Recently, a manager asked me how to start a coaching conversation that provides clarity and doesn’t sound preachy.  Here is how I replied. First, it is important to understand what coaching is and isn’t.  Workplace coaching is not, as some of our sporting examples might lead us to believe, about barking out the game plan.  … Continue reading Demystifying Workplace Coaching

“People don’t want experiences, that’s the stuff of Disney or cruise ships.  People just want what they want and they want it to work.”  I read that in a comment to a post on LinkedIn the other day and while I wasn’t overly surprised by the comment, I was surprised that it came from the … Continue reading Customer Experience Isn’t About Thrill Rides

Did you take psychology in college?  Do you remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?  If you do, kudos, if not, here’s a refresher. Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who reached fame in 1943 when he published a paper called A Theory of Human Motivation where he set out the foundation of what would become known as … Continue reading Three A’s for Making Your Customers Feel Safe

I recently was doing some work where I was asked the question, “What is service excellence?”  It was a good question, and although it may seem easy to define, it is often misunderstood.  Answering the question brought to mind some interesting thoughts from Ron Kaufman, the author of Uplifting Service, about what service excellence really … Continue reading What Is Service Excellence?