For the first time in almost 2 years, last week, I finally got away on a mini-vacation to my favourite place in the world – Las Vegas. I’ve been there countless times. I’ve always felt so incredibly comfortable there, whether it was quick trips, attending conferences, speaking opportunities, or getting married there. It’s like a second home for me. But, with what the world has gone through the last two years, it’s been challenging to get away to my home away from home. So, when the opportunity presented itself (my calendar aligning), I needed to get down there. I had been feeling somewhat off these last few months and felt like I needed a change of scenery to give me a boost. However, this trip was quite different because I was in a deep and reflective state the entire week. I was thinking a lot about life and work. Admittedly, as a CEO, it’s tough to turn off the working brain and not think about the business. With everything that I experienced throughout the week, I learned a few lessons. In addition, I was reminded of a few that I realized apply well to business and life. I wanted to share some critical lessons learned or ones that I was reminded of during the week away in Vegas.
Lessons Learned #1 – Trust Matters
For anyone who has been to Vegas before, you know there are plenty of quality shows to see. Between concerts, residencies, illusionists, and more, lots of entertainment are always available. You must check out a Cirque du Soleil show if you ever get the chance. I’ve seen a number of them over the years, and some because they are so good, a couple of times. Last Tuesday night, my wife and I went to Mystere at Treasure Island. What a performance and show these incredibly talented people put on. The moves, the flips, and the acrobatics are breathtaking.
Some of the talents were literally throwing themselves into each other’s arms high in the sky during the performance. They would launch themselves in mid-air, and someone would swing out and catch them. The trust between everyone was so amazing to see. If you don’t fully trust your partner, you will fall. The same applies during business and life. We need to trust the people we are working with to do what’s necessary. Either they will, or they won’t keep your trust. When trust is gone, that’s when problems can arise
Lessons Learned #2 – Don’t Let Mistakes Define You
Watching the performance, someone missed their assignment during the performance and was dropped from high in the sky. Thankfully, there was a net for them to break their fall. The pros they are, they just picked themselves up off the net and climbed back up to the top. So many people make a mistake, and it crushes them. They dwell on it, beat themselves up. For these performers, it didn’t appear to phase them.
We all need to remember that sometimes things aren’t going to go to plan. We can be hard on ourselves and sulk or choose to move on. Seeing two people miss their mark and fall through the air and climb up high again to continue with the show demonstrated the level of professionalism and commitment needed to succeed in today’s world (both in life and business). Shit happens, but you can choose to focus on it or carry on forward. I choose to move on.
Lessons Learned #3 – Quality Matters
Throughout my career, I’ve repeatedly said that quality is always more important than quantity. I was reminded of this in Vegas this past week. Is Vegas cheap? Not exactly. You do get what you pay for, though. Doesn’t matter if it’s the food, the entertainment, the hotel room, or whatever, sometimes it’s worth it to have a more comfortable experience. In Vegas, I decided to get a suite instead of a standard room. Usually, I will always say that we are never in the room long enough, so it doesn’t really matter about the room. However, I decided I wanted a better, quality experience, opting for the better suite at the MGM Grand. Sure, it cost a bit more, but the difference in quality made for a better experience.
Quality matters so much. Whether it’s products or services, we need to ensure we offer a quality experience for our customers. People often experience buyer’s remorse with different products or services purchased. I didn’t. It met my expectations with a great view of The Strip and enough space for me to work comfortably throughout the week while giving my wife the space she needed. Every detail of the suite, the layout, the design, the view was meant to justify the quality. In business, we need to always ensure that quality is emphasized at every step of the journey to ensure customers are highly satisfied.
Lessons Learned #4- Service Always Wins the Day
In August 2018, I proposed to my now-wife in Las Vegas. That night we ate at Otoro in The Mirage, which is pretty much the center of The Strip. The food and atmosphere were great, but what made it more special was the excellent service we received that night, as we celebrated getting engaged. It was perfect customer service with the most pleasant waitress we’ve ever had. Coming back to Vegas last week, we decided to hit up Otoro again. To our surprise, we got the same waitress again, Pauline. She was fantastic, greeting us with such enthusiasm. After providing us with a great meal and drinks, she not only dazzled us with her knowledge of the menu but made a lasting impression on us (again).
It was by far one of our most expensive meals during the week, but it was worth it because the service was outstanding. The world needs more “Pauline’s” out there giving their best every day to customers. I’ve said before that people don’t buy products or services from companies; they buy from people they connect and relate to more than anything else. Pauline’s service was so good that it made our night. Great service justifies higher costs.
Lessons Learned #5 – Look Where You Want To Go
On Monday there, we rented some scooters to trip out to the Red Rock Canyon. With no cell service or distractions, a half-day excursion out in the desert was an excellent way to spend a Monday. During our initial training on scooters, our guide, Clay, highlighted the importance of looking where you want to go to control the scooter. He said that if we take our eyes off where we want to go, we’ll struggle and potentially go off course. During the practice round of training, I admittedly did and almost lost control. What an excellent metaphor for life and business, I thought.
Far too often, we look backward instead of keeping our eyes focused on where we want to go. As a result, we don’t achieve what we want. There are times when we get distracted and look around instead of being laser-focused on what we need to do. Admittedly, there were times on the scooter initially when we zipped around some of the curves on the road; I took my eye off where I wanted to go and needed to quickly course correct. In life, it’s so important to keep our eyes focused on our goals (same as in business). If we don’t look forward, we’ll never get to where we want to go. Your eyes will determine where you go.
Lessons Learned #6 – Don’t Play Scared
I love poker. It’s one of my all-time favourite things to do. To me, there is no greater game to play than poker. It’s a game of risk, strategy, and reward. Any two cards can win, but more importantly than the starting hand is reading the players and situations. I use my poker skills all the time in business. While in Vegas, I decided to enter a poker tournament at the MGM Grand. I’ve played in thousands of games and tournaments over the years, and I’ve missed it so much. I’m traditionally an aggressive poker player, raising and bluffing, check-raising, and forcing people to make all-in calls. I wasn’t playing my standard style when I played last week, though. I found I was playing scared. I was folding hands I normally wouldn’t toss away for whatever reason. I seemed to be playing a protective style of just trying to survive instead of aiming to thrive. While I made the tournament’s final table, I didn’t win.
I realized after the fact that I played scared. I wanted to make the final table, so I played tight to get there. Still, by the time I made it, I was in a rough position where I would need to be lucky a couple of times. If you want to win in life or business, you can’t be scared to take massive action. Sometimes you need to make more aggressive moves early before you are forced to do so out of desperation. We are occasionally guilty of pulling hail-mary attempts to kickstart business growth. In fact, we should be doing this sooner rather than later. The same applies in life; sometimes, we just need to take a chance. A few times, had I stayed in the hand instead of playing timid, I would have won because of the flop, turn, and river. Play your game, your way. Don’t play life or business scared to take action.
Lessons Learned #7 – All-In Doesn’t Always Mean You Will Win, But You Tried
On my wedding ring, it’s inscribed with the words “All In.” It’s how I believe we need to live life. Whatever we want to do, personally or professionally, we need to go all in. No one foot in the door, and one foot out. All or nothing. I already shared that I lost the tournament, bubbling out (for those non-poker players, that means missing the money by one spot). A couple of times during the tournament, I had to go all-in trying to double up. In the end, I didn’t double up with my suited Ace-10 against a pair of Jacks. I had the nut, flush draw, but I didn’t catch any club or ace that would have given me the win. Had I hit, I am confident I would have been in a position to win the tournament. Even though I lost, I was ok doing so because I least tried.
Sometimes that’s all that matters. We need to try. Sometimes, it’s going to work out, and sometimes it’s not. The key is that when it doesn’t go how we want, we reflect on what we could do differently given a chance again. I’m a big believer in the business of trying multiple approaches and tactics. I call them pilots. We try one thing to see if it works; if it does great, we’ll keep doing it. If it doesn’t, then we stop and do something different. We’re not always going to win, but we have to try.
Lessons Learned #8 – No One Can Read Your Mind
As a Canadian, I love caesars. It’s my favourite drink whenever I go anywhere. In the States, though, they don’t do caesars. Instead, they do bloody marys, which are similar but definitely different. I don’t enjoy spicy things, though, so I always have to ask a server to not make it spicy. We were out at a great seafood restaurant one night. We ordered bloody mary’s only to be disappointed, as we never asked them not to make them spicy. Unfortunately, they were so spicy that it made it tough to fully enjoy our meal. The lesson here is that you need to ask for what you want. No one can read your mind. It’s not their fault I didn’t like the drink; it’s mine for not specifying my preferences.
Lessons Learned #9 – Check Your Skates
We went to the Las Vegas Ballpark on Wednesday evening, to an event called Enchant – a Christmas light festival. Who better than Vegas to do a light show? It was absolutely amazing to see the quality of the production and Christmas lights. They set up a maze in the ballpark field where attendees could wander around to find Santa’s reindeer. They also offered public skating on a customized ice path at the event. As a Canadian, I thought when we would ever have the chance to skate in the desert, so we had to do it. I played hockey for years as a kid, so the thought of getting on the ice again was exciting. Seeing so many tourists and local Vegas folks lacing up and fearful of falling, I was excited to confidently get on the ice again.
The lesson learned the hard way, literally, though, was to check your skates. The rental skates given to me had picks on the front of the blade, which wasn’t something I noticed or expected. So within 5 seconds of getting on the ice and doing a couple of significant strides, the skate’s picks caught the ice, and I went down hard on the ice. It was embarrassing, as I knew how to skate and was confident. I must be getting old, as it hurt a lot more than expected. I am still bruised days later. My poor knees. My wife said it looked like a slow-motion fall that took forever but definitely seemed like it would hurt. It did, trust me. Sometimes, we are so confident in ourselves that we neglect to ensure we have what we need to succeed in life and business. In my case, I never checked my skates and got a pair I wasn’t used to using. Once I dusted the snow off myself and tried a couple more laps, I decided to turn in my skates for different ones without a picks, and I never fell again.
Lessons Learned #10 – Be The Shark
We went to the Mandalay Bay and attended the Shark Reef aquarium on Friday. We’ve been there before, but it’s an excellent place to check out to see the sharks, stingrays, snakes, and turtles. I am always so fascinated by the sharks swimming about. The lesson here is to never stop moving. Sharks don’t stop. They kept moving, and every other fish or turtle with them got out of their way. The confidence they portray tells me they know their role.
In life and business, we need to be the shark. Always moving, confident, in who we are. But, of course, there are going to be obstacles and challenges. Still, sometimes we just need to keep moving and stay focused to achieve the level of dominance we want.
Lessons Learned #11 – Loyalty Is Everything
Since I have gone to Vegas many times, I was reminded last week of the importance of loyalty. I’m an M Life member, which means I have a loyalty card and status with MGM. I often get comped to come to stay at an MGM property, given free offers and more. They reward me for my patronage, and in turn, it makes me loyal to them. When I stay anywhere, it’s at an MGM property, and most of the restaurants we eat at in Vegas are affiliated with MGM. Throughout the entire week, I felt welcomed and appreciated for being there. At many of the places I went to, I was repeatedly told, welcome back Chris or Mr. Hanna. That little extra acknowledgment is essential.
When it comes to business, companies and leaders need to create loyalty not only with their customers but also employees. I found myself reflecting on how important loyalty is and why it matters. It’s everything and makes the difference between successful companies and others who struggle. When we have long-term and loyal customers or employees, it’s critical to make them feel acknowledged and important. If we take them for granted, nothing stops them from going to a competitor.
Lessons Learned #12 – Sometimes You Need to Disconnect
Stepping away for a week can be challenging. I hadn’t taken a single day off in 2021, working in some capacity, every single day (weekends included). Part of that was because of the world we live in; part of it was because a lot is going on, working for a start-up and as a CEO. Throughout my career, it’s been challenging to disconnect from work for me. I work hard and put in a lot of effort with anything I do, but doing so can sometimes lead to feeling burnt out. When we were in the desert, our scooter guides gave us a heads up that we were entering an area where there would be no cell service for several hours. That should have given me some concern, but it was actually a relief, as that meant that I genuinely needed to disconnect. No interruptions; no checking email, Slack, or anything else that could keep me focused on work. If anything required my attention, it would need to wait.
I’ve always advocated for turning off notifications, beeps, dings, etc., to stay focused, but, admittedly, it can be tricky. Being in a position where I knew I wouldn’t be accessible forced me to realize that it’s ok to step away. Everything will be okay, and if it isn’t, things can always be fixed later. Nothing is so urgent that one needs to be on-call, all-time. Sometimes you need to just take some time to disconnect. Getting out on the open road, driving through the canyon, admiring the beautiful mountains gave me a ton of perspective and ideas that I could implement when I returned to work. Sometimes you just need thinking time.
Final Thoughts
I know that I will receive some backlash or negativity for stating that I went to Vegas for a week, considering everything going on in the world. But, for me, it was something I needed to do. We have all gone through a tremendous amount of challenges these last couple of years. For me, it’s been an up and down ride, with more ups than downs for sure, but lately, I knew I needed a change. To kick off 2022 the right way on my terms, it was essential to enter with a better mindset to set myself up for continued success. In addition, I needed time away to reflect on what to do next in terms of new strategies and tactics. So, while my trip to Vegas wasn’t profitable, it was an education for me. I learned a lot and was reminded of some critical lessons along the way. The most important lesson of all though is always have fun!
I look forward to going back soon. Viva Las Vegas!
