Do you thank your customers? One would think the answer would be a yes from everyone but I am surprised in my own experience at how often a thank you is not forthcoming. When you consider that customers pay for everything a business does, it would seem a given that they get a thank you, … Continue reading Gratitude should be a business strategy.

I am sure you’ve heard the old saying, do as I say, not as I do. And hopefully, you are aware that it describes a very ineffective tactic because people tend to best follow and mirror what they see their leaders do rather than blindly doing what they say to do. This fact is something … Continue reading Eight ideas for influencing a more helpful culture.

Almost everybody has heard the old tale about the rock band who demanded a certain color of M&Ms in a bowl in their dressing room and their refusal to go on with the show if those M&Ms weren’t there. Now, the point of this was not to be prima donnas but rather to know whether … Continue reading M&Ms, misspelled names, and customer loyalty.

When your culture attaches too much importance to profit you wind up with team members who attach too little importance to customers. When leaders talk about their business’s sole purpose being to make a profit, customers tend to be talked about as things or objects to manipulate. They’re no longer human beings, they’re just anonymous … Continue reading How too much emphasis on profit can damage your business.

Collaboration is, by definition, working together. It is, by nature, service-oriented. And when your employees aren’t competing, but rather, are combining their skills and knowledge to serve each other’s needs so that the company can better serve customers’ needs, the value of your organization increases. For generations we’ve been taught that competition is good, however, … Continue reading How a collaborative spirit can reinvigorate your company.

Would you let your child go down into a mine that had taken no safety precautions? Would you want your child to join a military where leaders had a proven record of caring nothing for the lives of those in their charge? Most likely, unless you’re ill or don’t like children, you are saying no. … Continue reading Hopeless Workplaces. We can do better.

I have a question for business leaders. If things were to go wrong and your business hit hard times, would your employees take care of you? Would they sacrifice to save your business? If not, why not? So many business leaders are willing to sacrifice their people when things get tough but would feel disrespected … Continue reading People or Profit – The Eternal Question?

“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.

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.