I recently read Mark Miller’s new book Chess Not Checkers and found it a rewarding read. This book tells the story of Blake Brown and his trials and tribulations with being a new CEO of a company going through trouble. In the story, Blake enlists the help of Jack Deluca, a former CEO with a … Continue reading Chess Not Checkers
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Getting to Engagement
One of the biggest problems in workplaces today is the lack of engagement. So many people slog through their day and all they are thinking about is going home or “I can’t wait until Friday.” What can we do about it? One thing I think we can start doing is to get our team members … Continue reading Getting to Engagement
Creating Safety is Better Business
So many ads these days talk about how much companies care about us, how the airline or rental car company or hotel cares. Here’s the problem, a company can’t care; only people can care. If the company really cares, it needs people who care, and the way to get people to care is to care … Continue reading Creating Safety is Better Business
It’s All Service
As I say all of the time, service is not a department nor is it something to be relegated to a call center. In the book ReWork by Jason Fried and David Hansson, the authors talk about marketing as the sum of virtually everything you do. They actually make a list of things and how … Continue reading It’s All Service
Three Ways to Provide More Hospitality
Have you ever been to someone’s house and, while using the restroom, realized there was precious little toilet paper? This is one of the most uncomfortable positions to be in, as far as I can recall. What do you do? Yell? Maybe, but that would be embarrassing. I think most of us would simply make … Continue reading Three Ways to Provide More Hospitality
It’s not a task, it’s a mindset
I was on a flight the other day when I experienced an example of what I believe is the key problem with customer service today. Let me describe the scenario. It was a bad weather day. Snow was blanketing the northeast and flights were being cancelled and delayed left and right. The flight I was … Continue reading It’s not a task, it’s a mindset
The Needs of the Many
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” If you need a vision of what the business of business is really all about, look no further than this quote. The needs of the many are the reason your business, or any business for that matter, is in business. You … Continue reading The Needs of the Many
Immaturity
Trust is probably the most important attribute necessary for good relationships. Whether life partners, family, friends, co-workers, customers, or, given the Brian Williams debacle, even TV news anchors, trust is the linchpin in relationships. Think about it, Brian Williams, a fine news anchor who was arguably in line with the historic greats like Cronkite, Rather, … Continue reading Immaturity
The Center of Your Business
Does this sound like a scary thought? Imagine having those confidential company meetings with a customer in the room. If it sounds scary, why? Are you making decisions that you know are not in the customer’s favor? Are you making decisions that, if a customer found out, would make it clear that your company is … Continue reading The Center of Your Business
Service is Not a Call Center
I am very frustrated by how many times I see books and articles about service that are focused on call centers. It seems we have made call centers how service is defined. Well, let me be clear, service is something that begins in marketing and goes on for as long as a business and a … Continue reading Service is Not a Call Center
Neal Woodson 