How To Successfully Enjoy Meeting In Real Life Again

I’m just back from Palm Springs where I got to host several discussions at the Women of the Channel West event with 250 leaders from the technology companies that support the IT Channel. 

Here’s how to enjoy meeting in real life again:

1. Ask and respect everyone’s comfort level.

At check in we were asked to explain our comfort level through red/yellow/green dots on our name tags. So whether you were wanting to keep your distance or give out hugs as frequently as Olaf, you could easily share your desire for close proximity with others and learn how to respect others space. 

2. Meet those you have missed

I’ve had the pleasure of working with select groups of senior executives over the last nine months virtually as part of Women of the Channel’s Senior Leadership Forum. An invite only community of Channel executives from around the world. Last week five of us got to meet in real life which was energizing, inspiring, and full of insights and laughter. ( AND Everyone got a preview of my forthcoming book Words That Work: Communicate Your Purpose, Profit, and Performance, coming out in January 2022)

3. Only show up where you really want to go

I’ve heard this endlessly from executives around the world…there is a mass reset of deciding the highest priority travel and events. Know WHY you are attending an event and what you want to achieve from it. Be comfortable saying no to the right opportunities so you have time to attend to your priorities. 

4. Give your social battery time to recharge

Even the boldest social loving people need time to both prepare and recuperate before and after events. Especially after nearly two years of remote virtual isolation. Arrive early, stay later and give yourself the alone time you need to just be. 

5. Make it better than Zoom

It needs to be radically different than meeting on Zoom or why will anyone bother to come? This applies to events and returning to a physical office. Showing up and experiencing the same as if you were working from your home just won’t cut it. 

For those who have been asking, yes we have a new member of the Wright Family and you can see what he looks like here.

Wishing a wonderful Thanksgiving week to those this side of the pond!

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

How To Boost Your Productivity With A Trick The Best Doctors Use

Ever been in a doctors office and seen labels on every shelf, surface, drawer, and cupboard for precisely where to put each cotton swab, syringe, and wipe? If so, you are likely in one of the most efficient and effective health offices. Every time I see this prolific use of labeling I ask why it’s there and I get a similar answer every time: speeds up our work, avoids time wasting looking for items, and reduces errors. Having the same layout in every examination room prevents time wasted finding equipment, makes it easy to know when to replenish supplies, and speeds up taking care of patients. 

Sound like something your company could benefit from?

Since moving house, I’ve spent the last 90 days with my whole wardrobe in cardboard boxes while waiting for our new wardrobes to arrive. So not knowing where to find my clothes was a huge frustration every morning! Never mind trying to organize laundry each week. I’d walk around in circles trying to find a particular outfit or decide where I could put something away. Finally this weekend with the closets finished I could unpack my clothes and everything now has it’s place! I put away laundry into record time this afternoon and it was a pure delight picking an outfit to wear out to dinner tonight!

Having a system for where to find things isn’t limited to doctors offices and wardrobes…the number one complaint I hear from new hires is “I can’t find anything quickly” Imagine if it was predictable where to find information and everything was labeled? 

TeamsSlackZoomTextEmail blended communication doesn’t help either. Knowing where you received information is essential to then try it to retrieve it again at a later date. Your new hires and long serving employees alike need to know where to find the essential information and tools to do their job. 

Any one want to borrow my label maker?

Cheers!

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Cheers! Proud News: Announcing My Next Book. Want To Read It First?

Coming in January but you don’t have to wait that long to read it. 

I have a few advanced copies I can share, if you want to receive a preview copy comment with “yes please” to be considered. 

Be sure to pre order your copy at your favorite local bookstore to support your local small business. Or you can preorder it online at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Target, Booktopia.au,  Waterstones, Amazon.ca

What’s it all about?

Words That Work: Communicate Your Purpose, Your Profits and Your Performance

Never have our words mattered more than in the last 18months. How we lead, how we have shown those around us that we care, how we make sure that our intentions, purpose, and passion are all aligned. 

As a CEO or senior executive, the stakes are extraordinary in every conversation. Millions or even billions of dollars are in jeopardy during board meetings, investor calls, media interviews, customer interactions, and employee conversations. The most successful executives know this and invest their time preparing in a thoughtful and intentional way while continuously improving their knowledge and skills in how to communicate to drive profitable growth.

Throughout this book we will pause and deconstruct words that work and words that do not work. I will give you a rapid list of alternative words to say in a multitude of situations. If you have an inattentive brain like mine, you can skip 

to the appendix where you can find the shortcut to the complete list of actual phrases and words that simply work.

Want to know more? Let me know and I’m happy to share.

You might be wondering: —-Wait Val did you really just write this book - didn’t you just release your last one Rapid Growth Done Right?

Yes. I wrote this in lockdown. Actually, I hand wrote the book as my hands and eyes were so fed up of my computer during 18months running my business from my attic storage room turned office, I had to find a new way to get my ideas on paper so I went old school!

The delight of working with executives across multiple industries for the past 29 years is that I have real life experiences and living case studies to reflect on, make connections from, deconstruct, and share the results of. 

Of my three books I’ve written this was my favorite to write, not least because of the encouragement from the executives I work with and the team at Kogan Page about the value of this book. So if you have worked with me before, you will “hear Val” loudly in this ultimate guide to what to say and when to say it. 

Let me know if you want to be considered for an advanced copy or want to discuss pre orders for your team that we can personally get delivered to individual addresses around the world. 

Cheers!

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/