Big Woo-age

New Belgium Brewing has a great little bar and grille at Denver International Airport. The food is good and the beer is better, but a bartender who goes by the name “Meatloaf” is best of all.

Meatloaf is an original. While he reminds me of other good bartenders and service professionals, he adds his own spin. He enthusiastically greets everyone who sits down at the bar, introduces himself, gets their name and then introduces them to every other patron at the bar. He goes down the line introducing everyone by first name. Then has asks for a big “woo!” at the end to welcome the latest addition. If everyone participates and does a good job on the “woo” Meatloaf will comment on the “big woo-age.”

Meatloaf appropriately flatters the women regardless of age or marital status. He makes good conversation and is very helpful in selecting the right brew. He explains how the glaze on the sweet potato fries makes them the best you’ve ever eaten. He is an artist and some of his work is hung in the bar and restaurant area. He’s perceptive about who wants to talk and who wants to drink and eat in silence. And when you leave, he says goodbye in a way that convinces you he is truly sad to see you go.

You can go back for the beer or the food but I’m guessing lots of travelers go back for Meatloaf. He is an encore performer, the kind of person you’d like working for you regardless the business that you are in.
So here’s big woo-age to everyone’s friend Meatloaf.

Leaders Are Readers

You’ve heard that phrase many times. I think I first ran across it in a book by Bennis and Nanus (how’s that for two great names for co-authors?).
Not only does familiarity breed contempt; it can also breed neglect. Sometimes we discount the value of an idea because it is familiar.

Andrew Carnegie said, “Reading should be carefully planned as a diet for optimum mental growth.”  How many leaders plan their reading carefully? My experience and observation is that most of what leaders read is thrust upon them. They read more out of obligation than by choice.

William Godwin said, “He that loves reading has everything within his reach.” A leader can get a handle on almost any problem or opportunity if he or she knows who to read in that area. The biggest challenge today is finding wisdom in a sea of often dubious information.

Would you like a strategy for your reading? Here’s a suggestion that is as true today as it was when written 100 years ago: “There are three keys to reading profitably: intention, attention and retention.” The classic self-help author Orison Swett Marden said that.

Read by intention, rather than just obligation. Give your attention to items of importance and not just interest. Then highlight, outline and synthesize so that you can retain the nuggets of wisdom.

Contagious

The Journal of PLoS Computational Biology finds that obesity is contagious among friends. In short, says the study, the more obese people you have contact with, the more obese you are likely to become.
Researchers admit they’re not sure why that is.

Wouldn’t it make sense that we are partly a function of our environment, and that what our friends do influences what we do?

If that is true, consider what else might be contagious:

Success. Napoleon Hill famously recommended being part of a mastermind alliance of like-minded people committed to success.

Character. As the old saw goes, when you lie down with dogs you get fleas. Maybe if you hang out with angels you’ll get a halo.

Energy. What is the energy in your workplace like? I’ve found I can catch energy from my colleagues and, when I speak, my audiences (and vice versa).

Are you contagious? What are others catching from you…and you from them?

Startling Statistics are Symptoms

Leaders and educators take note:
According to The Kipplinger Letter, 25% of mortgages in the U.S. are underwater; that is people owe more than their homes are worth.

USA Today reports that among Medicare patients, 44% of the harm done by medical treatment clearly or likely was preventable.

Two startling statistics, one about education and responsibility and the other about excellence and quality control.

Neither statistic is a cause. Both are symptoms.

Not every underwater loan is the fault of the borrower (few predicted the abrupt decline in home values). The lack of understanding (or just bad advice) about debt and leverage are the cause of misery for many. Uninformed borrowers and lenders are both causes for some of these problems.

Clearly preventable harm is a critical quality control issue. When mistakes are made in healthcare, people are hurt or die. The concept of “routine work” in healthcare is dangerous. Clerical mistakes in accounting rarely have the same impact as a mistake in medication.

Education, responsibility, quality control, excellence–these topics often illicit yawns from readers and listeners…that  is until they become startling statistics with personal impact.

Good leaders and communicators talk about how to avoid startling statistics, not just how to deal with them.
What are you doing to prevent regrettable numbers and startling statistics in your work and life? Research, identify and address causes before they become startling statistics.

Quick Feedback is Better than No Feedback

My Audi was in for service. I like my car, I like my dealer and I like the Audi brand but all those fond feelings were diminished when I started taking the online survey.
I’m an advocate of asking for customer service feedback. I’m also an advocate for making it quick, easy and painless.

After clicking through what seemed like endless pages of questions and numerical scoring, I finally and thankfully arrived at the end. “Is there anything else you’d like us to know?” was the final question, to which I responded, “Yes. I won’t complete another ridiculously long survey like this again.”

I often don’t respond to surveys because I have neither the time nor inclination. I did in this case because I was quite pleased by the job my service advisor did and wanted Audi and the dealer to know. I came to rue the decision.

Deciding how much to ask and how long the survey will take are important considerations. I realize that more information and detail is more helpful. But beware: asking for too much of the customer’s time is off-putting.

Why not bundle a short survey with a long survey? The short survey may be 5-10 critical questions or scores that don’t take more time. Tell the customer how long it will take before they opt in. Then, after they’ve finished the short survey, ask if they’d be willing to answer some additional questions (and let them know how much longer that will take).

J.D. Powers provided the painfully long survey for Audi, and I respect their ability to gather and crunch useful data. But in the age of perpetual distraction and limited attention, we’ve got to remember that if you don’t get feedback quickly, you may not get it at all.

Customer Service: Sorry Seems the Hardest Word

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.

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.

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.