The 2021 VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo kicked off virtually on Tuesday, March 2 with a toast to the industry’s strength and perseverance through a trying year.
While the annual in-person gathering in Kansas City has gone digital this year with a fully virtual event filled with networking and training sessions running through Thursday, March 11, attendees collectively raised a glass from their respective homes to celebrate the industry’s hard work as a united community throughout the last year before officially launching the event with a keynote from musician and corporate speaker Mark Schulman.
Schulman tapped his experience from life on the road with rock stars like P!NK and Billy Idol to spotlight how business owners can “hack the rockstar attitude,” shift their mindset to power through challenging times to build stronger relationships with their team and customers, and outlined some key tips along the way.
Take Control
While sharing a memory from a 2019 tour with P!NK on a night where a particularly dangerous show finale stunt went wrong and left the singer badly injured, Schulman highlighted how she addressed the situation in front of thousands of fans.
After being pulled, dragged and pulled off a six-foot drop, the singer struggled to make her way back to the stage where she immediately apologized to the crowd and offered each attendee a full refund (despite having only missed the concert’s final song).
Schulman noted “We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. That’s what determines the future of our relationships with our associates, our customers and ultimately, the future of our business.”
Embrace a Mindset of Abundance
Schulman noted that in challenging times, where day to day norms are rife with uncertainty and business owners especially are left to wonder how change will impact the strength and stability of their business, it’s easy to fall into a scarcity mindset —a way of thinking that can put us in a defensive position.
“Many of us these days are focusing on the road blocks, the barriers, the negatives that can leave us nervous or afraid for what’s coming next and that’s highly contagious,” said Schulman.
When shop owners find themselves anxious or making decisions from a fear-based mindset, Schulman advises a shift to a mindset grounded in gratitude.
“Gratitude is an acknowledgement of abundance. It emboldens and unifies us. And really the best thing you can do to shift away from that scarcity mindset where you’re protective and scared, is to approach your work from a perspective of abundance,” he said.
“When you’re thinking from an abundance-focused perspective you’re looking at and seeing new opportunities, rather than roadblocks and you’re acting from a place of positivity, which brings energy and inspiration to the teams you’re leading and the customers or clients you’re trying to win over.”
Be an Active Listener
While Schulman tends to work with professionals who already identify themselves as performers, he notes it’s important to see that business owners are performers in everything they do with their business.
“We’re all performers, even when no one is watching,” Schulman said. “And that especially applies in the way we speak to others and respond in real time.”
Just as performers are aware that there are viewers taking in everything they do and say up on stage, Schulman reminded business owners to “embrace every bit of communication you share with your customers—that next phone call, email, document, and even the next tweet you’re about to send—it’s all a performance.”
And just as performers need to be engaged and ready to react to events unfolding in real time on stage, Schulman reminded attendees that the best performances come from active listeners.
“When you’re actively listening, you’re responding in real time as opposed to reacting on auto pilot or playing into old responses, old thoughts, and old prejudices that can weaken your communication.”
Schulman notes active listeners are present and inventive, which keeps them actively engaged, boosts their communication with others and helps forge the connections that can help boost business down the road.
