One morning I spent an inordinately long time in the drive through of my local quick service (often an oxymoron) restaurant. I was in a hurry. Aren’t most people who use the drive through? I don’t know if the SUV two ahead of me ordered breakfast for the 5th grade but I was trapped with cars behind me.
When I finally got to the window, I inquired: what was up with the delay?
The guy at the window mumbled something incomprehensible and responded with a tone of voice that suggested I had wished him a happy morning.
As I waited for my food I noticed the sign in the window–How are we doing?–with several ways to communicate that information to management. I considered whether or not to do so.
My frustration could have been greatly diminished with a simple phrase: “Sorry for the wait today.” It would have pre-empted my comment and instantly let me know the service providers were aware. It would have also suggested that long waits are an exception and not the rule.
Even if it had been given after I expressed concern, it would have been helpful.
So simple yet so often overlooked. Elton John was right: sorry seems the hardest word. And it is sad, so sad that service providers don’t use it appropriately more often.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A Fred Sighting at Jason's Deli
My long time friend Anthony Braswell shared the following Fred-sighting with me:
One of my all-time favorite restaurants to visit each week is our local Jason’s Deli. It’s convenient, but that’s not why I go.
It’s really good, but that’s not the only reason why I go. They also have free ice cream!
And I go because of the Fred Factor!
I wish I could introduce you to my friend, House Mouse. That’s what her Jason’s Deli employee nametag says. She is the reason I keep going back! She might not be the “typical” customer service employee. She’s got tattoos. You don’t have to wonder what her favorite sports team is because she has Tarheels tattooed on her arm! God help you if you are wearing a Duke shirt! But she does possess the spirit of Fred. She does an ordinary job in an extraordinary way!
She greets every person with a handshake and if you are a frequent guest like I am. Sometimes she even gives you a hug! She remembers my name, what I want and if I try to order something that isn’t their specialty, she playfully refuses to let me order it. “The best for my friends!” she says! I often bring friends with me and she’ll tell them, “Wow! You keep great company! This is a great guy that you are hanging out with today!” She understands how to make people feel special and create value for every customer.
I took time recently to share how awesome House Mouse is with her boss. I let him know that she was the reason that I ate there so often and used their restaurant as a place for meetings. The manager let me know after that meeting that she was getting a raise.
Her words to me were, “Thanks so for making that happen!”
My response to her was, “I just reminded your boss of what he already knew!”
Thanks, Anthony, for sharing your Fred sighting.
One of my all-time favorite restaurants to visit each week is our local Jason’s Deli. It’s convenient, but that’s not why I go.
It’s really good, but that’s not the only reason why I go. They also have free ice cream!
And I go because of the Fred Factor!
I wish I could introduce you to my friend, House Mouse. That’s what her Jason’s Deli employee nametag says. She is the reason I keep going back! She might not be the “typical” customer service employee. She’s got tattoos. You don’t have to wonder what her favorite sports team is because she has Tarheels tattooed on her arm! God help you if you are wearing a Duke shirt! But she does possess the spirit of Fred. She does an ordinary job in an extraordinary way!
She greets every person with a handshake and if you are a frequent guest like I am. Sometimes she even gives you a hug! She remembers my name, what I want and if I try to order something that isn’t their specialty, she playfully refuses to let me order it. “The best for my friends!” she says! I often bring friends with me and she’ll tell them, “Wow! You keep great company! This is a great guy that you are hanging out with today!” She understands how to make people feel special and create value for every customer.
I took time recently to share how awesome House Mouse is with her boss. I let him know that she was the reason that I ate there so often and used their restaurant as a place for meetings. The manager let me know after that meeting that she was getting a raise.
Her words to me were, “Thanks so for making that happen!”
My response to her was, “I just reminded your boss of what he already knew!”
Thanks, Anthony, for sharing your Fred sighting.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Stay Calm or Get Excited?
One key to effective leadership is to know when to stay calm and when to get excited.
I was reminded of that reading the newspaper today. One journalist advised that investors stay calm during this currently crazily declining market. Getting worked up will most likely cloud your thinking and acting rashly is never a good idea.
Staying calm is more about your inner peace and demeanor. If you’ve prepared, studied the situation thoughtfully and done your work, calm is a natural result. While the outcome isn’t guaranteed, you have the assurance you’ve done all you can.
Staying calm also creates confidence for your team, both in your abilities as well as their own. The ability to be calm means you trust them to meet whatever challenges as successfully as possible. A leader who doesn’t stay calm suggests that their anxiety is due to their team.
It pays to get excited about things that matter. It is difficult to lead if you have a monotone personality. If you bring the same emotion (or lack of it) to everything, nobody ever really knows that is important to you.
Of course, being excited isn’t the same as getting worked up. The latter suggests someone who is upset rather than just passionate (and sure, there are times when we ought to be upset, but they are far fewer than the times we actually are).
Get excited when you want to share positive energy. Get excited when the outcome is critical and everyone on your team needs to focus. Get excited when you appreciate the good job a colleague has done.
Funny how excited some people get about professional sports teams in which they have no direct involvement, but how reluctant they are to get excited about anything else.
Stay calm in challenging times and get excited when it matters. Knowing when to do which is a nuance of good leadership.
I was reminded of that reading the newspaper today. One journalist advised that investors stay calm during this currently crazily declining market. Getting worked up will most likely cloud your thinking and acting rashly is never a good idea.
Staying calm is more about your inner peace and demeanor. If you’ve prepared, studied the situation thoughtfully and done your work, calm is a natural result. While the outcome isn’t guaranteed, you have the assurance you’ve done all you can.
Staying calm also creates confidence for your team, both in your abilities as well as their own. The ability to be calm means you trust them to meet whatever challenges as successfully as possible. A leader who doesn’t stay calm suggests that their anxiety is due to their team.
It pays to get excited about things that matter. It is difficult to lead if you have a monotone personality. If you bring the same emotion (or lack of it) to everything, nobody ever really knows that is important to you.
Of course, being excited isn’t the same as getting worked up. The latter suggests someone who is upset rather than just passionate (and sure, there are times when we ought to be upset, but they are far fewer than the times we actually are).
Get excited when you want to share positive energy. Get excited when the outcome is critical and everyone on your team needs to focus. Get excited when you appreciate the good job a colleague has done.
Funny how excited some people get about professional sports teams in which they have no direct involvement, but how reluctant they are to get excited about anything else.
Stay calm in challenging times and get excited when it matters. Knowing when to do which is a nuance of good leadership.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Precision Matters
Yesterday my new friend and fascination expert Sally Hogshead called me at precisely 11 a.m. for a scheduled conversation. I was impressed. More often than not, someone says they’ll call at 11 and the phone rings 5 or 10 minutes later. I was impressed by Sally’s professionalism.
“It makes me crazy,” I shared, “when I ask someone to call me back in literally 2 minutes knowing that I can take the call on a different line or phone then, and they call back 10 or 15 minutes later and I’m no longer available.”
Sally suggested that the meaning of literally seems to have morphed into something like “approximately” or “close to”. “We need a new word,” she said.
I suggested “literally squared.” (Yes, that appears to be two words, but there is no “squared” little 2 symbol on the iMac.)
To some of my more mellow readers, literally squared might seem like a case of being wound too tightly. While that might sometimes be the case, there is a serious aspect to this idea. We live in a world where precision often matters. From medicine to flying an airplane to engineering a structure, you don’t want to work in loose terms.
In a competitive environment for selling and serving customers, clients and shareholders, precision also matters. When we invest time and money, we don’t want vague promises like “I’ll get back to you” (when?), “we are focused on improving earnings” (what are you doing?) or “this will grow your business” (how much?). The more precise the promise and the performance, the more powerful the value proposition.
Whether or not we need a new concept like “literally squared” is debatable. I’m convinced, however, that we need to employ the power of precision.
“It makes me crazy,” I shared, “when I ask someone to call me back in literally 2 minutes knowing that I can take the call on a different line or phone then, and they call back 10 or 15 minutes later and I’m no longer available.”
Sally suggested that the meaning of literally seems to have morphed into something like “approximately” or “close to”. “We need a new word,” she said.
I suggested “literally squared.” (Yes, that appears to be two words, but there is no “squared” little 2 symbol on the iMac.)
To some of my more mellow readers, literally squared might seem like a case of being wound too tightly. While that might sometimes be the case, there is a serious aspect to this idea. We live in a world where precision often matters. From medicine to flying an airplane to engineering a structure, you don’t want to work in loose terms.
In a competitive environment for selling and serving customers, clients and shareholders, precision also matters. When we invest time and money, we don’t want vague promises like “I’ll get back to you” (when?), “we are focused on improving earnings” (what are you doing?) or “this will grow your business” (how much?). The more precise the promise and the performance, the more powerful the value proposition.
Whether or not we need a new concept like “literally squared” is debatable. I’m convinced, however, that we need to employ the power of precision.
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