I Don't Have Any Competition

You’d better think twice about that title statement. Any person or organization that your customers do business with is a competitor. Notice that word I bolded . . . ANY.

Before a customer calls your business, could they have just talked to a Disney reservations representative about their upcoming Walt Disney World vacation? Could they have talked to FedEx about an emergency pickup? Maybe they ordered some clothing from Zappos.

All of the above mentioned companies are tops in the field of customer service - and for good reason. Just the mere fact that your customer talked to them first can make your “great” service experience feel more typical or even down right inferior. People will unconsciously compare every business they deal with.

Don’t you want to be one of the Disney's, FedEx's, or Zappos’?

Leaders Look for Results Instead of Salutes

"Look for results, not salutes.” This is a great quote that comes from a chapter in Captain D. Michael Abrashoff’s book, It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy. In it he describes how he broke down the time honored traditions of officer/enlisted separations. Not completely, of course, but enough to make a harmonious difference.

It takes just simple things sometimes to make a difference, and to show that you, as a manager/supervisor, are part of the team and not just the overseer. For instance, Captain Abrashoff talks about taking his place at the end of the food line at steel beach picnics (cookouts on the flight deck). This just normally is not done – officers go to the front. It wasn’t long, of course, before other officers took his cue and were doing the same thing. Going to the end of the line was one of many ways of showing his crew that he genuinely cared for them and he was working WITH them.

You can easily use these same types of techniques in civilian business. Just like the military, we also have ranks and privileges – executive parking spaces, cafeterias, even restroom’s. But take a look at the difference in where you spend most of your time. In your office – which is segregated far from the lower ranks?

I often talk about Tom Peters' concept of MBWA (management by wandering around). Step out of your hideout and become part of the team. Make it habit to eat in the break room once a week. Give staff the opportunity to talk with you freely, whether they’re happy about something or concerned. This is where new ideas and improvement comes from.

From 12/19/08

Hellllooooo?!

I have but one question . . . "How hard is to say hello?"

"Hellllooooo" is what I'd like to just say sometimes as I walk by some people - managers - in the morning.

When you become a manager, director, or what have you, it's not a license to become arrogant. I greet everyone I know - and then some - the first time I encounter them each day - and even throughout the day.

Your greeting, or lack of, tells a lot about you. It shows staff how approachable, or not, you are. It shows staff how interested, or not, you are in them. It shows staff how appreciative, or not, you are of them.

You may not be in the best mood and not really want to converse with people, but if someone extends a greeting to you, you ARE expected to return the greeting. Even just a simple "hello" or "hi" will do. And don't forget eye contact.

Just as we tell staff who work with customers to leave their problems at the door before punching in, you as a leader, need to do the same thing when dealing with staff and co-workers. Remember: all eyes are on you.

Feed Your Employee's

By FEED, I don’t mean buy them lunch everyday (although once in awhile would be great). I mean feed them knowledge and experience.

With all the talk about Millennial’s, Gen-Xer’s, Y’s and Z’s, we’re seeing more and more employee’s that don’t want to take over the reins of the company. They just aren’t quite as ambitious these days as say the Baby Boomer’s have been.

Employees don’t have their sights on the corner office as much as they used to. They’re perfectly happy trying to balance work and life – with an emphasis on life. There’s too much challenge and demand on CEO’s and VP’s these days so the ambition to get that high is lacking.

Now that’s not to say that today’s workforce is lazy - to the contrary. They work very hard. Actually, a recent study found that the notion of Gen-Xer’s being lazy was way off and that it’s really just the opposite.

Now is the time to start grooming – learning and training - or you may just find your succession plan slipping away.

Pick the Fit

I've read a number of articles lately about how bad unemployment is BUT how employers can't find the right match to hire. Really?

Companies need to take a look at their current hiring practices, which are quite often OLD hiring practices, and see what can be revamped. Especially in the areas of required experience.

Take a look at some of the most successful companies like Zappo's and Disney. A big focus of theirs is on personality and "fit". Zappo's has two sets of interviews. In Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh says, "The hiring manager and his/her team will do the standard set of interviews looking for relevant experience, technical ability, fit within the team, etc. But then the HR department does a second set of interviews, looking purely for culture fit."

You can sometimes (often) forgo some of the "experience" in order to get a better fit. If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will often happen naturally on its own.

Are You Listening?

Listening to your employees is at the top of the list in Boss 101. Your organization depends on you doing this. It’s just as important as listening to your customers.

Your customers are the final authority of your success. But try this out - start there and listen back - to your employees.

It's not necessarily your products or services that create your customers. It's your employees. Take a few minutes and ask yourself a couple of basic questions.

•Are your customers evangelists or vigilantes?
•Do they refer their friends or warn them off?
•Are they repeat buyers or one-hit wonders?
Your employees create, reinforce, and support those definitions OF your customers, FOR your customers.

And remember - your employees are also listening to YOU. They’re listening to you for answers to three questions:

•What’s in it for me?
•Why should I believe?
•Why should I care?
Those answers are delivered by you in everything you say and do in communicating your Purpose, Mission, and Vision.

LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!

Full Circle . . . and Beyond!

On November 1, John Lasseter will become the 2,453rd star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Here’s a leader that’s come full circle . . . and beyond!

Lasseter started his career as a Jungle Cruise Skipper at Disneyland in California. It was shortly after that when he became an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation. He realized that computers could be used to make films with three dimensional backgrounds where traditionally animated characters could interact to add a new, visually stunning depth. So he began the push . . . but pushed a little too hard and was terminated.

Lasseter was then hired on at Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group. Here he worked on their first computer animated short: The Adventures of André and Wally B. His original thought had been to create only the backgrounds on computers, but by the time it was all finished everything was computer animated, including the characters.

Most of what Lasseter had been working on had been considered “experiments” by George Lucas and his interest soon began to fade. Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group was acquired by Steve Jobs in 1986, which then became Pixar. Lasseter oversaw all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer. He personally directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Cars 2 – some of the biggest animated feature films of all time.

When Disney purchased Pixar in April 2006, Lasseter was named Chief Creative Officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was also given the responsibility as Principal Creative Advisor at Walt Disney Imagineering. He bypasses Disney's studio and theme park executives and reports directly to Disney President and CEO Bob Iger.

Congratulations John Lasseter!!!

Do you have an idea . . . a dream . . . a plan? See it through and make it happen. You never know - it may take you . . . to infinity and beyond!

For the whole Pixar story check out, “The Pixar Touch” by David A. Price.