Participants at The Genius of Opposites keynote at the Green Spa Congress , Awesome Videographer: Robert C. Parish, Write Field Features
I love massages. And facials, hot tubs, scrubs are certainly a treat. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to speak at the Green Spa Congress, however, that I gained a deeper appreciation for the widespread, growing industry that offers millions of these services a year.
The Green Spa Network has a mission to “promote the natural connections between personal well-being, economic sustainability, and health of our planet.” This conference was composed of spa managers and companies that sell natural products to the spa industry.
My eyes were opened in the beautiful Rocky Mountain location where the congress was held. Let me share a few key impressions that left me with a deep respect for these dedicated professionals who make it their life’s purpose to positively impact our world.
- Spa pros appreciate personality differences and know that harnessing introvert power on their teams connects to results. There was keen interest in learning how to flex their styles to adapt to introverted team members.
- Self-care remains a challenge for these pros who have an array of treatments at their doorsteps. Some do a good job of scheduling “me time” into their day. Others, not so much.
- Spa professionals create awareness about environmental changes in individual conversations with clients. They use the introvert skill of “focused conversations” that I researched in Quiet Influence to help people challenge the status quo.
- I encountered many self-aware individuals who stretched their own boundaries by shifting to new career paths and locations while they pursued often tricky job changes. One participant had recently attended The Burning Man Festival and told us of his renewed faith in the creativity of millennial.
- Spa pros appreciate nature in a profound way and many of their spas are in beautiful places with relaxing sounding names. Who wouldn’t want to work at a spa Osmosis on the California coast, or SootheSpa in Breckenridge, CO for instance?
- Green spa pros strongly believe in giving back. The wonderful company that sponsored my talk, Eminence Organic Skin Care of Hungary runs several incredible non-profit initiatives including a Forests for the Future program and the Eminence Kids Foundation that delivers fresh fruit and vegetables to children’s hospitals around the world. They are looking for more hospitals to partner with on this last endeavor so please let me know if you have any suggestions!
- An interesting side note: The two brothers who run Eminence, Attila and Boldijarre Koronczay are a Genius Opposite pair. Attila, the older brother is a low-key introvert with a great understated sense of humor and Boldijarre dresses in wild outfits that reveal his extroverted nature. They run a wildly successful company and Attila shared that their complimentary strengths have been a key factor in their success.
I came to share my perspective and research on introverts and learned more than I ever expected. As we drove down the 8500 feet towards Denver I realized that I will never look at those dedicated to saving the planet in the same way again.
