Hospitality's a great way to be good to other business leaders. Most leaders say they're on a treadmill and time's precious. So to treat them to a really fine meal and uplifting conversation stirs more serotonin, a chemical of well-being in their brains. Blessing other leaders through hospitality is one of the best stress busters I know.
Ellen Weber, Director of the MITA International Brain Based Center, and I often invite other leaders to the Center to share a meal and conversation. Amazingly, every time we do, we find ourselves full of well being, too. Seems like in giving to others we are blessed, too!
Here're strategies we use to make hospitality at the MITA Center extra special...
Welcome new folks to your table -- How about inviting folks from other cultures at times? A meal opens a window like no other for you to deepen new friendships
Ambiance -- Provide an environment as if you were entertaining the Queen. Couldn't think of a better way to bring serotonin to your guests...
Plan well ahead -- Purchase items and prepare foods well in advance. When you are prepared you can truly enjoy the experience as if you were a guest as well. Ask yourself what you would need to do for that to happen. By preparing well in advance and not "winging it" at the last minute, you keep yourself in serotonin, too. Helps you really enjoy the event.
Ask Two Footed Questions -- Find out about guests' interests... People love to talk about themselves.
Listen More than You Talk -- Follow up with questions that require guests to go a little deeper.
Be Vulnerable -- Share what you really think and feel. Others appreciate transparency and humility.
Don't Expect Paybacks -- Hospitality's a time of giving... No expectations or debts from guests!
Hope a steak roast might be as fun for you as it was for us...
I was inspired to share hospitality as Dr. Ellen Weber and I enjoy it at the MITA Center in response to Rosa Say's Hospitality Talking Story. I learned about Rosa's carnivale when reading Maria Palma's post, and her entry to Rosa's Hospitality Carnivale
Rosa says...
What I have learned in my practice of what I was taught, is that in sharing Ho‘okipa with others, we gain our own joy and we invest in our own well-being. “One of life’s greatest laws is that you cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening your own as well.”Aloha, Rosa and Maria, and thanks for the fine work you do. May you find a lot more serotonin for yourselves!
Ho‘okipa, the complete giving of hospitality
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