To Tell Em Or Not

Customers react to bad service in many different ways.  The two main ways are to either talk to a supervisor or just leave without telling anyone.  Which would you rather have happen at your organization?

If an upset customer leaves without telling anyone, you're probably not going to see that person again . . . and they're going to a few of their friends who are then going to tell a few of theirs.  You'll never know what the issue was and you'll never know that it needs to be fixed.

If an upset customer stops to talk with you, sure it's taking time away from your own agenda and you have to have personal contact, but realize that they're taking a personal interest and time to let you know that you have a problem.  The only way to fix the issue is to know about it, right.

If you don't have readily available means to let customer contact you, you're missing out - big time - plus you're ticking them off even more.  If people want to complain, they're going to search and find a way.  But, on the other hand, what about the people who want to say nice things or share ideas that could make other customers' visits better?  They may take a quick look on the Internet for a contact, but if they don't find it quickly enough, you're not going to hear from them.

This is all a part of your organizations Brand.

A means of personal contact, phone numbers, and emails - ensure that they're readily available at the "point of sale", your website, and brochures.  Good customer service sells.

Hacking Leadership - Book Review

“The best way to approach personal and professional development is to

always stay in the learning zone.”  This is one of my favorite quotes from MikeMyatt’s new book, Hacking Leadership: the 11 Gaps Every Business Needs to Close and The Secrets to Closing Them Quickly.

As the title eludes, Mike talks us through the 11 gaps in leadership that you need to close – hack – in order for you to succeed and to bring your organization to the forefront of its field.

Continuous learning, or specifically a lack of, has been a leadership pet peeve of mine for years.  Mikes book actually exposes many more.  For instance, the Purpose Gap – the need for passion and following in the footsteps of past great leaders.  The Culture Gap – courage to create a culture of leadership, checking the arrogance, and not playing the diversity card.  The Talent Gap –developing trust and loyalty and effectively reducing turnover.

All 11 gaps in leadership challenge you to stop and take a serious look at yourself.  It’s practical, insightful, and pretty simple if you take it seriously, as you should.  You’re going to want to have a highlighter and a notepad handy as you read because you’ll find numerous concepts that you’ll want to develop yourself, and share with other leaders.

If you’re in any leadership position – or aspiring to be in one – Mike Myatt’s book is a great place to start your advancement.

Mike Myatt is a leadership advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs and their Boards of Directors. Widely regarded as America’s Top CEO Coach, recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the preeminent leadership thinkers globally, he is the author of Leadership Matters…The CEO Survival Manual, a Forbes leadership columnist, and is the Chief Executive Officer at N2growth. His new book, Hacking Leadership (Wiley) is in bookstores everywhere.

The Company Doesn't Owe You

A little bit of soapbox today.  Be thankful for your job.

Things that have happened this year and people that I hear and have heard talking, has again gotten my mind wondering where people get some of their thoughts from.

For instance, is there ANY company that OWES you a job?  I can't think of one.  But on the other hand YOU owe your company your best work . . . whether you like the job or not.

Unless you own the company, you're expendable.  When it comes to bad economies or budget cuts, for whatever reason, you may be dispensable. Lets face it, these are just the facts of life.

In his book, It's Called Work for a Reason, Larry Winget explains that, "Many people have become so dependent on their company, on society, and on others that they think they are owed a living.  They think the company is there to serve them instead of the truth, which is that they are there to serve the company".

Whether you're a manager, supervisor, or the guy that started in the mailroom yesterday, don't get caught up in these "entitlement" thoughts.  So what can you do?  Do your best, stand out, and take personal responsibility.  These are the things that are going to make you a success, whether it's at your current job or your next.

You're not owed a job . . . so make your leaders WANT to keep you.