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A Trip To The Dog Park

Feeling a bit uninspired today I decided to take an hour off and take the dogs down to the local dog park.

It was our first time there and I didn't know what to expect. What does one do at a dog park? What do you bring? What if the other dogs start making fun of my dogs? What if my dogs are chosen last when teams are chosen? So many questions; not many answers.

Well I guess you just let dogs do what they do - sniff, romp, sniff, run, sniff, bark, sniff and sniff. Owners have small talk until some one's "child" gets a bit aggressive and then you take corrective action while the other kids still try to sniff.

Well five of us were there with our "kids", having a good time, when the grounds person showed up. He was on the cell phone with someone who apparently was ordering him to order us to move our dogs to the far end of the fenced in area so that the grass would have a chance to grow.

"You really think you're gonna grow grass at a dog park and actually expect the dogs to stay in one area until it grows? This is a dog park. The dogs run all over." said Daisy's mom.

Go get em Daisy's mom!!!

His response was that he needed to grow grass. (Just doing his job obviously; no matter how much truth there might be to her comments.)

I could only chuckle as I watched my dog doing that digging scratching tearing up the grass thing that dogs do after they do "their business".

The man didn't see me. I took my children home before we were asked never to come back. And here I thought I had found an option to saving my grass. Oh well.

Be Willing to Learn. It Earns You Respect.

When I attend a conference as a presenter I always attend sessions of other speakers. Sometimes I attend to get information. Sometimes I attend to get tips on how to be better at my craft. Other times I just attend to have fun. (Okay, most of the time I attend to have fun.) Heck, I even attend to "steal" material and get some motivation for myself. I am a learner.

Monday evening a woman came up to me shared the following thought:

I was sitting with you this morning at the General Session. I was impressed that you were our opening keynote speaker last night and you were there in attendance his morning. You even took notes.

I shared with her that I really liked what he had to say; a lot of what he did complemented my work and I am eager to find out how he and I might be able to help one another. I also told her some words I live by; which are "the day I cannot learn something new is a sad day."

We can all learn; from strangers as well as our peers.

• If you're an accountant other accountants can teach you something.
• If you're a secretary other secretaries can teach you something.
• If you're a doctor other doctors can teach you something.
• If you're a Recreation Professional other Recreation Professionals can teach you something.
• If you're a teacher other teachers can teach you something. Heck even the students can teach you things.

Do I need to go on?

Being willing to learn earns you the respect that you don't often think about. Being willing to learn separates you from others in your industry - the ones who may think they know it all. They don't. Neither do you. Neither do I.


So shut up, listen, and learn something today.

Little Things Really Do Go A Long Way

I walked into my hotel room the other day and there was a bag on the bed. Inside was a card welcoming me to a Recreation and Park Society Conference. I was their opening keynote speaker later that afternoon. Inside that bag was also an assortment of my favorite candy - Marshmallow Peeps. After I delivered the keynote I was thanked with more Peeps.


On Monday I delivered a leadership session and a Recess from the way we think session. At the end of each I was showered with more of my favorite candy.


Yes, I was a paid presenter. Yes, they treated me like a celebrity - making sure everything was set up the way I needed, including me in all of the social activities, etc. But it was those Peeps that meant the world to me. That someone took the time to get to know me as we developed a relationship/partnership during the last year. Thanks Daphne, Tony and Audrey.


It really doesn't take a lot to make someones day - even in these times when finances might be tough. It doesn't take a lot at all. So with that in mind....................

Do you have the opportunity to do a little thing today or tomorrow for someone else. Go for it! And make it a habit.

The Spirit of Barbara! Catch It!

I sat next to Barbara on a flight yesterday. We chatted and laughed for about an hour on the flight from Hartford to Washington DC. Barbara was probably old enough to be my mother. We laughed at the crazies in the airport. We laughed at all the people annoyed about our delay. We laughed about the economy. We laughed about lazy people we have (or in her case, still) work with. We laughed about her husband leaving his glasses home (he was sitting a couple of rows back). We laughed about any topic that popped up.

Towards the end of the conversation I asked Barbara if she had kids. She said she had two; now only has one. She shared that her son was killed in an accident at twenty-one years old. We continued talking and laughing. I was amazed and commented.

Then she said to me, you can let the experience kill you too; or make you stronger. We continued to laugh.

What's eating at you these days? What's upsetting or worrying to you. Have you taken some time to laugh? Go do it. There's enough unhappy people in the world; (Quick aside: now it seems that most of them live in Portland, OR.) But there's one person who continues to laugh - despite one of the worst things that can happen to a mother.

So today I say Catch the Spirit of Barbara and go create some laughter.

Why Aren't People Paying Attention In That Meeting?

Found myself sitting in a meeting recently and noticed the following going on:

• People were texting
• People were twittering
• People were talking
• People were emailing
• People were doodling
• People were cleaning out their purse
• One person was writing checks
• Another was making a list of some sort
• One was cleaning his finger nails - and then staring at what came out.
• And one guy was observing all of the above (that would be me!)

As a speaker I know one thing, if they're doing any or all of the above, it's my fault (for the most part); I'm not keeping them interested or engaged. But on the other hand some people need a little guidance at a meeting to recognize why they are in attendance. It's one of the reasons I created The Meeting Playce Mat™; to give people a tool to take something away from that meeting experience. It's fun; it's creative; and it gets you thinking.

Keep the people engaged and we won't be doing all of those things listed above. But how do you keep people engaged? Here are three ideas:

1. Include them by asking stimulating questions
2. Offer them opportunity to interact and be a part of the meeting; to put to practice what you are presenting
3. Give them new and fresh content - or at least take a new thinking approach to old stuff. Stop rehashing old ideas.

There are many more. But why not start here. If you're a presenter of any sort; civic meeting; staff meeting; or conference presenter, make a pledge right now to keep those people with you and not looking for opportunity to go to technology land, finger crud world or the ear wax kingdom.

Now this is what you call Customer Service?

Met a colleague for breakfast this morning. We were sitting drinking our coffee and brainstorming. On the table was a little bowl of creamers; enough to bathe in. (As an aside, what is the deal with those things anyway? Why is it that some have to be kept cold while others can sit on the sidewalk on a brutally hot summer day alongside that fried egg?And do restaurants really know which is which and why? And what about the supply we find in hotel rooms? Should I be looking for cobwebs; you never know how long those have been sitting next to that in room coffee maker?)

But anyway, I digress.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the waitress serving the table behind us barreling down the aisle. She whizzes by, puts her hand out, scoops up our little bowl of dairy delites and drops them off at the next table.

Ed and I looked at each other in amazement. Wasn't sure if he was shocked, appalled or confused.

I just laughed. I guess my quota of free refills had been reached.