Years ago I led a seminar on how to have a positive attitude at work. In the text, “Attitude: Your Most Priceless Possession,” author Elwood Chapman,suggests employing the “Flipside Technique.” The concept is to take something not commonly considered good and reframe it as a positive, injecting a dose of humor when necessary. I’m using … Read more
I was asked to participate in Ben Yoskovitz’s project to put together the Ultimate Guide to Productivity. He’s asking for your one best idea to increase your productivity. When I was retained by Microsoft to be their workplace effectiveness spokesperson, I was asked to come up with some of my best quick productivity tips. The … Read more
A recent issue of the consulting firm Yankelovich’s newsletter, “Monitor,” got me thinking again about the customer experience. The article was about civility and how “kindness and consideration are always in demand,” but more so after horrific events. I believe people are looking for human connection in the face of tragedies that leave people thinking, … Read more
Gary Kurth was fired for being excellent. His performance was so great in fact, that he out earned his colleagues. That was the problem. An April 8 story in the Santa Barbara (California) News-Press explained that Gary was among 3,400 Circuit City employees who lost their jobs in the last few weeks because their sales … Read more
I had flown in to keynote a customer service conference at a resort. Because of weather delays and too-tight connections, I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and now, after 9:00 p.m., the destination airport concessions were closed. I asked my driver to stop at a fast food place so I could eat during our hour-long drive, … Read more
Flying back from a speaking engagement in Ann Arbor last week, I changed planes in Chicago. I boarded the American Eagle flight at the appointed time. We sat at the gate for nearly half an hour after departure time when the co-pilot came on the intercom. “Ladies and gentleman, the reason we haven’t taken off … Read more
Imagine you’re dining at your favorite restaurant. The chef has prepared your favorite dish. You savor the first bite – delicious. But it needs just a little salt. As you reach for the salt shaker, do you think the chef is deficient because she hasn’t fixed this dish exactly the way you want it? No. … Read more
The line of hungry patrons waited patiently to place their order. The newly opened neighborhood burger establishment, Mojo Burger, had already created a buzz by their quality food and their top-notch service. But it wasn’t just that they served Meyer Natural Angus beef and fresh, not frozen, fries. I’m always interested in what makes one … Read more
Often times I find the staff of businesses don’t know how to think beyond pre-described processes. When they get a question outside the norm, they just seem to shut off their brain, resulting in either no sales where there could have been one, or elongating the buying process if they could just think. I was … Read more
It is so easy to intellectualize about leadership, risk taking, and team communication when you are safely in an air-conditioned training room. So I decided to lead leadership retreats at the world-famous resort, Miraval, to integrate their outdoor challenges into my curriculum. When you are focused on the activity, your primal brain takes over. There’s … Read more