A Shuttle Ride and a Customer Service Lesson

I got on a rental car shuttle bus at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport on Wednesday evening, and noticed that the shuttle driver helped people load and stow their heavier bags onto the bus. At the time I thought that was pretty great, and realized tat I hadn't seen that very often lately on rental car shuttles. In the "old days," when each rental car company had their own buses, you would see that sometimes. But now, with buses taking everyone to the common rental car areas, it seems another loss of a Customer Service touch.

I didn't think much more about it until yesterday morning, when I rode the shuttle back to the terminal. There where three of us getting on the bus and the driver helped each of us. Great, I thought. Then we got to Terminal A and the driver, gets off, and sprints to the back door to help the first two passengers with their bags.

He sprinted. And as he walked back to the drivers seat, he made eye contact and smiled at me, making sure I was going to the correct terminal on the next stop.

He sprinted.

He smiled.

He gave great Customer Service.

The lessons?

• There are opportunities for great Customer Service everywhere.
• Customers will notice, even if what you are doing could, should, or used to be the standard.
• Little things make a difference.
• And it appears to me that someone leading the rental car shuttle bus drivers in Houston is doing a great job.

Experiencing Your Competence

I had a wonderful long lunch with the maestro of fun, Bernie DeKoven last Friday. I've been blessed to work (and play) with Bernie some over the past few months, and I'm especially lucky that his daughter, son-in-law and new grandchild live in Indianapolis. Hence, our long lunch.

During our fun and stimulating conversation we talked at length about people finding the true fun in their work, and at one point Bernie described it exceedingly well for me. He said, "People feel the fun when they are experiencing their competence."

Experiencing our competence.

You know what he's talking about - the times when you are really working well, the times when your ideas get legs in the meeting and everyone is onboard. The times when you are working on the parts of your work you know the best - and your excellence shows through with out any apparent effort.

I expect you'll hear and read more about this concept from both Bernie and I in the coming months.

But for now, I encourage you to think about the times in your work when you are deeply enjoying yourself. Think about when it happens, how it happens and what it feels like.

It is my guess that as you ponder this, you will begin to contemplate these times as times when you are experiencing your competence.

Take a Risk!

I got those words of advice - "Take a Risk!" when I took the protective cap off of a new solid anti-perspirant container on Monday. When I bought the product, I had no idea I was getting an informational product as well as a functional one.

Who knew? :)

The advice is short, but very relevant (even if not from the perspective hoped for by the makers of Degree.)

So for a couple of days I have been thinking about the value of this admonishment/advice, and here are some of my thoughts.

If you want to be more creative, you'll need to . . . take a risk. Ask a crazy question. Try an outrageous solution. Prototype with less testing. Something!

If you want to serve your Customers better (even WOW them), you'll need to . . . take a risk. Staying with the tried and true may not upset them, but it won't set them on fire for you and your products/services either.

If you want to be a better leader you'll need to . . . take a risk. Risk caring a bit more. Risk communicating a bit more. Risk sharing more of your vision. Risk being more personal. Risk being more supportive. Any of these things may feel risky, but if you want to improve, they are things you must do.

Taking risks is about way more then crazy stunts or massive gambles (as seen on the Degree website). It is about a mindset that says go for it. The saying goes that the best fruit is at the end of branch, but you have to risk to go get it.

The saying is right.

Take a risk.

You know the risk that is in your mind as you read this.

Take it.

Right now.

Enthusiasm - Catch It!

I often ask groups of people about enthusiasm - trainers, leaders, coaches, and those who interact with Customers. I ask them if they think enthusiasm is contagious. Their answer is always an emphatic and nearly unanimous (and often enthusiastic) "Yes!".

I agree with that answer.

And, apparently so does my friend Jim Brosseau, the Principal of Clarrus, an organization that helps software developers and the firms they work for be more successful.

In his latest email newsletter, The Compendium, he relates a story about meeting some people canvassing for their cause. After the story he writes,

"While I still don't buy in to the evangelistic single-approach-for-all, I gained an appreciation for how we can be carried forward with our enthusiasm, and that being careful in how we splash this energy on those around us can serve us well.

I carried this thought into the training session we had that week, and I'll be damned if it wasn't by far the most positive engagement I've had to date with that very large organization . . .

. . . one of the key drivers for the success was the enthusiasm for the topic that the group's planners carried into the session - they had poured the last couple years of their lives into tuning the topic, and it showed. Even though they were relatively low-key instructors, they clearly believed in their message, and knew its adoption would make a significant difference for the group.

Enthusiasm can indeed be infectious in a group setting, whether the team is pumped up for building a cool new product, or making the big sale, or kicking the competition's butt. A few people will get it started and the energy passes along to the others. Generally, once you get beyond a core group, enthusiasm can be difficult to sustain, and you will often need a conscious effort to prevent it from being diluted.

Enthusiasm is not something you can mandate into the group, it requires a common motivation and is something that is best seeded through action rather than words. When you’ve got it, do what you can to feed it, to keep it going. Channel it, never crush it - the output from an enthusiastic team can be absolutely phenomenal."

(You can read his full post here and while you are there - sign up to receive his Compendium email each week)

I could tell similar stories from training situations and in everyday life. Jim is exactly right.

Not everyone's enthusiasm will look the same. I'm not enthusiastic in the same ways as a cheerleader, and you certainly don't want don't emulate my style either. If you want to be enthusiastic, be yourself. Let your passion and interest show. Take action based on that passion and your enthusiasm will grow.

It is completely true that enthusiasm is contagious.

So is the opposite.

The question is... which are you spreading to your team, your Customers, and anyone you interact with?

An Hour a Day

46% of you (actually 46% of all workers according to Workworries.com ) spend more than an hour complaining or listening to others complain about difficult people in an average day.

An hour a day?

Ok... so you may not fit in the 46%, but if you spend more than a few moments a day in this behavior, read on.

Here are some questions for you:

How productive is this time spent in complaining?

How much of the other person's behavior is in our control? (ummm, not much - only our response to their behavior)

How productive is the time spent in listening to others talk about difficult people? (maybe a little in terms of building a relationship, but there are other ways to do that!)

How can we make this productive time?

... Understanding their side of the story
... Learning something about what you might do differently time?
... Learning about how you can avoid these situations? (what is in your control)
...Analyzing how many of the these difficult people are truly difficult
...Analyzing what people they are... co-workers? Customers/Clients?

I know sometimes we need to let off a bit of steam. I'm not saying you should never talk about or listen to others talk about difficult behaviors. What I am saying is that if you are going to spend that time, you can make it productive for you and others.

I guarantee if you use the questions above, you spend far less time and make the time you do spend, much more productive.

You'll feel better, you'll respond better (the next time), and you'll be better.

- and -

I just gave you back an hour a day.

Congratulations.

Oh, one more question - how are you going to spend that hour?

Secrets of a Great Handshake

Yesterday my family and I attended Spring Fest at Purdue University, my alma mater. One of the activities took place in a classroom where I had several classes, including Dr. Dave Downey's Principles of Agri-Selling. One of the many things we learned in that class was about the importance of, and how to give a good handshake.

I didn't think about the handshake part until I was reading my email last evening. An American colleague who has now been living and teaching in Japan for some time emailed me and part of the email reads:

Next week is the beginning of the school year - and I really want to get my new students off to the best possible start. Would you be willing to share your thoughts on how to give a really great handshake? I have been away from the U.S. for so long, and have few opportunities to practice (though my bowing has gotten really good :))

I thought about it last night - the synchronicity of thinking about that class and then receiving this email, and the importance of the question.

I remember thinking at the time of the class over 20 years ago that everyone should know how to do a good handshake, but I quickly remembered from experience that clearly wasn't the case. Add good handshakes to the very long list of things I learned from my Dad.

In much of the world, the handshake is a part of the first impression that we make. People think about first impressions from a grooming and dress standpoint, in business situations they practice what they might say, and they often read books to learn what kinds of questions to ask to remain authentic and create a positive first impression.

And while all of that is important, it is the handshake, often overlooked and forgotten, that is the first physical information others receive about us at the early part of a relationship.

In other words, handshakes matter.

And a strong one can make a big difference.

With that preamble, let me share with you my secrets for a great handshake.

1. Start with eye contact and a smile. A great handshake isn't just about a physical gesture, it is about connecting with the other person. It is a greeting and you want the other person to feel that you are pleased to be greeting them. The best way to do that is with your face and your eyes.

2. Go for the thumb. Keep your hand open and make sure your handshake will be a hand shake not a finger or palm shake. This means getting the joint of your thumb (the lower joint - the tissue between your thumb to your forefinger) nestled into the joint of their thumb. This allows you to truly have a full hand shake.

3. Firm, not strong. A good handshake is firm but not overpowering. It isn't the precursor to a wrestling match. Always make your grip firm, but make adjustments based on the firmness of the other person's grip.

4. Up and down, not back and forth. A good handshake has a nice up and down motion, not a back and forth one, as if you were jointly trying to saw some wood. Again, adjust the motion to what seems natural and comfortable to the other person.

5. Adjust duration. Some people prefer a long handshake, others prefer them much shorter. Observe the other person and adjust the duration to the situation, how well you know the person, and what seems comfortable to them.

6. Consider your left hand. While it may not be appropriate in some cultures, I often use my other hand to grasp the other side of the person's hand or to touch their arm. This gesture makes the handshake seem warmer and more personal. When I am trying to convey that, I include my left hand. You might consider doing that too.

7. Close with eye contact and a smile. If the smile and eye contact hasn't continued throughout the handshake, finish it out that way.


As a leader or a person responsible for interacting with Customers in any way, the value of this skill is obvious. The fact is though that having a great handshake is a life skill we should all cultivate. It matters to us in creating first impressions and in building relationships.

Thanks to Teresa for asking me the question.

How Hard Do You Practice?

The Indianapolis Star featured articles leading up to last weekend's Final Four activities in town about some Indiana basketball legends. I read the articles about both Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird. But it is something in the Larry Bird article that I can't get out of my head. More specifically, one quote:

"I used to shoot a lot of free throws," he said. "I wouldn't leave until I made a hundred in a row. When I went to the line in the pros, I'd just remember the feeling of the ball coming off my fingers. I'd never go up there thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to miss this.' I'd just go back to being on the court in the summer and shooting all those free throws, and trying to remember the rhythm."

Larry Bird was named one the 50 greatest NBA players a few years ago, and if they looked at that list of 50 players, most fans would say that Larry Bird came the closest to maximizing his potential.

I have read many times about how competitive he was and how much he practiced. But that one phrase speaks volumes.

Most people would be satisfied with their progress if they shot 100 free throws day. They would likely be pleased if they made ten in a row.

Bird shot until he made 100 in a row.

So if he missed #98, he started over.

The next time you are working on your coaching skills, perfecting your Customer Service skills, working on being a better team player or rehearsing an important training session, think about Larry Bird.

How many times are you practicing? How prepared are you?