Discover How Author Marc Haine Starts His Day
Discover How Author Marc Haine Starts His Day
The second of my interview series on how high achievers begin their day.
Marc Haine is a Canadian author, speaker, facilitator and coach, who helps teams and leaders across the world to recentre their focus and ignite their passions.
I was super excited to have the opportunity to chat with Marc about his work and how he likes to start his day…
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to be a Customer Experience Expert?
With three decades in hospitality as a problem solver, consultant and secret shopper (shhh… don’t tell anyone… you might blow my cover), I’ve developed an innate ability to recognize what organizations are doing right.
In 2010, I started teaching Customer Service skills to an array of industries, bringing hospitality (and being hospitable) to the forefront. But in 2017, I realized that what I was harping about was more than just service…. it was more about creating experiences. Now, I travel the world talking about how organizations can design their human experiences to make themselves the brand of choice.
I also host a weekly podcast and Experience Leadership: The Small Business Podcast, where each week I solve a business problem with a guest expert. (We have some giggles too!)
What time do you typically go to sleep?
10pm.
What time do you wake up in a morning?
5am.
Have you always been an early bird?
Oh, gosh no. My background in hospitality (restaurants, hotels, bars and casinos) often required me to work well into the night… or should I say early morning?
Do you have a morning routine that you like to follow?
I make myself a cup of tea at 5am, write (blogs, articles and a play) for at least 60 minutes, I hit the gym (or go for a walk) at 6am, and start my work day between 8am and 9am.
During the first few hours of the day, how do you prioritize your time between your family and your business?
Since everyone is asleep in my household, the mornings are my sanctuary… my me time.
How do you plan your day ahead?
That starts the evening before. I wrap up my day listing my wins, and setting my intentions for the next day.
Please tell us about your business book LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
The catalyst for LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! was set when I started acting in 2016. I wondered what would happen with businesses if they used some of the practices that live theatre used to put on shows. I realized that if businesses put as much work, focus and attention into their operations as we did to put on six shows, their businesses would be unstoppable.
The book is split into three distinct sections:
LIGHTS! Is all about establishing the foundations of who and what we are, and why we do what we do.
CAMERA! Is all about being camera ready. What does it take to design touchpoints that matter to the audience (your customers and employees).
Finally, ACTION! Is all about service delivery. And more importantly, what happens when things go terribly wrong.
I wrote the book so teams and departments could read (and laugh) together. Each chapter has worksheets to make the learnings practical and to help organizations implement and put a spotlight on what they do each and every day.
What tips can you offer to readers to help them start their day in a positive and productive way?
Start each day with intention. My worse days, bar none, are when I wake up without a plan. Without the intention, I tend to wallow.
Finally, what’s the funniest thing to have happened to you in a morning?
Let’s just say that if my cat decides to invoke her bulimic tendencies, my feet will invariably find the land mines, resulting in me doing some sort of speciality ‘River Dance’ moves in the pitch dark!
A BIG thank you to Marc for taking the time to answer my questions.
You can find out more about Marc and the services he offers by heading over to his website.
And definitely check out his entertaining and informative book — LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theatre — which is available on Amazon and through your favourite audiobook retailer.