Talking Story has given me pure joy over the last month when I think about our Ho‘ohana Community. This was our eleventh forum on these pages and our twelfth one when I count A Love Affair with Books this past March on Joyful Jubilant Learning, and one might think that I have over-extended my welcome with you, and that you would start to ignore my requests to participate, especially with so many other forums to choose from as the blog-scape has grown. Not so.
You are stars. Your writing improves with every new entry, and beyond the pure BEing of the Mea Ho‘okipa you are, you dazzle me with your talent and your insight! You give ideas freely, you open yourself to conversation about them, and you support each other author-to-author with such intuitive empathy.
Know this: Your aloha spirit gets evermore enriched with the warmth of lokomaika‘i, the generosity that comes from good heart. I hope you feel this too; that you have received while giving.
There are times I think I could continue writing about the values of our lives forever, and this is one of them. They ARE universal, and they DO shape our lives because of the way they have shaped our CHOICES. Yet every day it becomes much clearer to me that I will never be able to learn all there is to learn about them in my lifetime —even those values which I am most passionate about.
These forums illustrate something for me that I say to my coaching clients and the managers and leaders I mentor over and over again, without a care about the possibility they may be tired of hearing it from me: We learn best from other people.
When others lay out their welcome mat, willing to share their experiences with you, stuff your pockets (and your head) with every shred of humility you have, and take off your shoes so your bare feet can feel each thread of that welcome mat. Open up your spirit and listen well, for another’s willingness to teach you their life-lessons-learned is the greatest gift they can give.
Mahalo nui loa. From my learner’s heart and the aloha of my soul’s spirit, my deepest gratitude to the very talented and giving authors and Mea Ho‘okipa who wrote for us this month. You are Kūpuna, my respected teachers.
Remember that these authors are your neighbors in our Ho‘ohana Community, and in this, my recap listing for our essays on Ho‘okipa, the value of hospitality, I have linked both their articles here and the sites at which they normally write so that you may visit them often. I know they have their welcome mats waiting for you there too.
So remember, step onto them with bare feet!
Our learning about Ho‘okipa:
Ho'okipa Via The United States Postal Service by Deb Estep, author of Deb Inside.
NEVER, EVER let anyone tell you that snail mail is a thing of the past. It’s almost as if the paper of the card or letter is ~charged~ with the Spirit of Ho’okipa. From your hand and heart, to the receiver’s hand and heart. A most powerful thing indeed!
Build Energy then Go Where the Energy Is by Lisa Haneberg, author of Management Craft, 2 Weeks 2 A Breakthrough, and Essay a Smile.
I just came back from a 40 day, 9,400 mile motorcycle book tour. I visited 34 states and connected with thousands of people. Long trips are great for helping us see patterns and insights we might otherwise miss.
Hospitality: Our Gatherings Seek to Meet a Need and Our Gatherings Nudge Us Toward Collaboration, both by Reg Adkins, author of Elemental Truths, Hero of the Week, and Faith Based Counseling.
Well guided gatherings have the following characteristics of hospitality ... A good meeting host knows the aspect of a meeting which embodies the feeling of professional hospitality.
Successful hosts guide discussions to involve all viewpoints and make sure group members know they have open-door access.
The Mingwe (Mingo) native peoples of the Appalachian mountains had a wonderful method for insuring every member of the group had an opportunity to participate in meetings and yet no one individual could monopolize the attention.
When matters were of significant importance to require a meeting of the group the host (usually the eldest member of the group) would begin the discussion by holding a symbol of attention (the talking stick).
Hospitality: The Key to Peace on Earth by Maria Palma, author of Customers Are Always, and The Good Life.
As I sit here and reflect on what hospitality means to me, I start to wonder how much better the world would be if each and every one of us was taught hospitality at a young age. What if it were a class like English or Math? Do you think the business world would be different?
Ho'okipa: A Mother's Love by Dave Rothacker, author of Rothacker Reviews and Radioback.
She was dog tired. Worked nine hours, picked up Jen and Liz from day care, stopped by the grocery store, got home and made dinner, cleaned up and gave the kids a bath. The kids weren't ready for bed so she read a little Dr. Suess to them. She heard the words coming from her mouth, but her mind began to drift...
Dissecting Hospitality and The Business End of Southern Hospitality by April Groves, author of My Beautiful Chaos and Making Life Work for You.
Hospitality is an idea. Ho'okipa is a series of events. A manner of treatment. A dedication to excellence. Take a new look at an old practice with fresh eyes.
Living in the South, the word "hospitality" gets used a lot. It is a badge of honor to be considered a good provider of "Southern Hospitality" in your home. This comes in the form of cold tea, hot biscuits, a good meal, and warm pie. You would never be rude to company - maybe family, but never company. A covered plate to take home would always be offered. Don't mind about returning the plate - you can keep it. Wonderful friendships are formed in these circumstances.
Writer, reader, place: writing with ho'okipa by Joanna Young, author of Coaching Wizardry and Confident Writing.
Hospitality has to start with ourselves. ...That ho'okipa is about knowing who you are and where you've come from. And more than that it's about respect and love for the place where you find yourselves. That means creating a sense of place: helping people to understand and love the place they are visiting, that sense of being at home. It's about knowing (and loving) the place that you've come from. And it's about respecting and sustaining the environment that has brought us together, has brought us here.
Hospitality is more than façades by Dwayne Melancon, author of Genuine Curiosity.
You walk into a hotel, and it has a terrific lobby - clean, comfortable, well-kept, and inviting. So far, so good. You walk up to the check-in desk for the next layer of hospitality opportunities. This is your first opportunity to see the hotel's true colors ...
No Requests Required by Carolyn Manning, author of Thoughts & Philosophies and Productivity Goal.
When Rosa first brought up the subject of hospitality, I thought it would be an easy topic to cover. After all, we're surrounded with all manner of hospitality in our lives. Ah, but therein lay the rub, It's almost too much subject for one subject.
After some thought, though, the filament in the mental lightbulb vibrated to warmth and the brightest word was "surrounded".
Hospitality: It feels like home, by Phil Gerbyshak, author of Make it Great! and becoming widely known as The Relationship Geek.
I thought first of organizations that don't make me feel like home. ... Then, I thought of the organizations I give up more too. They often have a personal cry for help, make real connections with me, and I know a few of the others in the group. Occasionally when I see my friends that are involved, we mention the group, their mission, if it's still worth our time, and usually we agree it is, so I'll go to a fundraiser and give a bit more of my talent, treasure, and time.
Be worth copying by Rebecca Thomas, author of Rebecca Thomas Designs.
I was flabbergasted. As far as I knew, we’d just sat there, processed people in to the event, snacked, chatted, and generally had fun while we worked. I asked her what specifically she would be stealing, and she said it was all about my organization and the spirit I cultivated around the gate by including food and encouraging people to come visit and entertain us. By doing so little, I’d made the gate crew, the first people seen at the event, a lively, efficient bunch. Sometimes, providing good service is as simple as taking care of those who are supposed to be providing the service.
Maria Palma brought us an added treat: Welcome to the Customer Service Carnivale! with the ho'okipa generosity of eight more authors.
- Matt Hanson presented Building Visibility with Promotional Umbrellas posted at Matt's Creative Advertising Blog.
- Jason Rakowski presented CRM Software posted at Learn Good Customer Service.
- Meikah Delid presented CustServ: Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge posted at CustServ: Customer Relations.
- Charles H. Green presented Soliciting Customer Service Feedback: Motives Matter posted at Trust Matters.
- Kate Baggott presented A Child-Friendly Restaurant for Grown Ups posted at Babylune.
- Carolyn Manning presented Business Productivity Has Responsibilities posted at ProductivityGoal.
- Robyn McMaster presented Hospitality Stirs Serotonin posted at Brain Based Biz, and
- Service Untitled presented Does Customer Service Come Naturally To You?
My own writing for you this month:
- Value kick-off on Managing with Aloha: Ho‘okipa, the Hospitality of Complete Giving
- Value kick-off here on Talking Story: Talks a bit about my own history learning about Ho‘okipa at work in Hawai‘i.
- Then, in the Writing Elsewhere category, a bloggy kind of Ho‘okipa I wrote as a guest author: A Cracker Jack® prize for Steve, and Get in the Feedback Loop.
- Books on Hospitality. Still trying to grow this list! Help me out.
- Hospitality and the Comforts of Home, with Company. Within this post, I also tell you about Danny Meyer's concept that Service is Monologue; Hospitality, Dialogue.
- Send that Blackberry to Solitary Confinement. Not your home turf? That is no excuse to stop being hospitable.
- Make Sunday your Day to Comment. If Sunday commenting became your new practice, you would learn and gain much enrichment from our month within hospitality.
- “Most people think of hospitality as a social grace, something you remember to do like mom taught you, when you know guests are coming to visit.” Or maybe not... maybe we need A charge for the Ho‘okipa Brigade: Social Graces
- How to Capture an Expert’s Value: 12 Tips. With Ho‘okipa as our focus for the month, it seemed like the perfect time to bring back this article, one I had written for Lifehack.org just short of two years ago.
- Like my book inquiry, this is one I hope you continue to add to! What are your interview questions for the Mea Ho‘okipa?
- What does your customer dream about? Ho‘okipa Coaching of the Day – Deliver on the Promise.
- The Customer and You; Together at Last! Customers and the businesses they patronize have a peculiar type of relationship most times.
- Are you a Hospitalitarian? Are you a Mea Ho‘okipa? Mea ho‘okipa are tireless advocates and builders of community, and here’s something else to understand about them: They advocate and build as well as they do as a “selfish act.”
- This is about curing a kind of workplace cancer. The Hospitality Cancer? Routine.
My last link for you is that for Rapid Fire Learning on Joyful Jubilant Learning this month: Keep in mind that you can learn with us there in the welcoming arms of 19 contributing authors --- and still counting! See Dean Boyer's August Challenge.
BE Mea Ho‘okipa. Aloha.
Postscript: I WILL ask again! Our next Ho‘ohana Community Forum will be on Joyful Jubilant Learning through-out the month of September. If you want to be sure you are sent an invitation to contribute there, let me know!
Do you really need more convincing? Try these, all found at Joyful Jubilant Learning:
Rosa, I can see all these wonderful hospitality blogs strung together as a Lei around your neck! And the picture captures the essence of beauty! Thanks for extending hospitality to each and everyone!
Posted by: Robyn | August 01, 2007 at 09:45 AM
Oooh what a gracious and wonderful thought Robyn, mahalo! You were one of those who added so much to our experience here with our Ho‘okipa forum, and so I share this lei with you ... in my mind's picture, it is big enough to surround all of us, and it will continue to do so where-ever we come together.
Posted by: Rosa Say | August 01, 2007 at 10:26 AM