Invest in Your Own Health and the Success of Others

Here are two thought provoking articles from the April issue of One+, the magazine of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

In “Meet Frequently, Live Longer,” Tony Carey suggests that attending industry conferences is actually good for your health. According to Tony, “A leading psychologist, Dr. Aric Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, has declared in an article in the journal Biologist that we are all jeopardizing our health by communicating through social networking sites instead of face-to-face. He explains that physical contact triggers the release of the hormone oxytocin, which is believed to lower the risk of heart disease. He says that research has shown that people who mingle regularly with others are also less susceptible to colds and flu. So, although ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ a meeting a quarter is better for the aorta, it seems.”

In the article “Save It Forward” from the same magazine, Tim Sanders writes about innovative companies that are cutting back on requirements that cost their suppliers money. In these tough economic times, instead of squeezing every last dime out of their suppliers to improve their own bottom line, these altruistic companies recognize that treating suppliers as true partners is a better way to go. As Tim says, “If you focus on your partner's bottom line with the same fervor you focus on yours, you obey what I call the Law of Interdependence, which states that our success depends on the success of our business eco-system (partners, providers and customers). If they fail, we fail. If they thrive, we thrive.”

-- Pat Jones