DOING BUSINESS IN PALM SPRINGS

Working and living in Palm Springs since August has brought some interesting insights and reminders about how varied the United States is in form of geography, climate, and social norms. Even though I have traveled a great deal, the past two month have served as reminder about how much I do not know.

The Coachella Valley is a desert. Lawns are mostly white gravel and mountains surrounding the valley are barren and reflect the sun at various stages during the day. No matter how often you look up at the surrounding mountains, you cannot help but be in awe. The street that follows the edge of the airport gives one a majestic view of mountains on both sides of the valley. I take it as often as possible.

Last week I was to present at a formal meeting of the General Managers of the major resorts in the area an update on the Palm Springs Wild West Fest http://www.palmspringswestfest.com

I met my colleague in the lobby of The Parker Palm Springs http://www.theparkerpalmsprings.com When he saw me he said; “Now you got it, the Palm Springs look.” He was referring to my outfit that was flowing, classy and business-like. Quite different then my customary Northwest business attire that is fitted, much more conservative, though always contains a splash of color.

We were directed to the site of the 8:00 a.m. meeting. It was a beautiful morning. I was “surprised” to see that it was entirely outside. The patio was beautiful and surrounding gardens served as an outstanding backdrop.

Upon reflection, I have to laugh; of course, they hold meetings outside all the time in Palm Springs. My mind had not switched to the fact that I was in Palm Springs in October not the Pacific Northwest. In fact, now that the summer heat is behind us, apparently, people pretty much live outside.

This is an interesting assignment and with great anticipation, I welcome each day and marvel at how much I can learn by keeping my eyes and ears open.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

It is proven that men and women’s brains are different. Men think to talk. Women talk to think.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT LIVING IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY

So where is the Coachella Valley? Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indio are all part of this valley that is surrounded by majestic barren mountains. This area is truly a desert. It is not uncommon to see front lawns of home covered with white rocks, cacti and other plants that are drought resistant.

I arrived August 4; right at the beginning of what locals say is the two hottest months of the year. You ask, “How hot is it?” I had the wonderful pleasure of being here when the temperature soared to 118 degrees—the hottest ever here. I had just left Vancouver, Washington where we hit 107 degrees – a record for there. Good thing I would rather be hot than cold.

When the heat soars, you quickly learn to run your errands as early in the day as possible. One day, I decided to go out about 2:00 p.m. – a mistake, I could hardly touch the steering wheel on the car. You would not consider leaving for any trip, no matter how short, without a least one water bottle filled.

Interesting I, thought that, perhaps, my stainless steel water bottle would end up sweating. Wrong, the humidity is so low here, averaging about 14 percent, there is never any condensation on anything. Yes, you have to make sure you use lots of lotion to keep your skin hydrated. Of course, it is imperative that you keep drinking lots of water.

Style in Palm Springs

Fortunately, friends immediately took me under their wings and helped me look like a local instead of the visitors to the Valley.

First thing – the small tiny earrings had to go. Sure enough, I looked around and earrings routinely are at least two inches long. Since I am one who always wants to know “why”, I kept looking for the reason so many people wore long earrings, since often they are heavy. Figured it out – it is too hot to wear necklaces, so the earring becomes the chief accessory of your outfit.

By the way, I have discovered Earlifts http://tinyurl.com/n6txyx They are little seal-like patches that go on the back of your ear and the pierce earring goes through it—giving your earlobe support.

Cotton is the fabric to wear. Long flowing skirts are the norm. Our tops are often man-made fabric for we want a little more style than tank-like tops. Local men wear khaki colored pants and modern Hawaiian-like shirts. This time of year, at least, I have not seen a jacket on either men or women at business meetings. At formal meetings, men do wear a long-sleeved shirt and tie.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Since our lives continue to move at a fast pace, it is a good idea to place a phone call or send an email to remind people of a scheduled meeting. Especially important if the appointment has been made more than two weeks ago.

MISSION VIEJO RODEO BRINGS KNOWLEDGE AND FUN

Since I am using my networking skills to help raise funds to bring back the rodeo to Palm Springs after 22 years, six of us were invited to see the inner workings of this nine-year old rodeo. http://rmvrodeo.com

The day began with putting on an appropriate cowgirl-like outfit. Had the jeans and a top that would work, bought western looking earrings, and borrowed the hat and belt. I have a new appreciation for people who have to wear a belt every day…..not use to wide belts. The loops on my jeans barely accommodated the belt embellished with a great gold rhinestone buckle. Shoes, well we won’t get into that….my boots have not arrived.

Picked up my colleague and we made the two-hour drive to the rodeo grounds that was set in a valley, on a ranch, surrounded by magnificent mountains. We parked the car and the learning began.

First, we met with a woman in charge of all the vendors. Then we spent about an hour with the man who was “in charge” of the event. He let us in on unknown details and shared with us what they had tried in the past that hadn’t worked and why certain things work well.

The big white tent placed along the side the arena was filled with tables covered with white tablecloths and flower arrangements. Think of the feeling of going to a dinner theatre…only in this case, the rodeo takes place in front of you while you eat dinner. This area is reserved for the sponsors who dined on western barbecue complete with freshly grilled steaks.

We watched the stadium bleachers fill to capacity with folks who had bought general admission tickets. At both ends of the arena were the chutes where the real action always began.

At the appointed time, the announcer got our attention. About 30 people walked out with a 40 by 40 foot American flag and unfurled it before our eyes. We sang our national anthem under the brilliant blue sky and sunshine. Once that ended, three service members from the area were asked to come to the center of the arena…the crowd broke into an amazing applause.

While the service members were standing there, the champion cowboys were called to the arena and each one of them shook the service members’ hands. At the chute area, in front of us, the Rodeo manager, Cotton Rosser (83 yrs old) waited on his horse to shake every cowboy’s hand as he came back to the chute gate.

Then the action began. I have a feeling before long the names of the cowboys will start becoming very familiar to me as we develop our own rodeo Palm Springs that will be held March 12, 13, and 14, 2010. http://www.palmspringwestfest.com

When I arrived “home” that night, I thought about the day. I had been privileged to see and learn how a rodeo is put together. I saw the look of expectation on the cowboy’s face and watched as some of them limp from an injury they had received at a previous rodeo on the circuit. The filled to capacity stadium and dining tent help me understand the thirst to take ourselves out of our daily life routine.

My reasons for getting involved with this project was, in large part, the feeling that I could help people remember history and help others experience the western way of life that helped form this entire Coachella Valley. I look forward to this Palm Springs Wild West Fest & Frank Bogert Memorial Rodeo with great anticipation.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Do not go anywhere without a something to write on – your many brilliants ideas will be quickly forgotten if you do not write yourself a note.