Greenelight Development

Today another friend passed from this life into the next. Stephanie Spier Murphy fought the courageous battle over her "stumor" - the name she gave her brain tumor (conjugation of stupid tumor) for nearly two long years. What was amazing was to watch how she approached the most difficult days of her illness with a positive spirit, lots of smiles and a wonderful sense of humor!

I met Stephanie several years ago at one of our national meetings in Orlando. I had a tremendous amount of knee pain which I later found out was a torn meniscus. At the Thursday evening dinner, I succumbed to the use of a wheelchair to get to the dinner site. I got off the bus, sat down in the wheelchair and wondered how I would maneuver the contraption. All of a sudden, I started to move. I looked up, and Stephanie had begun to push the chair. She introduced herself, and assured me it was no problem to get me to the dinner.

When I returned home, I sent Steph some Omaha Steaks to say thank you for her help. She was so excited and let me know how much her son Ian LOVED steak. We became fast friends, staying in touch on chats and email...It was so great to see her in Las Vegas in January and listen to her message of hope, courage and persistence as she spoke to all of her GM SFE colleagues. In my gut, I knew it would be the last time I would see her, and I cried quietly as she spoke.

I'm sure people who were physically with her every step of the way have many great stories to tell of Steph's enduring spirit through this whole ordeal. Thankfully, through Caring Bridge, those of us at a distance were able to peer into bits and pieces of the happenings. One of my favorite examples of Steph's sense of humor and will to fight was her arriving at the hospital in her cowboy boots with her "Cancer Sucks" t-shirt worn proudly...defiantly. Oh, and telling her doctors to "get this party started!".

Steph was such an incredible inspiration to all who knew or met her...her smile was magnetic, her enthusiasm for life contagious. She is the second friend this week to pass away from cancer. It's a new record broken that I'd really rather have never been set at all.

Stephanie and Bobbi's lights no longer shine on this earth, but I can look to the heavens and know that I have two new angels who know my name, and I, theirs. Bless you both forever...Love goes on...

Tonight I found out that my dear friend Bobbi Malcom Schoettle passed away on Thursday. She had stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her bones and lungs. We worked together over 20 years ago, and she was one of the most receptive, supportive, funny, REAL managers I've had the pleasure and privilege to train and work with.

Bobbi walked her talk, and was a sponge for knowledge and a champion for the less privileged and underdogs, but had high expectations of able-bodied, able-minded individuals. She had NO patience for whining, but a ton of compassion for those who were truly hurting whether in body or spirit. Bobbi and I didn't see each other often, but when we did, it was as if we'd seen each other the day before. I last communicated with her in August, and found out the details of her illness.

How quickly time passes, and how we assume our friends will always be there. I'm sorry I didn't get to see my friend this fall. I never dreamed her time was so short. It's one more strong message: do it now, don't wait...the clock is ticking.

I'm so happy our paths crossed, and I will miss her terribly, though I know she will always be near in sprirt. Rest in peace Bobbi, I'll always remember you and smile. I love you.

Some of the best food can always be found in hole-in-the-wall restaurants. At first glance, they may not be as aesthetically pleasing as say, a Ruth Criss Steakhouse or PF Changs. But if you find a good one, you can always count on great food - at ridiculously low prices!

One of the best places in Omaha is the 11-Worth Cafe. It's a plain-Jane place, but consistently has good food, lots of it for an incredibly cheap price! What's also consistent is the service. Despite the case that most of the wait staff come from tough backgrounds and have lead self-confessed pretty rough lives, they are some of the most down-home, friendliest people you'll ever meet. They are also some of the kindest and most compassionate.

Because of its location (the surrounding neighborhood is probably not where you want to be after dark) the restaurant (that opens at 6am and closes at 3pm),attracts businesspeople as well as an eclectic collection of folks from some of the poorest areas in town. This particular day, I noticed a table of mentally challenged guests seated near my friend and me. They were shoddily dressed, unkempt and not too clean. In many places, these people might have been shunned or ignored. Not at the 11-Worth.

Our waitress, Sonya (who calls all her customers "baby" and "honey") greeted them with a warm smile. Apparently, they are frequent customers so Sonya also called them by name. I am impressed that all customers are treated with the same kindness and consideration - no matter their status in life.

Perhaps because of their life's experiences, compassion and kindness come naturally to these 11-Worth servers. What a great lesson we can all learn about pre-judging others or treating people a certain way because of the way they look or dress. What a great life lesson!

Well, I'm back on the road again. Not travelling to any warm, tropical climes, mind you...but you'll not find me complaining. Not in this economy. I'm very thankful to have had my contract renewed in addition to picking up a couple of new clients. I'm reminded of another characteristic of great customer service that keeps your clients coming back...

In my winter travels to South Dakota (see, I told you it wasn't tropical) I've had the good fortune of finding a couple of great hotels. In Sioux Falls, my choice is the Courtyard by Marriott, in Mitchell, it's the Hampton Inn. One of the biggest reasons I frequent these properties is that they make me feel welcome. I don't mean that they give the customary greeting, look at my record to remind them of my name and then welcome me back.

No, both the staffs at these hotels know my name (and the correct pronunciation) greet me with HUGE smiles, brimming enthusiasm and the first thing out of their mouths is usually: "HEY! Capiz! You're BACK!!! We're so glad you're HERE!" If I miss a visit or have to rearrange my schedule, on either occasion, I've been met with either: "It's been a while!" or..."We were looking forward to your visit, and were disappointed when you cancelled!" If I did guilt, I might find these reactions inducing it.

But the real point here is that without prompting, the people in every position from the General Manager, to the housekeeping staff and everyone in between are genuinely happy to see me, we share quick updates with our goings on, and they go out of their way to make me feel welcome. (More about that in another blog.) I know it's something I always talk about, but it truly IS about how you establish, nourish and grow relationships with customers. These two hotels certainly have MY loyalty!

Now if they would just do something about these sub-zero temperatures...BRRRR!

Wow! Another year has come and gone - 2008 was filled with many challenges as we've seen our economy collapsing, gas prices creep near five dollars a gallon and foreclosures at an all time high. Consumers have become extremely cautious in spending money and retailers reported the worst holiday sales in many years.

But with all the bad news, there IS opportunity. There are bargains now on houses, cars and certain stocks. There is opportunity to treat your customers better than your competitors could imagine. Customers have a choice and they can be pickier...so give them a reason to pick YOU!

I went to pick up the dry cleaning - I was barely greeted, some old grump barking: "Name?!" No hi, happy new year, how can I help you, kiss my grits...nothing! I paid and left with my husband's slacks and decided there were other drycleaners I would be using from now on.

Next, on to treat myself to a coffee drink at Scooters. I pulled up to the window and was met by a young lady with a broad smile and a cheery "HI! How are YOU today?" I wanted to try something different, so she kindly accommodated my questions asked what some of my preferences were then made some recommendations. I went with her suggestion of the Cafe au lait made with Creme Brulee coffee. (My husband refers to it as "weenie coffee". His coffee by contrast, looks like motor oil!) But I digress. This young lady was so pleasant and so helpful!!! Over a cup of $4 coffee!!! But you can bet that I'll be back to that location again soon!

Wow! It's easy to get out of a habit (or into one). I've missed blogging for a couple of weeks because I just didn't focus on it! We use phrases like: they respect what you inspect...and you get what you focus on most. I have decided that some of my lag in blogging is because it is new to me, and I'm still looking for best blogging practices.

This whole internet networking process is a wonderful new medium by which we can connect with others worldwide. Whether it's Facebook, MySpace, LInked In, Plaxo...there are hundreds of ways to re-connect with people you've misplaced, and to build on the contacts your network knows. In reconnecting with a former business associate, I happened upon her website and a blogging course from Simpleology.



As part of my own personal continous improvement, I'm hoping this course will help me be more effective as a blogger.

We have all lost things never again to be found, and other things turn up when we least expect them. There is anger, frustration and sadness at our losses. Conversely, we experience surprise, happiness and even giddiness when something long gone is found.

Interestingly enough, the same can be said of relationships. Whether through differences or death, we sometimes lose relationships. Over the last seven years, I have been astounded at the number of friends past and present who have passed away far too soon. I attended yet another friend’s wake a week ago. I remembered him as one of the most handsome, popular, smart and personable guys I knew in high school. As I read the guestbook in the online obituary, many of his peers felt the same way.

Then a name in the guestbook that I hadn’t seen in years came to my attention. I quickly dashed off an email, asking that individual to connect with me because I’d wondered about where life had taken him. Long story short – it was actually his cousin that I was looking for, and after several email exchanges between Phoenix and Omaha, his cousin and I found each other in Omaha. We connected on the phone and will be getting together face to face in the next couple of weeks. Even though the first connection was an error, I've built a potential new connection, and renewed a former.

If you’ve been thinking of someone and the opportunity presents itself to find them or reconnect, seize it.

It’s a new year…and you can take new risks and make new decisions to connect!

It's a new year: a time for turning over new leaves, setting new goals...do-overs for adults! Welcome to my website and my blog. My work is about communicating the real messages you want to get across, finding work you love and creating a life full of fun, meaningful relationships and purpose.

I spent some time this holiday season on the phone long distance with some of my girlfriends that share a national project I'm working on. As they told me about all the household projects they were undertaking in the time between Christmas and New Year's, I found myself feeling frustrated that I had not accomplished anything I'd planned. Both friends firmly reminded me that I've been painfully ill the entire vacation (what a way to go!) and that expecting the same results as they had was truly unrealistic.

O.K., so I have spent the last month coughing so hard that I dislocated some ribs and felt like half a lung would come up with the next cough. What an "aha!" moment for me. We are sometimes so focused on getting the work done (whatever that may be) that we a) fail to take care of ourselves and b) are unrealistically hard on ourselves.

My challenge to you, (as well as myself) this year, is to be kinder to yourself. Do the best you can, and appreciate your best effort. Take time for you to take care of you. Remember: if you don't take care of you, nothing else matters. Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008!