The benefits of intentional chaos

Most people loathe chaos. It causes them a lot of stress. They don’t know where to start to create order. They feel overwhelmed and disoriented. Nothing seems familiar.

So why would one create chaos intentionally? Usually it’s because they believe life on the other side of the disruption will be better. Often much better.

When you decide to voluntarily move residences, you believe the larger/smaller/differently located lodgings will bring you more happiness. Maybe you’ve felt cramped in the previous place, or maybe it was too big. Or maybe you wanted a better view, safer location, or closer to work or better schools. You were willing to deal with the chaos because you saw the benefit.

Read more

Common sense is hard to learn

My friend arrived at the store to pick up the donated gift card for the high school fundraiser. When she announced herself at the customer service desk, she was greeted with, “I’d like to shoot the person who wrote this letter.”

My friend was taken aback and said, “Well, it was me. So shoot me. What did I do that was so offensive to you?”

“There’s no info on the letter for us to contact you.”

My friend pointed out, “The letter has the phone number of the high school and the name of the person to contact. My personal return address is on the envelope. What more did you need? Obviously there was enough info for someone to contact us as I got notice to come pick up the card.”

Silence.

Read more

Improving your organization’s reputation

When you know your organization has a reputation for poor service, you need to double your efforts not to perpetuate that impression. When it’s a for-profit company, you can easily lose customers as the bad-word-of-mouth spreads.

But what if your organization is a non-profit or government agency that serves the public? What do you have to lose if you don’t try to upgrade the public’s perception?

Read more

Getting while giving

When we do activities that others may see as altruistic, we typically get back at least as much, usually more, than we give. I noticed this during my recent visits to Thai and Cambodian orphanages and schools I support through the Together We Can Change the World Foundation.

Read more

Get your copy of best practices white paper

I was asked to contribute to SupportIndustry.com’s best practice white paper, “2013 Agent Playbook: Best Practices For Optimal Performance.” If you’d like to have a copy, just email me. (My contribution is on page 7.)

Trying to be the smartest in the room shows you’re not

Recently I spent a few days with a young, bright woman. But her constant attempts to prove she was the smartest person in the room backfired. The more she tried to one-up others, the less smart she was seen to be.

Read more

Singapore HR Summit

I was delighted to speak on “Effectively Growing Your Key Talent” at the Singapore HR Summit. One session had about 800 smart, interesting HR professionals. I look forward to the next time I’m invited to speak at this premier event.

How to get exemplary service

My South African friends kept complaining about how bad service is in their country. They shared several examples to which I said, “I’ve had similar experiences in various countries. But I’ve also had stellar service here and in other places.”

Read more

Simple gestures can make a customer go “wow”

In Cape Town, the Stonehurst Guest House provides simple, clean lodging in a lovely Victorian home with a central courtyard. The owner, Jan, is a kind artist who has run the inn for 30 years. Dan, the manager, and Maureen, the housekeeper, are friendly and accommodating. I chatted with each during my 3-day stay and found them friendly and helpful.

But it was something Jan did that made me go “Wow!”

Read more

The Honesty Continuum

Since you were a tyke, you’ve often heard the adage, “Honesty is the best policy.”

  • But then your best friend got mad after you told her the boy she had a crush on told you he didn’t like her.
  • You lost your first boyfriend after you told him he had bad breath.
  • You ended up in the principal’s office after telling your chemistry teacher he didn’t explain the experiment well, thus your blowing up the beaker.
  • You were shunned at work when you told your coworker she’d never get promoted since she kept messing up in her job.
  • You got fired because you told your boss his idea of not answering the phones so everyone could get more done would lose customers.

So, is honesty really the best policy?

Honesty Continuum

 

Read more