Welcome to the first High5, a brief look back at last week and 5 experiences that made me feel upbeat and want to share with you.  There is so much negativity in our world, I thought I’d focus on the positive and the people who make it positive for others in what they do.  I hope you enjoy reading it and it gets your week off to a positive start.

1.       Make Work WOW And Engaging

As one of this year’s judges for the WOW Awards, I was invited to attend an event in London organised by Derek Williams and his team, entitled “Employee Engagement Made Easy.”  There were some excellent speakers including David MacLeod, OBE, founder of the Engage For Success group.

Also on stage was William Montgomery, who leads askten, sharing “Why Leaders Need to Master Story Telling.”

They were also joined by Mandy Ferries, HR Director of FirstPort and then Kelly Norcliffe and Victoria Farrell of SafeMove, who shared their fantastic stories about how employee engagement has had a positive impact on their businesses.

Employee engagement and recognition have so many positive impacts on individuals, teams and organisations that if you don’t focus on these areas already, it could be worthwhile finding out more about the positive impact they have.

The WOW Awards: https://www.thewowawards.co.uk/

Engage For Success: http://engageforsuccess.org/

2.       Belief And Passion Makes Things Happen

Victoria Darragh had a belief and passion to help and support both personal and executive assistants in the UK and give them a voice.  Hence, she founded the Executive & Personal Assistants Association, which was officially launched in January 2016.

Helped by enthusiastic members, all of whom are volunteers, who make up the General and Regional Boards, EPAA has gone from strength to strength, even in challenging economic and political times.

12 months ago, I helped as one of the facilitators at the inaugural Fellows learning event, held in Leeds, which was attended by about 40 assistants.   I was delighted to see that over 90 attended this year’s event on Friday, held in Bristol and supported by Debs Eden and the brilliant facilitator Adam Fidler.

EPAA is proof that being passionate about an idea that helps others, coupled with hard work, support and collaboration with others who are equally as passionate, can make such a positive difference to many others.

If you are an assistant, you may want to check EPAA out: https://epaa.org.uk/

3.       Changing A Negative Into A Positive Doesn’t Take Much

I was staying at the Doubletree Hilton Cadbury House, Congresbury, prior to facilitating a leadership workshop.  I arrived just gone 3pm and my room wasn’t ready, as the hotel had been full the night before.  Immediately, the receptionist gave me a drinks voucher and suggested that I enjoy a free drink at the bar and that as soon as my room was ready, she would let me know.  Fantastic customer service, changing a negative into a positive at very little cost.

If something goes wrong, think about how you can put it right for the customer and put a smile on their face.  Well done to the staff on reception at the hotel.

4.       Pay It Forward

It costs nothing to recommend someone for the good service you’ve experienced and I had the opportunity to do so this week with two different people.

Being a dog-owner, my wife and I always take our dog on a UK holiday each year.  We did so recently and I had the opportunity this week to mention to two other dog-owners, the fantastic service and venues of Woodlands Country House B&B, just outside Padstow and Deer Park Country House Hotel & Spa, Buckerell, near Honiton, whose MD is Mark Godfrey.  Both great places, both dog-friendly plus Deer Park is also a great venue for training or conferences.

A recommendation for great service or a great experience only costs you your time.

5.       Seeking Out The Perfect Speaker For Your Conference

Having spoken at over 450 conferences throughout the world, I have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of conference speaking. If you are a conference organiser, getting the right speaker is like putting your head on a chopping block, as your choice can make or break the conference.

Jo Salter helps take away the lottery of finding the right speaker through Speakers For Results, which manages some of the top speakers in the UK, chosen for their experience, knowledge and client testimonials.

What I found really positive is that for a client, there are no agency fees, plus there is the following guarantee;

“We ask that all our speakers give you an absolute guarantee. If, for any reason, you are not totally satisfied that a programme has been of value to you, then you simply let them know on completion of their work and they will reimburse your investment in full.”

So, if you are looking for a quality speaker for your conference, you may want to check out Speakers For Results

Wishing you continued success and happiness in both work and life.

Yours behaviourally, Nick

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