The Positive Energy Workplace

I love hiking with business leaders. Hiking, yoga, walking, dancing, whatever… the wisdom of the body is one of the best business partners you’ll ever have.

You have an opportunity with every single client or customer you work with to leave them feeling better than when they met you, to contribute hugely to their business and life, and to create a meaningful interaction — or even better relationship — that will have you serve as a trusted partner and resource in their life… or not. Here are three things I see as being essential to building strong client relationships with integrity and care. They’re free, they don’t take a lot of time, and the ROI can be delicious.

Recently I did some on-site work with one of my favorite executive clients. Brilliant woman, tons of stuff going on, major impact happening through her organization. From the outside, things were humming. But... She was having a challenging time making everything hum while still having a bit of inner peace, a personal life, and something left over for her husband and kids at the end of the day.

I spoke in Boston this last week at HubSpot's #InBound2015 where I got to hang out with 14,000 high energy marketers, agency owners, and entrepreneurs. My session was "Showing Up for Your Agency: Your Presence is Your Impact". The highlights? All sorts of stuff on what leadership needs today, how our presence is what creates more of our impact than we realize, how to optimize how you show up for everyone—including yourself, and 6 things for these guys to start doing NOW, individually and as a team, to enhance the effectiveness and energy of their leadership and culture.

I was recently in Costco with my daughter. We stocked up on water, TP, her favorite ice cream bars, that extra kitchen gadget we absolutely had to have (and more things that weren’t on our list), and we headed to the checkout.

We stood in line. It was packed. Lots of people loading up their baskets with water, TP, and ice cream bars. Everyone seemingly in their own worlds. On their phones. “Killing time.” (I don’t love this phrase. Do you?) Waiting out the line. Not a lot of presence, connection, or intention happening in the grocery store line.

It was our turn. I handed my card to the guy and asked him to do two separate rings. He asked me for two cards. I was confused.