Everyone has a story, mine started with the Carnation Queen beauty pageant.
Ignorance
The thought of donating blood never crossed my mind back in high school. I knew donating could earn the school scholarships, but I guess I just didn’t care. I knew I hated needles; I knew I couldn’t stand the sight of that yucky red stuff in my veins; I knew I was not sitting in an uncomfortable chair while some person I had never met combined all those things into one unfavorable situation. No way! Donating blood was not for me.
The First Time
So why on earth did I try it? I did it for the reason that every young lady ventures out of her comport zone: a pageant. I wanted to impress my fellow contestants and the judges. As I sat in the chair, I suddenly got this “I can do anything” attitude that hid the fact that I was trying to jump out of my skin. The process felt like it took days, due to my fear. It wasn’t a great experience, because I hadn’t eaten yet that day. Plus, I still had to go to work at McDonald’s a few hours afterward. I ended up going home early and sleeping for roughly 24 hours straight.
Incept’s Involvement
After getting a job at Incept, I had a change of heart. After telling donors how easy and helpful donating blood is, I decided to give it another shot myself. I signed up for the blood drive at Kent State Stark, despite all my innate negativity. This time around, my experience was completely the opposite of my first one. I let the phlebotomist know that I was deathly scared of both needles and blood, and he made accommodations to help me cope with my fears.
His name was Bryan. Bryan was talking with me the entire time to ensure that I wouldn’t look down at the needle in my arm. At the end of the donation, I told Bryan that I really wanted pink tape for my arm, so he went around to every station to find it for me.
Happily a Blood Donor
It took me only eight minutes to fill the bag. During the entire process, there wasn’t one negative thought that crossed my mind. Moving forward, I plan on donating my O+ blood every eight weeks.
So tell me… If you are not a donor, what are you afraid of? What has your experience donating blood been like?
Photo Credits:
This month, it’ll have been one full year since we kicked off our blog here at Incept. In honor of this first anniversary, “Happy Birthday to the Incept Blog!”
On that note, I’ve decided to pick my top-10 Incept Saves blog posts and run them down. Here they are:
- “Blood Donors! Everyday Heroes Saving Lives” ~ January 2010, by Kathie Manchester
- “Why I Think Blood Donors Are Hip 2 Give” ~ September 2010, by Rebecca Crosen
- “Above & Beyond | One Blood Donors Story” ~ July 2010, guest authored by Dawn Lunsford (published under Stephen Smith)
- “So… What is the Power of a Thank You?” ~ November 2010, by Billie Johnson
- “A Sometimes Thankless Job” ~ August 2010, by Billie Johnson
- “A Day In The Life of a Bloodmobile” ~ November 2010, by Stephen Smith
- “The Price Of Life” ~ October 2010, by Rebecca Crosen
- “Blood Donor Recruiters: Talk the Talk & Walk the Walk” ~ June 2010, by Stephen Smith
- “The 40-Gallon Hero” ~ July 2010, guest authored by Dawn Lunsford (published under Stephen Smith)
- “How Sweet It Is! The Sweet Side Of Giving Blood” ~ August 2010, by Brian Dodson
So there they are, folks – my picks for the top-10 Incept Saves posts from our first year of blogging!
Did I miss a post that you liked? Which post(s) would you have picked?
If you want to move up in your career or improve your business (blood centers, conversational marketing, social media or otherwise), rule #1 is to do more than is asked of you.
Incept does that every day. We offer free services to potential clients, whether they end up hiring us or not. We make “thank you” phone calls to blood donors to show our gratitude. And there are a hundred examples of Conversational Marketing Experts (CME) going above and beyond the call of duty: making food, volunteering at bake sales, working extra hours in Incept’s contact center, carpooling, etc.
If you want to advance to the next level in your career, you have to do more than your current job description calls for. If you want to be a leader in your company, you have to start to cultivate the skills now. Even if leadership isn’t in your job description, start to do it anyway. Here are 5 ways to set yourself apart from the crowd:
- Follow. Good leaders are good followers. If you want to show people how to follow your lead, model it after how you follow others. Good followers are respectful, honest, and they communicate with their leaders. As Stephanie Stanley pointed out in her blog post, good leaders lead by example in everything they do.
- Speak up. Leaders don’t sit in the corner and quietly watch everyone else. They volunteer for additional responsibilities. They give their opinions. They sit in the middle of the conference table and join in the conversation.
- Be proactive. If something needs done, don’t wait to be told to do it. Show that you can work independently and foresee problems before they exist. Leaders need to be able to anticipate.
- Imitate good leaders. Observe the leaders in your company, and follow their example. Watch how they handle situations, make mental notes about what you would do if you were in their shoes and, as Brian Dodson points out, listen.
- Recognize effort not just results. Initially, this statement may seem backwards. Personally, I don’t give myself much credit for my efforts if the results are not what I want. But in a leadership role, it’s important to encourage followers no matter what.
Leaders aren’t necessarily “natural-born.” Leadership, like most skills, can be learned.
What will you do today to become a better leader?
[Photo Credits: Mitchell Kapor Foundation http://blog.mkf.org/2010/03/
Life's Little Secrets http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/why-do-bird-flocks-move-in-unison-1090/]
On Monday, June 14th, the world gave thanks. Thanks for blood donors.
At Incept, we gave thanks to everyone who saves lives, and gives the gift of life to others, through their selfless blood donations by celebrating World Blood Donor Day. Our staff felt the need to make sure that every blood donor knew just how grateful we are for their kindness.
Subsequently, here are a few of the many members of our Incept Saves team, giving some much needed praise to everyone out there who unselfishly gives to save the lives of others:
http://www.vimeo.com/12575637
No matter how many times or how loud we say it – no matter if we sing or speak the words – the message is clear: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! If you’re a blood donor, we hope you know how grateful we (and those you have helped) are for your compassion and kindness.
Again, thank you!
It still amazes me that until 1996, it was not routine to check newborn children for Sickle Cell disease. That was nine years after I was born. All it took was a seizure at two years old – during a trip to Maryland with my mother, father, and brother - for the doctors to take a deeper look and establish what could possibly be wrong.
As a child, I became informed about this hereditary blood disease from the excellent hematology department at Akron Children’s Hospital. I was lucky to only have the S-C Disease version of this blood disorder, which is second to worst. A full-blown Sickle Cell disease-inflicted child would likely need to undergo continuous blood transfusions, treatments and even bone marrow transfusions. Thankfully, that was a situation I was truly fortunate to avoid.
As I continued my routine check-ups at Akron Children’s Hospital and I learned to cope with my illness better, I started to realize things that I would have to deal with for the rest of my life. I would never be able to run for long extended periods; I would have to ensure that I was never dehydrated; I would have to put up with frequent trips to the restroom; I would not be able to participate in certain areas of military service; and I would never be able to keep my immune system as strong as a “normal” kid my age. It didn’t even hit me that I wouldn’t be able to donate blood, but, at the time, I was too young to donate anyway.
It wasn’t until I started my career here at Incept in 2007, as a blood donor recruiter and conversational marketing expert(CME), that I realized the true importance of blood donations. In certain conversations, I was able to express the importance of donations by particular donors because of their ability to help Sickle Cell patients, who require matched blood. I realized at that point how being a blood donor recruiter would be my way of helping to schedule the blood that I am unable to donate myself. I am, at the very least, able to hold my head high when people ask why I don’t donate blood myself. Though, I would much rather be able to do my full part and donate blood.
Not only have I obtained the knowledge regarding the process and importance of blood donations, but I have also been able to spread word of the critical need, new advancements, and upcoming drives for blood centers around the country, thanks to our social media department. This is another way that I feel I can do my part to help patients in hospitals and experience the true fulfillment that many of CMEs share.
It’s a weird feeling knowing that I was born permanently deferred from donating blood. However, that bit of self-awareness is also what drives me to inform, support and persuade those who can donate on the importance of doing their part. That’s how I save lives.
Here is the Vice President of Contact Center Results, Dave Walter, again talking to the conversational marketing experts (CMEs) about best practices – from knowledge to which we’re adapting in our industry to developing strategies, teamwork and techniques.
In this edition of Dave’s Vlog, he will be speaking directly to the Incept Saves team about some of the tips that can help create more effective work environments, management and blood donor recruitment. (Connect with Dave on Facebook and Twitter.)
http://www.vimeo.com/11892192
If you have any questions after watching how Dave feels that Incept Saves and Incept Results can improve, please leave a comment on Dave’s Vlog, on our company page, or let Dave know the next time you see him around the Contact Center. This is the beginning of several in-depth looks into ways we can improve not only our productivity, but also our efficiency, integrity, and knowledge of what helps create the best results. Stay tuned for the next installment!
