Great podcast. Short, sweet and to the point. I really like your analogy of customer service with the trapeze exercise that you spoke about. The french fry example is an excellent example of how to deliver excellent customer service and how each component of the chain from supplier to customer is affected if one link breaks down.
Maria Connell
Janet has a natural talent for connecting not just with the people within the orgnization but also with the ideas that are driving their goals. Her remarkable ability to quickly uptake key pieces of information about the organization instils a confidence within the team that permits every project to proceed efficiently and effectively.
- Joe Mulhall, President, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers
One of the characteristics of a true business leader is the commitment to mentor other professionals with the sole objective of supporting and strengthening the success of others. Janet is such a business leader who openly shares her expertise, lessons learned and ideas for success.
- Laura Cohen, Culture Matters
I actually read your book twice! The first was the classic skim through and I found it interesting and later I was able to actually read it properly. I proved to be especially useful since I am taking on more of a leadership and mentoring role with our sales team and I have implemented many of your suggestions. What struck me as I was studying the book is that each section could be a book or seminar all by itself. I found myself wishing for more in-depth material on each topic!
- Roger Leroux, CTS, Duocom Canada Inc.
I love the meeting agenda and actually two of the committees I am involved with locally have adopted it. It is just a great time saver and all participants understand what is expected of them as well as the attention to time in ensuring a successful meeting.
- Pat Bossence, "Let's Talk..." Subscriber
"Let's Talk Teambuilding: 10 Strategies for Becoming a High Performance Team Member" is small enough to take along in a purse and the advice in it is concise and very usable. The 200 copies that we ordered have been handed out in various college meetings this past month and I think that they are being read as we speak by the recipients. You impressed me with your practical advice and guidance and the lack of empty and embroidering discusssion so often found in business books. I am not a big fan of case studies and they seem contrived, made up, generalized to a point where they are not really helpful in my context. I prefer to read about things that I can do and then apply the advice to a real life situation rather than reading a description of someone else having done it.
- Maija Wiik, Vancouver Community College
"Janet - I loved it - your book "Let's Talk Teambuilding: 10 Strategies for Becoming a High Performance Team Member" . On the weekend, I briefly reread the parts I had highlighted, and then I completed the book. What I found was it was an easy read, clear, provided tools to work with as a newby, and acted as a reminder to those of us who sometimes forget. Great job.
- Pat Skier, Retail Support Officer, Canada Post
"Your enthusiasm and desire to create a positive and professional learning environment stands above all! After attending a number of your courses, you must be recognized for this outstanding attribute. In today's fast paced world, it is often tough to sit through a development workshop and leave all your worries and work at the door when you walk in. Within minutes of your course, you achieve this with your participants by gaining their total attention, therefore, clearing the mind for learning!"
-Barb Kettles, Regional Manager, Bell Canada
Janet is simply someone who gets things done - and done in a thoughtful and professional manner. I've certainly appreciated her creativity towards problem solving, her focus on generating solutions that work for the stakeholders - and more importantly her energy and enthusiasm for making things happen. I'd work with her at any time in the future.
- Sid Ridgley, 2007 National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers
"I just wanted to let you know how impressed I was with your facilitation and training skills. I have participated in countless courses,workshops and training sessions and you are definitely one of the most poised and dynamic presenters out there. It's evident that you practice what you preach!"
-Cindy Clark, City of Ottawa
"Let's Talk Teambuilding: 10 Strategies for Becoming a High Performance Team Member" covers all aspects of developing a cohesive and productive team, while increasing your personal effectiveness. The book provides tips & tools that could immediately be incorporated into your daily operations to dramatically increase the value you and your team provide. While outlining practical solutions, Janet hi-lights the importance of creative thinking and "out-of-box" team activities. She encourages you to push beyond your comfort zone by taking-on new roles, implementing new ideas, and tapping into your creative & innovative side. She pays special attention to the human-side of staff and customers, explaining the importance of proper recognition, expressing appreciation, good communication, and other such topics. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone who is committed to increasing their value as a team member, and ultimately increasing the effectiveness of their team."
-Nadya Kushnerenko, Bank of Canada
"Thanks so much for your workshop last Monday. You created a wonderfully stimulating environment to help us think more creatively. I also enjoyed learning from the other participants. It was a great day and I'd highly recommend it for anyone interested in taking a fresh look at what they're doing and where they're going in their personal and professional lives."
-Caroline Midgley, NIKKEN Wellness Consultant
"Let's Talk Teambuilding: 10 Strategies for Becoming a High Performance Team Member" is a great starter for beginners as well as a great review for more experienced team members. Easy to read and understand, lots of practical examples and dialogues- all very relevant to many types of workplace situations. Highly recommended- should be in every team's library!"
- Janet Gray, Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
"You can be very proud...your outstanding contribution and strong team spirit truly reflect not only your commitment to our values but also to making our company the best it can be."
- Jean Monty, (former) Chief Executive Officer, Bell Canada Enterprises
"Canada’s eight MPI (Meeting Planners International) chapters organize National Meetings Industry Days (NMID) events each year as a way of highlighting the power and strategic importance of meetings and events. Our ability to profile our industry and deliver a persuasive message to the wider community depends in very large part on the quality and immediacy of the content that we build into NMID. By helping us design and deliver an onsite process that drew much of that content from participants, you helped us to achieve a challenging objective and make NMID a highlight of our program year. We are delighted and grateful that you could be a part of our event."
- Doreen Ashton Wagner, President - Ottawa Chapter of MPI
"Janet - I have to say how much I enjoyed the course (Meeting Effectiveness) on Friday - the course content was very "bang on" -met my expectations ... also your teaching style reached all of the group, very effective... "
- Colleen Jones, City of Ottawa
Hi Janet - I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the course yesterday. I have also had the opportunity to put some of the techniques to work for me. I have had two bad calls so far today, one I did well on and the other not so well. This is a learning experience, however I feel for the most part I will be able to use the techniques that you shared with us.
- Michael Roy, Claims Investigator, City of Ottawa
Janet, thank you for this very inspiring newsletter - I still go through my notes from your course - it was the best I have ever taken!
- Elizabeth Brown, Development Information Officer, City of Ottawa
Wonderful instructor - very clear, easy to follow ...
- Michael Wilk, Pharma Science
Very impressed. Items learned are actually actionable...
- Joel Faigan, Pharma Science
I wanted to thank you so much for inviting me this week to attend the "Presentation Skills" course . I really liked the class and I learned so much in those two days! I really like your style of teaching as it is so relaxed and I especially like the way you also incorporate group exercises to stimulate the class. The day really flies by quickly and you find yourself learning a lot!
- Nelly Sabbagh, Health Canada
Thanks Janet - I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the last two days. Before going to the Presentation Skills course I wondered if there would be enough material to keep my interest for the two days. I need to tell you the answer is Yes....the style of sharing information with experienced presenters was very effective. I was never bored or distracted. I came away with lots of ideas to use in my present groups and in future groups.
- Marilyn McCallum, City of Ottawa
Janet Stewart- Lussier has consistently delivered valuable content and context during the 4 years that she has presented to the attendees of our annual event. She receives high ratings and compliments from the attendees' evaluations and we have been happy to work with her in the past. She is very professional, helpful and reliable-things that all organizers appreciate!
- Janet Gray, Founding Member, Women's Business Network
