Take a lesson from a kid...service with a smile!

Yesterday, I took my kids to the local Lego Land - aside from the crowds of insane crowd and bus loads of camp kids I was given one of the best experiences ever, and it was delivered by a young girl!  In a pack of anxious kids and parents feverishly building cars for jumping or the hour's challenge (my son won the spaceship challenge during the four o'clock hour) we found that many needed pieces were missing.  Upon searching for wheels with two frustrated kids, I finally approached one of the employees for help.  Now my expectations were low, I expected a shrug of shoulders and an apology.  But I was surprised in a good way!  She not only heard my issue but jumped on it immediately.  She apologized and went to the store where she pulled new wheels from inventory.  Not only one set, but six sets so both my kids and I would have some options!  It blew me away!  In a sea of folks, many of whom treated her less than stellar, she jumped up like it was nothing.  I've been in the service game for years and I'm always impressed when people jump to action in unexpected ways.  So don't be blind to new places to find inspiration in serving your clients!  You never know when greatness may jump up and get you a set of tires!

What's impressed you?

Cutting Corners - really just cutting benefits

In light of the recent proposed changes from the airline industre ry, it makes me think that other changes are bound to happen.  If you haven't seen it, some discount airlines are considering standing room seats for economy flying.  NO SEATS!  I mean they've taken food, drinks, and room and now they're looking at making us stand!  all in the name for a 44% savings?  no seat...just a bike like seat connected to a bar...SERIOUSLY!  How long until corporate America will be a BYOC - bring your own chair policy?  Oh you want a better PC...bring your own!  Want access to the printer...again bring your own or pay extra!  In today's working world, we as leaders, need to fight for basic tools.  Sure you can save a boat load of money pushing a BYOB policy...but what kind of results will you get?  I'm sure the airlines are going to see a massive backlash of customer satisfaction.  Sure we crave cheap products but standing room seats?  Is that really a reaction to cheap seats or just their attempt to squeeze more people into a small space...So keep your folks in first class...pay for the big seats!

Ready for the big time...but are you?

I am always impressed with the efforts of a team member that is motivated to get a promotion.  It seems like another gear is reached.  Focus is sharp, measures are strong and well the praise should be pouring in.  However, sometimes the timing required doesn't match the efforts of our teams.  At the end of the day we are employees and work at the pleasure of our respective companies.  That means, it decides when we're ready for promotions, it decides when raises are given out and as a leader you must be mindful of this! Motivating employees can crumble if efforts are not rewarded.  If that employee mentioned at the top of this note pushes for months and falls flat without reward you risk losing that person to another job or just mediocrity for months or years to come.  My advise to you is to make sure the company is ready and open to rewarding your folks before you start pushing results!

Let your team reward themselves!

One of the toughest things to do is decide when and what gets a team member recognized.  Awards are a great way to get a team motivated...or I should say portions of a team motivated.  As we've noted before here - folks are motivated by very different things.  But Awards normally can touch each type - recognition is something most folks like!  But trying to figure out who gets them can be the tricky part - don't want to reward the favorites each week.  But that path can breed trouble!

But avoid the trouble - let the team vote on it themselves!  I put together a small box (bought of ebay) that allowed the team to recognize themselves.  Slips of paper and what they did to earn the reward were all that was needed!  Boom instant HIT!  We'd pick the winner - each week in our Team Meeting and DONE!  When entries got slow - I even began to reward the writers of the nominations - four winning nominations got you a prize as well!

So stop stressing about who wins!  Let your team do the heavy lifting!

Like Johnny Cash...Walk the Line!

When individuals begin to walk the path of a leader the landscape changes almost immediately.  Things you've never considered or thought would be a problem suddenly shoot up out of no where.  When you take the role of a manger or a leader you don't have the luxury to be off in any way.  Sad, happy or angry you have to keep an even keel.  Reacting is a sure path to failure.  It will alienate the very people you need to be successful.  So work your inner Johnny Cash and Walk that line!  This means being too nice as well.  Avoiding confrontation, coaching or having tough conversations will also lead to a path where you will fail.  While we'd like to believe that our teams are family, we are not.  Work relationships should mimic those family feelings but at the end of the day, you are the boss.  Your people are paid to be there and while you'd like HR to be in your homes...they are not, they are in your work place.  Employees need leadership, they need guidance but they also need a fair leader who understands where the line is! 

Tell us a story where you've walked the path...or possibly haven't and paid the price!

Wanna join me for a cup 'o Joe?

Some of my greatest coaching sessions weren't in an office or a conference room...they were actually on the way to get a cup of coffee across the street.  When set coaching sessions are scheduled everyone's anxiety increases...defensive memories of being told they're doing something wrong flood the memory banks...Managers these days have a mountain of things to-do and having another meeting just seems to be more of a problem rather than the positive one on one time they should see them as.  That is why I love to make these meetings on the move or over a snack or a meal...and definitely away from the floor...making sure items are always private.  As we know these sessions are not created equal!  Some of your folks will require minor tinkering while others will need 30 minute long sessions filled with emotion and pleading and reasoning.  It's part of the things that motivate me as a leader.  Helping make a group of different folks, with diverse backgrounds march together towards a common goal.  Each person will require a different amount of love, hate and candy to get them to march...but when you get there...and the marching hits the mark...there is nothing like it in the world!

Where is your favorite spot to performing coaching?

Keep your eyes open...You might just learn something!

One of my favorite pass-times is borrowing tricks from folks trying to serve me!  When I get blown away by a company, store or person I make sure to recognize what about the experience I enjoyed and try to make that apart of my future offerings...Traveling is a big part of the fun  Even on a camping trip!  I just have arrived back from a family camping trip to Wisconsin.  First of all, if you've never been to Wisconsin, you've never felt a group of people that are universally nice.  I mean smiling at strangers, bender over backwards, stop what they're doing to help brand of people.  My wife, a native Californian, was blown away by the repeated "niceness" of the people we encountered.  From waiters to retail folks, we were so satisfied because everyone seemed to actually care.  They seemed genuinely interested in helping up and how we felt about our experience!  Are you kidding me?  In a world of bare bones service and a push to cut costs, these folks almost talked to us too much? 

Now that is something I can use in my Whistling World!  Treat everyone like they are a long lost cousin or friend!  Take the time to make your customer, coworker or anyone feel like you care not only about the job at hand but them personally!  That is what will separate you from the pack and drive your success like no one around you!