David Horsager: Welcome to the trusted leader show it’s David Horsager, we have a special episode today with a friend, she just got inducted into the speaker hall of fame our association we get to.

David Horsager: humbly join each other there she’s a CSP she’s author of two books we’re going, especially talk about her newest book The 10.

David Horsager: cent decision how small change pays big I want to touch on that a few other things she is author keynote speaker entrepreneur she knows customer service she is a friend, welcome to the show lori guest.

Laurie Guest: I am so excited to be here how much fun is this.

David Horsager: This is so fun i’m so excited hey.

David Horsager: we’ve got a lot, we could say about you professionally you become a friend, and I can still remember when we sat by each other in fact we’re going to get to our first.

David Horsager: moment together before we do is there anything else you think Oh, this is something not very many people know about lori guests, or something they should know.

Laurie Guest: gosh I think my most interesting fun fact is, I am a monopoly tournament champion.

David Horsager: All right, Napoli I know you love board.

Laurie Guest: games, I do I love my board games and growing up on the farm.

Laurie Guest: by myself as as almost an only child, I have a brother is 12 years older I had an imaginary friend trish and she played all the board games with me, she was terrible Adam I want all the time.

Laurie Guest: So as an adult when I don’t win all the time i’ve had to learn how to adjust but that’s my favorite fun fact that has nothing to do with anything.

David Horsager: that’s fun well you know, on your website lori guests calm and we’ll put all this in the show notes everybody can find out about you and they’re going to want to.

David Horsager: But you have several ways you differentiate from others, and one of the key for is that you research.

David Horsager: Everybody you work with better you customize better than anybody, I know, and how I know this personally, if we go back from how we met you know we were at a significant.

David Horsager: kind of the highest level special event for our industry and we got there and it was the first time I went to this kind of thing, where I believe in that elevator together and.

David Horsager: You started saying all kinds of things about me that you know we end up getting it to be in the same kind of mastermind group.

David Horsager: I don’t think we knew we were going to be in the same mastermind group.

David Horsager: But you just started saying all kinds of things that I didn’t know about myself then later I got a special amazing gift from you about all these things that I, you know, like about my trust we’re gonna listen I tell me tell others about that experience from your perspective.

Laurie Guest: yeah so a big part of my business is secret shopping and companies hire us to pretend to be a patient of patron a client or a customer.

Laurie Guest: And at the special event we were going to.

Laurie Guest: It was really important to bring a million dollar idea, an idea that either has earned you a million, or could earn you a million now i’m going to be very transparent here day.

Laurie Guest: it’s a little daunting to show up with a group of your peers, who many are way more successful than I am and you’re like what I do, am I, bringing.

Laurie Guest: This unique right we talked about this, all the time, how can we be different and I thought well the most unique thing I do is secret shopping.

Laurie Guest: How, how can I bring this, and so I actually did know who the mastermind was in advance, because I reached out to the planner and I said, could you tell me the names of the people in my mastermind.

Laurie Guest: Because I have something special plan for them, so I had no idea who you were or the other, I think there was 10 of us in the Group, maybe something like that.

Laurie Guest: And so I researched every member of just our mastermind in advance, so I knew everything I needed to know about you, at least on a professional level.

Laurie Guest: And so, when it was my turn to speak I positioned myself first thing in the morning on the second day and here’s my strategy day.

Laurie Guest: Most people navigate back to the same chair, they were in the day before so by looking at where you guys sat on Friday night.

Laurie Guest: I already had the pattern of where you would likely sit the next day so by being in the first slot when you came back to the same chair, you had a little place cards sitting there and everybody had a unique little setup.

Laurie Guest: That was specific to them and that’s where you had kind of a balsa wood tower that.

David Horsager: I still have it yeah.

David Horsager: Eight pillars of trust on it and.

David Horsager: Everything just this.

David Horsager: yeah made for me right yeah.

Laurie Guest: And here’s what’s interesting about this, the number of people in that room who were strangers when I started was I knew one out of the 10.

Laurie Guest: And today, seven out of 10 in that room our friends at night, you can’t help but wonder if you don’t start building trust the moment you meet someone.

Laurie Guest: When you show that I cared enough to go learn about you now I have creeps people out and I creeped you out a little because we got in the elevator I went hey yeah you David right because I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce your last name at that point.

Laurie Guest: And you’re like I am and the look on your face was like should I know you and you remember that I introduced myself and we chit chatted for a while you had no idea we were going to end up in cheers next to each other, I knew it.

Laurie Guest: But you didn’t answer.

David Horsager: Directly next to each other.

Laurie Guest: We did we did, and then, when we sat down in the room you’re like whoa hey you’re the one I met in the elevator and I don’t know how many years ago, there was, I want to say 2010 something like that.

Laurie Guest: And the years have flown by and our friendship has grown since then, but my point even sharing the story is it started with the morsel of how can I be different.

Laurie Guest: than the other people in the room, and I think if we interviewed all of the other people who were in that room.

Laurie Guest: They would all remember that moment when they sat down in their chair and there was something that they hadn’t seen before, and why did this person knows so much about them so that’s the key.

David Horsager: I think there’s two things that happened there and we don’t we’re going to get to some other things, but I think something interesting is very seldom do people feel special or appreciated today I i’ve had people come back to me.

David Horsager: Two decades later after working for them this just happened recently, where some people say from our we send a beautiful package, when people hire us, especially for for certain things, and they they they get this feeling like.

David Horsager: I had someone actually a Bureau present moved back to speaking bureaus and she said, I have this beautiful plate on my table that you gave us in 2006.

David Horsager: And I just remember chin work with us and she’d been out of this, the business and industry, and she said, I just wanted to reconnect with you and have you hired for some things but thanking.

David Horsager: and also what you do better than anybody I know is making it about them not just this generalization but specific and you’re so intentional, so people feel cared about.

David Horsager: They feel special they feel unique and you know, sometimes you don’t want to overcomplicate things, and you know that’s a big deal just that.

Laurie Guest: It is a big deal, but I have to say it does take focus and energy and commitment, because if you don’t put that into it, it starts to come off as you i’m going to buy you a gift and send it to you.

Laurie Guest: And this is not about the value of the gift I just sent out 25 handwritten notes to the people in our association, who are getting their what we call the CSP the certified speaking professional designation.

Laurie Guest: And you know it’s just a greeting card, but i’ve had several of them reach back out to me and say oh my gosh Thank you it’s the first time i’ve seen my name with CSP behind it and in our industry, this is a big deal it’s kind of our version of bmt.

Laurie Guest: Right yes and and so that’s that’s the thing with paying attention.

David Horsager: Well, I, I want to jump to something, because some of your newest research has been around how three things buyers care about post pandemic.

David Horsager: And I want to hear what you’re finding.

Laurie Guest: yeah what we’re finding is is that people care about automation.

Laurie Guest: Human connection, which is interesting, you think those wouldn’t go together, but really what that means is I want it automated.

Laurie Guest: Until I run into a problem, and then I want a human, to help me that’s what that really means, and then the last one which I knew, you would care about people want transparency.

Laurie Guest: They want to know what’s really going on, and I, and I know you talked about this, this is already one of your things I know your work pretty well and I think transparency is so important, even when we have bad news.

Laurie Guest: That we have to tell our customers are things that are going to pinch, a little bit.

Laurie Guest: Get out there, get in front of it own it tell them about it, what are you going to do to fix it how’s it going to impact them but don’t try and hide it.

Laurie Guest: I always think of Famous people that get themselves in social trouble and they always come out denying and hiding.

Laurie Guest: And then it isn’t too much longer later before we found out, yes, it is true.

Laurie Guest: He did do that she did do that and it just moves complete respect or if they come out from the get go saying you know what I got to own this.

Laurie Guest: I messed up and here’s what the deal is I just think it would would go better so it’s, the answer is transparency automation and human connection, those are the big three that are research told us.

David Horsager: In the new economy, how would you do those three and you gave us a clue on transparency coming out and owning it, by the way, I think of in the pandemic I watched leaders that lost trust it should have gained it.

David Horsager: because their industry was going up.

David Horsager: And then watch leaders I watched a specific leader.

David Horsager: have to lay off 2000 people and gain trust in how he did it thankfully he’s almost hired everyone back again but it’s through humility and transparency and, and all this, but but let’s jump to those other two because that we briefed over them, but a automation.

David Horsager: And can be human connection.

David Horsager: Right tell us.

Laurie Guest: mm hmm so here’s a great one on the automation is that it used to be, when you went into places like i’m going to use can I use names i’m going to.

Laurie Guest: When you walk into a place like verizon.

Laurie Guest: It you to get your wireless cell phone situation straightened around you used to just have to go in get in the queue and wait.

Laurie Guest: And you wait and you wait and you wait till it’s your turn and usually they do a pretty good job, at least at mine.

Laurie Guest: and delivering great customer service, but now because of the pandemic they’ve switched it up and you now go on an automated system to schedule your time to be seen.

Laurie Guest: And when we got there, the last time is about two weeks ago we were the only people in the place.

Laurie Guest: So we were seeing on time, the focus was better they weren’t jumping from customer to customer so again, it was automated to start which I really appreciated.

Laurie Guest: And then I got the human connection when I got there, so I didn’t have to try to navigate through my problems by myself and go to the.

Laurie Guest: Frequently Asked question page on their website that’s a nightmare, and you know what I really hate is the chat box, I cannot stand when I need to ask a question, and it doesn’t fit what the robot understands.

Laurie Guest: I want to talk to a human and they just excelled at doing it, but they didn’t before the pandemic, it is the fact that they’ve been shoehorned into this forced into it and there’s many other industries that follow that example we’ve been forced to do it, but maybe we should keep it around.

David Horsager: what’s another way you know we’re in such a virtual world that certain parts of virtual are are not going to go away.

David Horsager: We have to increase connection virtually people are using it more absolutely face to face is coming back i’m traveling every week it’s been an.

David Horsager: amazing change four weeks ago and boom i’m on a plane quite a bit again, but still we’re we’re using zoom’s we’re going to use it more in the future, or whatever your flavor is for you, you know technology, but I give any tips, in the midst of on how do I build connection even virtually.

Laurie Guest: Yes, I think that one thing we can do is make sure that we’re present and so, although people listening to your podcast right now can’t see this, but you and I are on camera looking at each other.

Laurie Guest: We can see each other and that builds trust and not so much in the interview process.

Laurie Guest: But in a workplace situation so an example comes to mind, I have a client that i’m doing some work for right now, and every time we do a planning call.

Laurie Guest: They want to jump on zoom and the lady was hiring me is engaged she’s looking at me she’s she’s connecting but the other one is never paying attention.

Laurie Guest: she’s on her keyboard she’s she must be multitasking she’s doing something else.

Laurie Guest: And they both equally are responsible to me or me responsible to them, I guess, I should say in delivering the final product, and my point is my confidence in person, one.

Laurie Guest: Is higher my trust that she will get it and do what I need is higher, even though person to.

Laurie Guest: is actually the one pulling the strings and making it happen and she’s not failed me yet I have no reason to feel that way about person to except for her disconnect virtually is that kind of what you’re thinking.

David Horsager: Yes, absolutely I see the same the same thing.

yeah.

Laurie Guest: Maybe she would act that same way if I was meeting with them in person.

Laurie Guest: But I do think that, for people listening that are being forced to do their regular jobs virtually.

Laurie Guest: We need to really act like there’s a human on the back side of that camera if i’m having coffee with you i’m not looking over your.

Laurie Guest: shoulder for the next better person to talk to and i’m certainly not on my phone checking my text messages, while you’re talking to me if I want to have a true connection with you as a friend or business partner and paying attention to you.

Laurie Guest: And you alluded to that earlier attention is one of the key.

David Horsager: I think that’s interesting lori guest if I was going to put a few words for laurie guests, I would say authentic I would say intentional and I would say attentive I think that’s a you know, whatever that attention there, I would also say fun and funny.

Laurie Guest: splashes sarcasm.

David Horsager: it’s right tone sarcasm down for the interviews because they do get recorded and go out to strangers, but chasm is my favorite, what do you call that isn’t it a love language.

Laurie Guest: right if I teach you I love you if i’m not teasing you know we got a problem.

David Horsager: that’s good.

David Horsager: I love it so transparency automation human connection that’s what the research showing buyers want post pandemic let’s jump to your newest book 10 cent decision.

David Horsager: How small change pays off big and I, you know.

David Horsager: You know, a big quote, we have a sign out just outside of my studio here from something we put on about everything around here it’s the little things done consistently that make the biggest difference seems to align quite well but let’s talk about this 10 cent decision.

Laurie Guest: yeah so the way this came about the book title itself is a very quick interesting story so when my son Evan was about 21 day we were walking down the street, to go get a cup of coffee.

Laurie Guest: And we see a dime laying on the sidewalk and I see it, Evan sees it, and he steps over it, and i’m like dude did you not see that dime is like yeah I saw it.

Laurie Guest: And I said aren’t you going to pick it up it’s like no i’m like why and he said, and I quote Dave too much trouble not worth it.

Laurie Guest: Okay, to bend at the waist and pick up a dime is too much effort, and I was so intrigued by that, so I said tell me.

Laurie Guest: How big of currency would it need to be for it to be worth it to you, and he said at least a buck.

Laurie Guest: At least a buck and I thought that was so fascinating either, I have a very spoiled child or there’s a lot of people who would agree with him so after that I started interviewing my audiences by show of hands he’s not.

Laurie Guest: alone, a majority of people say that they would step over it, because it doesn’t have value and that’s when I started to realize our customer service ideas of the same way.

Laurie Guest: If all you do is smile at your clients that’s or your customers that’s great but it’s a single dime.

Laurie Guest: It doesn’t mean a lot, but when you start combining it with a bunch of other ideas it becomes a stack of dimes.

Laurie Guest: And you know how much a roll of quarters, is where excuse me a roll of dimes right you start stacking them, they have value and that’s where I come from it, this is that if we have low cost, no cost things we can do.

Laurie Guest: we’re stacking dimes and when we put them all together, it can make a really big impact so that’s how the book came to be and.

Laurie Guest: I just can’t get over how often right after people hear this they’ll be shocked how often they will find a dime on the sidewalk and the next week Dave you’re going to see a dime.

Laurie Guest: Laying somewhere and you go oh my gosh.

Laurie Guest: lori has appeared in front of me I promise you it’s going to happen watch for it.

David Horsager: So so let’s let’s dig a little deeper here what you know i’m I want to start picking up the dimes or stacking them what are some ways I can stack them.

David Horsager: In my customer service in in you know in any role that’s kind of these low cost, no cost ideas, how can I start to shift how i’m thinking and start stacking dimes.

Laurie Guest: yeah well the very first thing we need to do is look at systems, the systems we have in place do they make sense for your end user.

Laurie Guest: There are so many things that we do because it’s convenient for us, the business owner or convenient for our teams that are delivering the product or service.

Laurie Guest: When sometimes it is very inconvenient for the customer i’m going to give you a brief example, we have a boarding place that we use for our dog that I really like.

Laurie Guest: But they have a system that when you want to make a reservation you go online and you click on a forum and you have to fill the whole form out.

Laurie Guest: And it’s a lengthy form it’s three pages long, and it has everything about the dog, you can possibly imagine and here’s the part that can’t stand.

Laurie Guest: You have to do it every time you bought him for every individual stay.

Laurie Guest: So about a week ago, we have four big business trips coming up on back on planes, like you, are we have four big ones coming up, so I was scheduling for stays for him for different stays but one encounter on the website.

Laurie Guest: I had to fill out the form four times.

Laurie Guest: That does not make any sense for me to user, they need to look at their processes and they need to figure out how can they database this stuff so there’s a way to click a button that says i’m a i’m a repeat customer.

Laurie Guest: A frequent flyer and not have to fill it out again that makes sense right, I mean why wouldn’t we do that.

David Horsager: The big word today is how do I make it easy.

David Horsager: People are overwhelmed.

David Horsager: People are i’m hearing this I just saw this in a bit of research in the last week.

David Horsager: The big thing customers wants.

David Horsager: You know, actually and i’m graded over complicating I mean you think back 20 years ago I felt like I need to do the research, nobody else was doing trusted like I gotta prove this everybody’s gonna think it’s a soft skill.

David Horsager: So I over did this and I researched that we revalidated this assessment reba.

David Horsager: turns out people that are winning and training and development today, many of them no research know that, but they got a simple process just here’s a framework use this and, and I mean i’m grateful for the validation I want.

David Horsager: To see that me and know that it’s valid not some kind of motivational whatever.

David Horsager: yeah, but I do see myself here of of thinking more like we put three words together this year during the pandemic and we said here’s what we’re going to do we’re going to be simple.

David Horsager: we’re going to be usable and scalable so, in other words more people could use it not scalable to make more whatever, but how can we get so simple.

David Horsager: And that’s a big deal and yet it’s taking work because i’ve overcomplicated a few a few things on the way So how do we make all this trust works so simple someone can use it tomorrow, instead of you know, we got to have every consultant involved and all.

David Horsager: That and other it’s a small entrepreneurial business like my border.

Laurie Guest: place or if it’s a huge company that you’re dealing with it all comes down to the same thing process and the people.

Laurie Guest: How are the people that are working for us do they understand, are they getting the information out the way it should be.

Laurie Guest: And, and so that’s what some of the things are that I go in into in the book one thing that’s interesting and anybody who can see this on camera it’s very interesting the book has a very different design to it.

Laurie Guest: The front side is for team, if you read it from the front cover to the middle.

Laurie Guest: it’s all about what a team Member can do if you don’t own the company you just punch the clock or your salary there, what is it that you can do, and then, if you flip the book over.

Laurie Guest: you read it from the back cover to the middle if you’re the leader, the decision maker, the owner somebody who has say so, so the ideas are different from each side, and then I started each chapter, I have been an entrepreneur, since I was five years old.

Laurie Guest: And so I started each chapter with one of my very short entrepreneurial stories and what I learned from it.

Laurie Guest: And they go all the way back Dave you’ll appreciate this my first job was once a year, I got to go with dad was a truck full of green.

Laurie Guest: And dump it at the grain elevator and my job, my only job was to take a hold of the stick and pull it backwards, so that the bed of the truck he hear it in your ears right.

Laurie Guest: Now.

Laurie Guest: You can smell it and those of us who are farm kids you guys are smiling because you can hear the grain, you can smell it right now.

Laurie Guest: But then, just as far.

Laurie Guest: As the dust and and the chief and everything oh my God I get choked up just thinking about it anyway, my favorite part was when we pulled up to the little window, they would cut a check with my name on it.

Laurie Guest: And my dad would give me that one check and we would go straight to the bank.

Laurie Guest: And I did that, from that age I didn’t get any of it and went straight to the bank and eventually bought my first car when I turned 16.

Laurie Guest: But the cool part about it was I had a job and my job was to pull that thing back, well, I think that the guy at the green elevator and that’s one of the stories I tell he didn’t just go here’s your check.

Laurie Guest: Instead, he put a show around it well Laura you did a good day’s work today lori you know, sometimes it’d be a little present for me and they really made a big deal out of me, bringing in this load of grain now what’s interesting is that’s what my memory says.

Laurie Guest: Maybe it happened once but, in my mind it happened a lot of times you know, and so, those are the types of things that i’m talking about the little things you can do that makes the customer feel special that costs you absolutely nothing.

David Horsager: But love it wow little things, what about what can you give us a tip one more tip from the book to get us enticed hear that a leader can do you get the leadership side what’s one more small thing a leader does.

Laurie Guest: Oh interesting, I would like leaders to really pay attention to the effort they put into managing their people, in other words that attention thing.

Laurie Guest: If you are due to give an evaluation on October 1 and I work for you Dave and we have an October, one is out and October one comes and goes and you keep pushing it off because you’re so busy.

Laurie Guest: Then you tell me that i’m not very important the work i’m doing for you is not very important.

Laurie Guest: Where if on October 1 you’re like hey today’s the day lori we’re ready to go and you’re organized and you’ve got the feedback that puts me forward focus.

Laurie Guest: Now looking in the rearview mirror but looking forward to what I can do to help you keep building your company and being successful i’m going to be a loyal employee.

Laurie Guest: So I wish that leaders will put as much effort into their people as they do to some of their strategic planning and some of the other ways that I see leaders use their time get in the room where it happens and pay attention.

David Horsager: In the room in the room.

David Horsager: Yes, so let’s let’s go you you’ve led your own organization, you certainly been a voice of leadership to others.

David Horsager: let’s get personal what you know I find at least that people that lead and and do the kind of work we’re doing.

David Horsager: You know, getting on planes and all this kind of things that all these kind of things, at least those that do it in a healthy way.

David Horsager: they’re leading themselves in some way we tell you what trust the leadership you better lead yourself in perfectly as we do it we’re leading yourself sometimes it’s.

David Horsager: In in in in you know leadership or fitness or faith or whatever it is, but off state, we talked about being the same onstage and offstage right or off stage is on it.

David Horsager: What any habits that you have for just being healthy in in whatever way emotionally relational.

Laurie Guest: Sure, I think the favorite thing that I have found that works for me is I use drive time productively in a healthy way.

Laurie Guest: So I don’t use that as a time to listen to music or any of that kind of stuff I use it a couple different ways that’s where my connection calls happen so if people have constant hey can I pick your brain a question we’re often asked.

Laurie Guest: i’m happy to do it, the next time i’m on a drive is this day at this time call me during that window and so i’m using it productively and while still giving valuable attention to that color it’s not taking time out of my sails.

Laurie Guest: day or whatever I practice new material during drives I listened to podcasts like yours and that’s where I create my new ideas.

Laurie Guest: there’s nothing like an eight hour drive to say what do I want to do next, and so I think that’s a very healthy habit for me, as opposed to many of the other things we do when we’re driving cars.

David Horsager: drive time habits.

Laurie Guest: good habits that’s my two cents on that.

David Horsager: favorite, what do you have a favorite resource, these days, I mean presently than that to be your favorite of all time but is there a favorite resource you’re listening to on the drives me thanks for the shoutout are.

Laurie Guest: But.

You know.

David Horsager: A favorite resource, maybe it’s a you know, could be a book or a podcast or resource that you’re liking these days.

Laurie Guest: I actually don’t have a special one the most interesting book I just read that I really liked and maybe it’s been around a while I don’t know I just first heard of it is deep work by cal Newport I don’t know if that’s been around for a while.

Laurie Guest: But very interesting to me, and he looks at the psychology of getting focused with our time how we spend our time and I mean a couple specific changes.

Laurie Guest: As a result of that book, so I don’t have a particular guru that I listened to, I really jump around my next book might be a fiction one you know I do jump around quite a bit, but that’s the last business book that I went oh there’s This is something intriguing.

David Horsager: Going personal but you opened it up what’s one of the deep deeper takeaways that you thought oh you change something what’s something you change.

Laurie Guest: This is the biggest thing i’m only on month to so it’s early I changed my work day and every day has a theme to it so like Monday is client day getting client folders ready and all the stuff that goes into that.

Laurie Guest: Tuesday sales day wednesday’s writing day Thursday is recording my videos and everything like we’re doing today, this is a Thursday, so it fit perfectly into my schedule to do this today.

Laurie Guest: And then Friday is clean up my desk I try and live on a zero based inbox in my email.

Laurie Guest: meaning when I close out on Friday, there is nothing in my inbox it’s all been put, where it goes i’m not always perfect at it like you said earlier we’re not always perfect, but it doesn’t stop me from trying.

Laurie Guest: Where I used to just jump to whatever was most interesting or what was dinging at me the loudest.

Laurie Guest: Were with cal’s idea it’s a very focused approach and I do that for about four hours in the morning and then I have lunch and then whatever needs to be done in the afternoon and so that has worked really nice to me, and I hope to be able to continue that.

David Horsager: hmm interesting.

David Horsager: huh great one thing left and lori guests life what’s one legacy thing when what’s one thing left for you.

Laurie Guest: left for me to do well, it has nothing to do with our current careers, but it has always been my dream to eventually have a board game.

Laurie Guest: That would be in a box sitting on the shelf at toys R Us now the toys R Us part of the dream has obviously shifted a little bit.

Laurie Guest: But somewhere in this world there’s a toy store that is waiting for one of the games that I have made up, and that is sitting in my attic as we speak, and so that’s a dream.

David Horsager: You created some games.

Laurie Guest: Yes, I have.

David Horsager: How many.

Laurie Guest: Wait um there’s probably four or five that I think have merit there’s one that it’s a kids game and i’ve never seen anything quite like it, so I think it’s got real merit.

Laurie Guest: But to make it happen it’s a whole new learning curve i’ve got to figure out how does one go about making a prototype for a game and getting anybody to want to pay attention.

Laurie Guest: And you know, after years of being scrappy in this business and trying to get people to pay attention I don’t know if i’ve got it in me, but it is a dream, it is an aspiration keep.

David Horsager: Going don’t get up in the attic it’s time I want to play your game let’s play your game.

David Horsager: You know you just were inducted into the hall of fame your Council appears and excellence amazing I voted for you.

David Horsager: But I believe in you and I believe you bring some very.

David Horsager: Just you brought some unique value to the industry, you know that’s that’s a highlight for many we talked about this earlier what’s the real highlights in your life.

Laurie Guest: yeah it is, it is an honor to be voted in by your peers and I so greatly appreciate it and it’s good, it was a wonderful night we got dressed up and had a great time but.

Laurie Guest: The real impact the way I really feel about my career is when I can impact an individual or a group of people in a real way.

Laurie Guest: And my favorite experience was a few years back, I was at a conference that i’ve spoken at.

Laurie Guest: Every year for 18 years in a row, so there became that little internal fan following if you can call it that feels weird to say that, but you know what I mean they’re looking for you they’re waiting to.

Laurie Guest: To say something to you and I was headed into the washroom the ladies washroom and this lady came in behind me and actually stopped me before I walked in the store.

Laurie Guest: I thought it was so strange like, why is this lady following me anyway, she said, I just wanted to tell you there’s something you said three years ago.

Laurie Guest: That changed my life and like you’re kidding what did I say he’s don’t you get nervous when people say that to you like what in the world, did I say.

Laurie Guest: And she told me that what I said was, and I say this, a lot is that when we’re in business and we’re having difficulties conflicts at work.

Laurie Guest: One of the first questions that we need to ask ourselves is how can we save the marriage don’t go straight to firing somebody don’t go straight to quitting.

Laurie Guest: let’s back up and say, first, how can we save the marriage, because if we are a work, family we’re going to try and work it out.

Laurie Guest: I mean Dave is good friends is we are if all of a sudden, we had a conflict of some kind, I will not cut you off, as my friend.

Laurie Guest: I would sit down with you and say hey look something you said last week has been bothering me, and I know you would not intentionally hurt my heart.

Laurie Guest: So I need to talk to you about this right, we would clear the air and we need to fix it or we, or we stopped being friends, but I wouldn’t just disappear, it will work as the same way.

Laurie Guest: And that was an example that comes to mind, one of the most rewarding things that one simple sentence sentence of work to save the marriage first changed her whole life because, instead of quitting a job.

Laurie Guest: She went in spoke her mind and actually ended up getting a promotion promotion that led to a bigger job and a bigger opportunity and she was going to quit.

Laurie Guest: And I think sometimes when we do our work, especially date, we have no idea what little morsels we threw out there, we believe in our work, I think we’re good at what we do.

Laurie Guest: But we don’t always get the feedback and how it matters and so that was a highlight of my career and the woman’s bathroom of the Marriott Hotel in Cleveland Ohio.

David Horsager: Cleveland is usually a Punch line, this is a good one.

Laurie Guest: It wasn’t good one.

Laurie Guest: Good so yeah that’s my highlight.

David Horsager: Well wow we could talk more lori it’s a treat to have you on we’re going to find the show notes everybody can go to lori guest.com la you are IE guest.

David Horsager: Like the guest on the show that she’s been and and you can find out all of our other social media handles there.

David Horsager: You can find out about her newest book and everything she’s up to, or how you might want to partner with lori and we all want to see when that games coming out, but before we go we’ve got a question we ask everybody here it’s the trusted leader show who’s one leader you trust and why.

Laurie Guest: Tough question, well, I have to go back to my roots and I worked for a husband and wife medical team named Dr Neil Ross and Dr Lin hauser.

Laurie Guest: And they ran everything with trust they built a very successful ophthalmology clinic that I was privileged to work at in the beginning of my medical career.

Laurie Guest: And they kept their word, they were people of their word they did what they say they were going to do, and most importantly, gave me opportunities that led to everything that I do today.

Laurie Guest: The customer service that we gave to our patients was just astounding, and it all came from them as trusted leaders, and I do not doubt for a second.

Laurie Guest: That I would not be the person or the professional that I am today, if I had not gotten lucky enough to be hired by them, so I owe them quite a bit.

Laurie Guest: huh that’s my.

David Horsager: I love it that just brings back I don’t usually say this part but in our research, the last few years right before the pandemic number one reason people want to work for an organization.

David Horsager: In First World countries that we researched ahead of being paid more ahead of more.

David Horsager: You know more fun work and burn with a ping pong table number one reason was trusted leadership and what a joy it is when we get to work with leaders we trust so.

David Horsager: lori I trust you as a friend and a leader and i’m grateful for for that this has been the trusted leader show until next time stay trusted.