Sharon M Weinstein

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Are you a meeting planner with too much to do?

Achieving More by Doing Less…what meeting planners need to know-

  • Are you kidding me?
  • Is this even possible?
  • How can I make it happen?
  • When do I start?

Work-life or workday balance…what is it and why does it matter? Whose responsibility is it? As meeting planners and team players, we share the responsibility of implementing strategies to ensure work-life balance.

Annual conferences, regional meetings…they spell long days, long weeks, and the need to be on- all the time with multiple responsibilities pulling you in multiple directions!  There is so much to do and so little time! How can you achieve more and do less?

Is all this a cliché or is it reality? In today’s environment, it certainly seems that it is indeed our reality – a reality of the times in which we live and our expansive scope of work. Balancing work and personal life can be a challenging task. Are you prepared for the challenge?

Is your performance impaired because you are out of balance?  Are you caught up in the balancing act, unable to do it all and care only for others in your lives without caring for yourself?  You are only as good as you are balanced! If you do not take the time for yourself – yes, even with the array of responsibilities pressuring you now – you will not be the best that you can be. That personal best includes you as parent, partner, friend, partner, professional, educator or event manager. That personal best is what will enable you to reach new heights in your career, to achieve your goals and to maintain your health.

It will start with a successful conference or meeting, allowing you to achieve more and do less, minus the stress. To learn about the five steps needed for balance, opt into https://smwgroupllc.com and receive the secret tool that will get you to, and through, that next meeting.

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It’s time to get SMART and detox!

You have a plethora of SMART devices and apps that facilitate your life’s work, keep you on track and on time, turn on the lights and TV, and shut them down.  Wouldn’t it be great if you had an app or device that allowed you to master self-care the smart way? 

As a business owner, you work long hours and probably take little time for yourself. The time is now to get SMART, and start by forming a digital detox (yes from those amazing devices and apps that you cannot live without).  Try these five easy steps to regaining your time and energy, while getting SMART about self-care:

  • Think about the communication tools you use and select one!  Then, request your clients to use that one to communicate with you.
  • Set parameters for time online; you do it for your kids, and you should do it for yourself.
  • Schedule breaks for yourself- even 15 minutes per day will make a huge difference in how you feel and your performance.
  • Add mindfulness to your walking and eating routines.
  • Make a gratitude list- think about people, places, and things that bring you joy.

SMART devices and apps do not ensure smart use of your time. It’s time to get smart by identifying those things that must be done and those that can wait. Identify the groups to which you must belong, and those for which you must volunteer your time and efforts. Complete your work and take a break! Even though there is so much to do and so little time, take time for yourself and make being SMART and in balance a part of your daily routine! You will thank yourself, and those around you will thank you too.

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Healthcare Marketing…solutions-based

Today’s healthcare system is replete with problems that begin with access and end with outcomes. The communities we serve are more interested in staying well than in being ill, and they are more willing to try alternatives to traditional care as long as there is not out-of-pocket expense involved. So, the publics we serve want it all, at a nominal cost, with good outcomes. How we do that in today’s environment is a challenge as well as an opportunity.

The challenge offers healthcare organizations the chance to move beyond the problem, i.e., limited access, long lines, high costs, using emergency departments for primary care, and more – to become the solution. And how do we become the solution – by empowering the public to assume responsibility for care and their outcomes, by knowing that wellness does not begin in the doctor’s office – rather it begins with the small decisions that we make each day when we buy groceries, order from a menu, pack our kids lunches and more. When we offer solutions, we succeed.

We’ll walk through some of those solutions that are well within our reach!

The customer experience…does anyone ever ask what the customer/consumer/patient wants and expects? Forget the satisfaction surveys and delve deeply. Identify the opportunities that bring participants to your brand. Get it right the first time. Build a winner in this industry by simplifying the process and delivering on your promises. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) created Triple Aim – Population Health, Experience of Care, and Per Capita Cost.  

The challenges:

Many organizations work in silos, with no one accountable for all three dimensions of care. By now, most health care organizations and community leaders have heard of the Triple Aim. It’s a multi-dimensional framework developed by IHI to optimize the health of a defined population and improve the care experience while reducing costs. Yet, while organizations and coalitions understand the benefits of implementing the framework, they’re not clear on how to begin the change process — especially when initiatives happen in silos and no one is accountable for all three dimensions.

In the DMV area, the system becomes more important than ever before; access to records and coordination of care to ensure outcomes is imperative. The patient is the driver!

The issues:

  • Convenience
  • Communication
  • Consistency

The trends:

  • The patient/consumer/customer will become more involved than ever before
  • The more informed the patient – the better the outcomes
  • The patient must have an advocate
  • By 2021, patients may compare their hospital experience rating against those of other hospitals prior to making a choice and choose like they would a hotel or airline
  • Too many portals take up too much time

The solutions:

  • Counting reputation
  • Establishing a laser-focus on experience is critical
  • Engaging value-conscious patients and consumers
  • Identifying competencies needed by healthcare professionals
  • Integrating behavioral health and medical care
  • Enhancing wellness programs that improve health and reduce costs
  • Identifying the gatekeeper: not obsolete but more difficult to coordinate care

What are you doing to integrate solutions within your healthcare marketing plan?

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What are your strengths?

What are your strengths? Within the workplace, you identify your strengths as communication skills, technology, people management, writing, leadership and more. What about within your life – how would you identify your strengths? When you update your LinkedIn profile, what changes do you make? Perhaps those changes address your workplace, your functions, your responsibilities.  Think beyond your professional profile; think about yourself.

I encourage you to consider the following areas: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and intellectual.

The physical you requires good nutrition, appropriate weight, beneficial exercise and adequate rest.

The emotional you needs to give and receive forgiveness, love and compassion; needs to laugh and experience happiness; needs joyful relationships with yourself and others.

The mental you needs self-supportive attitudes, positive thoughts and viewpoints and a positive self-image.

The spiritual you requires inner calmness, openness to your creativity, and trust in your inner knowing.

The intellectual you requires fulfillment, personal development, and satisfying relationships.

It is mid-year, and perhaps it is time to realize your strengths and reach your potential.

Resolve to be the captain of your ship – your body/mind/spirit. A comfortable, healthy balance between your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects doesn’t happen accidentally. Someone has to be in charge, and that someone is always you. Sit back, recognize your strengths, and prepare to launch anew in mid-2017!

 

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Protect and defend…your voice, that is!

We all speak for a living; we use our voices to communicate, to present, to train, to teach, to inspire, provide customer service, to preach, and to respond. What happens that the voice on which we depend simply shuts down, turns raspy, and no longer cooperates.

Some say that the eyes are the windows to the body; peering into one’s eyes can tell an ophthalmologist what else is happening internally.  And, some say that the voice is the mirror to the soul and spirit.  When was the last time that you listened to your own voice? Did you sense the clarity? Was there a resonant quality? How did the experience make you feel?

We know our bodies best; when we listen to our bodies, we get unique signals about how we are doing, how we are feeling, and if things are going well. The same is true of voice…if we listen to our voice, we sense how things are working, and if we need to take special steps to preserve our gift of voice! 

We all speak for a living; we use our voices to communicate, to present, to train and more. Those of us who use our voices to make a living can suffer from voice fatigue, loss of voice, hoarseness. Perhaps it is time to care for our unique gift – the gift that keeps referrals coming our way and repeat performances on our calendars.

Try these simple tips:

  • Drink enough water
  • Avoid irritants including environmental agents or self-imposed irritants like coffee, tea, alcohol, cigarettes, spicy foods
  • Get sufficient rest; a tired body has a tired voice
  • Use your voice wisely, project with confidence and care

What are you doing to protect and defend…your voice, that is?

 

To start the process:

  • Please complete the contact form or email Sharon directly at info@sharonmweinstein.com.
  • Visit Sharon’s Consulting site for information about work/life balance programs and services, as well as an extensive client list by category.
  • You may also reach Sharon by phone at 202.798.0092.

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