Archive for April, 2012

Cocktail of the Month: Grapefruit Julep

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Cocktail of the Month: AprilGrapefruit Julep

Spring has sprung in Annapolis and (just in time) Angus shares a refreshing cocktail from another bartending legend, Dale DeGroff.

Flavors of grapefruit, honey, and mint are perfect for the season, and are a real crowd-pleaser. Feature it at your bar this month, or serve it to your friends at your next backyard get together.

Post ItSalud!

Sean Finter

PS: Check the banners at right to see if I’m coming to a city near you.

3 is the Magic Number

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

3 is the Magic NumberComing Full CircleRhys in lacrosse gear

I grew up playing hockey in Canada and my dad never missed a game.

He is an incredibly bright guy and would offer endless advice on the way to a game, deconstruct everything on the way home, and then add commentary.

He wanted the best for me but the truth is I was unable to absorb much of his advice: too much, too fast.

Now it is my turn…

My son, Rhys, started playing Lacrosse this year in Maryland. He is a big, strong boy with a knack for athletics.

I was on the road last week, so I called him right before practice and asked if he was all set.

He said “Ya, dad, and I promise to work hard on our 3 things:”

  1. WATCH and LEARN from the player in front of me.
  2. FULL OUT every drill. (Out-hustle everyone!)
  3. SERVE YOUR TEAM by helping teammates and be grateful to your coaches.

I must admit, I am in shock, as we had never talked about “Just 3 things.” But something was working!

It caused me to think about how I often fail others by trying to “manage” them, instead of COACHING them. I also have a bad habit of over complicating things, instead of KEEPING IT SIMPLE.

Post It3 really is the “Magic Number!”

Sean Finter


PS: Don’t miss Sean at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 13 in New York City, and at Tales of the Cocktail, July 25 in New Orleans.

Click the banners at right for more details.

 

Show Me Your Culture

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Show Me Your Culture

That is what every Gen Y staff member really wants to ask BEFORE filling out your application. You know you will have this right when you are being BOMBARDED with applications!

As you know, we did our Peer-to-Peer celebration last week. I have always made a point of taking a lot of pictures and now collecting video. I am now committed to being a better storyteller and broadcaster.

I offer you two examples of “Telling your story” and displaying the best of your culture.

Example 1: This year, shot professionally by one of my guys, Jon, and edited back at the office.

Example 2: From last year. We all took pictures, some video on our phones and used ANIMOTO to create a free video: Click here to see it.

Believe me when I tell you that there is someone on your team RIGHT NOW who could pull this off. Your job is to find them and make it happen!

Post ItFired up and ready to go!

Sean Finter

PS: Don’t miss Sean at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 13 in New York City, and at Tales of the Cocktail, July 25 in New Orleans.

Click the banners at right for more details.

Peer-to-Peer Awards

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

Peer-to-Peer AwardsCulture Steroids!
Peer-to-Peer Award Winners

Last week we celebrated our 2011 Peer-to-Peer Award winners at a cabin on Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. It is without a doubt the BEST professional activity I do each year.

I have been telling audiences around the world for over a decade that this practice is the most powerful thing you can do to improve your company culture.

BUT, still, so few try it…

Top 3 reasons they tell me why they DON’T:

  1. CAN’T AFFORD IT
    Myth Busted:
    This could be run successfully for $500 per year.
  2. DON’T HAVE TIME
    Myth Busted: If you don’t take one day out per year to plan your culture,
    YOU NEED TO START NOW. 

  3. DON’T KNOW HOW
    Myth Busted: My whitepaper tells you how, step-by-step.

The Peer-to-Peer program is among the least expensive, highest impact team building activities I have come across, and it can be done in only 8-10 hours of planning and execution. I urge you all to take the following steps and get your award moving TODAY:

  1. Set a date for the first celebration (give yourself 6 months)
  2. Find a person on your team NOW who will head this up.
  3. Print off the whitepaper’s instructions
  4. Assign them a budget
  5. Have them report to your management team monthly on their progress
  6. DO IT!

Post ItTo your success,

Sean Finter

PS: Don’t miss Sean at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 13 in New York City, and at Tales of the Cocktail, July 25 in New Orleans.

Click the banners at right for more details.

 

April Recommendation: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

April RecommendationWho Moved My Cheese? by Spencer JohnsonWho Moved My Cheese?

For the company book club this month, we read Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. This SHORT business fable has an incredibly powerful message, placing it on the “must read” list for managers around the world.

The thing is, our team isn’t all managers. We have a wide variety of roles and talents. This book is truly applicable to anyone and everyone. Students, stay at home moms, coaches, job seekers, absolutely everyone has their own “cheese.”

Our cheese is the thing we want most of all, and is different for each of us. Learning to find new cheese when the old goes bad is a valuable skill for all of us.

How do you cope with change? Do you panic? Do you go all zen and accept it gracefully? Do you storm forward with determination or do you ease into it?

Post ItSomeday soon, YOUR cheese will be moved. This will help,

Sean Finter

 

PS: Don’t miss Sean at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 13 in New York City, and at Tales of the Cocktail, July 25 in New Orleans.

Click the banners at right for more details.