Applying the Seven Habits to Event Coordination and Production.

I have always been a fan of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey and they are great for us in the event industry:

1) Be Proactive, this is about planning this is about foreseeing all the possibilities and having contingencies in your back pocket. 

2) Begin with the End in Mind, for an event: what will the experience leave people with? 

3) Put First Things First, critical to not get sucked into an “everything is urgent mentality.” 

4)Think Win-Win, of course! You and your client both need a win! We must synergize with our clients and ensure they look GREAT! 

5) Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, this was a powerful one for me… when you are going into that presentation get the client talking.  If you are doing all the talking, they will not trust you.  COME WITH QUESTIONS.

6) Synergize, this is at the core of a successful event planner.  You must be a GREAT COLLABORATOR, all your vendors, your staff, and your team, need to be aligned with the mission so that the client never feels that they are not understood. 

7) Sharpen the Saw, take care of ourselves!  It’s a stressful business.  Find a way to ensure you get “me time” you get “family time” you get to play that guitar or piano or dance or jump rope or go for a swim or a run or have a few glasses of good wine!  The flowers may not be perfect, the lights may go out, the audio may have a glitch, and a video may not play correctly…. But, as a friend of mine once said about events, “small babies are not going to die!” So, even though for your client this is the most important day of their lives or careers, maintain some healthy mental distance.

If you haven’t read it, get it!  Great book, great habits, and great inspiration.