“The purpose of business is to create a customer.” – Peter Drucker “Organizations are established to serve human needs. There is no other reason for their existence.” – Stephen R. Covey It would seem clear that so many organizations have things a little mixed up. When you are a customer, how much do you feel … Continue reading “I serve at the pleasure of…” Business should adopt the phrase.
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In a changing world, is management keeping up?
Since the Industrial Revolution, most industries have subscribed to management theory coming out of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s “Scientific Management,” a system that was created for achieving efficient execution of known, repeatable processes at scale. Essentially, this management style came out of an environment where factories with assembly lines ruled the day. However, regardless of the … Continue reading In a changing world, is management keeping up?
Unnecessary customer pain: A lesson at the grocery store.
I was in the grocery store recently taking advantage of the speed and efficiency of the self-checkout area when the person next to me had a problem. The little light on that pole beside the computerized scanner-cum-cash register began flashing so along came an employee to help. Now the pain started. I watched as the … Continue reading Unnecessary customer pain: A lesson at the grocery store.
Customers or numbers. What do you say?
Poor service. It seems to be rampant these days. But why? What’s the main reason? Is it bad attitudes? Is it management? Is it a lack of training? Is it Millennials? They seem to be popular scapegoats for all manner of ills these days. I’m sure you could make a long list and you could … Continue reading Customers or numbers. What do you say?
Do Ask, Don’t Tell
Telling people what to do is necessary sometimes, but a far more effective long-term strategy is asking questions and empowering self-direction. Isn’t that what we want in our workplaces? Don’t we want people who can think and make decisions? What I’ve found in most workplaces though is fear. So many managers fear their employees thinking … Continue reading Do Ask, Don’t Tell
A Yogurt-Maker’s Bold Proposal to Change the Face of Business
“It’s time to admit that the playbook that’s guided businesses and CEOs in the last 40 years is broken,” says Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and founder of Chobani, the popular and successful Greek yogurt brand, in his TED Talk in Vancouver. To that, he adds that the idea of maximizing profits solely to benefit shareholders is … Continue reading A Yogurt-Maker’s Bold Proposal to Change the Face of Business
Book Review: Leading Loyalty
What turns average customers into loyal promoters of your business? Why do people stick with a brand, organization, or specific enterprise for the long term? In one of their newer books, Leading Loyalty, the Franklin Covey loyalty team answers these questions. If I were to sum up their conclusions, loyalty begins and ends with employees … Continue reading Book Review: Leading Loyalty
Your Moment
Recently, I was confronted with a question as to what my moment was. Huh? What did they mean by moment? Well, what they were getting at was this, there are times in our lives, maybe just a moment, one moment when we get a flash of insight that leads us to our life calling, what … Continue reading Your Moment
What’s Your Priority?
What's most important in your business, people, or other things? It’s always surprising to me that the primary reason for business, serving the needs of people (customers), gets sidelined for so many other “priorities.” Take a moment to think about this. The fundamental purpose of business is to provide goods and services that help people … Continue reading What’s Your Priority?
Service (R)Evolution…If not now, when?
You do know that your work is a service...to someone…right? No matter how you slice it, we all serve others. Think about it. Service is just a simple way of saying, "helping people," and given that, isn’t that what we all do every day? Believe it or not, our work and our lives hover around … Continue reading Service (R)Evolution…If not now, when?
Neal Woodson 