The phrase “Stay Alert and Keep it Hot!” came to me in a resounding and almost supernatural way! In fact, as soon as I experienced the thought, I began thinking of so many situations I during my life my journey where this concept was applied and yielded fantastic outcomes for me. I also began thinking of ways that you can consider this concept and apply it to your personal and professional walk in life.
Allow me to break this phrase down for you. “Stay Alert”: Sometimes you may find yourself trying to figure out a problem or situation and the direction in which you should turn is not clear. You have mapped all avenues and have searched beyond every nook and cranny for a solution to no avail. At the risk of being too simplified, let me try this example on you.
Let’s say you are the owner of a small marketing distribution business that requires you to package and ship products and materials throughout the United States. You are struggling with being able to afford the shipping expense due to rising cost of the carriers to the point where your business won’t survive unless you come up with a way to reduce your delivery spend while maintaining your pack and ship orders. You have negotiated with vendor after vendor. You have attempted to be creative in your shipping practices. You name it; you have tried it and have gained no success.
You happen to be at community picnic one day where you were enjoying the company of family, friends, neighbors, small business owners and community officials. You walked up and joined a conversation where the topic was about the challenges another small business owner was experiencing. You listen, but not too intently because let’s face it, you had your own problems to deal with and didn’t want noise from someone else’s situation to make you feel any worse than you felt already.
The small business owner shared about trying to start a delivery service being turned down by several lending companies due to not having a locked in client to produce a consistent revenue stream. The owner went on to say that one bank replied that if one client promises service for 24 months the loan request may receive approval.
As you hear this you begin to think how terrible it is that this business owner cannot even find one lender that is willing to help. To take it a step further, you think that with the number of people at this community event, there had to be at least one person that works for a bank that can give this business owner some advice on what to do.
Now, if you were in the “Stay Alert” mode, perhaps less thought would have been applied to finding a lender for the small business owner and more thought on connecting, networking and even negotiating a deal with this owner to produce a “win win” solution for both parties. To “Stay Alert” means you are aware of your surroundings which include conversations, media, business and social networks and occurrences around you in general, and you recognize opportunities for not only for yourself, but as well for others within your sphere of influence.
When I do one on one coaching, I often share two quotes;
“Your gesture of kindness can sometimes lead to greater opportunities for yourself.” “The door you open for others may be the key that opens the door of opportunity to the threshold of your destiny.” David J. Wess Sr. M. Ed.
Ok, let’s talk about the “Keep it Hot” mode. This applies to how you delivering your product, service, and your routine regimen and practice. In other words you always try to be ready to bring your ‘A’ game. Try this analogy out for size.
For those of you that like to enjoy a good hot meal, think of that favorite dinner you enjoy the most. I know there are so some many favorites out there, so let me just share one of my many favorites. I really enjoy hot fried chicken, with hot mash potatoes and gravy. Oh and let’s not forget a serving of hot seasoned collard greens or green beans. Top it off with some a hot biscuit or two with butter…..hmmmm. Doesn’t that sound good? If this is your favorite meal, then join in with my imagination. If this menu choice does not appease you, feel free to replace it with your own favorite meal selection. The main point is to think of your favorite hot meal experience and indulge me for a moment on two thoughts.
Thought #1: You like it hot, right? You want the taste to blend well with you buds. Taste buds that is. You want the aroma to beautifully resonate with your sense of smell. You want the appropriate level of juices to mix in an overwhelmingly dynamic fashion. Stay with me now. What if you were told to get ready because you are going to get served your favorite meal this evening? Your imagination immediately goes to work on all of your favorite hot meal memory description items. But wait! When you received your plate, it didn’t have all of the characteristics you are so fond of. And to make matters worse, IT WAS COLD!! Wouldn’t that turn you off? How disappointing would to make you feel?
Thought# 2: Think of how thought 1 started. Everything applies here, only this time when you received your plate and all the characteristics were in place the way you imagined. And the taste was out of this world. That would be AWESOME, right? Guess what? Tomorrow you will get the same thing! COOL, right? The next day you get the same meal again! Uh, uh, uh awesome........., I think. And again; same meal even the next day. Cool? After a while you begin to lose the excitement, don’t you? The thought loses its appeal. And while it’s still your favorite meal, you probably could use a break between now and the next time you plan to experience this menu, let alone even desire to have this meal ever again.
Such is true when you deliver your product. Whatever it is; if its customer service,”Keep it Hot!” If you are a speaking or delivering a presentation, “Keep it Hot!” If you are in management or in some type of leadership role, “Keep it Hot!” Don’t grow cold on your audience or followers. And to keep your followers interested, engaged and excited. Also consider changing your approach every now and then. After awhile the same old message day in and day out may get a little boring! So mix it up to keep the enthusiasm juices flowing.
So tell me now. Are you aware of your surroundings? Are you ready to bring your ‘A’ game to the table? Please share with me examples you have where the “Stay Alert and Keep it Hot” concept could have been or has been applied? I hope to hear from you. Until then make sure you “Stay Alert and Keep it Hot!”
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