You’ve been getting sick a lot lately so you go to the doctor. They’re not sure exactly what’s going on so you’re prescribed a regimen of tests.  You dutifully go through all the hassles. You are stripped, robed, put into machines, poked, prodded, and had tubes put where no tubes should go. Then, you’re told … Continue reading You may call them soft skills, but they’re not soft, they’re human, and they matter a great deal.

Who is on your team? What people make up your business? Simple answer, execs, employees, and maybe investors. Isn’t that it? For most people, it is. But I think that misses a potential opportunity. What if you thought of your team as more than those in your immediate view? What if you included customers in … Continue reading Who is on your team? Is someone missing?

In the book, A Case for Compassion, Sara Schairer poses a compelling question, “What would happen if we made people and the planet our priority instead of growth and profit?” Schairer, for those of you not familiar with her, is a Stanford-certified instructor of Compassion Cultivation Training and founder of Compassion It, a non-profit organization … Continue reading Book Review: A Case for Compassion by Sara Schairer

“All of our representatives are busy helping other customers right now. Wait times may be longer than normal. We apologize for any inconvenience.” It seems this has become regular fare. But why? Too many calls? Not enough people to handle the volume?  What’s the solution?  It’s not AI. That may be the current panacea, but … Continue reading Call volume is high. We have to do better.

Who am I here to help? This is the real question entrepreneurs need to ask themselves on a regular basis. One failure I see over and over is people and businesses spreading themselves too thin by trying to please too many different factions. Trying to be all things to, if not everybody, a lot of … Continue reading Who do you help?

I once worked in a place where my manager got mad at one of my teammates for being too much of a customer advocate. This left me scratching my head. By definition, an advocate is a supporter, promoter, or backer, so, given that, I kind of thought that’s what we were supposed to be doing. … Continue reading Are you an advocate or an adversary? Only one truly increases success.

During a webinar I was attending, the presenter made a comment that they once talked to some business leaders about the importance of customer focus and those leaders rolled their eyes. They then had to have a conversation about the importance of customers in business. You can imagine me shuddering in disgust. What the hell … Continue reading Business is about people. If you don’t get it, get out of business.

Compassion. It's not something we talk about too much in the world of business, but we should. Why? To answer that, let’s first come to grips with what compassion is, and then, look at why it’s important to the work we do. So, what is compassion? Well, it’s not empathy. Empathy is about understanding and … Continue reading Compassion. In business? Really? Why? How?

In just about any human endeavor, there are two dimensions at work. One is objective—elements that are black/white, yes/no, 1/0, and are easily measured and managed—while the other is subjective—these are the elements that are not easily measured like emotions, feelings, and behaviors.  This set up fits with how our brains work. As Daniel Kahneman … Continue reading Want your business to be known for great service? You’ll need a balanced approach.

Leaders solve problems, they also—should—help the people following them solve problems. However, many of them don’t so much help as they jump in and take over. It’s that overwhelming leadership urge to be hero rather than helpful guide gently steering them to useful solutions. This heroic urge impacts just about everyone, and as much as … Continue reading Why leaders should stop trying to be heroes and what to do instead.