As I prepare to be with family over Thanksgiving, I begin thinking about what attitude I will be bringing. When it comes to dealing with others, are you a Thermostat or Thermometer? Do you SET the temperature in the room or REFLECT it?
Female hand setting a digital thermostat
As a Thermostat, you can set a healing or a destructive temperature. Sadly in our nation over the last few months we have witnessed many destructive Thermostats – people setting the temperature to boiling anger (on both sides). It greatly saddens me yet I recognize that people in pain and distress can often be incredibly mean and ugly. It’s likely that in everyday life they are not that way at all.
On the other hand, some people wait to see what kind of behavior is presented and then reflect that temperature back. That is Thermometer behavior.
As we move towards Thanksgiving this week, let’s decide right now what being a Thermostat looks like for you. Today, take 30 seconds before you see your customer, colleague, or family member to take a deep breath and set your mind to being a positive Thermostat. Choose to project the attitude YOU want to receive from that person. A warm smile reaches down through a person’s fear. A healing touch lowers a person’s blood pressure and heart rate. It doesn’t matter who you deal with, the attitude you project will always be reflected back to you.
Author John Maxwell said, “The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.”
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
Patti Hathaway, M.Ed., CSP
Business Advisor & Author of 5 books
The CHANGE AGENT
Solving Your People Challenges
web: http://www.TheChangeAgent.com
Author of 4 Avanoo eLearning Programs
www.Avanoo.com
phone: 1-800-339-0973
email:
Happy Thanksgiving Day – text in vintage letterpress wood type with fall decoration (acorns, cones, leaf and vine berries) against rustic wood
I enjoy Fall because it is the start of another season – it’s cooler and the trees begin changing their colors. School starts and new activities begin again. I love learning and new beginnings.
Yet, many people dislike and even dread change. I 
can’t blame them because the pace of change is unrelenting – from new technology (and companies responding with major internal changes as a result) to changes in leadership and new ways of doing business. I have a framed quote in my office you may enjoy: When excuses stop…change can happen. So, what excuse are you making today that is causing you to resist change in your life?
Perhaps my change tips this month will help you move forward in your nonstop change (taken from my 93 Tips to Manage Change tips booklet)
• Educate people as to why change is painful and what they can do for themselves personally to deal with change (in my change resiliency program and book you will learn why it’s in your personal best interest to move forward in change – and it’s not what you think).
• Address rumors as they occur (i.e., have a “Rumor of the Week” section in your employee newsletter, on your intranet, or within your department). If you don’t effectively communicate your vision, people will make it up as they go along and rumors abound.
Speaking of new, my second eLearning program was just released (my first program is on change resiliency – see my website for more details). My new program is specifically for healthcare to improve their patients’ experience: Enrich Your Job and Boost HCAHPS Scores. You will love this very unique 3-minute lesson/day (over 30 weeks) format. This program has the CME accreditation paperwork completed and is ready to be launched. If you want to improve your HCAHPS scores and job satisfaction, take a couple of minutes to watch this corporate preview of the first 3 lessons: http://www.avanoo.com/first3/529.
Email me if you are interested in my special subscriber kick-off pricing for 100 people (this pricing is usually reserved for 3,000 person subscription). It’s only effective until October 25.
Have a great week!
Patti Hathaway, M.Ed., CSP
Business Advisor & Author of 5 books
The CHANGE AGENT
Solving Your People Challenges
web: http://www.TheChangeAgent.com
Author of 2 Avanoo eLearning Programs
www.Avanoo.com
phone: 1-800-339-0973
email:
Friends DO Make a Difference…
Did you know that not having close friends can be as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight? This month’s newsletter explores why friends are critically important to our mental and physical health and how they can help us deal with the stress of life.
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What’s your Sense of Humor Inventory?
To face the frustrations of dealing with constant change and cranky customers, we must develop the light approach to life. Take a Sense of Humor Inventory and find out if your humor needs some work. Discover six strategies to get your laugh mechanism in order. A fun way to start out 2002!
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Do you know which food is second only to pure oxygen for dissipating stress? Discover several foods to avoid eating because they will increase your stress levels.
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Do you know the secret to making your body 15 to 20 years more youthful? Discover an additional strategy which one researcher found positively affects stress hormones which can lead you to lower your blood pressure and give you a more relaxed heart rate and respiration. Learn the results of our recent Customer Service Survey.
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Do you know why you wake up tired somedays? Are you making the most of your day by making the most of the first 15 minutes you are awake? Learn several new stress management strategies to help you deal with work change and unruly customers in this issue.
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Do you know what seamless changes to make to keep your customers loyal? The rapidly changing workplace demands a new level of adaptability on the part of its workers. Old ways of doing things do not work in this changing world.
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Do you want to feel good and powerful while going through change at work? Then learn how to consistently take action on the things you can control. Discover in this issue how to put on a Game Face rather than feeling helpless and hopeless.
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Have you ever wanted to change someone’s attitude or behavior? Even though we may not be able to change someone else, we can decide on how we choose to influence them. In this issue, read about the strategies and techniques you can use to influence people.
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Your engaging presentation style, props, and participant materials provided timely insights into that amalgam of skills required for successful change agents. The response has been extremely positive. Our time spent with you was entertaining, informative and a sincere pleasure.
Purdue University
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