One of the easiest things you can do to provide great service is to show customers that their problem is as important to you as it is to them. How do you do it? First, you have to do what you do at a railroad crossing: stop, look, and listen. Stop what you are doing. … Continue reading Great service makes people matter. Four simple things can do that.

Do we humans have a superpower? Well, I don’t think science has necessarily defined one, but I’m going to put in a vote for our natural compulsion to help each other—a.k.a. service—to be at the top of the list.  Why? Because it’s possibly the biggest contributor to our survival. We’re not the biggest, fastest, or … Continue reading You have a superpower, and you don’t need a cape to use it. 

I recently read a story about a woman who felt unsafe at work. She was being mistreated by a coworker who seemed to do it for no other reason than their enjoyment of seeing others squirm. It started with verbal jabs and elevated to subtle—and sometimes not so subtle—threats to have her fired. When she … Continue reading It. Is. All. About. People.

Let’s cut to the chase. Managing and leading are not the same thing. Leaders move people to move a mission, while managers control what can be controlled to get predictable results. Managers believe in being productive, while leaders believe in being effective.  The difficulty comes when managers try to control people because people can’t be … Continue reading In the age-old battle between management and leadership, the difference is service. 

I’ve said it a million times: the purpose of business is to help people, and that should be its priority. Unfortunately, too many have been misguided to think profit is the purpose. This is similar to the way many people see education. They make school about grades instead of learning. Grades, like profit, are outcomes, … Continue reading Is your business focused on grades or learning?

Compassion. We typically hear that word in terms that make it sound soft or weak. However, not only is compassion not weak, it is a powerful force for good and a crucial skill for success. We are constantly being told to be tough, to hustle, and to grind, so compassion gets pushed aside, yet compassion … Continue reading The Most Underrated Skill of Our Time

It’s not about you. It’s just not. In fact, in our long human history, it has rarely been about singular personalities. Rather, it has almost always been about groups, families, tribes, or organizations. But what is “it”? “It” refers to what ultimately matters being focused on an individual, as in “what is most important here … Continue reading Success is a healthy ecosystem.

Umbrellas. We all use them. We all fight with them.  At best, the umbrella is a “good enough” device. It works when it wants to, and when it doesn’t, it won’t open, or the wind turns it backward, or the fabric comes loose on one of the spines. It’s “good enough,” and we have lived … Continue reading “Good enough.” Could this be where making a difference lives?

Imagine you’re on that ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic. An iceberg rips through the hull, and the ship is going down. There are more passengers than lifeboats. Decisions must be made—tough decisions about who will live and who will surely die.  Now imagine a crew member pushing some people overboard in order to open … Continue reading The Worst Harm Businesses Do. There’s an Opportunity There.

In our industrial economy, it seems efficiency is regularly sparring with quality.  Let’s look at our contestants. Efficiency focuses on production. Quality focuses on value.  Efficiency’s priority is what is best for those who deliver. Quality’s is what’s best for those being served.  Efficiency emphasizes doing things faster and cheaper. Quality emphasizes doing the right … Continue reading Efficiency or quality?