every single day.

To other companies reading this: Rewards are both earned and learned... so spread it on thick. Love on your workforce when they deserve it .... they will surely want to repeat the experience. As Richard Branson says: "If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers."

For employees, forging a fulfilling career is one of the most important — and often, most difficult —challenges in building a happy life. For employers, building a culture of happiness is key to cementing their brand’s success. When these interests converge, the result is a sense of belonging through shared values and an intangible, emotional belief that we are on a shared journey.

We look forward to giving YOU your own “Shout Out” coming soon to a Wednesday near you.

Have a GREAT day,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Inspire ME Friday: Everyone Is Happy Today

"If you live by values, and respect yourself for doing so, you’ll begin projecting something people around you will notice."

Good Morning Folks,

One thing I can always count on: Everyone is happy and nice today. Why? It's a holiday weekend, and many are already glancing at there clock in anticipation.

But why does it take an external event to make one happy?

And why do people have to wonder why I am happy all the time? They argue, Mitch you can't always be happy!" Here's my secret:

Remember, every human being on the planet wants to be happy. Anything that anyone desires is because they think their desire will make them happy. 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.

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. 

@NKGUY. From BurningCam.com At Burning Man in search of happiness,
Cupcake cars by Lisa Pongrace, Greg Solberg and Cupcake Corners camp. 

Today I shared a great article about happiness which makes a solid analogy to the Burning Man Festival underway in the desert, that now attracts 80,000 people who wait hours in slow moving one-lane road traffic to hunker down in a dust bowl in search of happiness.

In "Hacking Happiness: The New Radical Self-Reliance," author Dina Kaplan opines, "If you live by values, and respect yourself for doing so, you’ll begin projecting something people around you will notice. It’s the energy of not seeking external praise or validation, not glowing from a hundred likes on your latest Facebook post. It is, instead, looking only for validation from within. Are you living with integrity, according to your values, even if you’ve never shared them with anyone else? If you live or die by your values, letting them be a key gauge of success, the world starts unfolding in a beautiful way. You derive happiness from yourself. You’re more even throughout the day."

Dina nails it. And I highly recommend you start your weekend checking out the full article. A permanent happiness mindset beats a three day excuse for being happy any day.

And speaking of the holiday, most people think it's about barbecues and parades and sales. Actually Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. It's your day, our day, to take a moment out from work to realize how lucky we are.


Have a Happy, Healthy, Safe, Fun and Refreshing Holiday Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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 “Happy employees are more productive employees.”
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Throwback Thursday: Just Look Back 100 Years At The Close of the Last Century and Imagine Life's Possibilities in 2115

"Back then a competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

Good Morning Folks,

Start with the fact that in 1911 there were only about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.! Or there were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads. NOW consider 2115 at the current speed of change....

The year is 1911 --- One hundred years ago plus. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1911:

• The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
• Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
• Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
• The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
• The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "substandard".
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
• The Five leading causes of death were

• Pneumonia and influenza
• Tuberculosis
• Diarrhea
• Heart diseass
•  Stroke

• The population of Las Vegas , Nevada was only 30.
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
• There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.
• Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!" (Shocking?)
• Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

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

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer


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“It's not what you've got. It's what you use that makes a difference.
~~Zig Ziglar
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TED Tuesday: How To Stand Out At Your New Office— Career Advice for Millennials

Mitch is in Seattle as we go live at our newest client. In his stead from TED Blogs we share...

Career advice for millennials (and really, anyone) from Margaret Heffernan

Posted by: Juliet Blake and Kate Torgovnick May July 3, 2015 at 3:00 pm EDT

In her career, Margaret Heffernan has been the CEO of five businesses. What advice does she have for people just starting their careers? First: Get to know your coworkers. Photo: Paul Clarke/TED

It’s a few months after graduation, which means the luckiest new college grads are knee-deep into internships and entry-level jobs. How to stand out? Business writer Margaret Heffernan suggests: Start by taking a coffee break with your coworkers. Companies grow best, she suggests, when workers are connected by social bonds.

Heffernan’s TED Book, Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes, rounds up the academic research that backs up her workplace-tested insights. She’s calling for managers to feed workers’ hunger for connection — and for workers to recognize that coffee breaks and hallway chats can actually make them more valuable, and valued, employees. (Learn more in her TED Talk, “Why it’s time to forget the pecking order at work.”)

Just before Heffernan hosted the TED@BCG conference, she sat down with curator Juliet Blake to offer advice for young people just starting their careers. Insights from their conversation:

The job requirement no one tells new hires about: Build your social capital.

“Social capital is a form of mutual reliance, dependency and trust. It hugely changes what people can do. This is more true now than ever. It’s impossible in modern organizations to know everything that you need to know. What you need are lots of people who know lots of different things. Collectively you’re smarter.

Social capital develops from people spending time together. I learned this when I was running my first software company. I hired lots of brilliant people, but felt that there was something wrong. I realized that everybody was so focused on their own work and tasks, that they didn’t know anything about the person sitting next to them. So I decided, “Okay — Friday afternoons at 4 o’clock everybody’s going to get together and three people are going to stand up and tell us who they are and what matters to them.” At the time I thought it was hokey. Even now, this doesn’t feel like elevated management thinking. But it completely changed the game. You need that level of trust to have the freedom to think and to have the really good kind of argument from which the best ideas emerge.”

Isn’t it different for this generation because of social media? Not really. 

“We talk about millennials in a language of exceptionalism. I’m a little skeptical about that. Digital intelligence and techno-savvy is an entry-level requirement. But without social capital, it won’t get you very far.

I remember when I worked at the BBC, I was given a trainee who was making his first film. He had a first in mathematics from Oxford, and thought he was the smartest kid on the block. He had no concept that what he needed to do was to connect to the very rich network of social capital that existed within the team. So he wrote the film alone. He went in and shot it using his own lights — he didn’t ask for help from the unbelievably seasoned, prize-winning technicians he was working with. Surprise, surprise — the film was a mess. All he needed to do was invest a bit of time and effort in getting to know the people around him, and it would have been a completely different story.”

Work sensible hours. Take breaks. Really. 

“In engineering, people talk about asset integrity, which means that you service the machinery before it breaks. In modern organizations, the work is thinking and the machinery is your brain. We know from cognitive science that there are hard limits to what the brain can deal with. And yet, there’s an awful lot in the way we work which flies in the face of that.

We think that if we work through the night, we’re being very clever. We’re not. We think we can work long hours — month after month, year after year — and that there won’t be any wear and tear. But there is.

I’m a big fan of mind wandering. I do my best thinking when I’m writing. Or when I stop thinking about a hard problem — how to deal with a client, how to fix a paragraph — and get up. You walk away from your desk, you do something mind-numbingly dull —hanging up the laundry or taking the dog out for a walk — and the idea will come to you.”

And yes, time management means taking time off email and chat. 

“The crucial thing around time management is Leslie A. Perlow’s observation that we have what we think of as “real work,” which requires thought and concentration. And then the other work of meetings, phone calls, video conferences and email. If you want to be profoundly more productive, separate those two. Do the thinking work uninterrupted, which will result in better work with less fatigue. And then do all the other stuff, comfortable in the knowledge that the real work is done. It will mean at the end of the day you’ll feel less fried.”

The advice I’d give my younger self…

“It’s the same advice I give my teenage kids. Grades aren’t everything. Learning is for the joy of learning; it’s not for the certificate. You have to set your own agenda. Question everything. I mean, this is a rod from my own back.

Think for yourself. Think for yourself. Think for yourself. I’m really concerned that many of major institutions don’t want people to think for themselves. My advice to any young person starting out is: don’t be a sheep. It’s your life and your decisions, and you can’t blame other people if you make the wrong choice. It’s your choice.”

Learn more about Margaret Heffernan’s TED Book, Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes. And read up on the talks from the TED@BCG event she hosted.

Inspire ME Friday: How Weekend Family Time Improves Your Career

"Would You Rather Have a Successful Career or an Interesting One? It is interesting to listen to her insight on spending some down time with family and how it helps her. That's a cool video"

Good Morning Folks,

In this brief video powered by Citi, on today's "InspireME Friday, Sallie Krawcheck, owner of 85 Broads (one of the large networking groups for Women on LinkedIn) and former Wall Street executive, talks about the power of your attitude, why you need to make time to relax and how to deal with setbacks. Sallie's one pice of advice "Nothing beats hard work."

Compliments to Sallie for sharing; out of the abundance of her heart, her mouth speaks.

Take some time out to heed Sallie's advice and enjoy your family while having a ....

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing End of The Summer Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"Being grateful for the little things we cherish can change negative thoughts or moods" ~~ Sandy Guerriere
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*To learn more and join Sally's LinkedIn Connect group powered by Citi, visit: http://www.linkedin.com/womenconnect.

LinkUP Thursday: Here's What I'm Reading This Week

"How much of your life is spent in fear? Fear of disappointing others? Fear of being disappointed? Fear of not being good enough? Fear of missing out?"

Good Morning Folks,

On LinkUP Thursday, I quench your thirst for knowledge and self-development, bringing you the curated, cliff-notes version of my week’s knowledge quest— as I span the web, so I can bring all the best stuff to you here all wrapped up in an easy to digest package, all in one place. And sealed with a FSO kiss.

In between postings here, I use LinkedIn and Twitter to be your guide to the very best resources and information online, providing deep insights into how to find, hire, motivate, train, incentivize, retain and improve the lives of hourly employees— and of course for being happier at work today and always. I sort the grain from the chaff. Think of my role as your information museum curator.

Moreover, I find many sales people sending me article shares in the morning as a way to stay in touch, and I appreciate that very much.

So if we have not connected socially, regardless of age, role in life or anything else, I welcome all in my friendly social club. Friend me on Twitter HERE and LinkedIN HERE.

The first article today is one I highly recommend that effects us all. How much of your life is spent in fear? Fear of disappointing others? Fear of being disappointed? Fear of not being good enough? Fear of missing out? The list goes on... I'm Afraid by @BertOliva https://lnkd.in/bWiV6Uf

Now here is more today's picks.....

What a beautiful tribute to love and courage. "My wife, my hero" by @mirvin1129 https://lnkd.in/bmyyHue

Timely: Does the stock market have you or someone you know with high anxiety? 6 Reasons Why Every Investor Should Consider ETF
https://lnkd.in/batyR8V

What's the first thing new team leaders should do? http://s.hbr.org/1pWZRGG

According to the Harvard Business Review, What Makes a Legendary Salesperson  https://lnkd.in/bk8PH_s

Tell me about a time you fought... and lost. (my favorite interview question) https://lnkd.in/brW7_rf

Giving difficult feedback: Get it right and win more work; get it wrong and lose a client http://s.hbr.org/1UZ4KkX

New #CFO Survey -- what’s keeping US finance execs up at night http://gt-us.co/1PwJNu3

Giving Customers More Than They Asked for Is Too Much of a Good Thing http://pulse.me/s/241vKQ

Five ways to keep your cool during a big presentation http://read.bi/1unBHwz 

Happiness doesn't come from chasing it, but when you're taking the good with the bad and enjoying the present moment. http://bit.ly/1hBSVmS

"Back to School - Tips for Working Parents" by @DonnaCMorris https://lnkd.in/b5hvMcZ

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

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." 
~~Chinese Proverb

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Ted Tuesday: Kelly McGonigal: Making Stress Your Friend

"Kelly McGonigal is a leader driven by compassion and pragmatism.” – Forbes.com 20 Inspiring Women

Good Morning Folks,

Something very cool for you today that weaves nicely into this morning's FISH curriculum, for those who participated: the science of resilience and compassion. Things don't create meaning in life. You, your thoughts, your paradigms, create meaning. You are the active meaning maker of the show. It's all about our-self confidence!

This morning FISH taught us, "Each day we come to work we bring an attitude. We can bring a bad attitude and have a depressing day. We can bring a grouchy attitude and irritate our colleagues and clients. Or we can bring a happy, playful, cheerful attitude and have a great day. We can choose the kind of day we will have. Think about it. As long as we are going to be at work, we might as well have the best day we can have, but everyone must be on board!"

Those who believes that life is fun, that’s how life becomes. Those who believe life is difficult, that’s how life turns out. Those who believe that only honest way to be rich is to work hard, can never make a lot of money without working long hours, but those who believes that money comes to them effortlessly & easily tend to earn honestly but from comparatively less effort. Same is for health, relationship everything. Don’t you know some who eat fast food & doesn’t exercise much, but still maintain a healthy & fit physique?

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.

Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal is a leader in the growing field of “science-help.” Through books, articles, courses and workshops, McGonigal works to help us understand and implement the latest scientific findings in psychology, neuroscience and medicine.She is now researching a new book about the "upside of stress," which will look at both why stress is good for us, and what makes us good at stress. In her words: "The old understanding of stress as a unhelpful relic of our animal instincts is being replaced by the understanding that stress actually makes us socially smart -- it's what allows us to be fully human."

I couldn't stop watching her talk:


So kids, now that you know how, rid the stress and rock it today!.

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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