Becky Robinson's Blog, page 45

Back-scratching in the World of Public Relations

It often comes up in conversation with clients–what influence do we, public relations professionals, have on the media?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple. Some research shows that up to 80 percent of media coverage is influenced by public relations. But this number has been heavily scrutinized.

Today, journalists are working to satiate an ever-hungry media monster. Deadlines are tight and novelty is crucial. It takes both luck and skill of the PR professional to give journalists what they want or need. But the better we PR pros can scratch journalists’ backs, the better back-scratch we will likely get in return.

Here are four ways PR professionals can influence media personnel.

Be a friend.

Relationships are so important in the world of PR. Journalists need to ensure they trust the person who is giving them information, since they are essentially the horse’s mouth. Once a PR professional makes a contact, it’s up to them to prove their trustworthiness by citing past articles and then maintaining contact. Socially sharing a journalist’s work is a great way to get in their good graces–as well as, obviously, reading/viewing/listening to their work and being familiar with the topics they cover. At Weaving Influence, we work to keep track of all our media touches and continue to foster those relationships for future benefit.

Be on time.

Many of our clients take advantage of our HARO and ProfNet services. These services feature inquiries from reporters looking for interviews. Being timely in responding to these, or any media inquiry, is so important. When I was a reporter, I often ended up interviewing whomever got back to me first in order to meet my deadline–not who was the best interview. After all, I had a beast to feed. Keeping a journalist apprised on your progress on an article or of your schedule is key. There’s no quicker way to kill a media friendship than to mess up their deadline.

Snap a selfie (or a photo, at least). 

Journalism has drastically changed over the past decade or so. Newsrooms have shrunk, and budgets along with them. Thus, it’s up to PR professionals to make journalists’ jobs easier by giving them everything they need to assemble a story–this can include ready made quotes, videos, and pictures. With the growth of online, the demand for information is high, heightening the burden on journalists’ time. PR pros can achieve their own goals (and their clients’) by supporting journalists in saving them time, providing access to information and facilitating opportunities.

Get to the point.

Did I mention journalists are short on time? When I was a reporter, I’d get so frustrated with interview subjects who would talk my ear off or want me to interview everyone in their organization–and then I’d get frustrated with myself for getting frustrated! I relished working with PR practitioners who knew exactly what I wanted–appropriate background, easy access to leaders/interviews, good visuals, and answers to follow-up questions–all in a timely manner. If a PR pro is pitching a story, it’s important they let the journalist know right away why they will care–and then make putting the story together as easy as can be.

Good public relations is about mutually beneficial partnerships with the media. It is about sharing information that the public wants or needs to know.

It was once believed that PR professionals and journalists were adversaries. Not any more. We need each other to do our jobs. We need each other to scratch those itches we can’t reach.

Self-Awareness: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

We’re throwing it back! This week we’re showcasing a guest post from Mark Miller about the theme from his latest book, Leaders Made Here , which we launched on March 13th.

Have you ever noticed that the more you look for something, the more you find it? Like when you get a new car – the next week, you see dozens of them. That’s what I’m feeling right now about this topic. I’ve been shocked by how many leaders I’m encountering who have low self-awareness.

Self-awareness is huge for leaders. You can argue it’s important for everyone — but for leaders, a gap here may be the determining factor in your ability to lead at all.

How self-aware are you?

An exercise I often ask leaders to do is write down three strengths and three weaknesses. I’m amazed how often this activity is futile. If you overstate your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, you will end up in trouble as a leader. My best advice on this topic is to be ruthless in your evaluation of yourself . . .  and get help.

We all have blind spots. Regardless of how hard we try, I’ve met very few men and women in my life who have been able to pierce these blind spots on their own. However, if you and I get help and we’re willing to embrace the truth, we can identify the strengths we need to leverage and the gaps we need to mitigate.

Here are a few ideas to help you shed some light on your real strengths and weaknesses.

Conduct a 360 assessment.

This can be done in a survey or an interview format. If you do a traditional survey, my recommendation is to get a third party to process the results. This will make those reluctant to participate for fear of retribution a little more likely to tell you the truth. If you don’t have the budget for this, you can do it yourself. If you want deeper insights, hire someone to do face to face interviews on your behalf.

Conduct a Stop – Start – Continue survey.

This is another form of a 360 assessment, but much easier. You ask only three questions: What should I STOP doing? What should I START doing? What should I CONTINUE doing? I do this every few years. I’m always amazed at what I learn.

Build a circle of trusted advisors.

The leader who doesn’t have truth tellers in their life will always be on the brink of disaster. You can include anyone you like in this group as long as you have them on your team. For me, my wife and my son are the first on my list; my administrative assistant is next; followed by a few of my co-workers and a group of men who I’ve been meeting with for over 15 years. I’m counting on these people to care enough about me to tell me the truth. They help minimize my blind spots.

Truth is a leaders’ best friend. The truth about your leadership is perhaps the most valuable truth of all.

Use Influence as a Tool For Positive Change

Growing up as the oldest sibling of four, my parents repeated the phrase “you have to be a good influence.” At times throughout my childhood, this would cause me some frustration, because it felt like an attack on my individual freedom. I later realized it was a blessing, but without a doubt also a challenge, to be a “good example” role in my younger siblings’ lives, let alone anyone else.

This lesson became the foundation of the way I understand influence; yes, we all have an individual will, but society plays a big role in the way we perceive and act in the world. Each society progresses, regresses, or pauses due to the actions of the people within it. However, not everyone has the privilege to influence society.

In today’s world, anyone with technology capable of accessing the internet can access masses of people. Nevertheless, as many know, the web is extremely crowded; so becoming influential in any way has many avenues, but remains a challenge. Further, once you obtain influence within a particular popular culture or any other subculture, it’s an even greater challenge to maintain one’s influential space.

People from a variety of backgrounds throughout history have long been oppressed, but the web gives those who suffer a voice, with an avenue to expose the truth behind oppression they specifically endured or presently endure or witness.

Allowing people who had little-to-no approach to influence the world to change and move forward from some of its most hateful ways has become ideal in the hearts of many, but now the challenge is to keep that influence planted there.

Again, not everyone has the privilege to influence society — so if you do, be a good one!

Five Truths I Discovered about People in My First Five Years in Business

My team and I recently passed the milestone of five years in business. While I’ve written previously about lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur, I wanted to take a moment to share a few truths I’ve discovered about the centrality of other people to building a successful business.

Other people make it possible. 

It sounds cliche, but I could not have gotten to where I am on my own. First, there’s my husband, who has supported me emotionally and practically, and who has financially supported my dream. He’s the one who didn’t blink in the early years when I had to write personal checks to the business in order to cover payroll. Early on, I found out that I couldn’t even meet clients’ needs without involving others, which led to my building a company bigger than just me from the start.

I could write thousands of words of thanks to countless others who have supported my work: coaches and advisers, both paid and unpaid; team members; collaborators; partners; clients; friends.

It would be absolutely impossible to do this alone.

Other people make it challenging. 

Working with people is messy. Team members have sick kids and off-days. Clients have urgent deadlines and colossal expectations. Most challenges are people challenges, and working through those people challenges keep me growing and learning.

Other people make it bearable.

The kind words of a friend who listens through my tears and withholds judgement. The people I can count on to answer my calls whenever I need a boost. The understanding acceptance of a client who sees my mistakes and remains open to our work. The loyalty of long-time team members who lean closer when times are tough. The people who step up in a crisis to get work done or meet an emergency need. It is other people who make the hard work of building a business bearable.

Other people make it better. 

Not only bearable, other people make building a business better. Others share: skills, insight, creative ideas, process improvements, wisdom, suggestions, edits, refinements, advice, encouragement. Doing this work with others makes the work I am able to do far more excellent than it might be if I worked alone.

Other people make it worthwhile.

Why does anyone work hard, if not to create value for others? It is the people I work with and for who make our work worth doing. Seeing my clients win is one of my greatest joys. There is deep satisfaction in work I do well, but even greater satisfaction in seeing my team members reach their goals, as they grow and thrive.

While metrics matter, it’s the people who motivate me to work toward achieving results so that my company will thrive in the next five years and beyond.

3 Tips for Developing Optimism

We’re throwing it back! This week we’re showcasing a guest post from Nate Regier about the theme of developing optimism.

Optimism is not just seeing the glass as half-full. It’s about doing what it takes to fill it up.

Optimism is not wishful thinking. Not even a hopeful attitude. Optimism is the discipline of envisioning and pursuing possibility, against the odds. Optimistic people are this way because they work at it. They don’t just see the glass as half full, they push through to keep filling it so that potential turns into reality. Optimism takes perseverance, grit, and belief in the power of a vision and of the people pursuing that vision. Optimism doesn’t give up when the going gets tough. Optimism never quits looking for opportunity, potential, the possibility everyone else missed, the faint light at the end of the tunnel.

Jon Gordon, an ambassador of positivity, wrote this about optimism:

“Now, more than ever, optimism is a competitive advantage. Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, was asked the most important characteristic of a leader and he said “Optimism.” After all, it’s not the pessimists who will grow this economy. It’s the optimists who believe in a brighter future that will take the actions necessary to create it. Optimism will also help you navigate the set-backs, challenges, naysayers and Energy Vampires as you seek to grow your business. You have a choice. You can believe success is impossible or you can believe that with faith, hard work and an optimistic attitude all things are possible. To grow your business, choose the latter.” Read the full article here.

Tips for Developing Optimism

Focus on what’s working. It’s human nature to dwell on what’s broken, missing, or doesn’t work. Take time each day, with each project, to list and celebrate what is working or what went well. The more you do it, the better you will become.
Overnight success is “a thousand problems solved.” When asked about the magical success of the movie Toy Story, director John Lasseter recounted all the ways in which the movie was doomed from the start: an unlikable main character, the first fully animated motion picture, and the list goes on. They key to success, he shared, was that the team simply solved one problem after another, not focusing on the doom and gloom, but instead on each new problem to solve. When the going gets tough and the summit seems far away, this orientation is a great way to continue having small successes along the way.
What could go wrong vs. what didn’t go wrong. Recently, Next Element was an exhibitor at a national trade show. Instead of having our exhibit booth shipped via a national hauler, we did it ourselves to save money. We rented a Sprinter van, loaded up our stuff, and drove to Colorado. There were lots of things to worry about, like driving an unwieldy vehicle through urban traffic, in and out of tight parking garages, loading and unloading precious cargo, or where to park the beast. We solved most of these problems and picked up a few bumps and bruises along the way (one of them on the back bumper of the van when I got stuck in a parking garage!). On the way home we narrowly missed colliding with a car that had been rear-ended in the oncoming lane of traffic, careened across the median, rolled, and come to rest directly in front of us. We were the first ones on the scene and were able to help. Nobody was seriously injured. And it could have been a lot worse. As we’ve recounted our stories from this trip, we’ve realized that some things went wrong. And, some very big things that could have went wrong, didn’t. How do you want to remember your life? What went wrong — or what could have gone wrong that didn’t? I’d prefer to feel lucky rather than worried!

Anyone can be an optimist if they are willing to dedicate themselves to the discipline.

It doesn’t happen by chance and it doesn’t come for free. And the benefits are well worth it!

 

Copyright 2016, Next Element Consulting, LLC,  All rights reserved.

 

Public Relations: What It Takes to Be a Leader

I was recently asked to teach undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee about public relations. This new opportunity got me thinking about what the world of PR will be like when these students graduate, and what skills they’ll need to be leaders in an ever-changing field.

It’s a question that really hasn’t been explored. While there are countless leadership studies and theories, few peer into the realm of PR.

This has left a dearth of perception. A recent study by University of Alabama graduate students found that more than half of the 222 participants said they couldn’t name any national PR leaders, or felt there weren’t any. The Southern Public Relations Federation completed the same survey and Oprah Winfrey was named the most often.

This is worrisome. However, there’s hope that at least the future workers in this field know what it takes to be a leader.

Looking ahead, here are five critical qualities PR practitioners must have to be leaders—for today and tomorrow.

Master writer

The bread and butter of PR practice is communication—particularly the written word. You can’t be a leader in PR if you can’t master its core craft.

Public relations writing is an art, but not one that requires an arsenal of adjectives or perfection of prose. Rather, it requires an economy of words and a mastery of grabbing attention with fact. PR pros may be social media savants, but if they can’t effectively craft a well-written release or pitch, they can’t climb the career ladder and become a strategic leader and decision maker.

Hungry for growth

A PR leader knows that to stay ahead, he or she must keep moving. He must keep growing.

A leader is a perpetual student, seeking out continued education at every turn. They read case studies, talk to other practitioners, attend conferences, and stay up with the news. They analyze others’ strategies and aim to think outside the box.

Adaptable

It seems everyday a new technology is changing the way we communicate. Instead of talking face to face, we read tiny messages sent to our watches. Instead of reading letters written on paper, we are sent captioned images that instantly disappear into a virtual world.

A PR leader is not only privy to the new communication options, but also be critical of  how they will impact the messages they wish to send. They’ll know which modes are best to communicate with their audiences and which ones are simply a “shiny new toy” that’ll soon fall out of fashion.  They know what tactics will grab the most attention. For example: no longer are visuals part of the story, now they are the story.

Fast acting

Social media changed the game of PR. Things happen in real time now, which means PR leaders must act at lightning speed—or risk (potentially misinformed) others telling their story for them. They must be able to be prepared for anything, fact-find fast, and react even faster.

Ethical

This increased speed of the game heightens the potential for mistakes and desperation to stay ahead of the competition. PR professionals who balk at ethics put their reputation and their businesses or clients at risk.

Leaders never lose sight of their morals, and always subscribe to the code of ethics set in place by the Public Relations Society of America.

If I decide to teach the future practitioners in our field, I hope I can impart the importance of these qualities—and maybe introduce them to a real leader or two!

Motivate Yourself Into Action!

We’re throwing it back! This week we’re showcasing a guest post from Brian Tracy about the theme from his latest book, the third edition of Eat That Frog!, which we launched on April 17.

A word about frogs: it has been said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long. Your “frog” is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it. It is also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and results at the moment.

MOTIVATE YOURSELF INTO ACTION

To perform at your best, you must become your own personal cheerleader. You must develop a routine of coaching yourself and encouraging yourself to play at the top of your game.

Most of your emotions, positive or negative, are determined by how you talk to yourself on a minute-to-minute basis. It is not what happens to you, but the way that you interpret the things that are happening to you, that determines how you feel. Your version of events largely determines whether these events motivate or de-motivate you, whether they energize or de-energize you.

To keep yourself motivated, you must resolve to become a complete optimist.

You must decide to respond positively to the words, actions, and reactions of the people and situations around you. You must refuse to let the unavoidable difficulties and setbacks of daily life affect your mood or emotions.

Your level of self-esteem, how much you like and respect yourself, is central to your levels of motivation and persistence. You should talk to yourself positively all the time to boost your self-esteem. Say, “I like myself! I like myself!” over and over until you begin to believe it and behave like a person with a high-performance personality.

To keep yourself motivated and to overcome feelings of doubt or fear, continually tell yourself, “I can do it! I can do it!” When people ask you how you are, always tell them, “I feel terrific!”

No matter how you really feel at the moment or what is happening in your life, resolve to remain cheerful and upbeat. As Viktor Frankl wrote in his bestselling book Man’s Search for Meaning, “The last of the human freedoms [is] to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

It turns out that optimists have four special behaviors, all learned through practice and repetition.

First, optimists look for the good in every situation. No matter what goes wrong, they always look for something good or beneficial. And not surprisingly, they always seem to find it.
Second, optimists always seek the valuable lesson in every setback or difficulty. They believe that “difficulties come not to obstruct but to instruct.” They believe that each setback or obstacle contains a valuable lesson they can learn and grow from, and they are determined to find it.
Third, optimists always look for the solution to every problem. Instead of blaming or complaining when things go wrong, they become action oriented. They ask questions like “What’s the solution? What can we do now? What’s the next step?”
Fourth, optimists think and talk continually about their goals. They think about what they want and how to get it. They think and talk about the future and where they are going, rather than the past and where they came from. They are always looking forward rather than backward.

When you continually visualize your goals and ideals, and talk to yourself in a positive way, you feel more focused and energized. You feel more confident and creative. You experience a greater sense of control and personal power.

And the more positive and motivated you feel, the more eager you will be to get started and the more determined you will be to keep going.

What keeps you motivated?

Using Thought Leadership to Market Your Book

In the earliest conversations with our authors, we like to make sure one thing is clear: selling books is hard! Though a well-executed book launch can dramatically increase sales, the main goal for most of our authors is not selling books, but building thought leadership around their personal or company brand and boosting their core business.

A book can serve as an amazing credibility builder, establishing industry authority and creating visibility through media attention and speaking opportunities. A well-written book offers real value to its readers and serves to create or deepen a relationship with the author.

So we’ve established that a book can be a good tool for growing your brand and business. But for many, that’s not enough—you worked hard on your book, and you know from experience how much the content could help others. Yes, you want to grow your business, but you also believe in your message and want to share it with as many people as possible.

Here’s the tricky part—if you want to get your book into the hands of those who will benefit from it, you need to ask them to buy it! The thought leadership you have already worked hard to grow and establish is the vehicle for sharing your book with the world. Other marketing efforts such as ads, offers, etc., can be helpful; but if someone already knows you and your work, they are much more likely to purchase your book.

Here are a few time-tested ways our authors use their thought leadership to sell books:

Host a webinar. We see this time and time again—once an audience gets to know you and feels connected to your message, they are much more excited about learning more. This may mean buying your book, and can also lead to other business opportunities. Weaving Influence hosts regular webinars with our clients, and reliably see a big increase in book sales after the event.
Reach out to your lists. We cannot stress this enough—your network is your biggest market! Reaching out to your lists can be uncomfortable or scary, but you will be surprised by how much energy and enthusiasm your “people” can bring to your book launch. Imagine if you had a colleague, friend, or neighbor launching a book that represented their best work—you’d be thrilled to support them! Ask your list directly, “Please buy my new book and, if you like it, consider leaving a review on Amazon or GoodReads.”
Share with your audience. Do you have access to regular audiences through speaking opportunities? Arrange in advance for a copy of your book to be waiting on the chair of every participant in your workshop or listener to your keynote address. Organizations are often happy to include the purchase of books in the fee they pay to outside speakers. Set up a meet-and-greet booth after you speak, where you can sign books and meet your audiences face-to-face, or hand out flyers with your book marketing website address. Make sure that any speaking bureau you are a part of includes links to your book(s).
Share your message regularly. Your thought leadership can only be enhanced by generously sharing the content in your book. Consider turning concepts in your book into blog posts, or share inspirational quotes from your book on social media. When partnered with graphics, these quotes can look beautiful! Try using Canva to create some eye-catching images.

You’ve worked hard to develop your thought leadership, and don’t want to spoil it by appearing too “salesy” with your book—we get that! But don’t underestimate the power of your message. When shared in a genuine way, your book will serve to enhance your overall brand and reputation, and your audiences will appreciate being involved in spreading the word.

 

Calling All Authors: The Book Marketing Action Guide Is Live!

Since our first book launches in 2012, Weaving Influence has learned a lot about what it takes to successfully launch and market a book. We’re passionate about helping our authors connect with the right audiences, and thrilled to be able to share a new interactive resource we have developed for authors of all strides: The Book Marketing Action Guide.

The Book Marketing Action Guide is an online course that outlines best practices in book marketing and gives you concrete suggestions to direct your effort. Our suggestions are strategic and proven. Join Becky Robinson, founder and CEO of Weaving Influence, as you move through the four phases of a book launch. If you implement the tools shared in this course, you will see results!

What You Receive

When you sign up for the Book Marketing Action Guide, you will get six months of access to our resource library, which will take you through the four phases of a book launch at your own pace. Our easy-to-use system includes videos, actionable and downloadable resources, and checklists for each phase.

VIDEOS FOR EACH STEP

Becky Robinson, founder and CEO of Weaving Influence, will guide you through each step of the process. You can play the videos as many times as you like, and easily switch between phases for reference.

DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

You will have access to custom curated resources that will give you insider insights into making your book a success.

CHECKLISTS FOR EACH PHASE

We’ll make sure you are prepared and ready to move through your launch.

SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY

You will be a part of a community of writers and doers—we’re here to support you!

For a limited time, up to 10 BETA users will also be invited to two 60-minute LIVE group calls with Becky Robinson, where you’ll be able to ask your most pressing book marketing questions, learn from other authors, and dig deeper on topics of your choice.

As many of you know, in a world with hundreds of thousands of business books being written and sold each year, selling books is an increasingly difficult task. Your best bet is to learn to leverage your networks, and provide potential readers with a real connection to you and your brand. The Book Marketing Action Guide will help you to do that and more.

Interested in joining us on a book marketing journey?

Visit our website at weavinginfluencelab.com.
Contact us with any questions about the course.

Know any friends or colleagues who would benefit from the course? Please share the course website with them, or share this tweet:

Want to market your book but not sure where to start? @WeaveInfluence’s Book Marketing Action Guide can guide you! http://bit.ly/2pQ1azM  [Send Tweet]

Gambling on Leadership

When I was in college, I was an assistant in the Student Affairs department. The Student Affairs Director and I took a group of students to a local “ropes” course to do some team building. One of the students participating in the event was balking at fully involving herself in the activity. “It’s just a simulation,” she said.

“How you behave at a simulation is how you will behave in a real situation,” responded the director.

I have thought about that interaction so many times over the ensuing decades. When does something stop being a drill and begin being “real life”?

I wonder what happened to that student as she moved on from college into “the real world.” When tapped to be part of an work group, did it feel “real” enough or did she say, “I’ll really pitch in when the project is bigger; no one is paying attention to this committee’s work”?

What Makes Leadership REALLY Matter to a Team Member?

The “ropes course” scenario came back to me recently when I was watching the Family Matters episode of Chrisley Knows Best. If you haven’t watched the show, it follows the lives of Todd Chrisley, a wealthy real estate investor, his wife Julie, and their children. Son Chase and daughter Savannah, who are 20 and 19 respectively, were the focus of this episode.

Chase and Savannah work at the family business (a juice bar), but were not applying themselves to their jobs; the manager had confirmed with their dad that they were squabbling in front of customers; Todd was disappointed in the scarcity of hours they were working. He decided team building was in order.

Team Building Time

While Julie was out of town, Todd took Chase and Savannah to SOAR Adventure Tower, a challenge course facility where participants work on trust-building by executing various physical challenges, high above the ground, while clipped in to safety ropes. As team members completed specific challenges, they had flags to clip to each obstacle so their team members would know they could move on to a different challenge.

This is where things began to go downhill.

A Team Needs to Agree On a Leader

I haven’t watched Chrisley Knows Best all that much, but I’ve watched it enough to know that “poor self esteem” is hardly an issue for either Chase or Savannah. Each one has the world by the tail, and each one knows it.

Todd, as everyone assembles for the team-building activity: “There’s no ‘I’ in TEAM”!

Chase: “But there IS an ‘I’ in WIN”!

SOAR manager: “Who’s going to be your team’s leader?”

Chase and Savannah simultaneously: “ME!”

Hoping a Team Member Will Fail Creates a Negative Spiral

Conceding the leader role to Chase, Savannah eventually said, “Oh fine, let Chase lead. We know he’ll fail and then I can be the leader.”

Mike Myatt wrote in this post that a “telling issue in today’s world is many of those desiring to get ahead, have no desire to help others get ahead.” In the case of Savannah, she not only had zero desire for Chase to get ahead, she was actively setting up the expectation that he would fail.

Seeking Individual Glory Over Team Success

Once Team Chrisley started the course, Savannah quickly took off across the various obstacles. She was clearly thrilled with her own performance, failing to empathize with her father’s fear of heights or Chase’s lack of coordination and strength.

Eventually, Savannah and Chase approached each other from opposite ends of one of the obstacles. It’s NOT productive for two people to meet, suspended high above the ground, with neither having a plan for which one is going to yield. A definite recipe for re-work, delay, and frustration.

The Difference a Joint Purpose Can Make

The ropes course was a bust. Chase left prematurely, pouting about the ridiculousness of team building. Todd wondered where he as a leader had gone wrong. If anything, Team Chrisley was more divided then unified after a session at SOAR than they had been when they arrived.

It all changed when Todd got a phone call notifying him that his mom, “Granny Faye,” was experiencing a breast cancer scare a few hours away. Although the scare ended up being a false alarm, everyone was shaken; their perspective had been challenged by the crisis, made more emotionally taxing by the memories of Julie’s own battle with breast cancer.

Reminded of the fragility of life, Team Chrisley banded together to create a “casino night” for Granny Faye, who dreamed of going to Las Vegas. A homemade casino night allowed Grayson, the younger brother, to be a part of the fun in a way he could not be in Las Vegas because he is a minor.

In contrast to the ropes course, Project Casino Night had a different tone. No one assumed anyone would fail; everyone focused on success and rallied around Todd Chrisley’s leadership (once they got past Chase’s statement, “I don’t want to be a dealer, I want to own the casino”).

“We can make this night a great one for my grandma to remember,” said Savannah, who then taught Chase how to deal cards. Older sister Lindsie and Grayson joined their siblings in creating a night Grandma would not forget.

As the family gathered after Casino Night to relax and process the evening, their “gamble” on teamwork  proved to have been a winner. “When the rubber hits the road, we’re going to all step in and work together,” proclaimed Todd. “I’m happy we’re on the same team,” shared Savannah.

Grandma’s health scare was definitely not a simulation. Thank goodness Chase and Savannah didn’t leave each other hanging when it really mattered.