Living and Working With Intention

I have just returned from South Carolina where I keynoted to a group of optical professionals- from Doctors to their front office teams, on the concept of living and working with intention.

When I was first given the task to speak on the subject, I must admit I was a bit rattled on what to say, and certainly questioned if I had enough material and insight to fill an hour and half of stage time.  As I was preparing the presentation, it began to really hit home- "Are we just going through the motions, or are we leaving a legacy?"  No matter what role we play- large or small- we can live and work with the intention to be the best we can be, to go the extra mile for someone, to "be-there" for another, to make someone's day.  Sadly, most of us don't.

I was amazed by the response from the audience and the conversations that occurred throughout the day and into the next.  People were genuinely stirred by the idea of creating a life they always wanted, but never felt they could.  I am not sure why exactly we do this to ourselves.  Each of us are equipped with our own special gifts, talents and desires.  We are the Master of our fate.  We can, with intention- view our life from The End to now, and start walking toward what we always wanted to become.  For me, it was a reminder to live life fully and collect as many amazing stories as I can.  It also reminded me that "whether I think I can, or think I can't, I am right."

Thanks, South Carolina!

Experiences with Intention. Are You Ready?

Last week I was in NYC working with about 140 doctors discussing systems, processes and patient flow.  Most had an office process which was utilized to flow patients in and out of exam rooms, which you would expect. But few if any had the patient in mind when creating the flow. The flow was created for the office staff to work with some sort of liquidity, but the patients are often left hanging in waiting or exam rooms filled with outdated magazines and uncomfortable silence. 

There is a great book out there called "The Experience Economy" which drives home how patients, (i.e. consumers) buy, shop and choose where they are going to invest their time and money.  A quick summary of the book could read like this, "Experiences are as different from services, as services are from goods."

If you read it backwards you will have the history of consumerism.  Thirty years ago we all were making decisions based on the quality and availability of goods.  Then, when that became the standard, business and industry looked to changing service levels and quality of those services as a competitive advantage. Today, consumers expect high quality goods and services but with a new twist: experiences. What is the experience like when you buy these goods and services?  When your patient/customer is gathering with friends or family or out for a cup of coffee, the stories they tell about their experiences with  your business will, ultimately, become your brand.  

What are you doing to manage and create those customer interactions so that your brand is exactly what you intend it to be? 

Next week, keynoting in South Carolina at a regional educational conference to address this very topic with a professional doctors' group.  Take care, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Michael