Pave Your Way to Success with Persistence – 5 Steps to Get You Going
The street of success is paved with a great number of stories about persistence and perseverance.
- Micheal Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
- J.K. Rowling had 12 publishers reject her Harry Potter manuscript.
- Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times.
- Jim Carrey, Lisa Kudrow and John Goodman are three of many famous comedians who didn’t make the cut at Saturday Night Live.
If any of these people, or the countless others at the top of their field, had pushed their passion aside after multiple rejections our world would be a lot less dynamic; The street of success dimpled with potholes.
The mere fact they kept doggedly after their goal is an achievement in itself! How often do you find yourself knocked down and depleted of the desire to push forward again? Imagine getting knocked down 60 times, like Kathryn Stockett did after writing The Help. Her book ended up on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than 100 weeks and was made into a successful film. But 60 literary agents rejected it! I don’t have to tell you what became of Micheal Jordan, do I?
Persistence in Theory
Persistence is, in fact, one of the traits of highly successful people. How do you become persistent? Is it something that can be learned and practiced? While, some of it does come from natural inclinations, there are definitely tips and tricks you can incorporate to enhance your, let’s say, stubbornly purposeful streak.
After reading several variations of habits and traits of persistent people (see links in blog), here is a quick and easy breakdown to get you started down the road of persistence.
- Know the what and remind yourself of the why – what’s your end game and why is it important to you?
- Believe to achieve – if you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?
- Adjust, adapt & repeat – when you hit a closed door, look for the key, or even a window.
- Join the club – surround yourself with other persistent people and you’ll gain valuable insight and support.
- Be high on habits – when motivation fails, strong habits will get you through to the next day.
Perhaps you’re aren’t hoping to write the next American novel. Instead, you want to make daily life at work more pleasant by starting a snack bar. It may not be a Nobel Peace Prize level goal, but worthy to go after nonetheless! And it might just take persistence to get it done, depending on the levels of approval you need to go after.
Persistence in Practice
Being persistent while not being annoying is also quite the skill itself. If it wasn’t, toddlers – and adults who act like them – wouldn’t be so exasperating! The lesson here is to be creative in your approach so you don’t get the “broken record” look of exhaustion. Successful salespeople have to navigate this space daily.
Business Development Director at Motivation Excellence, Rebecca Steiner, says she tries to delicately balance her desire to follow up with a client or prospect with what she thinks their needs are. “I put myself in their shoes and ask myself if I have the answer to their problem or a solution that fits their need. If I feel like I do, I keep moving forward. Having empathy for what they’re going through helps me determine my level of persistence.”
Steiner’s favorite quote on persistence comes from 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge. Rebecca and her husband have had this poster in their house for decades!
Steiner also says changing up the way she reaches out to a person of interest is important. “It can’t always be an email or a voicemail. Sometimes it’s a video message or even a coffee mug with a small package of gourmet coffee and a hand-written note. If you can key into something the person is passionate about, the touchpoint resonates more.”
Most importantly, Steiner says, it’s all about being positive. “I’m there to keep their mood up and bring solutions that will help them, not be another chore on their list for the day.”
Steiner also advises that timing isn’t always right, which makes persistence all the more important. “Early on in my sales career I reached out to a prospect. I built a relationship with him and kept in contact for years with no luck converting a sale. After 10 years, the business opened up and he turned to me and said, ‘Your persistence finally paid off!’”
Sometimes the biggest difference between someone who succeeds and someone who doesn’t, is that the former persisted and the latter quit. As you’re heading out on the road to your goals, big or small, remember that each step you take places you closer to the destination. Pave your road with persistence. It may not be the smoothest ride, but it’ll be a worthwhile journey that can take you all the way to the top!
Motivation Excellence Celebrates Back to Back Honors
It’s with great pleasure we announce being honored with the Best and Brightest Companies to work for® in the Nation distinction again in 2020! Motivation Excellence is one of 147 national winners among 1,300 applicants. We hold 2019 honors for this national category, as well as for Companies in Chicago for 2019 and 2020.
The Best and the Brightest Companies to Work For® celebrates achievement and success in empowering employees’ lives through rich heritage and culture. Its mission is “Better Business, Richer Lives, Stronger Communities.” Each winning company has demonstrated a positive impact on its employees resulting in happier and more productive work environments.
“It’s a long, all-encompassing application process that includes an anonymous survey for each of our employees to fill out. Even though it takes a lot of time to apply each year, I’m thrilled with the results! It’s great to have the outside world see Motivation Excellence the way we all see it: A wonderful place to work and thrive!” says Diane Kelly, VP Finance & Admin, who takes on the task to apply each year.
Motivation Excellence recently premiered its new corporate headquarters.
This new space was designed to embody its mission to Inspire Extraordinary Performance. The office is filled with a lot of bright color, natural light and collaborative work areas. Materials used, from the carpeting to the furniture, are eco-friendly. Due to COVID-19, employees are splitting their time between the new office and remote working.
“I can’t wait for the day that we can be at full capacity in our new headquarters, but having the flexibility for each person here to be able to work from home is a real blessing. During COVID-19 this spring when everyone was remote, our events committee worked hard to continue to engage our team with activities like virtual meeting bingo, meet my furry coworker pictures and Friday happy hours. That we all remained connected during a stressful time points to the positive culture we’ve carefully nourished at Motivation Excellence with the guidance of our senior leadership, Bob Graham, Brad Hecht, Diane Kelly and Rhonda Brewer,” says David Jobes, Owner and President.
Besides flexible working arrangements, other perks of working at Motivation Excellence include receiving two days off each year to help a favorite charity and a work anniversary holiday. Employees often comment how they see their coworkers as part of a family. Almost a third of our nearly 30 employees have been with Motivation Excellence for more than 20 years!
This is the 10th Annual Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® award announcement.
Get to Know ME with Jen Hurley
There are some people who just have a knack for numbers! Jen Hurley is one of those people who happens to work in our accounting department – how fortunate for us! Read and watch Jen tell us some inside info on the joys she has at Motivation Excellence and at home.
What’s your title and how long have you been at Motivation Excellence?
My title is Project Accountant, and I’ve been with Motivation Excellence for 6 ½ years.
What’s something special about working at Motivation Excellence that you’d like to share?
One thing that makes Motivation Excellence stand out is the unwavering support I have received. In the 6+ years I have been here I have been through more ‘situations’ than most people go through in a decade. Through it all, everyone at Motivation Excellence, from my co-workers to management, has supported and encouraged me.
What’s your favorite task as an accountant for Motivation Excellence?
There are so many favorite tasks! I’m always up for a good puzzle so reconciling accounts or programs is always fun.
What’s an unknown or odd talent you have?
I have an uncanny knack for remembering useless information and used to do bar trivia every week with friends.
What motivates you to accomplish things in your life (work or personal)?
I always want to make a difference. Knowing that I can have a positive impact on someone else’s day, be it my husband, kids, co-workers or a stranger, helps give me that extra boost to get things done.
What do you enjoy doing outside work?
I’m an avid reader, I enjoy surfing around Pinterest and creating (and often failing) projects and spending time with my family.
One thing that always makes you laugh is?
I have an odd sense of humor and often laugh at inappropriate times. Once I get going, it is really hard to get it under control. My kids make me laugh every day without fail.
What’s the most interesting former job you’ve had?
I’ve always worked in accounting, so every job I’ve had has been interesting! No, really! But, if you need an example, my first job was as a billing clerk for the trucking company that shipped Tootsie Rolls for Knights of Columbus fundraisers and Terri Lynn peanuts for Kiwanis fundraisers. So, if you ever donated a buck to the guy in the intersection in the 90’s and got a Tootsie Roll or bag of peanuts in return, odds are I had something to do with it.
Group Travel Forecast into 2022 – Plan Ahead Now
There is no doubt the travel and hospitality industries have been hit very hard through the COVID-19 pandemic. The damage ranges from critical to dire, depending on the sector.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association warned its industry is on “the brink of collapse” in an August 31, 2020 report. Among the stark realities: urban hotels are at crippling low occupancy rates and hotels in major cities across the country are struggling to stay open.
Airline travel started seeing an uptick in passengers in August, although it was still at an average of 27% of 2019 numbers. On September 27, 2020 the TSA reported screening 873,038 passengers versus 2.45 million one year earlier. That’s 35% of the 2019 passenger count. Additional airline layoffs are expected to be announced soon, possibly hitting another 30,000 jobs.
Airlines are quick to share their safety protocols to combat spread of COVID like HEPA filters and that cabin air is turned over 10-12 times per hour. In addition, mask requirements and keeping the middle seat open (only some airlines) have led some safety experts to give the green light to air travel, if necessary. Included in the link above is an interesting contrast between two international flights early in the pandemic and how the use of masks affected the spread of the virus.
At Motivation Excellence, our Manager, Supplier Relations & Sourcing, Joe Reise, keeps an eye on all the latest news concerning our industry. He sees a boom in the future and he’s working with our clients now to get the best scenarios while mitigating risk.
Looking ahead, Reise believes 2021 will be a rebuilding year. Many hotels allowed group bookings in 2020 to move to 2021, packing the year full of moved 2020 business and already existing 2021 business. But as we get closer to 2021, group travel is starting to postpone again through the first half of the year.
“Once we have a vaccine, travelers will see an end game and demand will be explosive. If you wait until after the vaccine is released, rates will already be headed much higher. It’s best to start looking now while there is still some flexibility with rates and availability.”
Q1 2022 is already seeing bookings increase, as well as rates. Companies who’ve maintained a healthy financial status through COVID-19 are eager to book group travel as soon as it’s deemed safe.
In light of the uncertainties we’re experiencing now and into the future, here are our recommendations on how to navigate booking future group events while limiting concerns over hotel closures, increased rates and safety.
- Avoid airport, convention and big city hotels – they are at the highest risk to close right now.
- If you want to book a hotel in 2021 choose one that’s had a positive EBITDA/room (sign of financial health) since at least July 2020.
- In 2020 and 2021, consider drivable locations for your smaller corporate gatherings, and look at resort properties outside of urban locations.
- In 2022, be prepared for higher rates the longer you wait to book.
- Whether in 2021 or 2022, get the pulse of the people you plan to gather.
- Do they feel comfortable flying?
- Are they okay following airline and destination-based mask requirements?
- Is there a group size they feel comfortable engaging with?
Reise says demand for non-urban resort properties will be at an all-time high in 2022.
“Especially among financially healthy companies, once group travel is a go again, there will be a flood of demand over a very short window of time.”
COVID-19 will likely affect how we look at group travel for several years to come, but with careful planning and insight into industry information, your company can begin to plan for future events. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like help planning a future travel experience for your company please contact Rhonda Brewer at r.brewer@motivation.redefinedcreative.com.
MAXRewardsYourWay: Show appreciation for stellar work in a challenging year
Generate excitement among your target audience with customizable reward packages.
MaxRewardsYourWay allows you to select the award value, while inspiring your potential recipients to work toward an instant lifestyle upgrade! Each package is filled with great items that can be adjusted to fit the award winner’s desire. It’s all about making your most valued talent feel appreciated!
Benefits:
- The prebuilt lifestyle packages can be easily customized to your recipients’ needs.
- There are no set-up costs.
- You only pay for the packages your employees choose.
- The reward is immediate!
It’s an easy way to show appreciation for stellar work in a challenging year. 2021 will be here before we know it!
Contact us today to recognize your top performers! me@motivation.redefinedcreative.com
Being Inclusive Leads to a Better Business
We all know that feeling of being left out, bullied, embarrassed or far worse. For some it ended in childhood, but for others it continues into adulthood. It’s reported even bullies tend to be picked on by someone, thus learning the behavior they use to torment others in return. So, if most individuals in society have felt picked-on for one reason or another (their clothes, socio-economic status, skin color, sexual identity, name, religion, immigration status, the list really goes on and on), you’d think being inclusive would become a priority as we mature and “know better.” Yet, we face many situations where inclusivity is elusive. It shouldn’t be, especially in our work environments, where an inclusive culture leads to diversity, creativity and innovation!
Inclusion at Work; A Story of Apples and Oranges
There is a history of successful corporations recognizing the value of inclusion. Many state so on their websites and hiring pages. For instance, Apple highlights the statement “We’re not all the same and that’s a strength.” Coca-Cola says, “We are smart alone, but genius together.” Apple and Coca-Cola know the best talent out there value an inclusive work space.
Forbes published an article showing the direct path from inclusivity to diversity. In fact, the author posits that without inclusivity, diversity plummets. After all, why would you want to be an orange in a barrel full of apples who constantly remind you that you’re different, not as easy to eat and your experience as an orange is not valued? If the apples are inclusive and ask the orange its opinion, value its experience and include it in new recipes that enhance the overall flavor of the barrel more oranges will feel accepted. Maybe even a couple bananas, an avocado and a mango will then join in and suddenly the barrel is a full out fruit aisle of diversity! Who likes a fruit salad with just apples, anyway?
Join the Movement to Include
Inclusivity at work can create higher morale, job satisfaction and efficiency, but what about the rest of life? Obviously, it’s important to feel included in daily outside-of-work activities too. Special Olympics launched a five year campaign called “The Revolution is Inclusion.” They recently celebrated the global week of inclusion by highlighting individuals and companies that champion inclusion policies and behaviors.
Special Olympics published five reasons why inclusion is important to all of us in our society, especially in light of publicity surrounding social justice recently. In short, here are the bullet points.
- Inclusion fuels acceptance
- It cultivates empathy
- Allows for positive self-image development
- Drives Meaningful Change
- Makes us see the person first, not the differences
If these reasons speak to you, they encourage you to sign their Inclusion Pledge and pass it on to others in your life too!
Be Inclusive, it’s the “In” Thing to Do!
Whether in personal or work life, inclusivity ultimately leads to better policies, results, culture and ideas. We’ve heard it since we were kids – play together nicely, invite all the kids to the party; and we need reminding as adults too. Here’s your reminder.
Get to Know ME with Rebecca Steiner
Rebecca Steiner joined our team four years ago and has made a name for herself at Motivation Excellence! Read and see/hear more about her in our Get to Know ME blog and video chat. Then let her know if you want to learn how to water ski!
What’s your title and how long have you been at ME?
Business Development Director – a little over 4 years.
What’s something special about working at ME that you’d like to share?
It’s like a 2nd family we have fun, work hard and we thrive on helping our clients.
Have a special story about a client interaction that you still smile about?
Helping a client with a community service event to rebuild a playground for a school.
What’s an unknown or odd talent you have?
I love to teach kids to water ski and see their excitement when they master it.
What motivates you to accomplish things in your life (work or personal)?
In my work life, helping my clients and positive energy…outside of work, family and enjoying time together. For both, the experiences we share together.
What do you enjoy doing outside work?
Family and friends, being outdoors, exercise, swimming, kayaking…
One thing that always makes you laugh is?
My husband’s dry sense of humor – well maybe not always.
If ME didn’t stand for Motivation Excellence, what could it stand for?
Maximize Engagement
What’s the most interesting former job you’ve had?
Working at Wrigley Field in college.
Put Your Safety Harnesses On – Innovation During a Pandemic
Image credit: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
One of the hottest words in 2020 is innovate. Innovation is often born out of crisis and 2020 has been one whopper of a crisis! The “coronacoaster” is taking us all on quite the ride. Businesses most affected are looking for new ways to continue to serve their customers. Educators are finding better ways to engage students online. We all are discovering safer paths to connect with friends and family and continue to enjoy our own little luxuries. Harvard Business School recently wrote about how innovation is the one good thing about COVID-19! You have to look for the positives, right?
Adapting for Safety
The pandemic has hit the travel and hospitality industries especially hard. We at Motivation Excellence are joining our travel partners reimagining how group travel, events and meetings move forward. We’ve seen successes in smaller, local gatherings at places like Wild Dunes Resort in South Carolina. Their use of personal dining concierge stations and Plexiglas barriers at rolling beverage bars were just two ways they developed to maintain top-level service while embracing new safety protocols. For more ways the hotel members of Teneo Hospitality Group are innovating for a better and safer guest experience watch our recorded webinar from June here.
One of our event partners Hello! Destination Management has also seen recent small group successes. Paul Mears, Hello! President, says being innovative in 2020 for his team is more about reimagining creative solutions than inventing totally new ways to do things. For instance, they recently had an event where they used people walking around with trays, but instead of glasses of wine, they were passing out masks and small hand-sanitizers.
“It’s an amenity that is handy, relevant and convenient, served in a way that people at an event are used to seeing: a smiling person, greeting you with a tray and roaming the event space.”
Mears says his team makes sure they understand the client’s visualization of an event and then adapts their resources to fit current safety guidelines. One client who originally wanted their group of 40 to take a yacht out on a bay cruise in San Diego was unable to do so with new group limits on the vessel. Hello! arranged for them to instead do a sailing regatta event using six smaller boats. The client’s vision of being on the water together, with San Diego as the backdrop, was met and the six-seven people on each sailboat were able to collaborate more intimately and enjoy an engaging activity in a socially safer and locally allowed way.
“We understand what they hoped to do and then adjusted to fit the original feel of the event safely. There can be some tradeoffs on things like food and beverage options in this instance, but it can turn out to be an upgrade in overall experience.”
We’ll be talking more in depth with Paul Mears in a live webinar August 27, 2020 at 2pm CST. Register to join us! It will also be recorded and available on the Motivation Excellence Insights Tab by the end of August.
Do More than Survive; Thrive
Many retail stores now offer contactless, curbside pick-up. Restaurants are turning parking lots into outdoor eating spaces. Temperature readings, mask requirements and health/travel screenings are now the norm at many workspaces, doctors’ offices and schools. Businesses that want to survive are making simple adjustments.
Innovation comes in when your business wants to move beyond surviving and into thriving! If you’re able to turn on your heels and head in a new direction the reward can be fantastic. Of course, you’re often walking blindly and spotting the glint of a golden idea can be near impossible. That’s where being flexible and open to trying new things is important. This pandemic has thrust multiple opportunities on all of us to do both! McKinsey & Company asserts innovation is more critical than ever now for businesses to truly prosper going forward.
Personally, for us, we’ve pivoted multiple group travel programs to a virtual gifting experience in 2020. One of our healthcare clients went from a scheduled top performer reward experience in Hawaii to using our concierge shopping option to great success! This client awarded a generous sum to each of their top performers and our personal shopping experts helped them create truly personalized rewards! One person paid her child’s private school tuition, another used their award to put solar panels on their house, and another put a down payment on a Disney-area timeshare! Luxury items like a Louis Vuitton bag and a Gibson electric guitar made our participants extremely appreciative of the ability to pick a reward that they’d never buy themselves! Participant responses to this shift in reward experience were overwhelmingly positive.
“This would be an amazing program to introduce annually. Making it this personal was meaningful.”
– Healthcare client award winner
This is an example of our team being nimble, but even more, it’s an example of our client being open to something new and trusting this very different, but necessary, award vehicle approach. It will pay off with higher engagement with their best employees being shown such appreciation in a time of such uncertainty.
We are also excited to announce a new reward program born out of the pandemic in every way. MaxRewardsNow is a turnkey solution for business leaders to take a step beyond saying “thank you” to their essential employees by putting retail and restaurant gift cards in their hands during a time they probably need it most. Blocks of cards can be purchased in denominations from $25 to $100 and instantly given out as desired to show appreciation during these extraordinary times. A branded website walks recipients through the redemption process and all the cards can be used immediately if the digital option is selected. It’s a low-cost reward program for businesses and highly valued by the recipient.
Keep Moving Forward
This is an obvious time to feel beaten down. Don’t give into the despair! Being innovative is not necessarily an innate skill. According to a barely pre-pandemic article on Forbes.com it can be learned and practiced! Check out their eight steps to improving your innovation.
No matter who you are, you’ve been affected by 2020 in some way. Looking at things in a new light, being flexible and creative in your approach to problems and working together with others in a similar situation are all ways to be innovative during this time. You don’t need to invent the best thing since the iPad to be successful. Sometimes, it’s the small leaps forward solving an immediate problem that carry you forward the farthest. Just keep making those frontward movements and you’ll be on your way to being an innovative force like Otto Frederick Rohwedder. Anyone up for some toast?
Announcing MAXRewardsNOW: Say “Thank You” to Your Essential Employees
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary action, which is why we are proud to announce the launch of the MAXRewardsNOW program. We want to help you implement an easy-to-set-up rewards program, with high perceived value to your employees. It will save you time and resources–all while giving back to those who go above and beyond for your business.
Introducing: MAXRewardsNOW
It’s an immediate, cost-effective way to show appreciation for the individuals in your organization when they may need it the most. Instead of only saying thank you, attach a reward to it, and make their day.
Say “Thank You” in Three Easy Steps:
- Purchase a block of rewards valued at $25, $50 or $100 each
- Give them out to show your appreciation
- Team members redeem and feel rewarded!
Benefits:
- No set-up costs
- Low investment
- High-engagement rewards
- Immediate and practical
The best part is, MAXRewardsNOW is highly-flexible to meet the needs of your most valued team members. Your recipients can choose from more than 50 restaurants and retailers.
Your team steps up for you every day. Give back to them. Contact us and we will help you to implement MAXRewardsNOW at your organization today.
Get to Know ME with Shannon O’ Shaughnessy
Shannon O’ Shaughnessy is our Get to Know ME spotlight employee this month. It just so happens it’s her anniversary month working at Motivation Excellence! Shannon is a wizard with data and helping our clients set and track goals that tie back to a company’s bottom line. Take a few minutes to get to know Shannon in her own words.
What’s your title and how long have you been at ME?
My title is Senior Program Manager, and my 9th anniversary is this July.
What’s something special about working at ME that you’d like to share?
I couldn’t pick a better group of people to work with. Not only do we treat each other like family, but this is a group of hard-workers who pride themselves on going above and beyond.
Have a special story about a client interaction that you still smile about?
I had a participant who wanted to send me flowers, to thank me for helping him figure out an issue with his account.
What’s an unknown or odd talent you have?
Not sure if it’s a talent – but I can read and write backward and upside down!
What motivates you to accomplish things in your life (work or personal)?
In my work life, what motivates me is knowing that our clients and participants are happy and a program is successful.
What do you enjoy doing outside work?
Reading, astrology, hanging out with my pets, watching documentaries
One thing that always makes you laugh is?
My silly dog, Billy.
If ME didn’t stand for Motivation Excellence, what could it stand for?
Masters of Engagement
What’s the most interesting former job you’ve had?
Coaching pee-wee soccer at a park district.
