Serious About Service

Many decades ago, there was a cartoon character on television known as Dudley Do Right. Dudley was an affable fellow who spent his days attempting to be an upstanding Canadian Mountie, always thinking he was doing the right thing when in reality he never came close. As the screenwriters felt his life should be destined, there was a fundamental flaw in his perceptive abilities and he never could see the forest for the trees.  In modern business parlance I guess I would say he lived his life on the “Micro” and could never see the “Macro”. Continue Reading »

Several years ago I met a fellow who after ten years of dedication to his religious ideals decided to “take things to a higher level” and study in preparation for priesthood.  Unfortunately, it was through his studies that his passion for his religion suffered.  It seems that a great deal of his religious education focused more on the business of running a church than doing what he felt was worthwhile work for his community.  The business of religion helped dampen his religious faith.  As I thought about the situation it dawned on me that as much as there is the “Business of Religion”, there is also the “Religion of Business”. Continue Reading »

If you were to make a short list of the most significant business and political leaders of your life, who would it include?  Would it be something like – Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellis, Brin & Page, Bono, Jack Welch, Martha Stewart, Ronald Reagan, George Patton?

Each of these individuals is unique in their own right, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, their own unique abilities and incompetence.    What runs common through them is best illustrated by the title of a book by Mike Wilson – “The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: *God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison”. Continue Reading »

Regardless of our alleged intelligence, our wealth, or our social prowess, there is something about the human condition that makes people vulnerable to addictive and damaging behavior.  Be it alcoholism, addiction to smoking, drug addiction, gambling addiction, food addiction, addiction to video games, addiction to the Internet or television, addiction to sex, addiction to shopping, or addiction to work, we seem to be a race of creatures with a weakness for things that hurt us when taken in volume.

Now, welcome to chaos addiction.
Continue Reading »

Lori Jo Vest and Marilyn Suttle are launching the “Who’s Your Gladys?” video series of customer service “quick tips” TODAY. These quick video clips are ideal for staff meeting openers, weekly mini-courses or tools for reinforcing an already great customer service culture.

Their book, called “Who’s Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult customer into Your Biggest Fan,” is on stores shelves and online resellers now and it can help you solve customer service problems with finesse.

PLUS – Marilyn and Lori are offering a special bonus for people who buy their bestselling book “Who’s Your Gladys?” TODAY.  Ten lucky book buyers will be chosen – through a random drawing – to receive a one-hour consultation with Marilyn and Lori. You can visit the video launch page to learn more about this special offer at www.whosyourgladys.tv.

A few weeks ago our family was deciding what movie to watch on television for the night.  The choice boiled down to Ice Age 2, which my children love, and The Princess Bride, one of my favourite flicks.  I am sure it is no great surprise to say that, backed by the influences of their mother, the children won out and I will have to find some other way to satisfy my awakened “The Princess Bride hunger”.  While I think the film as a whole was enjoyable, I don’t think that I am all that unique when I say that it is a certain scene that I enjoy which makes the film most worth watching. Continue Reading »

My last assignment as an independent head-hunter, before rejoining the ranks of the employed, was to find a new VP of Engineering for a research oriented high tech company.  The ideal candidate would have a PhD in Physics, preferably quantum optics, preferably at the top of his or her class, preferably well published and well respected in the research community, preferably fluent in both German and English, and preferably with a few years experience leading engineers in similar environments.  Suffice to say, I began to acquaint myself with individuals who maintained an exceptionally high intellectual standard, people who knew more by the age of 14 than I will probably understand throughout my entire life.  It was an exceptionally pleasant as well as eye opening experience. Continue Reading »

A few decades ago, when I first started working in the Customer Service business, there were a few misunderstandings that I had to eventually clear up before I could become truly effective in my profession. Perhaps the most obvious roadblock was my attitude towards what my employer and customers should expect of me and what I should expect from them. Although I was technically very strong, I was often referred to as a “bull in a china shop”. For quite some time I didn’t fully understand what my colleagues and superiors were getting at. I was always capable, polite, punctual, never deliberately aggressive or demeaning towards a customer and did my utmost to deliver on my commitments. Those characteristics alone, I felt, should land me firmly in the 90th percentile. Continue Reading »

This year we started off the Podcasts with a terrific recording on Conflict Management with John Mattock.  As anyone who has been in service for any time knows, conflicts are a permanent part of the landscape.  Whether you’re dealing with a frustrated customer, a burdensome colleague, or a unfocused boss, conflicts surround us and learning how to manage them is perhaps one of the most financially and personally rewarding skills in your repertoire.  Enjoy the recording!

Years ago Japan made a significant name for itself in the manufacturing environment for the practice of asking “Why?” five times in succession in order to get to the root cause of a problem.  When a system failed, one asked “Why?”  If the answer was that a component of that system was faulty, “Why?” was asked again.  The answer to this question was again put to the “Why?” question and after five iterations one often discovered systemic issues which, when addressed, could have far reaching consequences. I would like, however, to suggest that for the soft skills business sector we turn the question on its head. Continue Reading »