Go Wild! Go GREAT! The Journey from Now to WOWTM

Because every once in a while--you need to check out the penguins!

Rosemary is Featured Lecturer on this South American Voyage Around the Horn in March!

I am thrilled to confirm that I will be serving as the Destination Lecturer on the Royal Caribbean South American Voyage from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso March 9 - 22nd, 2008.  I'm packing my bags as we speak, spending a few day in Buenos Aires before the voyage begins.    I love mixing business with pleasure and it gives me great delight when I can jump out of the busines world for a time and re-awaken my own creative energies by seeing something I've never seen before---In this case--- Penguins in the Wild!  I'm looking forward to my first sighting of "Happy Feet"!

On my last voyage to South America, I picked up the ship after it had made the trip around the horn.    Frankly I was glad due to the pale look of some of the passengers I saw when I boarded due to a particularly rocky voyage around South America's infamous tip. Note to Self:  Dramamine, just in case..

Although my work is most prominently featured as a speaker and writer on Leadership, Creativity, Team Building and Customer Service, I am fortunate to have a background in Storytelling, Legends and the Arts that enables me to assemble lectures for fellow passengers that satisfies my own curiousity and interests.   I am thrilled with my subjects on this particular voyage (posted below) and along with my husband, Barry, look forward to meeting fellow passengers/explorers seeking adventure and learning amidst the beauty of the Penguins and South America.

Rosemary is the author of "Go Wild! Survival Skills for Business and Life" and and upcoming new book with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard entitled "Blueprint for Success".  Visit her web-sites at wwww.gowildgogreat.com and www.retreatscostarica.com

Rosemary's Lecture Series aboard "Splendor of the Seas" Royal Caribbean (March 9 - 22 Cruise Buenos Aires - Valparaiso) includes A Passion for Buenos Aires, Tango Tales, Chilean Art, Music and Literature, Wine, Wisdom and Relationships, Myths Legends and Folklore of the Americas, and Living Life In Latin America.

Oscar Worthy Customer Service--How Hollywood's Model can make Your Company a Service Star

The Oscar of Customer Service in 2008 Goes to USAA!

 

This year the national business award for outstanding customer service, considered the OSCAR of Customer Service  went for a second year in a row to USAA , the Financial and Insurance Provider to the U.S, Military. (Reported in the March 2008 Edition of Business Week)

The news was not surprising since last year alone the Customer Service Team at USAA attended over 240,000 hours of "Additional Training" beyond their "Basic Training"

As you listen to your service rep phone calls, (you do don't you? through call monitoring?); hear and see  employees in the hallways, who frankly look and sound  more like street thugs than valued and motivated employees;  as you read painful customer complaints, customer surveys and oh no, see that customers have told the world how bad your service is by blogging you;    Do you think maybe, those responsible for taking care of your valued customers might need  a little more training and recognition themselves?    Well, perhaps you need to say Hello and Hooray for Hollywood!

Rate Your Hollywood Star Power:

The first question for every CEO and Training Manager is how many hours of field training do you give your front-line staff each year to up-level their skills to achieve Oscar Worthy Customer Service Performances?  The second question is how effective is that training?  The third question is what, inspiring, recognition programs do you have in place to honor outstanding service achievements?

  As a Former Director of Customer Service Training, I followed the Hollywood OSCAR Model for Service Training and Employee Motivation,  using the format symbolized by Hollywood's Golden Man.   It produced results.  It inspired and motivated the team and much like the Oscars, was talked about, read about and even ignited friendly competition to be the best.  What else could you want from your a Customer Service Training and Recognition Program?   Here's how to Execute a similar Hollywood Style training model and Roll Out the Red-Carpet to your Service Team

Develop & Deliver Red Carpet Training & Recognition:

   1.  Define Award Categories for all the Areas of your Company that Impact Customer Service Performance, including those back office functions like technical direction, script writing, and outstanding achievement in special effects (service improvements).

  2.   Develop a Nomination Process and rules for and selection criteria for "Your Service Academy" that represents a cross section of your organization or departmental areas.  This  is a critical step requiring analysis of all contributing factors to the total customer experience for award integrity.

  3.   Acting Class for Customer Service Employees?  You bet! Why do actors say the right thing and project emotion?  They have scripts and use theatrical/communication techniques!    Great Hollywood Actors also understand the principles of directing the Big Picture!  Do your employees know what the big picture is for your company and your customers?    We use an engaging Hollywood theme in our customer service training.  Note/ Themes Build Team.  I usually held these spirited 1 days training sessions in the Spring, after the Oscars  to reinforce key service principles, introduce award winning customer scripts and even run screen tests with video-tape feedback by a customer service producer.   A fun "improv workshop"  helps employees improve body language, voice tone and most of all learn to laugh again and connect with the heart of the Customer/Audience.  It's all part of the work it takes to climb to the top of the service charts.

4.   Finally, start planning your Big Red Carpet Oscar Night.  Make It Big!  Make It Memorable!  Make it the Event of the Year that Everyone Talks About!  Make Winning a Service Oscar, the aspiration of every bright star on your team, who has worked hard the past year, to deliver consistent and a heart-stopping customer service performances.

Rosemary Rein, Ph.D is an award winning Author and Speaker on Customer Service and is writing the chapter on Best Practices in Customer Service, in a new upcoming book "Blueprint for Success" with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard .

Bring Rosemary's Customer Service Academy Awards Program to your Organization.  For a free training proposal and Oscar template, write Rosemary@gowildgogreat.com or visit her web-site at www.gowildgogreat.com

   

Customer Service: It's a Jungle Out There! Which Companies Rule and Which Roast Us?

"Rosemary's First Book published by Park University "Go Wild! Survival Skills for Business and Life".Look for her new collaborative work with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard entitled "Blueprint for Success" in which she defines Best Practices for Now to WOW!TM Customer Service. 

There a new  Must Read for any CEO or Service Executive:  The  recent Business Week Article that Ranks and  Identifies the Kings of the Customer Service Jungle,  against those companies who leave their Customers  for Dead!   Despite Discounts, Wallmart leaves us for dead!  But let's take a  look at the Cream of the Crop Service Leaders,  and what it is  they do to get their top ranking from customers. It was not surprising to me that the list included those companies who  walk their talk, by  taking care of and training front line employees. Key Point:  take care of and train your employees and  they will take care of your customers.

Here's the A List and Why:

# 1 Financial and Insurance provider to the Military,  USAA Leads the pack in the number 1 spot, with an investment in training of their front line service staff.  In just  1 year their customer service team went through  over 240,000 hours to reinforce basic training.

#2: L L Bean---I know I love their call center staff and here is part of the reason:  They put their private dollars into inventory, which leads to fewer complaints and more satisfied clients.  They also have excellent Call Center Retention due to positive workplace policies.

# 3: Fairmont Hotels:  This hotel chain  pampers their new employees who they allow to feel like guests including time with the golf pro and spa treatments!   It's not Rocket Science.  It helps if your service staff understands and appreciates the guest experience.

# 4: Lexus got hip last year with technology and live-chat rooms for customer inquiries on service problems.

# 5: Trader Joe's-- A commitment to pay their employees better...An average of $48,000 to be exact

# 6: Starbucks:  who has appointed a New  Executive Position: CCO "Chief Creative Officer" for the Customer Experience (My Dream Job--Caffeine and a Passion for the Customer )   

Read the full article at business week on Service Champs and  Give your Customer Service Team a Now to WOW! Makeover.

Visit www.gowildgogreat.com for information on our creative,  1 - day Love Affair with the Customer Seminar,  focused on the well-being, happiness  and satisfaction of employees and customers.  Re-ignite your company's passion for the customer--Fall in Love Again with  Customer Service.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/02/0220_customerservice/index_01.htm

 

Nature's Lessons in Andean Teachings

During this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with an internationally known Peruvian Mystic, poet and healer, Americo Yabar who was visiting Costa Rica. 

I must admit as a Corporate Business Consultant, I was a bit out of my element,  as  many in attendance (active members of  Costa Rica's healing Community)  seemed not surprised  that on the first evening, a woman swooned at the very touch of Yabar.  (My husband, Barry said he would pay to know the the secret to that).   

One has to cross cultural boundaries and belief systems to find what I consider to be fundamental truths.  I will admit I struggled with some of the approaches of the energy work introduced in these Shamanic sessions along with the structure.  For example, as a  corporate trainer and keynote speaker, I couldn't imagine showing up an hour late and disrespecting the time of my clients, nor scheduling a 2.5 hour lunch in the middle of the day) but that is my personal chatter, belief system, and internal dialog talking and perhaps preventing my total engagement in the session.  It also represents a cornerstone of Americo's Fundamental Truth:  That to heal the planet, heal ourselves, heal our relationships, We Need to Move More From Head to HEART. 

I asked Don Americo, how does one exactly do that in a busy world, particularly if you have one of those evil twins who lives with you in your head creating all that racket? Well it seems the key is linked directly to a connection with Mother Earth .We each need time each day in silence, time to commune with nature and time to "open the windows of our internal house" through mediation.   

There was another fundamental truth that crosses cultural belief sstems which I heard this weekend from the energy sessions "When there is fear, there is no love"  and "Where there is Love, there is No Fear".    Call Don Americo, a Shaman, A Poet, A Mystic, or simply a Wise Man.   He speaks a  fundamental truth of the ages.   

Translated Teachings of Peruvian Shaman Yabar:

The person who is always doing and who is on the track of doing things has very strong defense mechanisms. He is afraid to flower, to open....a fear of  jumping into the abyss .... There are so many defense mechanisms that we become afraid of life. The fear which you live with all day, everyday, in a sado-masochistic relationship, is the greatest defense mechanism to avoid understanding. Fear is not a virus that comes from the outside and gets inside. It is a lack of harmony of the body with the beauty of the world.

We are part of the world and of everything that happens in it. If you are in total harmony with yourself, with the people that surround you, with the stones, with the mountains, with the cosmos, with everything that is alive, why should you fear? Then, the fear is just a lack of love. Why be afraid? It is just a lack of love.

Rosemary Rein, Ph.D is the Author of "Go Wild, Survival Skills for Business and Life" and the upcoming "Blueprint for Success" with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard.  Dr. Rein's hosts Leadership and Team Building Retreat in the United States, Canada and Latin America.  Her motto is "Life is a Learning Adventure" and yes, she's working on moving from head to heart"

visit www.gowildgogreat.com or www.retreatscostarica.com

Face Time Fridays! E-Mail Free Zone on Fridays Builds Teamwork

Forget "Casual Fridays.  Think about implementing "E-Mail-Free Fridays." A Texas Real estate firm requires that on Fridays, all employees communicate with each other face-to-face or, at the very least, by phone.  The company does make exceptions for electronic communications to clients . I applaud this policy to insure that employees have at least one day of face-time with each other.  Teamwork has and will always be about "Relationships" and "Communication" so maybe it's time for your company to consider a policy where one day of the week, you skip the IM's and e-mails in favor of old fashioned personal team contact. 

Would you like Hot Ideas to motivate your Employees and build a Positive Workplace?  Write us at Go Wild! Go GREAT! Now to WOW!Teams or visit our web-site.

www.gowildgogreat.com

rosemary@gowildgogreat.com

Rosemary Rein, is the Author of "Blueprint for Success" with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard and "Go Wild! Survival Skills for Business and Life? published by Park University.   

                   

The Meeting Facilitation Handbook by Michael Wilkinson

       So you have a mission.  Gather your team together and come up with a solution, a business plan, a consensus.  Where do you start?  How do you make it happen as a facilitator without losing your mind and your grip on the meeting?

       Well, my first suggestion is there are some things you do yourself and some things you contract out.  I put Brain Surgery on that list, closely followed by Professional Meeting Facilitation!  Just think of all of the meetings you've attended in your career that were a waste of time and money and which you left thinking , what happened?  Meeting Facilitation is an art-form and not for amateurs-- particularly when the meeting has to produce tangible outcomes, action plans and consensus.

        However, Business Managers can even make day to day meetings more effective by picking up a copy of "The Secrets of Facilitation"  The S.MA.R.T Guide to getting results with Groups , published by Jossey -Bass.  The author of this meeting guidebook, Michael Wilkinson, is without a doubt  the  "guru of professional meeting facilitation".  I myself have been trained by Michael in Professional Meeting Facilitation Skills and can attest to the fact that he is without a doubt,  the master of the meeting process.

        This  handbook is a must library addition for anyone who plans or leads Team Meetings, Strategy Sessions or Project Management Sessions.  In  the Secrets of Facilitation,  you'll learn in a step by step format and easy read without jargon.... The art of the starting meeting questions; How to collect and prioritize input from meeting participants;  and perhaps most importantly how to build consensus in team meetings.

         Hot Meeting Tip:  Do the math on why your business and team meetings need to be more effective.  I once learned this ROI calculation from a CEO I highly respect:  Calculate the Hourly Salary of everyone attending your next team meeting and post that price per meeting minute on the agenda.  I guarantee you, it's a big number and the result will be a shorter meeting with more results.

PS: For a Professional Meeting Facilitator when the results matter, contact Rosemary Rein, Ph.D,  and Founder of  Go Wild! Go GREAT! The Journey from Now to WOW!tm  www.gowildgogreat.com

Rosemary is an International Meeting Facilitator and the author of "Go Wild! Survival Skills for Business and Life" and the co-author of  "Blueprint for Success" with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard to be released in March 08.  Rosemary facilitates Meeting in North and Latin America and hosts Executive Immersion Sessions at her secluded retreat center in Costa Rica.

 

Negativity in the Workplace! It could be Killing Your Top Performers and Your Business

"If we really cared for the customer, we'd send them somewhere else"

De-Motivational Posters are  available at wwww.despair.com

If you want to really get into the heads of your corporate negaholics, check out this site.  Since I design and execute Positive Workplace Campaigns to end Negativity in the Workplace, you bet I did.  The company uses humor to sell it's quirky merchandise which captures the mentality of the evil twins who I guarantee you are hiding out in your office , transmitting depression.

Negative Contagion is caustic in the workplace and if not addressed, will eventually force out high performing/positive employees who frankly can't stand  spending 8 hours a day next to the bummer who is sucking the life right out of them.  These negaholics , by the way, are often tolerated due to management reluctance to address "issues of attitude" and it's costing customers and good employees who get fed up. 

In our Now to WOW 60 Day Positive Workplace Campaigns and 1-Day Training Seminars, we facilitate the development of Rules of Team Behavior and give Managers the tools to address "negative communication in the workplace".  We do use one Corporate sign in our training "No WHINING" that reinforces a key principle of a Now to WOW Workplace:  "For every problem you present, you must present at least one solution".  Goodbye Chronic Complainers.

Bring a Positive Workplace Campaign and Training to Your Company and watch your Team go from Now to WOW!  Now to WOW Campaigns are trademark protected.

Write us for a Free Training Proposal.  www.gowildgogreat.com

      

Got Stress? Give them the Bird!

 

"While speaking in South East Asia, Rosemary takes part in the Thai Tradition of Setting a Bird Free"

On Stress Reducing Rituals:

One of my cherished memories in Thailand is taking part in the ancient custom of releasing a caged bird.  It is said if one takes part in this beloved Thai custom, your dreams will take flight with the symbolic release of your fears and worries.  Now,  that's what I call a real ritual for releasing stress.

Indeed, my husband Barry and I went in search for just the right bird from the Thai merchants who competed for our attentions.   I disregarded  Barry's comments (He's a New Yorker--not that, that means anything ) that the ritual  was surely some rip-off,  because the  merchants  had trained the birds to fly back into the cages.       No, our little bird would take flight,  even with the bag of stress we had given him and  indeed he did.  As we walked back up the temple staircase, Barry chuckled and said "I must admit giving the bird never felt like that before".

Stress and worries tend to occupy our thoughts as we constantly roll them around in our heads.  They create baggage that weigh us down and seemingly grow larger than life in our own thoughts.  Got Stress?  Think about developing your own ritual for recognizing and releasing your stressors and fears.  The only rule is that you clearly identify and recognize those fears and develop a physical release mechanism.   For example I have attended ceremonies, where fears are written on small pieces of paper and thrown into the fire.  (Live Bird not required and this ritual  forces you to write your worries down!) Remember, "If you think it, ink it".

At our personal growth safaris held in Costa Rica designed to heal mind, body and spirit, --- nature and ritual play a big role in a 7-day retreat from the rat race.   Visit www.retreatscostarica.com for information on our Learning Vacations in April and October.  There's something to be said for a week in paradise where you commune with Parrots and Monkeys in the Rainforest and Soak in Soothing in Hot Springs, heated by an Active Volcano.  I think they call it Paradise!

   

Costa Rica's Parrots and Titi Monkeys---What's Love Got to Do With It?

Why They are Wildly in Love!  The January 28th edition of Time Magazine points that out in it's informative article on the Science of Romance.  Commitment does not  scare the incredible Titi Monkeys one bit. We often spot the Titis while on our Go Wild! Go GREAT!tm Safaris in Costa Rica.  Unlike many primates, Titis establish lifelong bonds with their partners.  0 divorce rate!

As for the White-Fronted Parrots.  Why these "aves" are so gushy, you want to tell them  to "Get a Room" but wait the Rainforest is their room!  White Fronted Parrots  can be spotted in "open beak kissing"  and sad to say very often,  a bereft parrot will die shortly after their partner does.

Contact www.retreatscostarica.com for Learning Vacations and Retreats amidst the beauty of Costa Rica.  Our naturalists and tour guides not only bring you up close and personal with nature, we'll show you how lessons from nature can improve the quality of your life.

Boost Creativity and Zap Boredom with Pecha Kucha

Put Pecha Kucha to Work in Your Meetings!

20 slides for 20 Seconds Each and You're Out of Here!   Slides are mandatory, speaking is not.  I can hear the thunderous and spontaneous applause bursting out at Corporate Bored Rooms Everywhere.

Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “chitchat”) is a modern speaking salon focused on design, fashion, food, and new media. It’s a forum where young thinkers present and swap opinions and ideas — in short but sweet  "food for thought" presentations consisting of 20- (twenty-second slides).  These Creative Salons, originally developed by two Tokyo Based Architects found popularity with individuals involved in the arts,  i.e.photography, art and design but have expanded to include business topics.

Pecha Kucha Salons  can be found in major cities from Brisbane to Atlanta. Check out international listings at:

http://www.pecha-kucha.org/ 

Or consider sponsoring your own creative-visual chat in your City!   Here'e the quick rules of Pecha-Kucha:.  20 slides, 20 seconds each .  No exceptions.  Topics can range from business, design and emerging trends but no more than two people from the same discipline can speak each night, keeping topical overload to a minimum.

CEO's and Business Managers---Heads Up on this Hot Trend.  Use Pecha Kucha for Team meetings within your company and watch what happens with the help of visual imagery to prompt creativity.  PS:  There's a Bonus:  Goodbye Painful Powerpoints, Hello to the Points that Really Matter.

Develop your Business Plan, Re-design your Brand, Tackle a Critical Business Issue by Bringing Creativity to Your Company.  Contact us for information on our "Now to WOW! Creativity Safari's.tm --  1 and 2 day team learning adventures, in which you and your team will learn how to apply creativity,   problem  solving and strategic planning skills to propel your business forward.  Note:  In our two day Now to WOW! program, your team also leaves with one big mission accomplished, as they apply techniques used in corporate and government think tanks to produce a tangible work product (i.e. brand design, marketing/business plan, project matrix.) www.gowildgogreat.com

Be My Corporate Valentine! Are your employees engaged? If not it could be Costing You!

HUA! It's not Touchy Feely Stuff:  New Study Documents the Financial Return of Employee Engagement.  Romance is just not for the movies!

 

Proof Positive

The 2007-2008 Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study examined engagement levels for nearly 90,000 employees around the world. Only 21% of respondents reported that they were engaged, while 8% considered themselves to be disengaged and an additional 30% were disenchanted. The study linked employee engagement with retention and better financial results.

So numbers crunchers, take note of this study that demonstrates the financial return of taking care of your employees.  Let me tell you if you have negativity in the workplace, the buck stops at the front-line manager's desk and/or the small business owner.   At our 1-day Now to WOW Coaching Seminars for Managers and Supervisors, we teach managers the soup to nuts behind  employee engagement and  motivation.  It's a Manager's Boot Camp and Managers leave with a Survival Kit and Testing  on how well they have mastered the skills required to maintain a positive and productive workplace. 

  An employee engagement study, followed by tactical initiatives over a 12 month period of time to improve employee performance and morale can in fact have a dramatic impact on your balance sheet.  Are you focused on capital improvements including software upgrades? Maybe it's time to focus on your human components and realize a greater return on your investment. 

1-Day Leadership Safaris for New and Experienced Front-Line Managers.  www.gowildgogreat.com

Bring Comic Relief to Employee Training and Customer Recognition Programs: 5 Ways to Use Cartooning to Make Your Company A Super Heroe

Go Wild! Go GREAT! Now to WOW!tm Customer Service Training Materials using a Cartoon Character we developed named Fred T. Frog and a Sketch for a 76th Birthday Celebration of 3 Friends.

Create WOW Factor and increase retention of your message and brand with Corporate Cartooning.

Please don't tell me HRD/Training Managers that  you're still hanging those "Employee of the Month" plaques in your lobby that make even the most professional employee look like a felon-- let alone valued and important!  Alas, don't admit that your training manuals would even put a die-hard reader of Popular Mechanics to Sleep!  Do your Employee Retirement Parties bring tears to everyone in the room, particularly the retiree, because of a lack of imagination or real thought?  Well, perhaps it's time to get funny (literally) and create WOW! Training Materials and Recognition Programs that engage us and capture our attention.  "Corporate Cartooning"

Cartooning and Animation represents a media that engages both a new generation of  Gamers as well as the Traditional Comic Book Enthusiasts.  Here are 5 ways to put Cartooning to Work to motivate, educate and reward both customers and employees in Training Programs, Annual Meetings and Corporate Recognition Events. 

5 Ways to put Corporate Cartooning to Work in Your Company:

1.  Bring the WOW Factor to Customer and Employee Appreciation Gifts.  Yeah, sure you can have a thumb drive or specialty gift basket imprinted with your logo to give to valued customers and employees, or you can really show your VIPs how special they are by creating a Personal Cartoon Sketch of them in front of the backdrop of your business.  Trust me, with the thought that obviously went into the gift selection and creation they won't throw it away.   

2.   Create a Comic Book for Compliance, Safety  and Customer Service Training.  It's non-threatening and pretty darn funny when you have a  "Dudley Does it Wrong" Character who does everything to irritate customers or violate safety procedures.   The visual imagery and demonstration of what not to do is a powerful training technique for getting employees to do what you want them to do.

3.   Host a Memorable Employee Retirement Party with your Own Bart Simpson. Present a Storybook and a multi-media that creates a heart felt retirement celebration. As a Facilitator, I have used multi-media presentations incorporating photos and music as well as animated characters to recognize the Guest of Honor. The animated characters are designed in the honorees image as well as other key team players who humor the audience with their banter of favorite corporate memories and upcoming plans for retirement.  Traditional Roasting can be tedious in the hands of people who hate to do it and aren't good at it.    Animation combined with a Professional Master of Ceremonies makes it professional, easy and fun and allows for lots of input from the employees in the planning of the Cartoon Sketches.   At the end of the retirement party, the honoree is presented with a literal children's story book as a memorable keepsake.

Positive Workplace Campaign.  This is one of my favorite cartooning techniques used to develop and promote a positive and inspired workplace.  Battle your Negaholics!   Remember the rule of Negative Contagion:  Negative Energy Spreads faster than Positive in the Workplace.  Try using your own Cartoon Character who presents Positive Workplace Messages that are linked to your team's mission and values and clearly outline Rules of Team Behavior.

5. Use Corporate Cartooning in Product Launches, Trade Shows, Customer Events and Training Seminars.  Note: Not just for fun, but linked to a specific marketing/educational message that creates impact and retention.   Cartoon Characters are powerful advertising messengers (Think the Geiko gecko)   

At Now to WOW! Training Services and Business Events,  we put Cartooning to Work for our clients to motivate, educate  and reward both customers and employees.  Note:  Our contracted animation and instructional storyboard artists can turn your project around often within 48 hours all via Internet/e.mail correspondence.

Do you want to bring your Annual Meetings, Training Sessions, Employee Celebrations from Now to WOW!tm with audiences through powerful and creative presentations?  Contact us at www.gowildgogreat.com or write Rosemary@gowildgogreat.com

Best Practice for Teams: Get Your Leadership Team Cooking Together

     One of our Favorite Team Building Activities is our Go Wild! go GREAT! "Iron Chef Competition".  You guessed it! .... in a competitive Team Cook Off, the business team is  judged on  "creative use of ingredients" "cooperative team effort in the kitchen" "product quality" and "presentation".   

     And yes, in case you were wondering, the same recipe for running a great kitchen can help your team run a great company and produce a prize winning recipe for business success.      Let me tell you after experiencing our own version of Iron Chef Team Building Adventure,  the expression "If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen"  takes on a whole new meaning!  What's Cooking in your Kitchen?   Hopefully not leftovers!

       For Free Team Building Activities and Help in Planning your Team Building Retreat?

Visit or  Write Go Wild Go GREAT! Team Adventures

www.gowildgogreat.com

info@gowildgogreat.com

Do you have Eli's Spirit of Success? Whatever it Takes!

Eli Manning--A Role Model for Leadership Excellence--Whatever It Takes.

First of all I want you to know we were always loyal to our New York team---Barry and I cheered for the Giants here in Costa Rica before, during and especially after the catch that made football history. Woo Hoo! After all, on any given Sunday, anything can happen, especially when you have the soft-spoken but driven  Quarterback, Eli Manning at the helm--a leader proven to do whatever it takes.

Manning who notes he might make bad decisions and might have a bad game, has that one ingredient key to success in any business or athletic competition "A commitment to constant self-improvement". 

It was therefore not surprising to hear in his moment of celebration yesterday his comments "I have to become a better quarterback--that's my goal.  I want to cut down on my mistakes"

Thank You Eli for demonstrating in your big moment that Leadership is the Life-Long Quest to go from Now to WOW!tm   Whatever It Takes!  and Congratulations to the New York Giants, you have proved your team is indeed "Resilient"

Take your Leadership Team from Now to WOW! with Go Wild! Go GREAT Leadership Training and look for Rosemary Rein's new book with Dr. Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard entitled "Blueprint for Success" coming out in March, 2008.   Develop your team's Blueprint!

www.gowildgogreat.com

Trend Setting: Is Your Company Out of It? or On Top of Emerging Trends?

    When leading Strategic Planning & Creativity Sessions, I am sometimes asked the question by clients "Rosemary How do you Spot Trends?"  My answer is to give them one of my favorite secret weapons.  "I have a staff of the best Trend-Hunters working for me!".   The good news is you  have that research staff too-- all free of charge via an informative and invaluable web-site open to any Entrepreneur, Strategic Planner, Marketing and  Advertising Professional.  The web-site is www.trendhunter.com.

   As I prepare on this Sunday to watch this year's  Super bowl Commercials, I checked out this week's product trends on Trend Hunter.  Here's just a glimpse of "What's Cool" this week.    Suspecting that your partner is cheating on you?  Just purchase the Check-Mate Infidelity Kit.  If you think about a CSI swab of  your mate's clothing, you're onto the principles behind this Gotcha.    Tired of drinking your Chardonnay alone as your pampered pooch looks at you with longing?    Your best friend can now join you thanks to  Bark Vineyards who have  developed specialty non-alcoholic wine with labels both you and Fido will love.  How about a fine  "Barkundy" or "White Sniff-n-Tail?    PS: Cats need not feel their nine lives have lost meaning.  There's a Meowlot for the feline in family.       On a more serious note, the site provides trends in all industries with demographic intel helpful to marketers.

Note:  On their site, The Trend Hunters caution that  "Popular is not Cool!  Cool is the Next Big Thing".  The Site's Chief Trend Setter, Jeremy Gutsche notes that Trends are Unique, Cutting Edge and Viral and advises companies that to be a trend-setting company requires the following 5 step recipe:

1) Reset of expectations

2) Observation of Customers

3) A Hunt for Cool

4) Clustering of Insights

5) Developing a Point of View

So what are you waiting for ?    Stay on top of what's hot? what's not ? and what will be tomorrow's next big thing ?

Add  www.trendhunter.com to your list if you want to stay ahead of the curve

Rosemary Rein, Ph.D is the Author of "Go Wild! Survival Skills for Business and Life" and "Blueprint for Success".  Dr. Rein hosts Strategic Thinking and Creativity Retreats for Leadership and Design Teams  at her retreat center in the Rainforests of  Costa Rica as well at at Corporate Retreat Centers in the U.S. and Canada.   www.gowildgogreat.com and www.retreatscostarica.com

What is Trend Spotting?*Source www.trendhunter.com
Trend spotting (a.k.a. trend watching) is the science of identifying emerging shifts in our social behavior and aspirations. Trends are driven by a range of factors, including pop culture, media, news, innovation, and the arts. Trend spotting is used by industry professionals to develop products, enhance idea generation, and inform marketing, media, design and strategic planning. By developing a systematic approach to trend spotting, individuals and organizations can better develop disruptive products and creations that dance the beat of cool.