You have probably heard of the Twelfth Man which, in an American football game, refers to the impact of the fans in attendance. Their cheering can inspire the home team to great heights while at the same time making noise that can play a part in undoing the visiting side. This is a great example … Continue reading How can changing how you think about who’s on your team make you more successful?

Remember all those things your mom used to tell you, play nice, be polite, share, say please and thank you, and help clean up? If companies would just think back and practice a lot of those things, they would provide incomparable customer service. Well, this is the idea behind Jeanne Bliss’s new book, Would You … Continue reading Book Review: Would You Do That to Your Mother?: The Make Mom Proud Standard for How to Treat Your Customers by Jeanne Bliss

How do the TV networks gauge what they decide to provide for their customers, the viewers?  It is simple, they listen to their customers.  They regularly look at what their customers are watching and make changes based on the results. The system is relatively straightforward.  Nielsen Media Research, the company that has become the de … Continue reading A Lesson for Business from TV Networks

Have you ever had to repeat a problem several times to a company?  Imagine calling your insurance company, you punch in your claim number, and then you go through an endless series of punch-in options for departments and different needs.  When you finally get to a person, they ask, “Can you give me your claim … Continue reading Repetition, not so good for business.

Have you ever had a medical test and afterward had to wait days or a week for the results?  How did it feel during that period?  If the test was to determine the seriousness of some pain or niggle, I know most of us experience some amount of anxiety, worry, or discomfort at minimum. This … Continue reading Slaying the Customer Discomfort Beast

In a recent post, we looked at a simple approach to coaching employees.  We talked about a coaching conversation model based on three themes – reflection, ideation, and commitment.  In this model, the coach and coacheee focus on an area of opportunity for improvement and reflect on the current state of that focus area.  They … Continue reading Coaching Success Requires Regular Follow Up

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