Blog For Converting

Putring our Celebration in a Customer Context

2009-09-30T02:18:00.000-07:00

Sixteen years ago this week I left the comfort and security of a great corporate job at Chevron Corporation to begin my company, the company that is now known as the Kevin Eikenberry Group. A few weeks ago, when I shared the fact that it was about to be 16 years, someone commented, "16 years in business and married 23 years - and happy with both. Not everyone can say that."

I smiled.

I'm truly blessed.

I've been thinking about the 16 years, the challenges, the surprises, the mistakes, the wins and the lessons. And as a result of that I will be writing blog posts for the next 16 days - posts of lessons learned that can be applied to all of our lives. Those 16 posts are just one of the ways we will be celbrating - but I'll tell you more abou thtat tomorrow.

I grew up on a family farm. We raised crops and hogs, did custom fieldwork and a fertilizer business. While the lessons from all of that experience are many, one of the most important things I learned from a very young age was about how to relate to, treat and revere Customers.

That Customer mindset served me very well during my Chevron career, and has served me even better as an entrepreneur. The first name of my company - Performance Partners - defined that perspective. My goal then, and now, was to become Partners with our Customers to solve their Performance problems.

While we say it differently today - we want to be Your Leadership Help Button - the point is the same. We are here to serve you - our Customers. Any of the success we have had to this point rests firmly on this founding principle.

My challenge for you today, as an individual performer and a leader is to
think about how you think about your Customers - to carefully consider how those thoughts translate into actions - and how successfully you are meeting or
exceeding the needs of those most important people.

Because without our Customers, past and present, I wouldn't be celebrating 16 years in business next month, we are going to make our celebration all about YOU. Tomorrow I will announcing some very cool, very fun, and very valuable activities that will be a part of our month-long anniversary celebration - and all of it is about helping, encouraging, inspiring and thanking you.

Stay tuned for the announcement. . .

and in the meantime, thank one of your Customers today.

A Three Step Success Formula

2008-11-28T04:35:00.000-08:00

I just opened an email that told me I have been named a Distinguished Author by Best Management Articles.

I don't share that to brag or make some sort of pronouncement. I share it here for the lesson it gives to all of us.

If you want something, you must take action.

I've been writing articles for several years - well over 300 of them at this point (not counting over 700 blog posts). In that time I have gotten better (I hope), I have had some great things happen and met some wonderful people. But none of it would have happened - including receiving the email today - if I hadn't:

1. Decided to write.
2. Write.
3. Keep writing.

If I stop at 1 (which many people do) or at 2 (because "I wrote an article and nothing happened"), the results I am receiving and will continue to receive wouldn't have come to me.

By the way, this article isn't about writing unless that is your action too. This article is about deciding to do the things that will help you become more successful and reach your goals.

Maybe you want to be better with Customers. Maybe you want to be more creative. Maybe you want to be a better team member or team leader. Or maybe you want to learn something new.

It doesn't matter what your "what" it; the formula remains the same.

1. Decide
2. Do
3. Keep doing

Chances are you know what your what is. You may have even taken step 1 by deciding to do it.

Now it is time for action and discipline.

This is a very simple success formula. It's time to get going.

The Six Cancers of Customer Care

2008-10-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

Want to keep your organization out of recession? Consider these thoughts about the Six Cancers of Customer Care and how to overcome them.

Learning as a Relationship Building Opportunity

2008-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here I am combining my love or learning and of beer to share a lesson relevant to us as leaders and marketers:

Learning and education is a tremendous relationship building opportunity.

When we help people learn new things, we are deepening our relationship with them.

Staying Connected

2008-05-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

Staying connected is important for us in any number of roles in our lives: as leaders, as friends, as businesspeople, as marketers, as parents, as family members, as people.

And while there are many ways for us to stay and get connected (including millions that don't include electronics, screens, or the internet), tools for building and strengthening relationships using the electronic/internet world abound and are growing daily.

One of the reasons I haven't been posting as frequently here lately is because I have been learning about and using a couple of these tools - and I added another new one today. As I sit here this morning, I am struck by the options and working/playing hard to find the right balance for me (in all of the roles above!) between the various media, and tools.

As I find answers, I'll let you know. In the meantime, here are some ways you can stay more closely connected to me - using some of the tools I am using the most right now. I hope you choose to connect to me with as many of these tools as you use.

Remarkable Leadership Blog RSS

Whether you connect with me, consider how you will connect with others today - whether online, offline, or both. Connections are the start of relationships, and relationships make every part of our lives more rich, valuable, meaningful and fun.

Customer Relationships are Recession Busters

2008-04-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

This post is about two things: recessions and a solution to them.

Don't worry this is not an economic treatise about the definitions and causes of economic downturns sometimes called recessions. Rather, it is an explanation of how we can think about these events differently and, when these circumstances surround us, how we can improve our results regardless of what the media tells us.

While regional, national or global level economic indicators can show that an economy is slowing down, that people are losing their jobs and the like, I believe that for individuals, a recession is little more than a change in circumstances that we can choose to participate in or not. I would argue that recessions don't even exist for us as individuals, unless we allow them to.

Recessions and Our Response

First, if you are reading this and have lost your job or are facing significant changes in your situation due to the events being labeled "recession", please don't get angry with my comments, but continue reading with an open mind. Use these ideas to be proactive in dealing with the opportunity you are now facing.

The media and/or politicians may say we are in a recession. And yet, businesses are still buying products and services (though perhaps a bit less than 'normal') and businesses are still hiring employees and moving forward.

The key for you and your business is to be the one who gets a larger percentage of the orders or the interviews or job offers that are available. In this proactive way you can choose to recognize that recessions are macro not micro events. You have a choice about how you will view the event the media calls "recession."

What I'm saying is that times might be a little tougher and that it might not be as easy as it used to be (or will be again), but so what? You can succeed through a better plan and a bit of persistence. When things are a little tougher, it simply separates out those who are prepared to work harder and more creatively.

Our Best Response

After you have readjusted your views on what a recession is, and how you can most proactively view those circumstances, your next actions should be focused on the source of your income and profits: Your Customers.

You may call them something else: Clients, Patients, Students, Participants, Users, or Participants. Or you may be thinking, "Kevin I work inside the organization, I don't deal with our paying Customers." That’s fine, you still have Customers. Other departments, the people who you give your work to, the people who give you work, all of these people are your internal Customers. (If you "only" have internal Customers, read on, apply the points and wait for a special message for you before I close.)

Whatever you call them and whoever they are, your Customers are your personal recession buster - but only if you focus on them more completely, deeply and consistently than ever. Think about it this way - your Customers are the source of all revenue for your organization; your Customers write your paycheck. It makes sense to build and deepen your relationships with them always, but that is never more true than in times where they are buying less and probably distracted by the economy themselves.

Your Customers are looking for new solutions. Your Customers want help. Your Customers need you.

Five Ideas

Here are five ways you can focus on deepening your relationships with your Customers, starting right now.

Get in touch. Stop by, make a call, send a handwritten note, send an email (in that order of priority - the further up this list the more valuable the contact will be). Let them know you care, take the effort to be connected.

Stay in touch. Don't make this contact a one-time event but part of an ongoing process of staying in touch, connected and at the top of the mind for your Customer.

Ask how you can help them. No strings and no qualifiers. Do you appreciate it when someone offers to help you with something? So will your Customers, even if they don't take you up on the offer.

Educate them. Send an article, share an idea. After you know how you can help or what their challenges are, it will be easier to determine the best things to share based on their interests and needs.

Focus on serving not selling. People buy from those they like, trust and respect. Sales will come. Focus on the person, building the relationship and serving them.

These are just five ideas - you probably can come up with fifty-five more. Your challenge is to find ways to be relevant, helpful and available to your Customers.

A Final Thought

Before I close, I promised those with internal Customers a final thought. If you will do the things above, you will help your internal Customer better serve the paying Customer. When you sparkle in these efforts, they may even get ideas from your actions to apply with their Customers.

Regardless of where you sit in the organization you can have a direct impact on business success by your actions. Focus those actions on improving relationships with your Customers, whoever they are.

What Do You Believe?

2008-03-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with the words from a Brooks and Dunn song in my head. I didn't know the title, but I assumed it was "I Believe". So, a bit later to iTunes I went to spend my $.99. After doing the search, I didn't find it, but I found 150 results, including an old Don Williams song that was popular on country radio when I was in high school. Yes, I dropped $.99 on it, and did another search.

The song I had been singing in my head is simply titled Believe.

As I worked on email and cleaning my office I listened to my two new purchases. The Brooks and Dunn song has a very gospel message and sound, and the Don Williams tune is a love ballad.

Both have me thinking about believing.

The Don Williams song is a series of statements of things he doesn't believe (right is right and left wrong, that north and south can get along is one lyrical pair), then he closes with a chorus of things he does believe in (including love, babies, Mom and Dad, and eventually the person he is singing to).

All of this has me thinking about what we believe in, and how impacts us as professionals and leaders.

What are the things you believe in most deeply?

How do those beliefs impact your daily actions and behaviors?

Are you living in alignment with those beliefs? (If not, can you be surprised if there is significant stress in your life?)

Yesterday when completing a proposal, I wrote about some of our beliefs and philosophies as a company. Communicating them was important - it will help the potential Client decide if we are the right fit for them or not.

What do you believe?

And how are you putting those beliefs into action each day?

These are powerful questions for all of us.

Making a Choice

2007-12-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

I recently read this somewhere:

Being right is less important than being successful.

This isn't the first time I've heard this idea, but when I read it this time it hit me as profound.

Consider:

- A leader who takes ownership of an idea of a team member, frustrating the team member and damaging trust.
- An argument with a customer that becomes counter productive because being right becomes the primary concern.

I could list other examples, but I'm sure you have thought of your own.

We all have the opportunity to make a choice in these situations. This quotation reminds me of the importance of this choice.

When you feel yourself focused on being correct, ask yourself if that focus is serving your biggest goals.

A Remarkable Learning Event

2007-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Last week I attended the 2007 Author Pow Wow sponsored by 800-CEO-Read. At the end of the two day event the participants were asked to share a single word that encapsulated their feelings and thoughts about our time together.

Words included: fun, invogorating, energy, relationships, genersoity, memorable, learning, and fattening (that was right on Ben). I chose the word Remarkable. The group chuckled at my choice, but it truly is the best word I could have chosen.

Consider this - a highly creative and fun environment thanks to The Catalyst Ranch in Chicago, over 20 business authors working to hone their craft and learn about the publishing and marketing of books, along with experts and gurus from across the expanse of publishing, as well as the 800-CEO-READ team. This group included:

The Authors

Erika Andersen - Growing Great Employees

Greg Alexander - Topgrading for Sales

Jose Castillo - an incredibily smart and creative guy.

Phil Gerbyshak - 10 Ways to Make it Great

Joanne Gordon - Be Happy at Work

Jackie Huba Creating Customer Evangelists

Joe Heuer - check out several of his books, including Business Daffynitions

Mike Kanazawa - Big Ideas to Big Results

Alexander Kjerulf - Happy Hour is 9 to 5

Steve Little - The Milkshake Moment

Ben McConnell - Citizen Marketers

Pamela Miles and Jack Mitchell - Hug Your Customers, and soon, Hug Your People

Robert Mintz - The World According To You

Susan Quandt - Sudden Impact on the Job

David Meerman Scott - The New Rules of Marketing and PR

Michael Stallard - Fired Up or Burned Out

Dan Roam - The Back of the Napkin

John Rosen and AnnaMaria Turano - Stopwatch Marketing

Rajesh Setty - Life Beyond Code

Bill Welter - The Prepared Mind of a Leader

Steve Yastrow - We - The Ideal Customer Relationship

The Gurus

Ray Bard - Bard Press

Mark Bloomfield - Harvard Business School Press

Shelley Dolley - Leap7

Barbara Cave Henricks and Dennis Welch - Cave Henricks Communications

Mark Fortier - Fortier Public Relations

Nick Morgan - Public Words

Gerry Sindell - ThoughtLeaders INTL

Les Tuerk - BrightSight Group

Susan Williams - Jossey-Bass (my inital editor for Remarkable Leadership)

The 800-CEO-READ Team

Jack Covert
Melinda Cross - Concepts Content Copy
Sally Haldorson
Jon Mueller
Kate Mytty
Joy Panos Stauber - Stauber Design Studio
Todd Sattersten
Aaron Schleicher
Dylan Schleicher
Rebecca Schlei

I want to thank everyone involved - the efforts of everyone form the staff at the Ranch, the the 800-CEO-READ team, to the speakers and gurus, to my fellow authors. Each one helped to create this amazing learning experience. All of my expectations for the event were met and surpassed thanks to everyone else.

The lesson here for everyone?

When you have a chance to hang out with and learn from other cool and smart people, make sure you do whatever you have to do to make it happen - it the experience will expand your thoughts, infuse you with energy and change your life if you let it.

A Customer Service post script - the staff and facility at The Catalyst Ranch is amzing - yes, the facility is fun and refreshing, but it wouldn't work without an incredibly customer focused staff. If you are ever having a meeting in Chicago, consider The Catalyst Ranch.

Words Matter

2007-10-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

That was the title of the sermon J.K. Jones gave at Traders Point Christian Church yesterday. While in this post I won't include the scripture references, I believe the five points he made are extremely relevant to all of us as leaders, team members, and professionals (and as human beings).

He suggests asking these five questions regularly:

Are my words true?
Are my words helpful?
Are my words inspiring?
Are my words necessary?
Are my words kind?

If you take the first letter from the key word in each question: true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, kind; you get THINK.

Asking these questions, and adjusting our actions accordingly will make us better communicators, better team members, better leaders . . . and better at just about anything else you can think of.

In short, words matter, so THINK.

We are All Accountable to Make a Difference

2007-08-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have a new hero - Denny Flanagan. Denny is a pilot for United Airlines and was the focus of a a front page article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal. You can read the article here.

Captain Denny does a variety of things for his passengers - and none of them are in the United employee handbook. Here are just a few examples:

- he takes pictures of people's pets in the cargo area and show them to passengers.
- when there are long delays he buys McDonald's hamburgers or fruit for all the passengers.
- he hand writes notes to passengers in first and business class, thanking them for choosing to fly United.
- he calls the parents of unaccompanied minors on his cell phone if there are delays.

The article states that the airline reimburses the pilot for his expenses for these unique services, and I'm sure they would do it for others as well.

Captain Flanagan is taking personal responsibility for his Customers. Captain Flanagan is leading, without a leadership title. He is making a difference for hundreds of passengers everyday.

And guess what?

Because of his proactive approach, I'm sure Captain Flanagan enjoys his work far more than most of his colleagues.

All of these things are a choices this pilot, who lives on a farm in Ohio, makes everyday. These are choices that are making a difference for his company, his co-workers, his customers and himself.

You don't have to be a leader to make a difference; Captain Denny Flanagan proves it.

And that is why Captain Flanagan is my hero.

Rental Car Customer Service and The Remarkable Leader

2007-08-14T02:49:00.000-07:00

Diane Brady, in a recent Business Week blog post commented on a Customer Service horror story. She recounts how on trying to return a rental car 10 hours early, they (Avis) attempt to charge her an almost 50% premium on her rates!

While she did negotiate those rates back down, it leaves me thinking about what I would do if I was the leader at Avis and at the counter at that location. Maybe more to the point,

What would a remarkable leader do?

Before we answer that question, read the post for yourself.

There are issues at at least three levels here:

Policy level
Empowerment level
Customer Mindset level

These levels are intermingled, but let me unpack a couple of thoughts for you.

Perhaps there is a policy in place to handle these situations (however inane it sounds). If so, a Remarkable, proactive leader would be working to change, abolish or remove this policy. Yes, even if that leader is the night counter manager in Newark - a policy that makes no sense and is detrimental to customers requires change!

Since in this case, the charges were changed, it is clear that even if it was a policy, the person at the desk had the ability to use their judgement and change it. This is an empowerment issue. While Diane had to wait too long and work too hard to make this happen, some "justice" was done. As a remarkable leader it is your job to empower people to make those decisions, based on organizational goals and values. As importantly, to make those decisions quickly when working with Customers, which leads to the third level . . .

Remarkable leaders set the pace in creating a mindset that is focused on Customers and meeting/exceeding their needs. If leadership had created the right mindset, Diane wouldn't have had a blog post to write, and neither would I. What is the mindset in your organization in relationship to Customers. Is the end of Diane's story ("hey, she got the rate changed") good enough?

All of us have these Customer service horror stories. The question is, as a leader what are you learning from them?

Lean Towards Your Customer

2007-05-04T03:58:00.000-07:00

While reviewing a new program from Charthouse Learning called Leader Fish! (a program for leaders based on the Fish! philosophy, I heard a phrase used by Southwest Airlines people on the DVD. They talked about leaning towards the Customer.

This comment was made talking about encouraging people to try new things and not to be afraid of making mistakes. The comment was that no one will ever get in trouble for a decision if they are leaning towards the Customer.

Which led me to some questions . . .

Did I lean towards my Customers today?
Did I encourage my team to lean towards a Customer?
How can we lean tomorrow?
How can we lean next week?

Leaning towards Customers. It obviously works for Southwest. There is every reason it can work for you too.

Go ahead...

lean towards your Customer.

Speaking Their Language

2007-05-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

To be the most effective as a communicator, it is our responsibility to communicate in ways that work for the other person. We must become adept at seeing the other person's perspective, their skills and their style. One of the best short pieces I've read recently on this truth was written by Guy Harris (who calls himself the Recovering Engineer) this week.

This communication truth applies to us in all areas of our communication - in working with Customers, leading others, being a part of a team and more.

His article really hit home for me, and I believe it will for you too. It is titled Speaking Their Language, and I highly recommend reading it.

Customer Loyalty Guaranteed!

2007-05-01T04:59:00.000-07:00

I had the distinct pleasure of reading a pre publication copy of Chip Bell and John Patterson's new book entitled Customer Loyalty Guaranteed. This book comes out this fall and I encourage you to put it on Amazon wish list today. The book delivers on its promise on helping you to create, maintain and lead for Customer Service and it's a book that you want when it is published by Adams Media in September.

How did I get to read a draft of the book? I was asked to give a testimonial for it, and here is what I wrote:

"Read this book, and put the ideas into action and you will do exactly as the title suggests, you'll guarantee customer loyalty. If you have customers, read this book."

PhotoReading and Thoughts about Promoting, Selling, and Communicating

2007-04-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

I am a customer of PhotoReading - a product of Learning Strategies. You can check out my reviews of both the book and the full system as written about in my newsletter, Unleash Your Potential.

I also recently, partnered with Learning Strategies to promote this product to our Powerquotes list . . . which is why I write this post.

A couple of my readers emailed me expressing concern about me "hawking" this product to my list. I replied to these readers with my thanks for their notes and I addressed their concerns.

I wasn't hawking a product, but promoting something I feel is of great value. I wasn't selling it to make a commission, though I will make one. I was sharing the opportunity with people because I see the value and benefits to them. If you are interested in learning more, you can go here.

The lesson for all of us is that it is important that we make our true intentions clear. When we are transparent and truly working from a position of providing value and benefit to the other person, we can't just assume the other person will see this perspective.

As you communicate with others make sure you message and your intent is clear, and you will have much greater success in the communication process and in building the relationship.

The Power of Gratefulness

2007-03-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

It seems everywhere I look, turn or listen I find messages about gratitude. I've always been a person who tries to "count my blessings" and be grateful for the wonderful (and even the not-so-wonderful) things in my life.

I believe that when we need greater lessons and understanding of a topic or idea, if we listen, those lessons will be made available to us. The more I "notice" lessons on gratitude, the more I'm convinced I was ready for deeper lessons.

I have in the past few months become more disciplined about being in a state of gratitude and reminding myself of the things I am grateful for each day. There is no question that this practice is making a difference in my life.

This is not just a personal "feeling better about myself and my world" topic either - there is loads of research that shows that when we are more grateful we build relationships more effectively, communicate more positively and are more effective and efficient. Note this recent post in Curt Rosengren's wonderful Occupational Adventure blog.

It describes a fascinating study of the tangible benefits of being grateful. I encourage you to read it.

Here is an exercise to try today. Before your next meeting, take 2 minutes to write down five things you have to be grateful for over the past two weeks. These can be small or large things - it doesn't matter. Notice how you frame issues and communicate differently in the meeting.

Once you have done this for yourself a couple of times, take a bigger risk (it really isn't a risk but it might feel like one right now) and ask everyone in the meeting to do the same thing.

This isn't a sharing exercise - reassure people that they won't be asked to share what is on their list - it is a personal gratitude exercise.

Taking this action will create a new energy and focus for your meeting. You will create more ideas, and more positive, encouraging conversation.

This is just one example reflecting on your gratitude. (If you are immediately interested and want some other ideas go here.) In the coming weeks and months, I might well have more to share in this area. But even if I don't, this one exercise can make a positive difference in your life when you do it.

What Could I Stop Doing?

2007-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

I met with a new friend today. He is the Vice President for Business Development at a bank. He told me he made a decision about six months ago. His decision?

"I decided to stop selling banking solutions."

He isn't a slacker - he hasn't stopped working or drawing a paycheck. But rather than trying to sell a banking solution he has been trying to connect and help people - to build relationships.

His results?

Production was double of the first six months of the year and he topped his annual target by 25%.

Reminds me of my new question - How can I help you reach your goals in 2007? (see post here.)

Here's a question for you - what could you stop doing today that would help others more and therefore give you greater results with more fun?

Helping Others Reach Their Goals

2007-01-23T03:04:00.000-08:00

In an organizational context, there are may connections between our work and helping others reach their goals. Consider:

- It is our responsibility and opportunity as a leader to help others reach their goals.
- As members of teams we have the chance to help others reach their goals.
- As a trainer you are in a unique position to help people reach their goals
- When serving Customers, by definition, if in only a small way that is what you are doing.

Perhaps because of all of these factors, I have been ending emails with "Let me know how I can help you reach your goals in 2007" for a few days now. Since doing so, several interesting things have happened.

1. On the day I decided to make this a regular part of many emails, I sent a note to a colleague and friend, ending it that way. Her response included: "Oh baby - I love that question "please let me know what I can do to help you reach your 2007 goals". That's awesome and right back atcha." She added that a friend of hers had asked her the same question the day before and was also resolved to ask people that question everyday.

2. I added it to my basic email signature yesterday, and a person I didn't know emailed me a question. My inclusion of that line caused him to send a note asking for some help which I was able to provide. (It also led to me finding out that one of my articles was reprinted in a very visible place I was unaware of).

3. Several people have replied, asking me what they can do to help me.

4. Perhaps more important than these occurrences is that I am now much more consciously focused on helping others reach their goals. Not only is that good business, given the business that I am in, but it feels great.

I urge you to ask this question of others in your own way in the coming days. And let me close by saying...

Let me know what I can do to help you reach your goals in 2007.

What We Can Learn From Rosie and The Donald

2007-01-04T05:17:00.000-08:00

It is hard to avoid it - even if you don't read the tabloids or watch tabloid TV, you probably know that Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump are having a spat. If you need a recap you can go here. I call it a spat, but they'd call it a conflict.

And in the "conflict" is where there is at least two lessons for us.

Lesson 1: If you want to resolve a conflict, you must know where the conflict comes from, and what is in it for the other person to remain in conflict.

In the case of Rosie and Donald, I don't believe they want to get out of this conflict (or really, that it is really even a conflict) at all. What is in it for both of them is the same thing - publicity.

Rosie replaced Meredith Vierra on The View, and while ratings have gone up (I heard last night), the publicity certainly helps. Donald get publicity for his Miss Universe brand, and the fact that the on-air tussle comes when the new season of The Apprentice is arriving, makes it all the better.

Lesson 2: If the other person doesn't want to resolve the conflict, don't escalate it.

Improve Your Results with a BIG Goal

2007-01-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today is the final in my series of Seven Ways to Improve Your Professional Results in 2007 (or anytime). The first six suggestions are:

- Create more energy in your life.
- Commit to better working relationships.
- Project a contagious, positive attitude.
- Talk less, listen more.
- Mentor someone.
- Keep a journal.

I've never been very good at those "which five CDs would you want on a desert island?" kinds of questions and so I'm not sure I could pick just one of these suggestions, but I could make a passionate case for today's suggestion:

Set a big goal.

The reason this one might be the most important is that if you set a big goal, the other suggestions might well become tactics to help you achieve that goal.

Simply setting a goal would be a good tactic, but setting a big goal is a better tactic. If you have, in the past had trouble getting started, read this article - it will help you take away all of your excuses.

Your goal could be about your application of one of the other suggestions above, but more likely it will be about a skill you want to develop, a financial position you'd like to be in, a possession you'd like to acquire, a promotion you'd like to secure, or any of 1000 other things.

Whatever your goal is, setting it provides you greater focus and raises your intention for success. That is fine.

But if you really want to accelerate your results, make the goal big. Make it outrageous. Stretch yourself beyond where you think you 'should' be.

Create a goal worthy of your potential.

Then go out and achieve it.

You can do it.

The Biggest Key to Problem Solving

2006-12-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

I have the opportunity to train and coach people on problem solving with some regularity. In fact, we recently built a one day customized problem solving and decision making workshop for one of our great Canadian Clients, OPTI Canada.

In the workshop we talked about a problem solving mindset, what gets in our way, a problem solving process, and much more.

Nothing we taught could be any more powerful than this quotation from Norman Vincent Peale,

"Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will."

An open mind, a clear problem statement, the right people involved, and a good problem solving process are all important.

But always remember to start with the belief that the problem can and will be solved.

Customers 1, Experts 0

2006-12-12T04:31:00.000-08:00

Last night I heard on television and this morning I read online about the NBA's decision to go back to the old ball on January 1 for the rest of the year.

All of the new ball/old ball story can be referenced from this post, where I talk about the problem with the new ball from an important perspective - the perspective of the players (i.e. the Customers).

The good news of this change back, is that much like what Coca-Cola learned with New Coke; better is defined first, and most importantly by the Customer, not by management, the experts or anyone else.

Kudos to the NBA for rethinking their decision and kudos to the players for speaking their discontent.

The score?

Customers 1, Experts 0.

The NBA will no doubt reopen their look at an improved ball. Here's hoping they learned their lesson and include their Customers in the process next time.

Are you including your Customers (both internal and external) in your perceived process and product improvements?

Who is the Customer? Who Has the Ball?

2006-12-08T03:19:00.000-08:00

In the National Basketball Association, the players have it (the ball).

And this year the League has introduced a new ball - it is constructed differently and is made of a synthetic substance rather than leather (is nothing sacred?!?)

The ball was developed and introduced to have more consistency in the way it handles and bounces. According to the experts (the players) it hasn't achieved those goals. In fact some players are actually getting small cuts on their fingers from the balls.

The Players Union has filed a grievance over the new ball and concurrently (perhaps because of the grievance?) the League has sent the balls back for further testing.

According to the New York Times in this article, (free registration maybe required) David Stern, the League's Commissioner has said, "I won't make a spirited defense with respect to the ball. In hindsight, we could have done a better job. I take responsibility for that."

He added: "If our players are unhappy with it, we have to analyze to the nth degree the cause of their unhappiness. Everything is on the table. I'm not pleased, but I'm realistic. We've got to do the right thing here. And of course the right thing is to listen to our players. Whether it's a day late or not, we're dealing with this."

Duh.

Who is the Customer here?

The NBA I'm sure thinks about the paying fan, the media and more as their paying Customers. However like any other business they have internal customers and stakeholders - all of whom are critical to meeting the external (paying customer's needs).

Who is the Customer of the ball?

The players of course.

The NBA made the same error that many of us make. We don't think about, and meet the needs of our internal customers.

I don't know if the new ball is better or not - but I do know that part of the definition of better must come from the customers of the product - in this case the players.

How clear are you on the expectations and needs of your internal customers?

How will meeting those needs more completely improve your results with your paying customers?

More Workers Playing Hooky

2006-10-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

That is the title of the short article in the Indianapolis Star's Business Section this morning. It is a story from the Associated Press that cites a survey conducted for CCH by the Harris Interactive consulting firm. The results?

Unscheduled absenteeism is at its highest point since 1999. The rate is 2.5%.

2.5 % of people won't be at work tomorrow, even if they said they would be when they leave work today.

If you are thinking that people can get sick and that is most of the reason for these absences, according to the survey you would only be right 35% of the time. Personal needs (18%), stress (12%) and the "entitlement mentality" (11%) are some of the other major reasons cited for unscheduled absence.

As I read this short piece all I could think about was the conversation I had with a potential Client yesterday. I was called to come and talk about improving or increasing the engagement of the staff.

Engagement.

People who are engaged in their work, who are passionate and truly care about their work don't take days off for inconsequential things and they certainly don't do it because they feel entitled to the time off.

Some people will read these statistics and think about how people taking unscheduled time off hurts their staffing levels and their ability to provide good Customer Service. They will be right.

Some people will look at the overall labor market and see that as jobs get easier to come by, people are more willing to take the extra time off. I'm guessing in some parts of the country this might be a contributing factor.

Some people will read these statistics and blame it on the younger workers, thinking, "They just don't care like people used to." I don't personally think this is true, but it is a valid perspective.

In the end though I don't think about any of those things. I think about opportunity.

As leaders we have an opportunity to engage our people more fully in their work. When we do they will become more productive, achieve more, and enjoy their work more. They will also come to work when they are scheduled to be there. They'll take Cal Ripken - baseball's all time consecutive games played record holder - as their role model, rather than Ferris Bueller.

We can engage others more fully in their work. When we do those things we are benefiting our business, but we are also benefiting the individual greatly. They will be happier and healthier, and they will choose to come to work because their work is contributing in positive ways to their life.

If you aren't a leader, you can still choose to be engaged or find new work that does engage you.

How engaged are you?

What could you do to become more personally engaged in your work?

The percentages in this survey in 2007 may go down. I hope that if they do the reason is because leaders around the country have taken the challenge to engage people more fully in their work.

A Lesson at the Deli Counter

2006-10-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

I overheard a conversation between two employees at the deli counter at my local grocery store recently. The younger of the two women was talking about how people can't be trusted any more. "It's not like it used to be," she said (though she seemed hardly over 25), "People will say or do anything - you can't trust anyone."

"That's why I have just a small circle of friends, and beyond that, I'd just as soon be a hermit."

Her older colleague, listened carefully, then tried to end the conversation by saying, "That may be true, but that isn't going to stop me from talking to people."

I've had a hard time getting this conversation out of my mind.

The belief that "people can't be trusted anymore" is altering woman #1's life. It will impact her ability to be successful at work, build satisfying relationships, and navigate life easily. Her statement about being a hermit shows the depth of her belief.

It isn't my goal in this short post to convince you that her belief is incorrect, but rather to have you reflect on the power our beliefs have on our performance and results.

What beliefs are aiding or hindering your personal and professional progress? Have you consciously chose those beliefs or are they operating as filters in your life without adequate examination?

These are questions worth considering.

No one can do this for you, you must consider them yourself.

Manners and Customer Service

2006-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Someone recently posed the question to me, "Can we get "jerks" to give good Customer Service? I mean with the overall decline in manners, how can we expect service to be excellent?"

Whew. There is a lot of beliefs dripping around the edges of that question!

My first point would be that if you think you have "jerks" on your team - or think that "jerks" are all you can find to hire, that you are in deep you-know-what before you ever move forward. Leaders need to have a positive expectation of people first and foremost. But let me get off my soapbox there and talk about the rest of the question - which hinges on the connection between manners and Customer Service.

While there's definitely a connection between customer service and manners, good customer service is about a lot more than good manners alone. Good Customer Service requires processes and procedures and tools that will enable good Customer Service. It requires leadership that makes customer service a priority and that empowers employees who work directly with Clients and Customers to make decisions.

Often leaders have expectations about how the Customer will be treated but never share those expectations with employees. They may be thinking "this is so obvious; we don't need to focus on this with our people because they know how to treat others."

Great Customer Service is more than knowing how to treat people; it's more than being nice. It's having processes and procedures in place from the beginning. It's knowing what to do - plus knowing how and when to do it. Customer service declines within an organization when those in leadership positions decline to make customer service a priority.

Those were my initial thoughts to the question posed to me... What do you think?

Relationship Lessons from Another Language

2006-08-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

In the April 2006 issue of Fast Company, there is an article about Dan Mintz, an American who has become a very successful businessperson in China. (You can read the full article here.) Early in the article a Chinese word is introduced - guanxi (pronounced gwan-she). According to the article, it is literally translated as "relationship building", but in practice it means "carefully cultivated clout, a culturally calibrated measure of respect, influence, and honor." The article goes on to say that it is a personal as well as political form of capital.

I've long been interested in learning words from other languages because it is through language that we create understanding. It is no coincidence that our vocabulary and our intelligence are closely linked - the more words we have in our mind the easier it is to express our thoughts and to think in new ways.

Guanxi is a word that does this for me - it expands my thoughts about relationship building. Relationship building is an important part of our lives in many ways - within the last two weeks I have had conversations or done training where relationship building has been discussed connected to Customer Service (even in very short relationships), consulting, leadership, facilitation, and sales. I'm sure you could expand this list and it doesn't even yet include our personal and family relationships.

So here are two questions for you: In the relationships you are working to build now, how would the components of guanxi - respect, influence, and honor - influence your behaviors and choices? Do you think about those factors when building a relationship?

I encourage you to think about those components in the coming days. Recognize that if you want to gain respect, influence, and honor, you will do best by focusing on giving those things first.

Build relationships by putting the other person first - respect them at higher levels, influence them not for your gain but for theirs, and honor them highly.

The dual lesson in this post for me is both the power of the insight gained by adding a new component to relationship building and that these insights came from a new word I learned from another language. I encourage both to think about the lessons of guanxi - both in terms of relationships and vocabulary.

Resistance and Change

2006-08-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

In consulting and working with organizations regarding change, a major concern surfaces when I hear questions like:

"What do we do about the resistors?"
"How do we lower the resistance?"
"What if people don't buy-in?"

It is our natural inclination to deal with resistance by combating it, "pushing back" or in some other way getting defensive. We know from our experience that rarely works. And while we know those approaches don't work, we resort to them anyway.

In my experience you will only change your response to the resistance when you view the resistance differently. We encounter three basic initial responses when sharing a change with others:

- Acceptance
- Resistance
- Apathy

Assuming you'd pick acceptance as your first choice, let me ask you a question - would you prefer resistance or apathy? While you might be tempted to think apathy - after all in the moment of conversation that might be easier - in the end you know you don't want apathy either.

When people are apathetic they don't care. When people are resistant, they are engaged, just not sold.

The next time you encounter resistance, remember this mathematical equation,

resistance = engagement

then respond to the resistance you encounter hopefully, openly and eagerly. Your new response will not only be more pleasant, it will be more successful.

Customer Service Made Simple

2006-08-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I was delivering some Customer Service training to the parking, gates and security staff for the 150th Indiana State Fair. Whenever I work with groups on this important topic, I try to find ways to help them see that it is the Customer who writes their paycheck.

In both sessions, after thinking I had already made this point clearly, I tried again, by asking this question:

How would you treat each Customer if you knew that their full $6 ticket price was going into your pocket?

In the morning session, I heard, "I'd say thank you. Thank you VERY much. And please come again."

In the afternoon session, I heard, "I'd treat them like gold."

There it is. Most everything we need to know about Customer Service emanates from those two answers: thank them and value their business, and treat them like gold.

It is easy to treat "nice" and "pleasant" Customers this way. It is our job when serving Customers to treat them ALL that way (even when they are mean, grumpty and irrational). We may not get their full $6 ticket fee, but without them we don't get any check at all.

ABC's of Customer Recovery

2006-07-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

We all make mistakes - including with Customers. We will upset them, overcharge them, mess up their service, or wrong them in some other way. Not because we want to or mean to, but because it happens.

One of the truths about exceptional Customer service is that the story isn't over when we make a mistake. The story doesn't have to end there. If we recover gracefully and successfully, we may have a more loyal Customer than we did before we made the mistake.

If you want some great suggestions on Customer Service Recovery, read this post on the The Business Management Blog Resource. It contains 26 suggestions - one for each letter of the alphabet to help you recover more successfully.

Thanks to Bud Bilanich for pointing me to this great post.

6 Ways to Create More Play at Work

2006-06-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Last year, on the 6th of May (the day after 5/5/05) I made a note to post something special on 6/6/06. And thanks to additional prompting from the fabulous Rosa Say, I'm sharing six ways to create more play at work.

When Rosa suggested that topic for today, I loved it. Specifically, Rosa challenges us to think of 6 ways to put more play in our lives. I've taken her good idea and extended it to work. Since we spend such a large percentage of our time doing it, we should be consciously looking for ways to make work more full of play too. It is a topic worth exploring and it is a topic I care about.

Here then are six ways to bring more playfulness into the workplace.

Put a candy bowl on your desk.
Place a toy on your desk, or put some toys in each of your meeting rooms.
Put clay or playdough on the tables for the next training you attend (whether you are the trainer or not!)
Laugh more often, and encourage laughter around you - remember that business is too important to take seriously.
Make sure to do some of the things you are best at each day. (See this post for more thoughts on this idea.)
Stage a monthly celebration - whether for birthdays, successes, or whatever - do something to celebrate regularly.

Some of these are easy and can be implemented by anyone, starting today. Others might take some influencing, and some while they can be introduced by anyone will need more support throughout the organization. Regardless, you can take action towards any of these today.

Take one of these ideas specifically, or do something else that you think of.

Use this day, whenever you read it, to remind to you put playfulness into your work.

Give Me the Choice

2006-05-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

Any restaurant spends significant time creating a wide and varied menu, because they know their Customers want choices. They select a wide variety of beverages, perhaps even concocting their own new ones, again with the purpose of giving their Customers choices. They also train their wait staff to talk about the daily specials, make suggestions and in general to provide options.

The investment in inventory, menus, creativity and training required to do all of these things is sizeable.

And yet, far too often we as Customers don't have the choice on something that would cost them nothing.

The wait staff provides you great service and checks in on you several times during your meal. They even come by and begin clearing plates. . . . but they don't leave the bill.

If I have the bill and want to stay and visit, I have the choice. But if I am in a bit more of a hurry, I don't have that choice, until they bring me the bill or I flag them down.

I know, some people may not bring the bill because they don't want to rush people, but that can be alleviated with a quick comment. "Feel free to stay and visit as long as you'd like, I'll leave the bill for you and I'll take care of it whenever you are ready."

The same courtesy that is shown throughout the meal can be shown now, and I as the Customer can have the choice.

Perhaps no one else feels as I do about this, but I do know, that this is one of many things we can do to improve Customer Service without implementing a new program or spending a bunch of time or money.

This message is for more than those who own or manage restaurants.

Think about the choices you offer your Customer. Think about that throughout their experience from the very beginning all the way to the very end. As important as a first impression is, the final experience will be long remembered as well.

A Shuttle Ride and a Customer Service Lesson

2006-04-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-04-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-04-14T01:49:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-04-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

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?

An Economic Case for Happiness

2006-03-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

I've written about happiness before (here and here), but after reading a post from Kevin Kelly Unlimited, I had to share it.

In his post titled A Happy source of income!, he relates research that looked at thousands of college students in the 70's and the 90's. When taking out the influences of other factors, the research found that those found to be more cheerful were also making $15,000/year.

That is $60 more dollars a work day, assuming two weeks vacation.

Interestingly, many people might say they would be happier with $60 more each day. I guess they've got it backwards.

Get happy and the rewards may come. Don't wait for the rewards to get happy.

We can all choose happiness. We'll be better co-workers and teammates. We'll be more productive. We'll be better leaders. We'll serve Customers better. We'll have better relationships. We'll be healthier. And apparently, we'll be richer too.

Your Escape Plan

2006-02-15T05:40:00.000-08:00

There is so much we can learn from our kids (or kids in general if we don't have any).

Kids are naturally curious . . . which means they tap into their creativity more naturally and are rapid learners. Kids are more spontaneous and tend to find more ways to have more fun more of the time.

We of course were all once kids and so we had all of these capabilities. And everything I read says we still have these capabilities inside us, we have just misplaced the keys. (After all, how valuable is your car without the keys?)

Enter KimandJason.com whose tag line on their home page is: Escape Adulthood. Return to Childhood. If that line doesn't make you smile, there's no need to read on, because you don't get it. But I hope you will, because you need to get it.

Are Kim and Jason suggesting we ignore our adult responsibilities? I don't think so - and neither am I. What they want us to do is attack adultitis. And in their quest to annihilate adultitis, they created a 40 day Escape plan. This plan was designed as a challenge between Kim and Jason (they are married). Each day they created a challenge for themselves to do something to attack adultitis. (One really cool thing is that we as readers can vote with which of them we think did a better job that day based on their blog posts - how cool is that?)

These challenges are all fun and all relevant to all of us - even if on the surface it might not seem that way. How can you apply The Escape Plan?

1. Do it for yourself. Start with today as your day one and Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about. (the Day 1 Challenge) . Using my New Learning Game could even be one way to do this challenge!
2. Do it with a partner - challenge each other in much the same way that Kim and Jason did.
3. Do it as a whole work group - and if you can't do one a day, do one a week- and you have a tremendous team-building activity for the rest of the year 52-7 = 45 weeks left, take out a few weeks for holidays and to get started and there you go!
4. Find specific challenges to use with a team or group. Wanting to build the creativity of a group? Find a challenge! Wanting a fresh new icebreaker for your next training session? Adapt one of the challenges.
5. Engage your Customers in these challenges. I won't give you the answer here - I challenge you to find a way to do it!
6. Follow the plan and then share your experiences and challenges with others through conversation, email or a blog. If you are a leader this will help others see you as a learner, a risk-taker and a human - something followers don't always think of their leaders as (unfortunately). If you are a parent, your kids will either think you are crazy, the coolest parent ever, or both (don't worry, they probably already think that - this will just be a confirmation).

Those are just a few ways I have thought of this morning. You will think of more.

My real advice is go to their site and do something.

Remind yourself of your kidhood and you will rediscover a valuable part of yourself that will not only make your life more satisfying and enjoyable, but make you more successful in everything you do.

Thanks to Phil Gerbyshak for pointing me to The Escape Plan and to Kim and Jason for challenging all of us.

Valentine's Day Ideas at Work

2006-02-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.

You know, the day of dinners and diamonds. Roses and romance. Chocolate and well, more chocolate!

While there is nothing wrong with those views and customs for Valentine's Day, I want to propose a different view for you today - while you may still have time to do something about it.

Think about the Valentine's Days of your kidhood - those days before hormones. Remember that everyone gave everyone else a Valentine's card (even the people we didn't like)? Remember that while we may have had one person we secretly liked, the day was about everyone?

Fast forward to today. You work in an organization. You may lead others in one way or the other. With that as a context let me tell you three truths about adult Valentine's Days:

1. Some people have a Valentine and this is a great day for them.
2. Some people don't have a Valentine and because of that this is a rotten day for them.
3. All of us loved Valentine's Day as a kid.

So as a leader or part of an organization, how can you put those three facts to work for everyone's benefit?

It starts by re-defining Valentine's Day as being about love and caring, and not about romance. With that new definition, here are five things you can do tomorrow to celebrate Valentine's Day in your workplace.

1. Send your version of Valentine's cards - which could be some left-over Garfield ones from the store, or could be a simple note or red index card with a note of thanks and caring on them.
2. Invite the group to lunch. Let everyone go to lunch together, just for the fun and fellowship of it. You could pay the tab, but you sure don't have to. Just get people together - and use Valentine's Day as the "excuse."
3. Put a heart on everyone's door or cubicle wall and invite everyone to go by and write a note of appreciation to each other on the door. People can sign them or not, and if they don't want to be "caught" encourage them to write their notes on post-it's so they can post them and not spend so long writing in public!
4. Give everyone a bag of candy hearts or carrot sticks if they are more health conscious. Just like in school, it isn't about the size of the gift, it is about the sentiment. The small little bags will guarantee to elicit a smile and raise morale on Valentine's Day.
5. Do a white elephant gift exchange. You can tell everyone about it today - tell people not to buy something but to bring something from home, or even better, something from the workplace that they don't want - and exchange those "gifts" in a short afternoon meeting - there will be laughter and mirth and you will perhaps start a new Valentine's Day office tradition.

One more thing...

About half of you reading this are men and you may feel these ideas won't work for you. My advice? Get over yourself. The reasons for doing this if you are feeling this way are even bigger. Taking this perceived risk of being "mushy" or sentimental may have an even greater impact for both you and those who you share your actions with.

These are by no means the only things you could do - they are just some suggestions to get you started. If you try something else, I'd love to hear about it - so please email me or leave a comment to this post.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Participation Rules

2006-02-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

If we are trying to build a better relationship with others, we need their participation.

Want to engage your Customers in your products and services? Get them involved in meaningful ways.

Want to create greater levels of success and productivity as a leader? Involve those you lead more fully.

Want to make the learning you are facilitating more lasting and relevant? Get the learners involved in both the planning and execution of the learning.

Want your team to feel more cohesive? Get everyone more involved.

It is a universal truth that we need to get people participating in actions, activities and decisions if we want greater levels of engagement.

It is because of this truth that I was enamored by a post called "The Next Sims" at B2Day blog.

This post talks about Spore, the next game by the creators of The Sims, that will come out in about a year. While I encourage you to read it for yourself, here is a relevant snippet...

For the longest time, games have been considered almost a new form of movie, but that ignores the really interesting opportunities we have in games. Games are in a unique position to bring content consumers into the role of creators.

In short, this game will engage participants in the creation of their own characters and worlds, and will allow players to eventually enter the worlds created by other players.

Not only does this participation make sense from the perspective of the players...but from the designers as well - they are now co-creators of the game with the players.

If the game keeps this universal truth of participation in mind, I believe it will be a runaway hit.

Do You Want a Relationship or Not?

2006-01-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

I know, the title sounds like the teaser line for the next Dr. Phil show, but that isn't what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about your vendor or supplier relationships. You know, those times when you are the Customer . . .

Recently I was the Customer of 800-CEO-Read's wonderfully cool new service/website, InBubbleWrap. InBubbleWrap is a site that helps publishers and authors spread buzz about their books by giving away those books.

Literally.

Five days a week a new book is featured and some people who raise their hand as being interested in that particular title will win a copy delivered to them, you guessed it, in bubble wrap. (Read my previous posts about the site here and here).

I contacted them through their site to inquire about publicizing my new book in this way. Their site was helpful and told me exactly what I needed to do, including providing them sales copy describing the book. I did all of those things and looked forward to the day that Vantagepoints on Learning and Life would be the featured book.

At just after 10 am my time, the site was updated with my book.

What I saw was an amazing testimonial for my book - and none of the copy I had written.

I immediately emailed the self titled "InBubbleGuy", Ryan Schleicher, to thank him.

Since then we have had several email conversations and a phone conversation. We have talked about ways we can help each other, and it looks like there are other ways we might be able to collaborate, time will tell.

I don't need the luxury of time though to tell you about the relationship that has been built - hopefully this post makes that pretty clear. And to be extra clear, while I loved what Ryan said about my book, this isn't a kudo because he stroked my ego with kind words.

The message to us as Customers is to look for more than transactions from our suppliers - to look for relationships.

The message to us as those serving Customers is to look for ways to create more than transactions - to create relationships.

We can have transactions or we can create relationships. As Customers, one option will provide us services, the other joy. As suppliers, one option will provide us with cash flow, the other with a long term flow of business and a lot more enjoyable work.

I know which one I want. What about you?

Worst or Best Day of the Year?

2006-01-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

The headlines from last year stated - British psychologist calculates "most depressing day" and his calculations came determined that day to be January 24.

Quoting from the article,

The equation is broken down into seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since failed quit attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take action.

Wonderful, just wonderful.

Do I share this to give us license to feel badly, walk around moping or looking like we just ate a lemon today?

Hardly.

I share this to help us all prove the good doctors wrong today. I'm sure there is some validity in the equation - each of the factors listed could seem to have some impact on a person's mental state - but none of them have to.

Here is my challenge to you.

Make it a great day. Make it a day where your heart and mind and spirit soar.

If the weather is gray and foggy, so what. Are you going to let water droplets influence your day?

If you have already back slid on your New Year's Resolution, that trend can be reversed... starting today.

If you have more bills than you wish you did, don't spend any money today.

When you see someone smile, smile back.
When you are in your car, let the person merge.
When you think someone is being mean, look for a different explanation.
When you feel blue, think yellow.
Read a book you love.
Watch something that makes you laugh.
Serve your Customers with cheer, knowing you can positiviely influence their day by your interaction.

While I could type all day, you get the picture. What am I really saying?

Make a choice.

Make a choice to create a great day today.

Make a choice to make January 24 your best day of the year so far.

It is off to a good start.

Use today as a test case for yourself. After all, if you can make it a great day on the "most depressing day of the year" you can do it anytime!

InBubbleWrap

2006-01-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Ok... one more quick post.

If you haven't ever been to InBubbleWrap, today is the day.

Read my November post about the site and then go to my post on the Vantagepoints blog learn more about the site and why today is the day to check it out!

8 Days...

2006-01-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

... is the longest I've gone without posting one this blog in a very long time. If you are a long time, regualr reader, I'm sorry.

Actually, I'm sorry for myself, because I get joy and learning from posting here and when I don't, I miss it.

Along with the two keynotes and one workshop I've given since my last post I have been busy finishing up and readying myself for our best seller promotion for my book Vantagepoints on Learning and Life. You can learn more about it on the Vantagepoints blog, or read here later when I tell you more about it.

For now though, I'm back to it.

Don't worry, I've got lots of things I've been thinking aobut and soI hope to be back to "regular blogging service" soon.

The Go Gratitude Experiment

2006-01-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

I believe that gratitude is one of the most powerful of emotions and mindsets we possess. It can help us change our attitude, serve others better and open our minds and hearts to even greater things.

Beyond the value of gratitude in our personal lives, greater gratitude can make us a more effective leader, a better teammate and more compassionate when serving Customers.

Both my personal feelings and the business realities of gratitude is probably why I was drawn to the Go Gratitude Experiment.

I encourage you to check it out. If you sign up as I did, you'll only be one day behind me as I received my first lesson in email this morning.

Creating (Customer) Evangelists

2005-11-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

I've read Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba's Church of the Customer Blog for a long time. Last night I had the chance to talk to and hear Ben speak. As expected his comments were very thought provoking. He was also a genuinely a nice guy!

He talked about a number of things regarding creating Customer evangelists, and while I took copious notes, one thing hit me the hardest - create Customer Advisory Boards.

My mind clicked - "Of course!" People don't think twice about have boards of advisors who are peers or colleagues, but to turn to Customers is much less common. While it may not be common, it sure does make sense!

- Who better to give you feedback about future direction?
- Who better to help you find your blind spots?

And to Ben's point,

- What better way to turn Customer's into true fans (evangelists) than to value them enough to truly ask them for more than feedback, but for advice?

I'm already thinking about how I am going to do that and what it will look like for me, with Customers spread all over.

Thanks Ben. If you haven't visited their blog, signed up for their newsletter, or bought their book, I urge you to do one.. or all three.

The Next Logical Step

2005-11-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

I've been flying regularly for a long time - long enough to remember the hub-bub caused by the introduction of e-tickets. Remember? You felt naked without your ticket and itinerary to hand to the person at the ticket counter. Slowly, starting in the 90's, e-tickets started to appear, and slowly people got used to them (when was the last time you had a paper ticket?)

Next we had terminals to check us in - we swipe a card and the machine checks us in and prints our boarding pass. This is becoming so prevalent that the new mid-field terminal being designed in Indianapolis is being redesigned before construction to take these ticketing machines into account in the terminal layout. My guess is that the by the time my son flies regularly on his own (he's 13) he'll rarely interact with a ticket agent, unless he's checking bags. By then though, the next trend of checking in over the internet will even reduce the value of these machines.

Why am I writing about this today? Because I flew Alaska Airlines yesterday for the first time in several years. And when I checked in at San Francisco airport, I got one boarding pass, for two flights. Just one.

This struck me as a nice improvement, seemingly small, but actually quite important.

Our paradigm has always been one event one ticket - whether for a movie, sporting event or a flight. And in all of these cases, you handed your ticket to someone and they ripped part of it off, returning to you the rest so you could still find your seat. But this isn't the way it is on a plane anymore.

Increasingly, you keep the ticket, as your boarding is confirmed when your ticket is scanned at the gate - and the airline doesn't need the paper (and I'm sure gate agents are thrilled that they don't have to deal with that paper anymore).

This change allows the paradigm to change. 1 boarding pass, 2 flights. Alaska saves paper and costs and I only have to carry one piece of paper. Everyone wins.

More important than these advantages though is the lesson it illustrates. We can look for new improvement opportunities and new ideas anytime, but when the system or circumstances have changed is an exceptionally good time to look.

Ask yourself what has changed, and what other advances can happen because of those changes.

Making Customers Feel Important

2005-11-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here is the article from this week's Unleash Your Potential newsletter...

Two important pre-reading notes: Before you chose to read or not read this article, let make two things clear. Everyone has Customers. Even if you work in an internal staff department in a large firm, you have Customers. They are the people you provide work to. And second, don't be put off by the term Customer. Maybe you call them Clients, Students, Patients, or (heaven forbid!) Users. If one of those words works better for you, read that word every time you read Customer. Now that I have eliminated your reasons for not reading, please continue . . .

We can read lots of books and articles about Customer Service strategies and how to build processes that will serve Customers more successfully. All of these things are valuable, but if we put all of our focus on processes, systems, strategies and procedures we may lose track of something very important.

Customers are people first.

This means that each of your Customers, like everyone else, wants to feel important. It a universal truth - we all want that feeling, and will gravitate towards those that make us feel that way.

Hint: Having Customers gravitate towards you is a very good thing.

Here are seven ways that you as an individual, regardless of any corporate policies or systems, can make Customers feel more important, written from the Customer's perspective:

Read seven ways you can make your Customers feel important.

The Lessons in Waiting

2005-10-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I received a call from a writer doing a story for Entrepreneur Magazine. After a fifteen or so minute conversation, I was told my comments might be used in an upcoming issue of the magazine. I thought that sounded cool. A week or so laters I got a call confirming some information and was told the piece would be in the June issue.

It wasn't.

Since I hadn't gotten a contact person's name (duh Kevin!) I assumed that the story had been cut and thought nothing more about it.

Until I got another call saying that a version of the original story would now be in the November issue. I thanked the person (and got their name and email address . . . I DO learn eventually).

So now there is a couple sentences from me in this month's Entrepreneur Magazine. While I am glad it is there, I think I'll remember my lessons (be patient and get a name!) longer than I will remember what was said in the short article.

If you want to read some thoughts about Customers and how trade-ins can be a valuable way to serve and retain Customers, you can read it HERE.

Toner and More

2005-08-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

I recently realized that I would soon need a new Drum for my HP LaserJet2500L. From past experience I knew that while I can get toner at any office supply store, I can't get the drum locally. So, being proactive, I went online to order one. After a bit of searching, I decided to order a re-manufactured product at a significant savings.

The order went to PrimeToner.com. Previously, I knew nothing about this organization, but the order process went smoothly online and I received an email confirming shipment. I was feeling pretty good about my purchase.

The box arrived a couple of days ago, and in doing some work in in my office I decided to open it up this morning.

Within 1 minute this company has guaranteed themselves my next purchase (assuming the product is satisfactory).

1. A card for a 5% discount on my next order. Very nice. Not huge, and not incredible, but valuable.
2. Inside the box, near the top of the Styrofoam peanuts, is a copy of the DVD of the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance. I don't know how Bagger Vance relates to toner. But I know I was surprised and impressed (and I like the movie).

The lessons for all of us in delivering better Customer Service:

- Get the basics down. While they should be a baseline, when they are well executed, it is always welcomes and usually noticed.
- Reward me for my business and you will turn me into a long term Customer.
An additional surprise doesn't have to be extravagant (I'me sure they bought these for less than $5 wholesale).
- Surprise me in unusual ways and I will tell others.

How can you apply these lessons today?

Conversation or Discussion?

2005-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

In my Powerquotes Plus members today received the following...

"Conversation means being able to disagree and still continue the discussion."

- Dwight Macdonald, author and editor

Questions to Ponder

1. Given this definition, how often am I in conversation, rather than discussion?

2. What is my biggest barrier to conversation?

Actions to Consider

1. Listen more.

2. Keep an open mind.

3. And focus on conversation, not discussion.

Make it a Day of Conversation!

To which a long-time member wrote ...

I apologize, but I'm in having a bit of confusion over this one. It appears to me that "conversation" is a superset of "discussion" rather than something different or contrasting. I believe that "conversation" vs. "arguing," or something similar, may be the contraries.

And here is how I replied...

...For many people, the idea of a discussion is something akin to a debate, where two sides "discuss" a topic, hoping to convince their "opponent" to agree with them. In fact, the origin of the word discussion literally means to "smash to pieces." (It shares a similar history with the word concussion - ouch!) Some people have "discussions" with their bosses. They have "discussions" with their parents (or children). With those origins, it is clear to see why many people carry a somewhat negative perspective of this word...

Which is why I like conversation or dialogue as a concept and expectation for positive, collaborative interchange. As you can see, I might not have used the authors words, but I think his point is valuable.

It is valuable, because the words we choose matter. In your next intercahnge, whether with a colleague, family member, customer, or neighbor, have a conversation, because I'm sure you don't want to "smash something to pieces."

Converse.

Listen.

And keep an open mind.

Do the Unexpected

2005-08-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba's blog, Church of the Customer is one of my favorite blogs. Forbes apparently agrees as they were selected as one of their favorite marketing blogs.

Posts like this one are the reason why. Ben describes a recent trip to the dentist (Hint, go read it), and closes with a powerfully profound quote:

"For service providers, generating word of mouth often means doing the emotionally unexpected."

Indeed. Ask yourself what emotionally unexpected thing you can do for your Customers/Clients (or those you lead or work with or live with for that matter) tomorrow/today/right now?

Note to Hotels - It isn't Just the Bed

2005-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back to blogging after a week's vacation in Cocoa Beach Florida ... a week's vacation, with a one day business excursion to South San Francisco to speak at the HR Star Conference on Wednesday sandwiched in.

I flew into SFO late Tuesday night and stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton in South San Francisco. I noticed on my arrival that this chain has decided to differentiate itself with new beds, just like many other chains (which limits the value of the differentiation, doesn't it?) While the bed was nice, and the high speed access appreciated (and now expected), what defined my experience was a bent piece of metal and plastic called a shower rod.

I've stayed in all sorts of hotels from Family Ins to Five Seasons, from Holiday Inn Expresses to Hyatts and Red Roof Inns to Radisons. And in most all of them I couldn't take a shower without part of my body either on the shower wall or on the shower curtain. So I immediately noticed the curved shower curtain rod the the Four Points, because it made the shower a much more pleasant place to be.

The moral of this story is that we can please, delight and wow Customers in many ways, and some of the best ways are little ways.

Whatever your business, look for your equivalent of the curved shower rod. And remember that all the little things that might not even cost anything, might mean more to your Customers than the big new planned investment in a branded bed.

What is your curved shower rod?

How Customer Focused is it?

2005-07-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

A random act of surfing tonight led me to Armytage and Mason Blog (subtitled The Blog for Strung Out Managers Everywhere!). Their most recent post shared a link to an interesting website - Customer Focus Calculator.

The site says, "As proud as you may be of your company and your product or service, most customers only care about how well you can help them meet their wants and needs. If you want more of them to buy, your focus has to be on your customer. How do you communicate that to them? With the words you use on your site. Are you talking mostly about them and their needs or are you talking mostly about yourself?"

The calculator analyzes a webpage you submit or it can review any copy from a brochure, advertisement, to help you see where the focus of your copy is.

It isn't perfect, but they don't purport it to be, but it is a great way to look at how Customer focused your writing is.

WIIFW, II

2005-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I wrote about a speech topic that captivated me (What's In It For We?). At that time I promised to share of summary of the talk with you here.

Guy Harris gave the talk at the monthly meeting of Rainmakers, here in Indianapolis. He told us he wanted to change our thinking about collaboration, to get us thinking about What's In It For We? His three main points were:

1. Effective collaboration is the key to your financial and business success.
2. How you think determines how others react to you.
3. Ask the wrong questions, get the wrong answer - therefore get the right answers by asking the right questions. (in this case, "What's in it for We" questions).

So, the circle looks like this...

1. You first decide you want to be a better collaborator,
2. So you discipline yourself to ask the WIIFW questions,
3. Which leads to thoughts consistent with that goal,
4. Which leads to your actions being consistent with those thoughts,
4. Which leads to people responding to your WIIFW approach,
5. Which leads to collaborative relationships and successful collaborations,
6/1. Which leads you to increase your desire for more collaboration.

I was taken by the title question, which is why I wrote the initial post. And the talk itself didn't disappoint.

Thanks Guy.

If you are reading and have ideas of ways we could collaborate, I'd love to hear them!

What You Think About Grows

2005-05-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the third anniversary of a day registered by a friend of mine, Stephanie West Allen.

Today is What You Think Upon Grows Day.

This concept is hard to ignore and certainly isn't a new idea - witness Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy; think about such things."

Philosophers and writers have said in different ways through the centuries, and they are all correct.

What we think upon grows.

It isn't so hard.

Think about things you want and desire. Think about abundance not lack. Think about positive things.

Think about love.

Think about peace.

What You Think Upon Grows.

We can apply this in our lives personally, and we can model it with great power.

If I am a leader, how should I think about my team? By focusing on their faults, or by being mindful of their potential?

If I am a trainer, expecting great things from willing learners will get me mucfurtherer than assuming people don't want to be in the workshop.

If I am trying to be more creative, think creative thoughts.

Assume the best of the Customer making the unusual or challenging request, and you will render better service.

I could go on, but you get the idea - think about it.

Happy Anniversary to the day. Thanks Stephanie for making this happen.

To read more of Stephanie's thoughts on this concept, go to her article.

Who Drinks Tea at Starbucks Anyway?

2005-05-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

I do.

Why? Because I don't drink coffee.

Yesterday morning I went into my local Starbuck's for a meeting and ordered a Grande Earl Grey tea, because, like I said, I don't drink coffee.

They were out of Earl Grey, so as I paid for my flavored hot water I said "just give me Awake", knowing that it is another good black tea flavor.

And they were out of it too.

I ended up drinking some herbal tea variety which was fine, but not the reason for blogging about the experience. I blog about it because as they handed me the Vente size (the big size - larger than I ordered), they also handed me my money back.

Some people, with a different perspective who might be having a bad day might have been quite peeved by this lack of inventory management. While I was inconvenienced I was happy to pay for my drink regardless of the flavor. But they insisted on giving me my money back.

It is a simple gesture, done automatically and without thought - in other words they didn't wait to see if I looked upset (I think I was quite pleasant) to offer the refund and no one went to a policy manual either.

It was simply good Customer focus and Customer service.

You may be thinking it is easy to give me my money back because their real cost was insignificant - a little water, a cup and two tea bags. And while that might be true, but if you stop at that you have missed the lesson.

Starbucks won more of my meetings, and many coffee and tea orders, even though I can't be on wireless internet access there for free, because of the gesture. Their residual revenue from my decision is significant.

They won more of my business for the gesture, but the gesture came from great hiring, training, and systems that made it a very pleasant and automatic service recovery.

And whether you drink coffee or not, you can learn from that.

Connect the Dots

2005-05-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I facilitated a two day Internal Consulting Skills Workshop. As a part of that session we talked about expertise and how most people don't value the expertise they have.

One of the first things we need to do to be more successful in getting our expertise valued and used (a great way to think about consulting) is to value our own expertise.

I've thought about it a lot since the session ended - trying to convince people quickly that they under-estimate what they know.

Then I saw one of my daughter's coloring/activity books. Along with the pictures to color and other simple exercises, I saw a Connect the Dots puzzle.

From the context of the other lines/pictures on the page I had some idea what the picture would be when she connected the dots, but it wouldn't be clear until the pen went from 1, to 2, to 3, etc.

That is what we need to do - connect the dots. Our expertise, knowledge and perspective allows us to connect the dots for others.

As a leader, give people enough context and background to really understand a task or action plan, in other words, connect the dots. (This is equally important as a parent.)

When helping Customers, use your expertise not in a way of talking down to but in a serving and educational way. When the Customer understands your offering better in a more complete way they will value you what you have offered. You have connected the dots.

When teaching or training someone on something, whether as a trainer, coach, leader, parent or what ever, use examples. Give people an idea of the nature of the situation. Give background. Give additional data. Connect the dots.

In so many ways when we begin to value our expertise (recognize that not everyone already knows what you assume to be obvious) we become more confident, productive and valued. Recognize that I am not talking about becoming arrogant or condescending. In every case my suggestions come from a serving, helping perspective.

Your expertise can help others in dramatic ways, if you take the time to help them connect the dots.

Process, Project, or Panic?

2005-05-06T04:50:00.000-07:00

I recently worked with one of my Clients, Indiana Farm Bureau, to discuss with their organization the differences between process and project work. I helped them uncover some differences and see how more and more of their work is becoming project based, rather than purely process driven. This realization that they are having is true in most organizations. More work is becoming project based.

Then, yesterday, a participant in an Effective Internal Consulting Skills workshop made a comment that struck me as profound.

She said, "I get called in for project work or panic work."

Panic work.

I'm guessing you either smiled or cringed as you read that phrase.

Far too many people in far too many organizations know what panic work is. We call it by other names: Urgent work, problems, or putting out fires, but we are all too familiar with it.

Panic work comes when our processes aren't well enough set, defined or followed. Panic work comes when we haven't established processes at all - or haven't changed them in 20 years.

Some people thrive on panic work - they love the challenge and the adrenaline rush that comes with solving the problem, satisfying the Customer in a dramatic "save" or otherwise "saving the day."

While people might profess to like it, it is one of the biggest challenges that organizations face. Too much of our work is panic work. We don't invest the time to build, document and/or improve standard processes. By having standards, we free ourselves to use that adrenaline for more creativity, new product development or delighting/Wowing Customers.

As more of our work becomes project based, the only way, paradoxically, that we can succeed is by making our processes more solid. This will reduce the panic work and allow us to use our potential to create even greater results.

Thanks to Patti Besuner for the phrase.

What's in a Word?

2005-04-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Rosa Say on her great blog Talking Story has asked people to weigh in this month on "the Art of the Sale", so here are some of my thoughts.

I've never met anyone that didn't like to buy something. Even if it is someone who doesn't like to go to the mall, or someone who doesn't like to part with their money, EVERYone likes to buy something, be it tangible, or an idea, or something.

On the other hand, many people have stong negative experiences/feelings about being sold. When they hear "sales" they think of buying a car, buying insurance or a telemarketer being a bit too agressive on the phone (apologies to people in these industries, I'm just stating my observations).

The words used and the tactics connected to those words is where the disconnect lies. For many people then, sales or selling is connected with words like manipulation, trickery, force, pressure, tactics, negotiation. Most of those people with those feelings will say they don't feel comfortable in doing sales. No big surprise here.

If people like to buy but don't want to be "sold" then what do they want? I think they want: assistance, help, advice, options, expertise. People don't mind being influenced, they just don't like being forced.

Based on this quick discourse, it isn't surprising that the best salespeople see themselves as experts, consultants, or "assistant buyers." It is why they are successful.

For those who have the negative view of "sales" it is time to get a new set of words in your mind so that you can help serve your Clients and future Clients. Those new words can help you get to your personal art of (and comfort with) sales.

The Seven National Crimes

2005-04-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian minister wrote these. I have read them attributed to Abe Lincoln, but from some reading I've done recently, it seems that is a false attribution. Here are what Boetcker defines and the Seven National Crimes:

I don't think.
I don't know.
I don't care.
I am too busy.
I leave well enough alone.
I have no time to read and find out.
I am not interested.

Crimes indeed. Rather than thinking about these from the "national" perspective (I'll leave that for bloggers with a different focus), let's think about them as organizational crimes.

Too often, sadly, people don't think.
While not knowing isn't a crime in itself, it becomes one when it is a closing statement, rather than an opening one. (Are the trainers and Customer Service leaders among us listening?)
Giving people reasons to care is one of the most powerful things we can do as a leader.
Everyone is busy. But the paradox is that the busiest among us always seem to be able to get one more thing done. Sort of takes the value out of that excuse, doesn't it?
Leave it alone, and no change will occur. The problem is, often, it isn't "well enough" to start with.
Ever made it ok for people to read on the job? Why not? Give people opportunities to find ways to learn.
Interest drives action which is a precursor to achievement. As trainers we need to help people be interested in learning new skills. As leaders we must cultivate interest in our team members.

The critical question is - what will you do to reduce the organizational crime in your organization (or behind your desk)?

Happy Anniversary to Me . . .

2005-03-22T05:18:00.000-08:00

I'm excited!

One year ago we started our blog experiment. We were in the process of renaming and rebranding my company - changing the name to The Kevin Eikenberry Group. As we developed the concept for our new website we thought we wanted to include a blog, but we decided I should try it first.

So we tried it. Starting on March 22, 2204.

365 days. 130 posts.

A few weeks ago I posed a question in email to my team. It read something like:

"The one year anniversary of the blog is coming up. Do you think we should celebrate in any way? If so, what are your thoughts?"

The ideas they had were fabulous... and as you read the rest of this post you will be the beneficiary of their ideas . . .

First Gift

When I started writing this blog I wanted to share something of value, and in reviewing these posts over the last couple of weeks I think I have acheived that. You can judge for yourself, because our first gift to you - for visiting to help us celebrate is our Best of Blogs Special Report. Since this is a PDF file, click to open it, or right click and save the file if you want to read it later,)

Holly Powers read through all of the posts, selecting one from each month to include in this collection. Thanks Holly for your help.

We hope you will benfit from this Special Report and will choose to share it with others too.

Second Gift

The first five blog readers (that is you) to call and talk to me today (and they have to tell me they were reading the blog - I'm not giving products away to the guy trying to get my phone business). You will be able to choose from one of the five products listed below:

Becoming a More Effective Team Member Learning System
Effectively Managing Projects Learning System
Being More Creative Learnng System
Understanding and Mastering Change Learning System
Effective Internal Consulting Skills Series (there isn't a link for this product yet on one of our websites, so I'll have to tell you about it if you are one of the first five callers.)

I appreciate you reading our blog and hope that you will continue to do so. I look forward to talking to some of you on the phone today. (You can reach me at 317.387.1424 or 888.LEARNER in the U.S.)

Pick up the phone!

Just Five More

2005-03-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Reading the March Training + Development Magazine, I saw a snippet on focus from Sam Horn's book, Tongue Fu. IT describes an acronym using the letters in the word FOCUS to provide five tips.

I loved the first one - the F.

"Five more rule. If you are in the middle of a task and want to give up, just do five more: Write five more paragraphs, read five more pages, work five more minutes. Working past the point of frustration helps build mental stamina, just as not giving up when your body gets tired helps build physical stamina."

Let me add a couple more "fives" to this great idea...

- Try five more times to help an employee who you are losing patience with.
- Find five more possible solutions with the brainstorming session is winding down.
- Count to five before responding to a Customer who has frustrated you in some way.

Add to your focus by adding your own fives in areas you most want to focus.

Take the Stress Test

2005-02-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

I ran across this online stress test and I encourage you to check it out.

It may not be clinically perfect, but it doesn't matter.

It raises an important question for us. How does my stress level impact my ability to lead, be a part of a team, effectively train others or perform at the highest levels of Customer Service?

We know the answer.

Whatever your stress score, take time today to think about how stress impacts your effectiveness. If this reflection causes you any concern, decide what you can do to take action to either reduce your stress, or take actions that reduces the impact of the stress on your performance.

A Passion for White Castles

2005-02-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

I first read about it on January 20th. Eight Indianapolis White Castle restaurants were going to offer special service on Valentine's Day.

A restaurant taking reservations, offering service at the table, and using real table clothes and silverware isn't much of a story on Valentine's Day. Except at White Castles, which are 24 hour hamburger joints on the lower end of the food chain (if you pardon my pun) - all apologies to White Castle loyalists.

They made news on January 20th, and have tons of local press coverage today - and all the reservations are taken. Additional restaurants in the chain have vowed to join this service next year.

White Castle used creativity to build a promotion, get loads of free publicity, and tap into their very loyal fans too.

The passion shows. Congrats to White Castle on a creative promotion and a wonderful Customer Service idea.

Have a Passionate Valentine's Day

2005-02-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is for romance and love, so you may be wondering why I would write about it in this blog. Valentine's Day is about more than romance and love... it is about passion. And passion is something we definitely can talk about here.

As you celebrate Valentine's Day today, let your passion for life, for projects, and for ideas to show through.

Your passion will create energy.

Your passion will help you influence others.

Your passion will change, in a positive way, how others see you and your abilities.

Your passion can make a difference.

Happy Valentine's Day.

A Little Something Extra

2005-01-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

"Lagniappe" (LAN-yap) is a word used primarily in southern Louisiana - which is where I learned it.

I love the way the word sounds, but I really love what it means - giving a little something extra that is unexpected.

Having a lagniappe attitude and habits can be tremendously beneficial to you and those you serve. The applications in our work are endless. Here are a few situations for you to consider...

As a leader, think about how you can serve a little bit better by giving something a little bit extra.

When serving Customers, think about the little extra you can give people at the time of the purchase, or at some point in the future that is a pleasant surprise.

How can you give a little lagniappe to other members of your team?

How can you make the training you design or deliver unusual, and unexpectedly interesting, fun or effective?

Think lagniappe today.

The Positive Postcard Project

2005-01-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, a colleague of mine, Stephanie West Allen, named January 2 as Positive Postcard Day. I'll let her explain the process as I quote her:

First, write down seven positive traits about yourself. Next, obtain seven postcards. Write a note to yourself about each trait on a different postcard. When you are done, you will have seven postcards, each with a note to yourself about one of the positive traits you listed.

You may write a note as simple as this:

"Dear Sally,

You are very imaginative.

Love,

Sally"

Or:

"Dearest, remarkable Sally,

You are wildly and wonderfully imaginative!

Much love and respect and affection to you, girl,

Sally"

THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF COLORS

Why seven traits and seven cards? Because a musical major scale has seven notes, a week has seven days, a telephone number has seven numbers, a rainbow has seven colors. Seven is a good number.

Speaking of rainbows, it is highly recommended that you get writing utensils that write each of the seven colors -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo , and violet. Use one of the colors for writing each of your postcards so you will have a rainbow of postcards when you are done.

Now address your cards to yourself and stamp them.

Give the whole stack to a friend and tell him or her to mail you the cards throughout the first quarter of 2005. Make sure he or she does not tell you when each is posted so your receiving your cards will be a fine surprise for you each time one arrives.

Receiving a card will add a new and bright dimension to your day. And it will again invoke the powerful phenomena of self-fulfilling prophecy and the law of attraction.

CARE PACKAGES

Next prepare a Postcard Care Package for someone else. Give this person seven stamped postcards and seven pens, one of each color of the rainbow. Give him or her the instructions above on preparing Positive Postcards. Recommend that, after he or she has prepared the seven Positive Postcards and given them to someone for mailing, he or she prepare a Postcard Care Package for someone else.

See the potential here? If people prepare their own Positive Postcards AND give someone else a Postcard Care Package, the mails in 2005 will be filled with Positive Postcards arriving to surprise, and to affirm marvelous traits.

You may not do this today - might not even read it today! It doesn't matter. Take this process and use it or modify it for your own use.

Some options I can think of immediately are:

- Put together the CARE packages for everyone on your team and do this at your next team meeting.

- Send Packages to your favorite Clients, enclosing the materials and instructions and offer to be their "sender by enclosing a self addressed stamped envelop to return the post cards to you.

- Give the materials and instructions to a training class and either have them exchange their postcards or collect them and mail them yourself.

- Go into a school classroom and in collaboration with a teach have a whole class write them and give them to you to mail to them at random days in the coming weeks.

There are many more ideas you will come up with. If you have ones that will make a difference for you, your organization or the world at large, let me know and I'll post them here.

One Word That Matters

2004-12-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is the word my Grandmother (who was my fifth grade homeroom teacher) taught us never to start a sentence with. According to a study described by an Inside Influence Report that same word is a powerful word for persuasion as well.

Because.

Put this powerful word to work for you by having Clients give you feedback as to why they choose to do business with you.

Read this link above, you'll be glad you did. Why?

Just because.

It's Just You and Me

2004-12-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

I was at Best Buy last night and the lines were long - much longer than I expected. As I stood in the serpentine line I was near register 9 and overheard Allison with a flustered Customer. She said, "Take your time. Don't worry about those other people in the line. Right now, it is just you and me."

I secretly hoped that when I got to the front of the line I would be directed to register 9.

I got my wish.

I told Allison that I had overheard her conversation and I applauded her. After getting over her shock at getting this kind of feedback from a Customer, she said, "She couldn't find her card in her purse and she seemed to be stressed out so I tryed to calm her down."

Best Buy is fortunate to have Allison at register 9.

And I was fortunate to witness this truth in action: All of us as Customers want it to be treated as if, "It's just you and me."

Thanks Allison.

Memory, But Much More

2004-12-04T07:10:00.000-08:00

There is an interesting exercise in memory and observation to be found here.

Go check it out and then come back.

How did you do? (Perhaps I like the exercise because I succeeded!)

Our brains are amazing organs that allow us to recognize patterns and then move on to solving the next problem. This pattern recognition trait helps us survive and thrive in a million ways, mostly subconsciously, every day.

The challenge with this trait is that too often we don't really observe a situation, a problem, or a person's behavior because we based on initial or cursory information or brain has recognized a pattern and therefore locked into a solution or a label.

If you didn't succeed in the exercise above, ask yourself how many pennies you have seen in your life, and ask yourself how many other things that you should know well do you misinterpret, mislabel, or just plain miss the details?

The skill/habit of observation is what I'm talking about. You will become a better leader, coach, trainer, team member, parent and person when you improve and use your powers of observation more consciously.

The Busiest Shopping Day of the Year

2004-11-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

It is 7:00 am. By this time yesterday morning I was already in my 4th store. Do you think I'm crazy because I went out on this zoo of a shopping day? Maybe I am - after all the first store I went to had 2 local television crews capturing the initial rush of people and madhouse that ensued.

Overall I went to eight stores before I returned home. And while there were crowds of people in each store my experience as a Customer was quite good. A couple of times I wished I could find someone to help me, but that was understandable given the crowds. The Guest Services desk at one store was outstanding, and while I stood in line longer than I would like (again, understandable) my check out experience was great at each as well.

As I review the specific reasons people did well, I found people to be focused on helping Customers, smiling (and some even mentioned they thought the big crowds were "fun") and very proficient.

I applaud the stores I visited for training people to have the skills they needed and applaud the individuals for having a great service attitude, even on what could be viewed as a very tough day.

For more on a recent great Customer service experience, read this entry from Holly Power's blog, Independent in Indy (I'm proud to have Holly on my team and after reading this you will see one reason why.)

p.s. I didn't name any of the stores, because people reading might get clues about what they are getting for Christmas - I can't take that chance! :)

A Spelling Lesson

2004-11-11T05:27:00.000-08:00

My daughter Kelsey is in kindergarten and has homework each night. Part of her homework involves drawing pictures of words starting with the letter of the day. Yesterday it was T. She was working on that homework and apparently was ready to label a picture. She asked me from a cross the room, "Daddy how do you spell TV?"

I thought for a minute about spelling television rather than TV, but quickly moved past that notion. I replied, "capital T, capital V" with enough pause between the letters for her to stay with me.

After a pause she asked, "Daddy, you just spell TV, TV? Is that all?"

"Yes" I said.

She replied with a smile in her voice, "That was easy."

There are (at least) two lessons in this quick story.

First, practice is a good thing. There is homework every night, but it doesn't take her long. It engages the parents, reinforces the learning and is building a good habit and value around practice and effort.

Second (and the one that really struck me), not all tasks are as hard we thought. Too often as adults we make things too hard. Examples?

- Consultants mystify their work to increase the perception of what they can do.

- People assume a new task will be hard, just because they've never done it before.

- We build processes for things that could be done in less time than it takes to build the process.

I could go on, and perhaps you are in your own mind.

Don't make your work harder than it is. Don't make your training difficult or complex than needed. Don't make your Customers jump through hoops if they don't have to. Don't complicate your messages or tasks as a leader.

A Happy Ending

2004-10-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

I worked all day Tuesday then in afternoon I flew from Indianapolis to San Francisco, via Chicago. I was a typical trip. The first flight was full and delayed, leaving me for a bit to wonder if I'd make the connection. Made the connection fine and arrived in San Francisco on time. I got some work done on the plane, read some and it was pretty uneventful, except for the water.

I had my shoes off and had the whole row to myself, so I had materials spread out all over. Suddenly my foot felt damp. Then I noticed water dripping....

The person in row in front of me had placed a 1.5 liter bottle of water in the seat direct above my feet. The bottle apparently wasn't completely closed. I had wet socks, a wet pant leg and I poured water from one of my shoes.

I moved rows, dried off and enjoyed the rest of the flight.

The taxi ride from the airport was 13 minutes to downtown - normally it would be 20 plus. The speed gain wasn't because of a lack of traffic, it was because my driver was apparently preparing for a NASCAR audition.

All of this led up to arriving at the Hotel Rex. Nicole Jackson, the front desk host asked if she could help and I told her I was checking in. My name wasn't on the reservations list - until the following night, when all of the rest of the team I would be working with would be there.

Then she informed me she had no other rooms.

I was tired and suddenly homeless. Nicole quickly offered to find me another room, negotiate me a better rate, offer to store my bag full of workshop materials, and to top it off, when making the reservation, told the person on the other end of the phone that I was pleasant!

The five block walk to the other hotel went quickly - after all, I'm pleasant! :)

In the end, Nicole turned a potentially bad service moment into a gem by her quick action and by going above and beyond the call of duty.

If you are ever in San Francisco and looking for a unique hotel experience, please consider the Hotel Rex. And tell Nicole hello for me.

It's Your Responsiblity Too

2004-10-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine going into a Burger King at about 11:15 pm after a long shift at work. You are tired (and obviously hungry). When you walk in you see what appears to be the lone employee sitting behind the counter. After waiting to be greeted and standing at the counter for a minute, you make eye contact with the sitting employee and ask to place your order.

The employee (still sitting) says, "You'll have to wait ten minutes, I'm on break."

This happened to a friend of someone on my team.

The person, after asking again, not sure that the employee was serious, and receiving the same, "You'll have to wait ten minutes, I'm on break." decided to leave.

This is a true story told to me last week, and of course, is an awful example of Customer Service.

I don't share to complain about Burger King, but rather to ask myself, what would I have done about it? The two people I have talked to both said they would have called the 800 number and reported it. I'd like to think that I would, but up until now, I'm not sure I would have.

Why should we?

Because the owners and managers of this Burger King can't be there every hour the store is open. Without feedback on employee performance (or lack thereof) they can't improve it.

We can all shake our heads at service this bad, or we can give the feedback - not just in indignation for being wronged - but to improve the situation long term.

If we would all give feedback for service that is less than outstanding, we would begin to improve the service we all receive.

The only thing that we as Customers can do to improve service more is to make sure we provide feedback when we are delighted by the service, but that is a topic for another day.

What are You Spreading?

2004-10-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Energy is contagious, and as you go to work today (or meet with Clients, or go to e meeting, or walk to the coffee pot) you will be spreading whatever it is that you are carrying.

There are two basic kinds of energy - positive and negative. If you are carrying positive energy with you you are spreading:

Enthusiasm

Speed

Action

Success

If you are carrying negative energy you are spreading:

Stress

Fear

Fatigue

Failure

So the logical question is what are you carrying?

As a leader... to your Customers... to your team... to those you are training?

If you aren't carrying what you want to spread, do an energy adjustment before you walk away from your computer.

Remember - you are contagious!

Every Interaction Counts

2004-10-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

When working with organizations on building a Customer Service culture, building awareness of the Customer's importance or helping with skill building, I often have people share a personal Customer Service horror story and a success story. This exercise leads to conversation about how it feels to be the Customer, what kinds of things matter,and helps everyone to see the power an individual interaction can have.

One of my debrief questions for this type of exercise is to ask how many people still do business with the company they had a horrorific experience with (few do). Alternately, I ask how many still do business with those who provided them with a WOW experience (most all do).

In recently reading How Full is Your Bucket a story was shared that validates emphatically this point of view.

The authors studied 4,583 call center representatives from a major telecommunications firm. They discoveredthree representatives who scared off every single Customer they spoke with in a given day - and those Customers did not return.

The book accurated summarizes that, "The company would have been better off paying those three represntatives to stay home."

The study also found 7 reps that retained and engaged every Customer they spoke with. Want to bet that those Customers were Customers for life?

This is the internal view of the Horror and Success stories... a view I thought was worth sharing.

Customer Service Disaster or Opportunity?

2004-09-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Reuters UK today told a story of Customer Service disaster.

Customers of cable firm NTL got a surprise when they called for Customer Service recently, hearing a message, obviously changed without company knowledge:

"You are through to NTL customer services. We don't give a (expletive) about you. We are never here. We just (expletive) you about, basically, and we are not going to handle any of your complaints. Just (expletive) off and leave us alone."

The article ends by stating the NTL management has issued a press release saying that the message has been changed and that they apologized.

Now, put on your leader hat and think Customer Service. What NTL did was standard stuff. The question is, what might you have done differently to turn the disaster into an opportunity?

I could provide some ideas, but I'd rather end this with the challenge for YOU to think about it. The next time your team is together, pose this situation and brainstorm what you might do. It is a good mental exercise, but beyond that, it might give you great ideas of things you can do now, to further WOW your Customers.

Favorite Words

2004-08-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've always kept a list of favorite words in my mind. Some, because I like the way they sound, and some because of their meanings. One of my all time favorties - for both reasons (especially the meaning) is serendipity (click HERE for a definition).

Imagine my surprise and delight today when I found a list of favorite words for the year, and that serendipity was #2! Check out the list and the definitions. Clearly some very cool words. Any of them on your list?

Serendipity is a great word and something I love in my life, but too often organizations assume good Customer Service will happen, due to , well, serendipity! This of course isn't true - good Customer Service comes from clear focus, consistent hiring and training and a myriad of other processes.

We can't leave it to chance.

Above My Desk

2004-07-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

Above my desk is a bulletin board. I won't tell you everything that is on it - I'm not sure I want the whole world doing a psychological evaluation of me based on the contents of the board!

There is something there though that I think is instructive and worth writing about - my buttons. I have several buttons on my bulletin board. They read:

Dream Bigger! (the button we produce)
Just DO It!
Who are "They" Anyway?
Go For It!
I'Mpossible
Blazingly good
Ingeniuous
Ask!
Bring Your Brain

What do these buttons have in common (other than a very large percentage of them having exclamation points?) They are all positive, empowering messages that I read every day that I am at my desk.

Why should this matter to you?

Because it is a good practice to fill our minds with positive, affirming messages! Try it for yourself. Put a quotation, saying or other positive message in your work environment. Post similiar things in the environment where others work. Want people to keep their Customers in Focus? Choose messages that help reinforce the Customer Serice focus that you are creating. Use the bulletin board, your office doors, or a space in your break room to share those messages with others.

If you need ideas or quotations, check out my two quotation services, Powerquotes and Powerquotes Plus. These are two of many sources you could go to to stock your work area with positive messages.

Discover Theirs

2004-06-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a cluttered desk leads to mass cleaning, which leads to things being put in a file, never to be found again. Other times when those files are reopened, serendipity happens. Such is the case today.

(By the way, one of the advantages of writing a blog is that I can keep a file called "Blog ideas" which will likely lead to more serendipity in the future!)

I found a comment in the Reader Feedback section of the April 2003 issue of Fast Company. It was written by a student named Rich Reed who wrote,

"When I've been an assistant for someone, my goal has been to learn how that person thinks and then try to flow with her. The same has proven true when I have helped a guest or a Customer with his or her situation or concerns. So don't bring Customers into your reality: Discover theirs."

This is one of the most profound thoughts I have ever read about Customer Service, or service in general. When people say "the Customer is always right," this is what they are really saying. In the Customer's mind they are right. When we can do more than put ourselves in the Customer's shoes, but put ourselves in their reality, we will know how to satisfy, delight and WOW them.

Your task today is to figure out how to get into your Customer's reality.

Great Questions

2004-04-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal (April 13, 2004) had a headline "The Best Innovations Are Those That Come From Smart Questions." The article talks about Dr. William Hunter, President and CEO of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (www.angiotech.com) and how the questions he asked both to start his business and now to grow it very rapidly are literally the core of the business.

Angiotech's business is to add drugs to medical devices to increase their effectiveness. Hunter is quoted as saying, "Medical equipment makers typically ask surgeons, 'How can we build a better stent?' and then you get the answer, 'You should make it more flexible, easier to see and stronger.' But we've been asking 'What does the body do to these stents and why do they fail?'"

Without reading the rest of the article you get the major point. The better questions get us more valuable answers.

So the next time you are trying to solve a vexing problem, satisfy a customer, create a new marketing strategy, or coach an employee, start by crafting the questions you want to ask of this situation. Then craft a few more, coming at the situation from a fresh perspective. The time spent in this sort of planning is well worth it.