Happy Labor Day

Labor Day was founded to give workers and their families a day of festivity to enjoy.  Workers of labor have more than earned this holiday to be able to spend it any way they want to even if it's just simply sitting at home in the rocking chair or sofa and just simply taking it easy.  Labor Day also is a sign that summer is coming to an end soon.  I would like to wish everyone have a happy and restful Labor Day.

 

THEY WHO TREAD THE PATH OF LABOR

They who tread the path of labor follow where My feet have trod;

They who work without complaining, do the holy will of God;

Nevermore thou needest seek Me; I am with thee everywhere;

Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me, clease the wood and I am there.

Where the many toil together, there am I among My own;

Where the tired workman sleepeth, there am I with him alone:

I, the Peace that passeth knowledge, dwell amid the daily strife;

I, the Bread of Heav'n am broken in the sacrement of life.

Every task, however simple, sets the soul that does it free;

Every deed of love and mercy, done to man is done to Me.

Nevermore thou needest seek Me; I am with thee everywhere;

Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me; cleave the wood, and I am there.

                                                     ~ Henry Van Dyke

Fairness and the rules of engagement

Of all the leadership qualities, fairness is perhaps one of the hardest to practice on a consistent basis.  Fairness is often a question of perception, so while we may do our best to practice fairness, others may not always view us as fair.  Brit Hume once said, “Fairness is not an attitude.  It’s a professional skill that must be developed and exercised”.  Webster says that the definition of fairness is the ability of having freedom from bias and injustice.

So what are the rules of engagement when treating others with fairness and respect?  To begin with you must avoid creating favorites.  Do you seem to favor some people over others?  This is often experienced as having one set of rules for one person and a different set of rules for another.  Shine the light on someone else.  Once in a while, choose a well-deserving subordinate and give them recognition that they may deserve.

Give credit generously.  Every person who does the work wants to have their stamp on it, just as every artist likes to sign his painting.  For example, while it is not always feasible to recognize everyone who toils in the background to create a report for someone else, strive to unearth the efforts of everyone who contributed.  Nothing cements a relationship more than giving someone who is invisible credit for their intellectual and emotional labor in a project.  Set the example yourself and ask the same of your direct reports.  This is the most elevating, and often the least practiced form of fairness.

Developing the sensitivity to truly understanding that fairness is an important principle in being a leader is very important.  It makes us more attuned to people’s emotions in the work place.  We commonly hear the expression: “Life isn’t fair; get used to it,” but this doesn’t mean we have to accept it.  If you create condition where your constituencies can depend on the fairness of your organization, you will create a great workplace.  As a leader, being fair to everyone is very essential if you want to be a respected leader.

Tips for great Customer Service

 Good customer service is no longer an exception; it’s the expectation of every customer.  In order to be competitive today, you must exceed the expectations of your customers.  There are many elements that can cause a business to succeed or fail, but something that should be copied from every successful business is the customer experience.

Here are some tips to help you improve your customer service.

1.  Look at your business from the customer’s perspective.  You can't do this yourself because your viewpoint is biased, so are your staff.  Ask friends, family, relatives, acquaintances and strangers to visit your organization and your competition.  Get brutally honest feedback from a customer's perspective and don’t be offended by their feedback.  You can start focusing on the routine procedures like the meet & greet and more smiles.  A warm, energetic smile with a personality overflowing with enthusiasm is hard to say no to.

2.  Actively listen to everything that can help you see what the customer sees.  Very few people will give you direct feedback.  So you have to look deeper for the clues.  Active listening means taking and hearing all verbal and non-verbal cues.  It means really listening to your customers’ reactions to your sales processes, staff and facility.

3.  Measure everything from the customer's perspective.  How fast does your web site load?  Is a customer’s sent a sincere thank you note?  You and your team’s number-one job is to exceed each and every one of your customer’s expectations and do so with sincerity to make the customer feel welcome.

4.  Improve constantly.  The atmosphere of your organization should be warm, professional, friendly, inviting and fun.  Don’t forget that last word “Thank You” either.  It makes a huge difference for your staff and your customers.  By relaxing the environment, productivity and customer satisfaction increase exponentially.  None of us, especially our customers want to be around people with a bad attitude.

Remember, you're trying to create an experience for the customer that can be described as great customer service.  Customer satisfaction leads to customer loyalty, which increases repeats and referrals and leads to maximum returns, value and customers for life.