What a month since last I wrote and sent my newsletter. I have had two surgeries, a two week trip to Dubai and Africa and have acquired two new clients. Good things seem to be happening to me in twos.

The surgeries were successful. The trip was fantastic, I took my niece Gabrielle and it was wonderful to be able to have her to myself for two whole weeks. The new clients are enjoyable. Life is good!

1 Gabrielle, Giraffe and me on Day One in Nairobi.

Bringing the WOW Factor to Everything you do

Sevathon is an incredible yearly event organized by the Sevathon Committee - which are members from and serving a group of Indian-American non-profits. The purpose of this annual event is to showcase and support over 200 local non-profit associations. In addition to booths, they have races and other events and hundreds - yes hundreds of people participate.

At their request I spoke to the group some days before this year's event and tried to inspire them to bring "WOW" to their booths and their promotional literature and explanations. Here are some excerpts from my talk - which by the way was (as I usually do) highly interactive with them telling me a lot of what I asked.

I asked:

What is WOW?
What is the purpose of Sevathon?
What makes an experience memorable?
How do you create WOW?
What are some of the factors that take something from ordinary to extraordinary?
Can we go above and beyond?

Of course the answer was to create an experience that was unique, quality, with great attention to details and without skimping. The better the quality the more the WOW.

Events need to appeal to all five senses, they have to be unique and show your brand in its best light. It has to be special enough so that people go away talking about it and telling others they must be sure to attend next time.

Mediocre doesn't excite. Mediocre cuts corners and "saves money" at the expense of losing new money. Mediocre picks cheap caterers because they are cheap. Mediocre says let's not create a mess - whereas excellence says, let's have a clean-up committee so that we can clean up the debris from balloons and other theme-related items.

Mediocre says: "let's do the minimum we can get away with." WOW says: "let's make every aspect of this special and excellent."

Wouldn't you rather attend events that are filled with WOW?

ProMatch Workshops I've Offered.

Every Tuesday morning, from 10 - noon, I am leading a drop-in for anyone interested in refining their job search skills. We talk about your next goals, transitions, fears, resume writing, interviewing,"psrs", negotiating and keeping yourself and your family up during down times. Any Promatcher is welcome to come and join this drop-in.

I just completed offering another Branding (Marketing Yourself) workshop and on June 2nd I will be offering "Negotiation Strategies for Women."
Jump Start Your Job Search:
Marketing (Branding) Yourself:
Strategies and Tactics for your Job Hunt
Self-Assessment Seminar
Who are You? Part I & Part II
Negotiation Skills for Women:
Getting Your Mojo Back
Enhancing Your Professional Image: Your Unique Brand
Enhancing Your Professional Image: Your Unique Brand - again
Business Planning Seminar
Negotiation Strategies and Tactics

University Courses Taught

DeVry University, Keller Graduate School of Management

Career DecisionsConsumer Behavior

Leadership & Organizational Behavior

Quality and Performance Excellence

International Business

Business Planning (Capstone MBA class)

Psychology 110

Employment Law (Compliance Issues )

The Legal, Political and Ethical Dimensions of Business

Change Management

Human Resource Planning (Capstone MBA class)

Negotiation Skills

Lincoln Law School: The Psychology of Practicing Law

Stanford University, Continuing Education: Conflict in the Workplace

Books - Published

Leading and Managing in a Global Economy - Super Star Press

Conflict in the Workplace: Causes and Cures Robertson Publishing Co.

The following books can be ordered directly: www.ProductivePublications.com

Training Your Board of Directors: A Manual for the CEOs, Board Members, Administrators and Executives of Corporations, Associations, Non-Profit and Religious Organizations.

The "Please" and "Thank You" of Fundraising for Non-Profits: Fifteen Essential Ingredients for Success.

Proformative Courses you can Upload and Purchase

Change: The People Side

Effective Workplace Negotiation.

Customer Service at its Best

Everyone we met in both Dubai and Africa - but especially in Africa - whether in the hotel, the stores, or on Safari exuded the very best in customer service. Each person we encountered was gracious and pleasant, anxious to please. They were not phony, not condescending, but truly willing to be of service.

We tipped - A LOT!

Our guides were highly educated and well trained. Their goal was to provide us the most interesting experience we could achieve during the time we were in their care. They each went out of their way to find the right locations to show us the animals we wanted to see. For me it was always the lions. Gabrielle fell in love with the hippos.

In the dining halls, everyone catered to the specific needs or allergies of the guests. Learning about them, they remembered them meal after meal - never failing, for example, to create gluten free dishes for my niece.

Our agents at the airports made sure all the details were well handled (oh, wait until you read my next article about being in a wheelchair!) and we got on the right planes (lots of little ones) at the right time.

Not only was it what they did - it was how they did it. It felt to me, always aware of and probably too critical of customer service - that this came naturally to them. They were proud of their jobs and pleased to please.

Compare that to how often we experience serving staff with attitudes that make us think they think they are doing us a favor.

Let's bring back customer service - internal and external - at its best. Let's really try to do our best. WOW - excellence - again. My perpetual theme.

Being in a Wheelchair

Although I had had surgery on my right leg before we left, my left leg was still relatively useless. Thus, I could walk a few short blocks but not more than that. SO, we ordered wheelchairs for me at all the airports.

The plus: If you are in a wheelchair you get an airline attendant and he or she rushes you through the crowds and makes sure you are first in line. We were treated better than those in first class. Way to travel!

On the other hand, I got to experience first hand what people who are disabled experience daily. People treat you as though you were senile, mentally retarded, and probably crazy as well. They ignore you or talk down to you or speak to you as though you were an idiot. Too many times, I would be trying to talk with an airline ticket agent only to have that person turn to Gabrielle as though she were my "handler" authorized to speak for me. It was demeaning. It should never happen to someone just because they are in a wheelchair. Their brain isn't disabled, it's their legs.

I am planning to expand on this article and send it to the ADA Compliance Board for their newsletter.

So, How Can I help you?

Testimonial

Your professional, adroit and humorous handling of the many meetings

Gave everyone a comfortable and open approach to problem solving

That has accomplished more than I ever thought possible. I appreciate

your ability not only to lead people, but to redirect their energies to

look at problems differently. More importantly to change attitudes,

the hardest of all to reshape.

Leonard D. Miller, CEO, Quorum International Ltd.

And Citizen's Task Force Representative to City of San Carlos

Core Team for Permit Streamlining

Let me be your Aufin-your advisor to Kings.

ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D ArLyne@DiamondAssociates.net

Diamond Associates 3567 Benton St., #315, Santa Clara, CA 95051

408-554-0110