Lessons learned from a Hospital Bed

Life is complicated and unpredictable.  If it wasn't, would it ever be this interesting? I have had many unpredictable, happy moments this year – the gift of an unexpected friendship, the gift of great new employees, many unexpected accomplishments with my kids.  But we tend to focus on the unpredictable events that knock us off the course we think we should be travelling.  If life were all happiness and roses and sunny days, would those be as special?  Just when you have it all figured out, you have it down and everything is moving forward at a smooth, rapid pace, the left turn comes out of the blue. 

Why does life become the most unpredictable, when change is the last thing you want?  Why is it unpredictable and complicated when you are at your busiest?    And why is there always a great lesson to learn in the midst of it all?  

A few weeks ago I was in enough pain to prompt a trip to the emergency room in the middle of the night.  You can learn a lot about drugs and alcohol in the middle of the night at the hospital closest to a major university, but that is not the focus here.

After several hours of tests that were leading nowhere, an MRI identified a problem severe enough that less than an hour passed from results to the operating room.  The surgeon showed up to discuss the procedure looking more like a graduate student studying an earthy science like geology.  He actually turned out to be quite excellent, fortunately.  There was not time to think or plan or make phone calls.  But I do recall as they wheeled me off to the operating room, that this would have to be quick because I really didn't have time to be out of the office for long.  Several hours later I awoke to find a huge but fortunately temporary change to my wonderful life.   IV, heart monitor, oxygen, wraps on my legs that kept inflating to prevent clots, and a corset wrapped tightly around my middle.

It was easy to feel sorry for myself – there was the pain but that was complicated further by doctor instructions that added up to torture - Walking four times a day when just to attempt to sit up was excruciating.  Hourly breathing treatments to prevent pneumonia when every deep breath sent crashing waves of pain through my body. 

But just as life turns unpredictable, so many rich lessons came from this unexpected turn.  There is something to be said for lying still for a few days that helps a person focus on the important things in life.

I am not alone.  I received so much support from family and friends.  My family never left my side.  They all coordinated it so I never was alone, even in the night.  Friends were in touch daily, lending support and strength, kind words, songs to make me smile.

Choose to be positive – choose to believe this is not forever, even when it feels like it.  When you are so exhausted from pain and surgery, it’s hard to believe that you will ever feel well again.

Choose to be thankful for the kindness of strangers.  In the hospital so many people are part of the mix – two doctors, multiple nurses, nurses aids, therapists, chaplains, cleaning people, even people who choose to draw blood for a living.  In the middle of a restless night, Jada, the kindest, sweetest nurse’s aid offered to change the bed telling me that fresh cool linens would help me sleep.  So while I logged in my first painful walk of the day, she quickly changed the bed and was ready and waiting for me.  She didn't have to do it.  That was a duty of the day time staff.  It was pure and simple kindness.

Count on others – Our largest customer show of the year was less than four weeks away when I checked into the hospital.  The invitations had gone out and there was no turning back.  With over 300 people expected, the show is a huge production that takes a great deal of coordination.  And I handle multiple customers and projects on a daily basis.  I know we have a great staff and I brag about them all the time.  But they went into superman mode.  They were amazing, stepping up, taking over tasks they had not done before.   Their creativity to make this an incredible show without my daily leadership knows no bounds and the show will be amazing.  Again my family helped in every way, taking over everything that needed to be done at home.

Choose to make people feel like their job matters – I never thought about using leader skills from a hospital bed.  I learned this quite by accident.  One evening I was assigned a rather cocky male nurse who I had not met before.   As he was leaving my room to go get my evening injection which was incredibly painful, I challenged him.  “Hey I am having a contest to see who can give the most pain free injection – you have the opportunity to win.”  It really just started as a way for me to respond to his cockiness.  He became a totally different person, rising to the occasion.  On other nights this nightly injection left me bruised with a burning pain for several minutes.  He told me he was the best and with grand flamboyant technique, gave me the injection.  I never felt it.  I awarded him with a hand written certificate using the white board marker in the room and a lined piece of paper.  He was so excited and talked about it all evening.   I tried the same technique the next early morning with the person who draws the blood.  He was so incredibly careful and when he finished, he asked me “So how did I do?”  I, of course, told him he was one of the best.  Unfortunately at 5:00 in the morning I am not quite up to making certificates.  But his is the most thankless job and he walked away with a spring in his step.

Finally – Fake it until you become it.  This is a line from my favorite TedTalk and it always comes in handy.  It’s amazing how much better you feel even when you are faking it. 

Life would not be life if it wasn't unpredictable.  My friends will tell you I needed to slow down; I needed to learn to ask for help.  I needed to “reset” my life.  Without unpredictability, the special times would not be special, and frankly, without the unexpected twist and turns, life would be rather dull.  So embrace the change, the unpredictability and never ever stop looking for the lessons that can be learned.  

Creativity, Inspiration and Collaboration

Creativity, Inspiration and Collaboration

If “creativity is just connecting things” (Steve Jobs) imagine how much richer and inventive it becomes through collaboration.  Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone to work with new people, especially people who don’t always think like us.  Seek out people who are different - such as Marketing and Engineers working together, or Marketing and IT. The work is so much richer when you do, with so many more creative connections.  The most creative projects I have worked on came through teamwork and collaboration.  Its the best way for me to find new inspiration!

During my Kodak days I had the opportunity to work with Rachel Geller and Julie Halpin Anderson when they were running the Kid Connection at Saatchi and Saatchi.  Both are absolutely brilliant, especially when it comes to understanding kids and teens and the internal drivers that motivate behavior.  I had piles of data on what we knew about kids and photography.  By sharing what we each knew, we created so many new connections; far more than any of us could have done alone.  The result of that work was a complete program that tested higher in research than any program the independent research firm had ever tested with kids and parents.

On another occasion by sharing photographs taken by kids, I had the opportunity to work with many great Kodak engineers, but especially Randy Fredlund.  By looking at the worst pictures taken by kids and the problems they were having with picture taking, he took what he knew and designed a camera that eliminated all of their problems.

At AirTouch Cellular collaboration was an every day occurrence.  In addition we met weekly as a cross functional team to share opportunities and challenges and to find creative solutions to move our business goals forward while keeping all functions of the business aligned. These meetings were honest, open, sometimes heated, but always productive.

At Stowebridge – we carry on that tradition.  We work with our customers to take what you know about your business and pair that with interesting, fun and engaging products to accomplish your goals.  When it comes to our annual Idea Fair, our entire staff is involved in the planning.  As we put our preparations together, every employee gets involved with creating ways to make it more fun, more exciting and an outstanding experience for our customers and the new people who want to work with us.  Our vendors come and collaborate with you, with you to show you exciting new products.  The entire event is designed to inspire you in new ways, refresh your marketing, make new creative connections for you.

You are invited to our 20th AnniversaryCelebration and Idea Fair.  It’s an awesome event – great ideas, food, fun, prizes and gifts.  You don’t have to be a customer to come but please do register.  We promise you will walk away with some amazing ideas to move your business forward.

Come Join Us!

Are you in Business for the Sale or the Relationship?

Are you in Business for the Sale or the Relationship?

This past week I was meeting with a new customer to discuss chef wear and some unique coffee mugs they could sell for the holidays.  We had a good meeting, discussed options and agreed on samples she would like to see.  The meeting seemed to be going well.  Toward the end of the meeting, she said something I hope none of my customers will ever say:

“Do you do decals too?  

We are getting low and we don’t really care about the company where we get them.” 

 Wow, a simple phrase that says so much!  From the moment we built our company, it has always been about relationships, helping people accomplish their goals, brand their business, thank customers and reward employees. 

We are fortunate that in the promotional product industry, we sell over a million products – seriously, a million products!  I can’t think of a business that doesn't need what we sell – even if its just business cards.  For us - its not about "the product" but what the product can do for you.  So many companies of all types today think they just need a web site to be in business, to sell their products.  It’s a start; it seems easy, it reaches a lot of people but are you using it to sell product or build a lasting relationship?  Can it build a personal connection that turns sales into customers who want to stay with you?  It can be done but building a person to person relationship in addition to on line sales builds trust.

When you don’t take the time to build the relationship, then it’s just a sale.  It’s not a customer, you don’t have a brand – you just sell products.  Long lasting successful companies put building a life long customer ahead of “just the sale.”  We want customers who will stay with us for years.  We want them to count on us, depend on us.  We want to be their partner, make them look good, help them accomplish their goals.

Stowebridge Promotion Group has grown primarily through referrals.  Our customers refer us to their friends and colleagues.   When they leave, they take us with them to their next company.  We actually work all over the US, Canada and in many other countries.  Building relationships does not have to be a face to face experience.  Our consultative, non-pushy approach makes our customers comfortable with us.  And for us its about more than just being nice - we have invested in the equipment and people to deliver what you need from our outstanding art department to our full scale production facility.  Creating a company that cares about its customers, puts the long term relationship ahead of the sale today takes hard work and a great team – but we feel it’s worth it.  It is who we are as a company and much more personally rewarding than just getting the sale.

We would love the opportunity to build a relationship with you.  Just let us know how we can make you look great – 888-340-8006.

What sparks your Creativity? (And an invitation for you!)

What sparks your creativity?  (And an invitation for you!)

You certainly can’t command it to come.  You can’t schedule it.  Creativity often evades you just when you need it the most.  And it often surprises you when you least expect it – like that great idea you got in the shower this morning.  Creativity is in all of us – we just need to free our minds to allow it to happen.

What is creativity?

Here are some of my favorite definitions.

“Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness: ecstasy.” – Rollo May, The Courage to Create

"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while."  Steve Jobs

How do we allow creativity to happen?

Since creative thoughts come at the most unusual times – from dreams, from the quiet magical moment just between sleep and wakefulness, and when we have time to free our mind, here are a few things that help me.

• Quiet walks at dawn before the world wakes up
• See the world differently. Viewing the world through my camera lens gives me new perspectives, especially if I look for an unusual camera angle or view point with the most common of objects.
• Meet new people everywhere you go.
• Get away from your desk and get out of the workplace – Get some fresh air!
• Be curious – get off the freeway and take the back roads (literally and figuratively).
• Take your vacation; make your weekends fun and not just extra days for work or chores.  Our minds need time to recharge to be our best.
• Volunteer and give back – volunteering gets your mind off your problems, your life and gives you perspective when you help others.  It also helps you see differently.

An Invitation to Creativity and Inspiration

At Stowebridge we work in a creative business. We are serious about helping you with creative ideas.  And yet creative ideas come from making connections between what we know and new things we see.  So each year we host an IDEA FAIR.  We bring together the very best representatives and suppliers in our industry with people like you.  They bring their imaginative ideas, their latest products and endless amounts of success stories that have worked for others like you.  Our show is just the thing you need to recharge your creativity - its all designed to creative ideas just for you.

Join us on October 7^th at our Chandler, AZ location.  Each year we have a fun theme – And this year is no different – we are having a Birthday Bash to celebrate our 20^th anniversary.  Great food, new ideas, new people to meet, prizes, gifts and so many terrific ideas to spark your creativity. 

You don’t have to be a current customer to join us.  But we do ask that you register for the show.  Register at www.Stowebridge.com and click on the Birthday Bash logo on our header.  Bring colleagues from your office and by working together, you will find even more ideas.  Once you are registered, you will receive updates and a formal invitation with all the details.

Let us help you spark your creativity.  

Here are a few photos from past shows - our Build It theme last year and our Hollywood extravaganza in 2012.

The actual car from the Bonnie and Clyde Movie

Lessons I learned from my Summer Interns

It has been several years since we last hired marketing interns.  This year we had two outstanding marketing students from Northern Arizona University, both with dual majors - Victor Martinez, marketing and management, and KaitlynMcNalley, marketing and finance.  They have worked on a variety of projects during their summer internship at Stowebridge and have added a lot to the various projects they have been involved in.

I trust this was a valuable experience for them, but I also benefited greatly from working with them.    While I understand my business inside and out – they made it clear to me that there are some simple basics I have not taken time to articulate.  There is always room for more clarity.

Here are some of the lessons I learned from them:

Be inspired by all the world has to offer

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Be open to trying something you have never tried before

Be open to trying ideas you tried in the past but find ways to make it work better.  (Don’t be quick to explain why something has already been done and why it won’t work.)

Make new friends

Embrace and integrate new technology

Communicate in new ways – to reach more of your audience – Facebook, Blogging

Dig deeply – the answers are out there 

Live in awe of people and things that may have become mundane

Be grateful for every opportunity

Be generous to others – if you saw Kate's picture when she started you will see her new shorter bobbed hair cut – the result of donating her hair to help others.

These are fantastic lessons for all of us.  We get out of college and sometimes lose sight of these.  I am thankful to Victor and Kate for opening my eyes. 

(We are pleased to report that Victor will continue as a sales person while he finishes his last semester at NAU.)

Note: We have two outstanding interns working on websites for us – Edward Hietter and Aaron Harrington, both from the University of New Mexico.  I don’t think I could begin to articulate how amazed I am at all they do and know.  I will never, ever know all that they know – I am just thankful they are on my team! 

Where do you call home?

Nearly every Friday I eat dinner at the same restaurant.  It’s part of my ritual and a comforting way to end the week – whether it was successful, stressful or quiet.  I always know I will be greeted with a smile and hug followed by a glass of my favorite craft beer by the tall, lanky manager, Eli.  Sometimes, like last Friday night, he sees me walking across the parking lot and greets me at the door, beer in hand.  Truth be told, I am much more of a wine drinker but their limited wine menu does not stack up against their broad selection of craft beers.  There are plenty of other nights to drink fine wine.

It’s not a fancy place with its metal tables and plastic table covers but it is as comforting as coming home.  Some of my friends might not even feel comfortable in such modest surrounds.  The menu features all the regular items you would expect at a grill but all the bread is homemade, they make the most amazing Caesar salad dressing I have ever tasted and they serve specials that rival any gourmet restaurants I have visited – all served in a plastic basket. 

The restaurant feels like home because of the people who work there.  Eli remembers my beer choice without even asking but also brings me samples of new ones he thinks I will like.  His weekly answer to “How are you” is always “Living the Dream.”   And he remembers the menu choices I like the most.  While I would like to think I am truly special, I see Eli and the rest of the staff work the same magic with everyone who walks in the door.  In our fast food, overworked, “press 1 for English”, world that we live in, we all want to be remembered and welcomed home, wherever home is. 

When I reflect on our business, Stowebridge Promotion Group, this is how we want our customers to feel.  We treat people as people.  We want them to feel at home with us – whether it is in our showroom or across country.  We work hard to have a welcoming atmosphere and a welcoming way with our customers.  We don’t believe in pushy sales, sales quotas or making the numbers for a certain supplier.  We believe in finding just the right item in our customer’s budget that we know will arrive just the way the want it, on time and on budget. 

Many of our customers are old friends and many of those who were not have become friends.   We want to know more about our customers than just their business, we want to celebrate their life events from weddings and graduations to their children’s success.  Knowing our customers and offering outstanding customer support is a hallmark of our success and part of our culture.  Our customers are people we sincerely enjoy working with and that makes it a pleasure to come to work every day.  Our team pulls together to make things happen, sometimes even the impossible. We enjoy helping our customers grow and are excited by their success.  We love to help our friends promote their business, thank their customers, motivate employees, and to help them become memorable.  

How will you thank your employees?

This morning I surprised my employees by donning my red apron bright and early and making banana split pancakes for everyone as they arrived.  Whole wheat pancakes adorned with sliced bananas, coconut/pineapple and peach frozen yogurt and topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries.  There is just something special about starting a summer day with ice cream (or a healthy alternative to ice cream).  It was a hit and everyone was thrilled.  We love to surprise our employees – sometimes it’s gifts, sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s a new shirt to celebrate a great win or a new season.

Showing appreciation to employees leads to higher employee engagement:

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals, resulting in the use of discretionary effort. - Kevin Kruse, Contributor, Forbes

Employees with high engagement levels care more, are more productive, give better service, and even stay in their jobs longer. All of that leads to happier customers, who want to work with your company and also refer your company to others more often.  It is something that we strive to achieve with every employee.

Labor Day is just around the corner on September 1^st.  What a great time to recognize and thank your employees!  And it is even better when they least expect it. We have so many great ways to thank your employees – great coolers, awesome drinkware they will use every day, lunch boxes, ideas that makes their job easier and apparel that build pride.  Employees are proud of where they work and love to show off their logo’ed attire.  Food is great and employees do love it, but it’s also great when you can pair it with something they use everyday.  Your gift will be a constant reminder that they are appreciated and recognized for their hard work.  It builds pride, teamwork

and a sense of belonging.

We would love to help you put together a great plan to appreciate your employees!  Let us know how we can help.