Pulse Legacy Archive November 2012 | Page 4

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

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ello, ISPA! I am so excited about this month’s “Failure and Success” issue of Pulse.
Coming off the heels of a very successful ISPA Conference & Expo, I’d like to share with
you a few things that resonated with me at this year’s Conference.
One of my favorite success quotes is from Henry Ford who said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” From Jim Collins, I learned that not only do
successful people and businesses learn from their failures, but they also approach risk intelligently
so that if they fail, failure won’t be fatal. He calls this “firing bullets, then cannonballs.”
Before you completely risk everything on one innovative idea, you test it. Take a low-cost,
low-risk test and see if your idea works—fire bullets. If it works, build on it—fire a cannonball.
If it doesn’t, try something else. Most importantly, when you find an idea that really works,
take a bigger risk and fire that calibrated cannonball. Success will follow.
ISPA applies these concepts in our daily operations so that we, as an association, will
remain strong and increasingly relevant to more professionals in the spa and wellness industry.
Take for instance, when challenged to think outside the box during a last-minute keynote
speaker cancellation at this year’s Conference, ISPA viewed this roadblock as an opportunity to
innovate. The result—a new education format called the Mind, Body & Spirit session which
focused on three important pillars of wellness which is at the core of spa’s philosophy. Given
the positive response from attendees, the Mind, Body & Spirit session is one of this year’s “test
bullets” which we hope to build as a “cannonball” in future ISPA Conferences.
Enjoy exploring the success and failure stories in this Pulse issue and learn key lessons from
each. Think about how you can innovate from the inside out and fire bullets, then cannonballs—to have your most successful year ever.

PHOTO © TIFFANY BROWN

—ELLA STIMPSON, ISPA CHAIRMAN

TO READ THE FULL THE NEWLY LAUNCHED
INTERNATIONAL SPA ASSOCIATION BLOG, GO TO
INTERNALSPAASSOCIATION.BLOGSPOT.COM.

®

2012 ISPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

CHAIRMAN
Ella Stimpson
Wynn and Encore Las Vegas

Sharilyn Abbajay
Abbajay Collection, LLC

VICE CHAIRMAN
Michael Tompkins
Miraval Resort & Spa
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Todd Walter
Red Door Spas

2 PULSE

n

Kristi M. Bonsack
Island House Spa at
Longboat Key Club & Resort
Sean Handler
Boyne Resorts/Solace Spa

November 2012

Todd Hewitt
Four Seasons Toronto

Philippe Therene
SpaEquip

Thor Holm
Hammock Beach Resort

Immediate Past Chair
Deborah Waldvogel
Sedona Resorts

Jeff Kohl
ISPA Foundation Chairman
Frank Pitsikalis
ResortSuite

Lynne McNees
ISPA President

MEDICAL ADVISOR
Dr. Brent Bauer, MD
Mayo Clinic