Previous Dare to Care Message of the Week

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily.
~ Sally Koch

"There is only one admirable form of the imagination: the imagination that is so intense that it creates a new reality, that it makes things happen."

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."

Zig Ziglar

“Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours” ~ Richard Bach

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
- Maria Robinson

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work"~ Thomas Edison

"The companies that are going to prevail realize it's the quality of the emotional experience that sets them apart." ~ Danny Meyer

If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less.”
General Eric Shinseki,
Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

“In times of change, the learners will inherit the earth, while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists"
Eric Hoffer

Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration—of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences.

~ Lance Secretan

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~
Margaret Mead

”When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Wayne Dyer

"For happiness is not what makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy."

David Steindl-Rast

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
~ Albert Schweitzer

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty"

Winston Churchill

We all live our lives in comfort zones, avoiding risky situations, avoiding the potential to fail. But in order to get ahead of your competition, you've got to go out of your comfort zone.

Mary Lou Retton 

"Good humor is tonic for the mind and body.
It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression.
It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends.
It lightens human burdens.
It is the direct route to serenity and contentment."

Grenville Kleiser

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." ~ Unknown

"It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into the doing that matters." ~ Mother Teresa

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. ~Vincent van Gogh

"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." ~ Scott Adams 

"If you think you are too small to have impact, trying going to bed with a mosquito in the room." ~ Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shops 

"If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people." ~  Chinese Proverb 

"Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory." ~  Arthur Ashe, 1943-1993, Professional Tennis Player

There's a link between people who are 'engaged' in their work and their performance. Marcus Buckingham of the Gallup organization found that the most engaged workplaces were 50% more likely to have lower turnover, 56% more likely to have higher than average customer loyalty, 38% more likely to have above-average productivity and 27% more likely to report higher profitability. ~  Source: Viewpoint from the World Business Academy. Oct. 30th 2002 Vol. 16 Issue 9. 

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."~ Albert Einstein 

" What is worse than having no sight is being able to see but having no vision."~ Helen Keller 

"I changed nothing but my attitude, so I changed everything."~ Anthony De Mello 

"We are all functioning at a small fraction of our capacity to live fully in its total meaning of loving, caring, creating and adventuring. Consequently, the actualizing of our potential can become the most exciting adventure of our lifetime." ~ Herbert Otto

"What is practice? Practice is doing something over and over again until you get good at it, and then doing it over and over again until you get better at it. And then, if you make the choice, you take a leap to a higher ground and fall into 'beginner's mind' so you can begin the process of mastery - with a whole new set of eyes." ~ JoAnna Brandi 

"When you appeal to the highest level of thinking you get the highest level of performance."~ Jack Stack, CEO of Springfield Remanufacturing and author of The Great Game of Business 

"Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible" ~ Author unknown 

"Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise, open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. Certainly it is worth the risk."~ Leo Buscaglia

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters to what lies within us." ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." ~  Albert Einstein 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream." ~  Mark Twain

A learning organization culture represents more than an environment for personal development and continuous challenge. It represents the only type of work environment that can be competitive in the "knowledge era." 

"At the deepest level, it's real love and care that people crave. Give those things, and you'll receive them. Through your caring deeds and actions, you'll truly make your mark on the world." ~ Doc Childre and Howard Martin, writing in The HeartMath Solution

"Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge the traditional ways of thinking and refuse to follow the herd. They have a cause, a vision, that's larger than life." ~ Sharif Khan

“The customer is the new emperor. Either you give him what he desires or you are banished from his kingdom.” ~  Yousouf Hossen

"Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel centered and that gives their work meaning." ~ Warren Bennis, Leadership Guru 

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." ~ Henry Miller

Where is YOUR attention today? 

It's an old adage that the way to be safe is never to be secure.... Each one of us requires the spur of insecurity to force us to do our best. ~  Harold W. Dodds

So remember - your best customer is someone else's best prospect. 

The most powerful agent of growth and transformation is something much more basic than any technique: a change of heart. ~ John Welwood ~

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.” ~  Thomas Watson, Sr., Founder, IBM

We are all functioning at a small fraction of our capacity to live fully in its total meaning of loving, caring, creating and adventuring. Consequently, the actualizing of our potential can become the most exciting adventure of our lifetime. ~  Herbert Otto 

"If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." ~  Fred Rogers 

"Seek first to understand… then to be understood. Seeking to understand requires consideration; seeking to be understood takes courage. Win/Win requires a high degree of both" ~  Steven Covey 

"Care more than others think wise.
Risk more than others think safe.
Dream more than others think practical.
Expect more than others think possible."~  Howard Schultz, CEO Starbucks Coffee

"The way you activate the seeds of your creation is by making choices about results you want to create. When you make a choice, you mobilize vast human energies and resources which otherwise go untapped. All too often people fail to focus their choices upon results and therefore their choices are ineffective. If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise." ~  Robert Fritz 

"You can and should shape your own future, because if you don’t somebody else surely will." ~  Joel Barker 

"There is an infinite difference between a little wrong and just right, between fairly good and the best, between mediocrity and superiority." ~  Orison Swett Marden 

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting with the first one."

"Proactive people take the initiative and responsibility to make things happen. They cause action rather than being victims of circumstance." ~  Chris MacAllister 

"Don’t be afraid to take a chance. If you don’t play at the edge of your ability, you can’t break new ground." ~  Rani Arbo, Musician 

"Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible they begin to see it as possible." ~  Cherie Carter-Scott 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" ~  Marianne Williamson

Show up in all your brilliance this week. 

Put your appreciation into action by taking time to show your appreciation. Tell one or more people something you appreciate about them. Remember, what you put out comes back. ~  HeartMath Discovery Program, Doc Childre and Sara Paddison, (c) 1998 Planetary Books

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want to they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want." ~ Margaret Young, quoted in “The Artist's Way”

"A healthy attitude is contagious, but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier! ~ (Source unknown)

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." ~ Anita Roddick

Do your part to make a difference in the life of another.

Show up and BE the message! Show up in a loving and caring way in eveything you do - that IS authentic leadership

Reactive thinkers ask "What's wrong?" Creative thinkers ask "What's possible?" This week dwell in possibility!

It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other.If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger and we will make not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large" ~  Gandhi 

There really are only three perceptions customers have of quality of the care you deliver: 

Hospitality, indifference or rudeness. How do you want to be remembered?

"The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out." ~  Dee Hock, Founder of Visa

So, that means it may be time to "clean out the closets" and let go of some of the limiting beliefs that just might be holding you back. Why not make room in your mind for some new, maybe even radical, ideas? Remember, "If you're not romancing your customers, who IS?"(sm) Think differently. 

It's the time of the year when our thoughts turn to family and friends and CARING. Please extend that CARING attitude to all those you come in contact with. Customers, co-workers, suppliers, community members. Reach out in this season of giving and give the best gift possible, a gift of the heart. Happy and Blessed Holidays! 

"Today's customers want "the real deal." They are not interested in the rote delivery of your marketing message or your positioning statement. They want to know who you are and what you stand for. And they want to know it through the sincerity of your actions. The need to see that you "walk the talk." ~  JoAnna Brandi in "Building Customer Loyalty" 

"In times of change the learners inherit the world where the knowers find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that doesn't exist." ~  Eric Hoffer

Sharpen the saw! Refresh your thinking! Learn something new! 

"Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger and we will make not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large." ~  Gandhi

Do it deliberately. Take exquisite care of your customers. 

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." ~  Ambrose Redmoon 

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." ~  Eleanor Roosevelt

Our power of choice is the greatest blessing we have, for with it comes the ability to select the kind of mental states we entertain and hence our experiences. ~ Frederick Bailes

Let's choose strength, courage and love, and do our jobs, and do them well

Now is the time to make a commitment to deliver "Exquisite Customer Care" and set the stage for Customer Loyalty. Use this whole week to generate ideas, formulate strategy and set your plans in motion for how you will create value for your customers over the next year. Ask, "What do my customers need NOW?" and "What will my customers need in the future?" 

"In business, the terms "customer" and "future" are synonymous. Fail to focus on the former, and there'll be no latter to worry about."

This is a time of deep sorrow for all Americans. Let us reach inside to our most compassionate selves and find love. Let us find the best in ourselves and the best in others. Let us remember to pray for those who perished and those who remain. Let us reach out a hand to anyone needing our help, in any way. Let us put aside selfish interests and merely seek to serve others. 

God Bless America and its glorious people

"The moment avoiding failure becomes your motivator, you're down the path of inactivity. You stumble only if you're moving." ~  Roberto Goizueta, former CEO of Coca-Cola

Why not stumble on to something GREAT this week? Get moving! 

"Opportunities are never lost. They are simply found by someone else." ~  Cary Zucker

What opportunities are you overlooking for creating more value for your customers ? Watch out! Your best customer is your competitor's best prospect.

"The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out." ~  Dee Hock, Founder of Visa

So, that means it may be time to "clean out the closets" and let go of some of the limiting beliefs that just might be holding you back. Why not make room in your mind for some new, maybe even radical, ideas? Remember, "If you're not romancing your customers, who IS?"(sm) Think differently. 

The secret of getting ahead is GETTING STARTED. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming talks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. Mark Twain 

What do you need to do to improve YOUR customer caring? Do it now.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. ~  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To get what you want you must know what you want. In order to create anything new you must first have a vision of what you want. The more definite and clear the vision – the more possible the manifestation 

Create a clear picture of what kind of customer experience you want to deliver!

What special qualities do you bring to your work? 

Make sure they show up in everything you do. 

In today's world we need leadership at every level of the organization. We need to really show up and be the message. Show up in a loving and caring way in everything you do. Walk the talk. This is authentic leadership.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? ~  Marianne Williamson

Live Large.

Without caring there can be no quality. ~ Joel Barker 

Care deeply.

"In times of change, the learners will inherit the earth, while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists" ~  Eric Hoffer

What have YOU learned this week?

Bless those who challenge us to grow, to stretch, to move beyond the knowable, to come back home to our elemental and essential nature. Bless those who challenge us for they remind us of doors we have closed and doors we have yet to open. ~ Navajo saying

The person that challenges you to grow could be that customer that was so difficult to deal with today, the manager that demands so much of you, the child that requires so much of your attention. Can you see it as a blessing?

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." ~  Elinor Smith

What will you happen to this week??

"Progress always involves risk. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first." ~  Frederick B. Wilcox 

What is it that you've been holding on to that you should be letting go of in order to get to the next step for you?

Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought. ~  Albert Szent-Gyorgi 

This week can you see a situation or problem differently? Can you be more creative or more resourceful? What would have to happen for you to take a chance and think about something in a whole new way? 

Happy Valentine's Week! Remember, keeping customers and keeping them happy is similar to keeping a romance alive. If you remember that romance is a process, not an event, it's easier to imagine how you might keep it going. Nurture it. Nourish it. Celebrate it. 

Be a performer! Service is a performing art. Performers know that preparation and practice make the difference between a mediocre and a stellar performance. 

Here's an affirmation for you to use this week: I enjoy being the best I can be at my craft. I practice my skills daily. I get better at it every day.

Good comes to those who do good. Joy comes to those who bring humor to others, and opportunity to those who persist in their dreams. 

Care enough. Make a difference. Dare. 

"The man who goes the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore" ~ Dale Carnegie

"Believe as a child believes and the magic will find you." ~  Teresa Langdon

Believing takes courage, show you customers you believe in them: Dare to Care

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~  Mahatma Gandhi

Where and when will you start?

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." ~  Charles Darwin

What have you changed this week?

What a wonderful time of year! Take time to take a deep breath, go to your heart and think about all of the things you appreciate and are grateful for. This is the time for giving thanks. I give thanks to all of you for your caring, your curiosity, your passion and your commitment to taking better care of customers and staff. We can make the workplace a more caring place! Many thanks for your support. 

JoAnna

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~  Margaret Mead

What matters to you???

"Let the light of who you are shine through in all you do."

Show your customers you Dare to Care!

Inspiration is everywhere, if you're willing to let it move you....

Where will you find your inspiration this week?

"Caring is the seed of passion, water it and.....Dare to Care"

"Caring is contagious, spread the word and Dare to Care."

"There is no magic to magic, it’s all in the details." ~  Walt Disney

Sweat the details, Create more magic.