Blog

Putting Fun Back into Your Work and Life à la Tony Hsieh

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Life is too short to take it all so seriously. And last I checked, you only get to live this life once. There are no second chances or do-overs in life, so you need to create fun in all aspects of your life now, not later – and that means at work too!

Recently, I realized that I was getting really stressed at work and that I simply wasn’t having any fun anymore. It was giving me the worst knee pain I have felt in more than 20 years since I had orthoscopic surgery on both of my knees in high school because that’s where my body tends to manifest stress. Beyond that, I started falling into a horrible pattern of hitting the snooze button 2-3x every morning instead of getting up to do my morning exercises. Now if you’ve ever seen Tony Hsieh, founder and CEO of Zappos.com, talk about why he sold his first company LinkExchange to Microsoft, then you know that’s a really bad sign!

Tony Hsieh - CEO Zappos.com - Innovation

My guess is that if I’m not having fun, it’s much harder for me to be successful in achieving my goals. And when I don’t achieve my goals, I get stressed out and have even less fun in life. Read more ›

Posted in CEO Show, facebook, Fridays, Fun, Mondays, Stress Management, Tony Hsieh, Work/Life Balance, Zappos

The Presence of Change: If Not You, Who? If Not Now, When?

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Change doesn’t just happen for those who are sitting around on their laurels watching the world go by. Change may happen TO those people when orchestrated by others around them. Change really only happens FOR those who are bold and courageous enough to make a stand for an even better way of doing things though. As George L. Graziadio once said, “If better is possible, then good isn’t good enough.”

If Not You Who?

I recently heard this call to action – “If not you, who? If not now, when?” – while attending the Association for Change Management Professionals conference in Orlando. (Click here to view a short video clip of Daryl Conner’s keynote address yourself.) Well, it’s stuck with me ever since, such that I even shared it with a group of managers and staff during an all-day workshop on “remarkable service” recently. Remarkable service doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes clear intention and a personal commitment from those delivering service to others. In this case, a number of folks chartered with supporting students with their admissions, registration, and financial processes at a private women’s college here in Los Angeles. It is a remarkable institution, and they are remarkable people. Helping them organize themselves more effectively and sharing leading practices for remarkable customer service is just a gift that affords me the opportunity to help them be even better at what they already do so naturally. Read more ›

Posted in Association of Change Management Practitioners, California, Change, Community Service, Corporate Responsibility, Daryl Conner, Healthcare Reform, Orlando, Remarkable Service

Relaxed and Recharged… And Ready to Rally Again!

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Last week, I took a much-needed vacation to Maui with my family. It’s been a long time since I really went “on vacation”, and I’m glad that I finally did. I took my kids snorkeling for their first time ever – which after a few scary and uncomfortable breaths even my daughter Amanda totally loved. I went tandem parasailing with my son Dylan, which may be the most peaceful and profound experience simply floating 800 feet up with him that I will ever remember.

parasailing

Amanda’s not a fan of heights, so she took some great pictures of us from the boat. ☺ Whether it was these activities, the beautiful sunsets, or simply the leisurely breakfasts together with my folks each morning we rarely have at home, I left the island feeling so appreciative of the experience unlike any other vacation before – 100% relaxed and recharged, and ready to rally again.

Lanaisnorkeling

I guess I hadn’t realized how much I really did need this trip. I’ve been pushing hard at work and managing all of life’s ups and downs for so long now that I sort of just fell into a groove – dare I say, rut – and got a bit resigned to that’s how life was going to be for awhile. It kind of reminds me of REO Speedwagon’s song, “Keep pushing. Keep pushing on…” Well now that I’ve had a chance to step back, relax, and gain some perspective, I get how unhealthy and downright damaging it is to just keep pushing on. Read more ›

Posted in Marathons, Maui Hawaii, Running, Triathlons, Vacation

Composure: Maintaining Balance When the S$!* Hits the Fan!

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Keep Calm and Carry On

According to dictionary.com, “composure” means: serene, self-controlled state of mind; calmness; tranquility. My less formal – although quite likely more actionable – working definition of composure is “maintaining balance and keeping grounded when the s*@# hits the fan.”

A friend of mine recently shared how impressed he was with my ability to stay grounded and composed even in the face of the greatest of adversity which seems to pop up from time to time. His more complete thought actually was, “Jeremy if there’s ever a terrorist attack, I want you to be there by my side!” While that’s flattering to hear, I guess I just don’t know how else to be. Maybe it’s the generally blessed life I live in Malibu, California that calms my soul. Maybe it’s the life lesson I learned from my mother years and years ago never to tick off people who can help you if they choose to. That was originally intended as advice from the travel agent to her son for when you’re standing in front of a gate agent in an airport terminal having just found out that your flight was cancelled or otherwise delayed. I’ve found it to be quite transferable to most other areas in life!

Regardless of where I picked up my ability to maintain my composure when “stuff” happens, it does seem to serve me. As funny as it may sound to simply remain calm, breathe, and resist the temptation to throw a childish fit, it’s actually a tremendous source of strength and power not to react. Read more ›

Posted in Balance, Breakthrough, Composure, Control, Personal Accomplishment, success, Visioning

Holy Cow! Zappos Influences a Whole City with Passion Groups and Sustained Change

Posted on by admin

In Part 1 of this blog series, I wrote about our tour of the Zappos’ facility in Henderson, Nevada and how we were influenced by the extraordinary culture and people we met.  Our host Jamie Naughton, Speaker of the House and a senior leader at Zappos, provided us a shuttle to meet her in “The Beat” coffee house, where, in 2013, Zappos will complete a radical and surprising move of their operations to a downtown Las Vegas neighborhood called East Fremont.  An authentically hip, non-gaming zone sandwiched between the Fremont Street experience of the original Las Vegas strip, near the Smith Concert Hall (where Zappos’ CEO Tony Hsieh recently invested $2M) and next door to the Civic Center and Courthouse.  Zappos will actually begin renovating these buildings, the company’s future home, next year.

jamie

The Beat coffee house is headquarters central for 31-year-old Jamie who holds down the fort for conversations with local community and business leaders, as well as after-work meetings of employee “Passion Groups” engaged in changing the face of the community they will occupy in two years.  Read more ›

Posted in Corporate Culture, customer service, employee engagement, Empowerment, Fun, Innovation, Jamie Naughton, Las Vegas, Passion Groups, Sustained Change, Tony Hsieh, values, Zappos

21st Century Management the Zappos Way

Posted on by admin

I’m feeling a bit out-of-date and stuffy today.  Last week, Plus Delta’s CEO Jeremy Lurey and I toured Zappos’ Headquarters in Henderson, Nevada just outside Las Vegas.  If I hadn’t been there to see it first hand, I would have a hard time integrating what I’ve read into just how unbelievably youthful, crazy weird yet motivating the environment is.  Click here to see it for yourself. At the end of the tour, Jeremy and I took the traditional picture next to a throne to prove that they treat their customers like royalty.  You get to choose what hat to wear.  Well, at Zappos, teams rule, and the power lies in the involvement and creativity of their people.  When it was our turn, simultaneously Jeremy and I picked hats that were complete role reversal of boss and staff.  We got it!

JeremyPamCrowns

Don’t get me wrong, Jeremy is a great boss!  And he is much appreciated as a mover and shaker in our field of OD and Change.  But Plus Delta doesn’t live and breathe “21st Century Management” (see Denning’s new book, The Leader’s Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing The Workplace For The 21st Century) like Zappos, which models the changing workforce of tomorrow.  Read more ›

Posted in Corporate Culture, customer service, employee engagement, Empowerment, Fun, Innovation, Jamie Naughton, Las Vegas, Passion Groups, Tony Hsieh, values, Zappos

How to Hold Attention: Clarifying Your Message and Getting It Into the Heads of Those You Are Addressing Before It’s Too Late!

Posted on by admin

This article derives from a short talk I give every September to my Boy Scout troop’s high-school age staff called ‘How to Hold the Attention of 80 Kids.’

As I thought more about the subject, and reflected on past experiences I have had both as speaker and as a member of an audience, I realized that in answering the question about how to hold someone’s attention it’s necessary to also address a second question: what do I want my audience to get out of this conversation, and how do I tailor what I say and how I say it so they get it?
shouting
Addressing an audience can mean making a simple announcement or making a speech of much greater length. When everyone is involved in the conversation, whether as speaker or as listener, thoughts and ideas flow easily. But there are always countless distractions to divert your audience’s attention, and when you don’t convey information smoothly and in a way that it is easy to absorb and understand you don’t give your audience members a good reason to stay interested and will likely lose them quickly. It is easy to get an entire audience’s attention – for a moment – but if you don’t take steps to keep it for as long as you need to you may lose the opportunity to get your message through.

Read more ›

Posted in Holding Attention, Leadership, Public Speaking

“Horrible Bosses”: A Powerful Wake-Up Call for Any Leader

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

horriblebosses
Have you seen it yet? The movie “Horrible Bosses”… I’d like to think I’m not a horrible boss. Fortunately, when I asked my staff about this, on Facebook of all places, telling them I’d pay for their movie ticket and a bag of popcorn out of my own pocket as long as after viewing the movie they in fact confirmed I wasn’t a horrible boss, I received very positive feedback suggesting I’m actually a pretty good boss – I dare say maybe even better than many.

A CEO of a former client of mine used to always tell his leaders during the 3-day “Leadership Excellence” workshops we facilitated that leaders across the company typically work at 1-2 levels below their pay grade. The fact of the matter is that most leaders are promoted into their current positions simply because they excel technically at their jobs – not because they are well-skilled or trained in people management practices. So how do folks like this – and let’s face it, I’m clearly one of those very guys and gals – learn to be great bosses? Lots of on-the-job, trial-and-error experience and a willingness to be humble and learn along the way. Read more ›

Posted in Leadership, Management, organizational culture, Performance

A Day of Culture

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

No this isn’t a story about opera or the performing arts. It’s not a story about the melting pot of America either. This is a story about great corporate culture!

Yesterday, I took a break from all my normal work routines, flew to and from Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines, and toured Zappos’ current and future facilities in Henderson and downtown Las Vegas – an area called “East Fremont”.  What a treat! And what a vivid reminder about the power of employee engagement and corporate values on organizational performance.

Rocco and Randy

Read more ›

Posted in customer service, employee engagement, Empowerment, Fun, values

The Horrors in Healthcare: Why HMOs Just Don’t Work!

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

To alleviate any concerns, I’ll start with the happy ending of this tragic story. My 12-year-old son Dylan is just fine. His toe will heal, the staph infection will become a memory of the past, and if all goes well he will even play soccer again in the fall. That’s the good news! The bad news is the horrendous state of healthcare in America that has taken its toll on Dylan, his parents, and likely millions and millions more throughout our country over the years.
dylan

Four weeks ago, Dylan kicked the bath tub getting out of the shower. He got a deep laceration right below the nail on his big left toe. Not such a big deal at the time. Definitely not something that a band aid and some ibuprofen along with dad’s famous TLC didn’t take care of. Fast forward 2 weeks though, and he re-opened the wound twice jumping on trampolines and such at two different birthday parties. The second time was the clincher for this tale as one of his friends stepped on his toe – and the open wound – giving him not just a bad break to the bone but also creating the perfect storm of freak circumstances for a staph infection. By now, you are probably wondering what moved me to share this with you all. Well read on to see how the saga of horrors in healthcare has at best contributed to an unpleasant and effortful experience. Read more ›

Posted in Family, Healthcare, Healthcare Reform, HMOs, Insurance, Soccer

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Want tips to improve performance right now?
Sign up for Plus Delta’s e-newsletter!