David L. Peterson

International Speaker, Bestselling Author, Serial Entrepreneur, Shipwreck Survivor

Innovation ThinkTime

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It Was Bound to Happen – My 1st Surly Southwest Flight Attendant

I fly a lot. So I encounter many of the good folks who keep our airplanes and airports remarkably efficient, given the number of flights, people, and bags that run through a major airport on any given day. Since I’ve moved to Sugar Land, Texas, I now wind up on more Southwest Airlines flights in a year than I would have typically when I was based in Georgia, where Delta dominates. As loyal as I have been to Delta over the years, I truly love flying Southwest. They have never put on airs and pretended they have an upscale flying experience. They safely get you from here to there, and in the process, generally have a lot of fun with their passengers. Whether it’s the goofy message on the intercom, or  their whimsical vibe (they used to offer peanuts that said “FRILLS” on the package, and …

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Making Business Meetings Unique and Fun

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I periodically talk about having fun at work. I truly believe when we make our workplace fun, our team members enjoy their work and their environment more. This translates into more productivity and also transfers to our clients. Trust me, even if it is just over the phone, your customers know whether your staff enjoys their work or not. So, you should be looking for any reasonable way to make the work environment more fun. As a strategic planning facilitator, I am also looking for ways to break up the sometimes tedious nature of sitting in a meeting room, simply talking with one another. I use interesting and thought-provoking exercises to break up the brainstorming and ideation; most often, an evening of strategic planning is a good …

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Preparing for the Worst

I attended the American Bankers Association’s Annual Conference in October in New York City. One of the sessions on the opening night was a vendor showcase, where seven presenters were each given five minutes to present their solution. There was an open bar and the session was standing room only. Now, as a professional speaker, I am always interested in watching other presenters give presentations. I just like to study the craft. I know speaking is more of an art than a science, but just like art, there are some basic rules and “not to do” elements. The first speaker rocked, had a smooth delivery and easy to read and understand visuals. Another speaker constantly poked at his inability to be a good speaker. Now self-deprecating humor can be very effective, but only in moderation. …

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Enabling Someone to Do the Right Thing

If you travel as much as I do, you’re bound to be a frequent customer at the dry cleaners. Since my move to Sugar Land, I found a cleaning business conveniently located on my way to work; they are very efficient and have been a delight. However, upon closer inspection, a shirt of mine was damaged by the cleaners--bummer, it was one of my favorites, an UnTuckIt shirt I wore often. I returned it to them and spoke to the owner; we went over the shirt damage, and while she asked good probing questions, she never indicated they were not at fault with the shirt. This is in stark contrast with my previous experience with a South Georgia cleaner who treated me like a cheat and miscreant over a similar issue. She finally agreed to “look into the issue and get back with me.” Luckily, she did; …

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Our Future is in Good Hands

As a frequent speaker to financial services audiences, I talk often about the future customers of financial institutions, including Gen Z, the youngest generation, who are mostly still in some form of school as I write this. So when I have a chance to interact with an actual Gen Z member, I generally ask a lot of questions; about how they interact online and, even at a very young age, pay for things online and just how they think generally. So it was on a beautiful fall day, I was engaged in serious conversation with my great niece, Avery. Every time I am around Avery, I have renewed hope for our future as a species. If even half of her generation is as smart, thoughtful, and energetic as she is, we will all be OK. She is truly a renaissance young lady, active in volleyball and a …

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