Leadership | It's Worth Noting

Leadership

It’s My Pleasure

June 6, 2011

Anyone who has been to Chick-Fil-A and muttered a “thank you” has heard an employee reply, “It’s my pleasure.” Sure, they train and require everyone to say it, but it is a reflection of the company’s heart and soul. The company really believes they are serving you, the customer, and that the thanks is all theirs. This perspective is not uncommon in the restaurant or hospitality industry, though few execute it as genuinely or consistently as Chick-Fil-A. What happens though when you evaluate other industries and companies? Are they known for communicating genuine gratitude after every interaction with their customers? Rack your brain and try to come up with a list. I bet you cannot name five companies outside of the restaurant or hospitality industries. Would your customers put your company on their list? Although there are probably a variety of reasons why so few companies consistently and genuinely communicate gratitude, I…

Leadership

Operating at the speed of trust

May 14, 2011

There is a great book written by Stephen M.R. Covey, son of famed productivity author Stephen Covey, entitled The Speed of Trust. Covey argues that the lack of trust in business is extremely costly. All the due diligence, exhaustive contracts, monitoring and the like slows business down and increases costs. Alternatively, what if you trusted the person on the other side of the table? How much quicker and more easily could you do business? I wholeheartedly agree with Covey’s thesis. I do not suggest being naive, but I do advocate and practice aligning with customers, vendors and employees one can trust and stepping away from those one cannot. My strong conviction wasn’t birthed out of the book though. For me, the seed was planted many years ago when I was a young boy attentively observing my father conduct business. My father manages ranches raising registered cattle. He’s what people have…

Leadership

When conflict erupts, do you reach for a kleenex or see your doctor?

July 23, 2011

Earlier this year I developed a typical sinus infection. The pressure became too much to bear despite all the remedies I tried. In the end, the only thing that would solve the problem was a prescription to treat the root cause of the problem. A few days after getting a prescription from my doctor, all was well. Reflect for a moment on how you resolve conflict in your home, workplace or the like. When someone angers you, do you step back to consider the root cause of the problem or do you treat the symptoms? If you are anything like me, you are tempted to react to the symptoms – the words or actions of the offending party. This may provide some temporary relief, as does blowing your nose when you have a sinus infection. The root cause of the conflict, the infection, goes unaddressed though and is left to…

Leadership

Misaligned: Fixing the problem with poorly chosen vendors and suppliers

September 25, 2012

Your organization cannot run without them. Vendors and suppliers, whether couriers, banks, professional services or suppliers of raw materials, make up a complex network that helps you get the job done. These are people and organizations you pay and rely on, but far too often I hear people describe the relationship with disdain. Whether the feeling is that they cost too much, are unreliable or are apathetic, the all too unfortunate consensus is that they’re a necessary evil. The best that can be done is to endure, yell when you have to and always be on the lookout for a better option. If this is where you are, whether with one or many of your vendors or suppliers, the real problem is not them. I suggest it’s you. More precisely, it’s your selection criteria and process for the partners you chose. Consider your hiring process for a moment. What if…

Leadership Podcast

Lawrence “SugarBear” Reyes interview – How Can I Help?

November 22, 2013

Lawrence Reyes serves as the Ambassador of Culture and Global Onboarding Manager at Rackspace, a leading cloud server and hosted services company based in San Antonio, Texas. As employee #14, Lawrence has seen firsthand how the company evolved from a 90’s start-up into a global enterprise known for its innovative offerings, fanatical support and unique culture. SugarBear, as he’s known to fellow “Rackers” inside in the company, loves inspiring other companies and new employees with the vision of what can happen when everyone is focused on how they can help. I think you’ll find his journey and experience with Rackspace inspiring and applicable. Resources: Culture at Rackspace Listen below or on other podcast players.

Leadership Podcast

David Niu interview – What would you gladly pay for?

October 11, 2013

What if you broke up your retirement into bite-sized chunks and went on small adventures? That’s exactly what David Niu, serial entrepreneur and founder of TinyHR, did with his wife and ten month old not too long ago. Along the way, David sought to understand the biggest pain point leaders had related to managing their people and an idea was born. I think you will enjoy David’s inspiring story and find his approach to understanding how happy employees really are intriguing. Enjoy. Resources: TinyPulse TinyHR Listen below or on other podcast players.

Leadership

Dear Customer: I don’t want to talk to you

April 26, 2011

Over the past two decades, the internet has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for new companies. In recent years, a weak economy has forced many into the world of entrepreneurship and freelance. The rate of competition is increasing while the previously explosive increase in productivity, quality and efficiency is waning. While this seismic shift is taking place, we still have companies retaining and devising strategies to minimize customer interaction like we hit the pause button in the 90’s and nothing has changed. They view interaction with customers as an annoyance or a cost to minimize. Look no further than your inbox and all those noreply@ email address. Or consider a recent call you made navigating ten auto attendant layers while desperately hitting zero just to get a real person on the line. You can’t get service but you can wear out your keypad and finger tips. These techniques are…

Leadership Technology

No cameras please. Remove all cameras.

March 24, 2011

Last week my wife and I attended a Cirque du Soleil show. The show was wonderful, but the scene at the security checkpoint left something to be desired. As we went through the line to present our tickets and gain admittance, an obligatory staffer yelled out, “No cameras please. Remove all cameras.” Meanwhile, thousands of people like us went through the line texting and playing with their smart phones to pass the time. Every single one of them is a camera. Probably 3/4 of them are also video cameras. Security personnel was oblivious. The scene is the same at almost every performance I go to where they check for cameras. How could these security companies and their personnel be so naive? I’d venture to say it is because they focus less on adapting to a changing environment and more on getting a changing environment to adapt to them. The tragedy is that…

Leadership Reviews

Are you ready for the thank you economy?

March 15, 2011

I heard a talk yesterday by Gary Vaynerchuk about his new book: The Thank You Economy. His basic premise is that for companies to succeed in the coming decade they will have to genuinely care for their customers. By caring, he’s not talking about sending thank you notes or coupons to buy more. He advocates the need to care passionately and personally, to create a sticky experience focused on what’s best for the customer, not for you. While at the end of the day it’s business, you must humanize the interaction with customers to continue to win their business and maintain loyalty. He argues that if your caring baramoter is a Zappos, you’re aiming too low. You need to blow their customer care out of the water. What do you think? Are you planning on reading his new book? Are you evaluating how to revolutionize how you care for customers?

Leadership

Thank a customer today

February 24, 2011

Saying thank you only takes a few minutes of consideration and then following through. Think of one customer today that you really appreciate. How could you express your thanks? Deliver something early? Send a note or call to share how they’ve helped your business grow or improve? Send a gift for a referral, whether from yesterday or years past? Whatever the idea, just make sure it’s unexpected, thoughtful and reflective of how important they are to you. How do you say thank you?