Burns Blogs Attitude

New Restaurant Service Blog I Stumbled Onto

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Recently, I wrote a Blog entry about restaurants needing to fix their problems right away. One of the comments to that entry came from another Blog, So You Want To Be A Banquet Manager.

Some of the greatest restaurant/banquet stories I have ever read are in this Blog. If you're looking for an opportunity to see evidence that restaurant and banquet staff are just as fed up with poor service and poor employee engagement as the rest of us, check out the Blog site.

Also, while you're there, click the YouTube video for Waiters Who Are Nauseated By Food - a Saturday Night Live sketch which features Steve Carrell. Oh, and a warning, don't be eating while you're watching it.

Cheers.

Get Out Of The Way Of The Message

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Have you ever had to instruct someone in your workplace on the finer points of getting something done or have you ever been the go-to-guy for co-workers to better understand operational processes at your job? Have you ever had to head up a learning session for your co-workers or new hires? Did you, just by the way you structured the learning session, unintentionally get in the way of their learning?

It happens. Even the professionals do it and mess up their own teaching. Let me give you an example.

A former sports celebrity-turned motivational speaker did a presentation for a group of bankers. His session on-stage lasted about ninety minutes. During his session, he expounded the virtues of teamwork and offered a few strategies for better teams within an organization. All-in-all, it may have been a good presentation with some value for the group of managers that he was speaking to. However, after his session, he came down off of the stage and “worked” the room shaking hands with every single person in the room. He walked between the banquet tables and stopped at every single table to shake hands with every single person in the room. While shaking hands, he made small-talk with each person he shook hands with.

Now I am the first to admit I don’t really do small-talk extremely well. I agree that there is an art to it. I’ve just never learned the art nor do I feel it’s extremely important to learn to do small-talk as I rarely find myself on the cocktail-and-pâté circuit. So, as it turns out, small-talk is a social skill that I am inept at and really, I don’t care that I’m not very good at it. Some people need to be good at it. I don’t.

Anyway, back to the story.

After the sports celebrity finished “working” the room of glad-handing the attendees, most of them were left to struggle to recall much of what the paid professional actually had to say from the stage. Attendees could instantly recall what he was wearing that evening and also easily recalled each personal conversation while making small-talk with them individually, but the message from the stage, the one that the organization paid thousands of dollars for, was lost. All was lost because of small-talk. In fact, in this instance, the speaker got in the way of his own message.

Attitude Adjustment: Are you jeopardizing learning at your place of work? Are you, as an attendee in a learning environment, interrupting the learning of your co-workers by making side-comments while someone else is attempting to learn something? If you want to increase the chances of learning for both yourself and your co-workers, just engage yourself in what you’re doing. Keeping focused either as an attendee or as an instructor will increase employee engagement and it can be accomplished by adopting the philosophy of “less is more.” The less distraction, the less discussion off-topic, the less you make any session about you, the more people will learn. The more people learn, the better they are at the job. The better people become at their jobs, the more reason there will be to have social gatherings in which everyone can engage in small-talk. Cell phones turned off. Brains turned on. Keep focused on the task at hand. Do whatever is necessary to remove the distractions in a learning environment. And if it’s you at the front of the room, always remember that the message is far more important than the messenger if the purpose of the message is to improve the workplace and those in it.

Love Relationships At Work

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:48:00 +0000

I received a question this week asking, “Just wondering what your attitude would be toward a boss and subordinate starting a relationship at work and the effects on other staff?”

Personally, my “attitude” when it comes to office romances is to run for the hills if you’re even considering this. Nothing good can come of this. The numbers are against their success in any way. That’s my attitude. However, with that being said, I also have opinions on several different scenarios which may shed a little more light. In the question, there was no other description of the details of this relationship at work and so I was left to ponder these scenarios and come up with an opinion on each. So here goes.

Boss and subordinate are both single. If this were the case, I really don’t see how this would be of anyone’s business but the two parties involved. Provided they have both come clean and are open about their relationship, the only course of action would be to ensure that the subordinate does not report directly to the boss and instead, would report directly to either another manager or a supervisor of some sort. The boss would also have to practice recusal in all dealings involving the subordinate to ensure that there would be no conflict of interest or perceived favoritism when it came time for performance reviews, promotions or other special considerations of the subordinate. In fact, I know a couple who met at work (he was her boss) and upon the decision to start dating, they approached his superior and announced their plans. She now reports directly to a different boss yet they still work together in the same department. Honesty works.

Either boss or subordinate or both are already in a relationship with other people. This would be a completely inappropriate relationship and one of the two would need to be removed immediately from the workplace, preferably both. This is a character/values/integrity issue. Any organization that would knowingly allow two people to engage in an inappropriate relationship such as this, has obviously demonstrated that it lacks the moral fiber to serve its customers and the rest of the staff with integrity and good judgment. In fact, I am aware of one situation where this did occur – manager and subordinate having an inappropriate relationship. A corporate VP found out about it, brought the two into the office and told them that within twenty minutes, one of the two of them was leaving the company and for them to figure out who was going. The subordinate left and the manager not long after.

It is crucial that if you are going to engage in a relationship at work, that it be above-board and transparent. A relationship based on lies never lasts and it does tremendous damage to morale and employee engagement. If you’ll do something that is dishonest with your co-workers, you’ll do it with your customers.

Attitude Adjustment: If you see something at work that is questionable and it goes against your values and morals, you need to speak up. Tell the boss’s boss. However, if your boss is the top of the food chain, you need to dust off the resume and start looking for another job. Before you leave, confront the boss and tell him or her the truth of why you are leaving. Being found out by others is usually a great way to bring an end to an inappropriate relationship.

Bosses hate to lose face with their subordinates – hopefully, it makes them realize that they have damaged the trust and respect of their staff. People don’t perform well for bosses who are not trusted, respected or lack integrity. Besides, you really don’t want to work there if that’s the environment. Dishonesty and inappropriateness really do affect the bottom-line. But not speaking up only gives a blessing to the inappropriate behavior. Are you willing to sell out your values for a paycheck?

People As Assets

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Two houses, both thirty years-old stand side by side on a neighborhood street. Both houses are for sale. Both houses have exactly the same design and were built at the same time. One house is valued thirty percent higher than the other because the real estate agent has determined that one is more valuable. The reasons? The more valuable house has undergone a series of fresh renovations including new floors, new paint, new kitchen cabinets, new appliances, new energy efficient furnace and water heater, well kept gardens and lawn and general organization and lack of clutter in the higher-valued house. The other house was allowed to deteriorate without any improvements. One homeowner chose to invest some money into refurbishing a deteriorating property while the other homeowner did little. Now, one house is worth an extra thirty percent.

That is the same philosophy we each need to bring with us to our professions. The person who continually upgrades, learns, reads, attends the seminars and does research will be inherently more valuable than the one who does nothing more than the job. If it came down to choosing one of two employees who began a job on the same date, had the same job and performed the same duties, my guess would be that the edge in a race for promotion would go to the person who has self-improved, renovated his or her brain, raised their personal stock and improved their personal value.

If you are an employer, you are likely to get a better return on investment from the employee who self-improves over the one who does nothing to improve. That self-improving employee will become a more valuable asset to the company. Any employee who is willing to continually learn will be a much better "engaged" employee and far more likely to impact the organization in a positive way.

If people are assets, then those same assets should have a return on investment. It is incumbent upon employees to self-improve so that their results improve as well. When results improve, the paycheck will improve. Raises and promotions rarely come to those who don't care about keeping ahead of the curve. You don't get the promotion just because you've outlived most of the other employees. You get a promotion (with a raise) because you have shown increased value to not only your bosses, but to your fellow employees as well.

Attitude Adjustment: Assets, over time, can devalue, depreciate, go stale and can also erode their own value. Most of us are willing to dump our assets when they become redundant or the moment those same assets stop delivering benefits. Are you one of these type of assets? If so, prepare to be dumped. If you want to have good job-security, learn what the others are not willing to learn. You will become so valuable, your employer wouldn't dare let you go. And if you are still laid-off, there will be another organization prepared to snap you up right away. Your future security is in your hands.

A Happy Workplace?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:47:00 +0000

A while ago, I responded to a comment on The Employee Engagement Network that asked the question about employees finding happiness in their jobs and developing a "happy" workplace. Now, if you've ever attended one of my keynote sessions, you already know that I don't subscribe to the concept of happiness being found on the job. I was asked to clarify my belief on happiness and so I shall attempt to do so here.

Happiness is not a result of finding the perfect job, finding the perfect partner, having a lot of money or by finally reaching retirement.

If one person on the job is happy and the person in the next cubicle (doing the same job) is not, it stands to reason that happiness is not a result of the work, the pay, the benefits, the environment of the job or the boss. Happiness cannot be defined by doing a job. Happiness cannot be the end-result of working or everyone doing the same job, the same responsibilities, responding to the same stresses and carrying out the same duties or everyone would be happy across the board. We already know that this is not so. We can't address people's home-lives, their values, their character traits or their beliefs on accountability. Therefore, it is impossible for the job to make anyone and everyone happy.

Happiness is a state of being and not a result. Happiness therefore must be and has to be a choice. There are so many extenuating circumstances that can allow people to be moody, angry, frustrated, negative and condescending. These are choices that individuals make in reaction to circumstances. There is no single event that causes people to live a life of misery and therefore the same must be true on the other end: a good job will not compensate for a lifetime of hardship and struggle and therefore no job can make a person happy.

If there were ten employees in a workplace and five seemed happy and five seemed miserable regardless of the fact that the culture of the workplace was positive, supportive, engaging and rewarding, would the onus still be on management to work harder to get the miserable employees to become happy? I doubt that any of these character choices of the miserable group could be blamed on the job. Therefore, can we take full credit for a group of happy staffers? People don't "make" people happy. Happiness is something we choose to feel. No one person or thing "makes" a person miserable. People, based on their personal philosophy and values, choose to feel miserable.

Let's not delude our thinking into believing that we can make employees happy. We can make the job rewarding. We can make the job fun. We can make the job engaging but that is no guarantee that the people we work with, at the end of the day, are going to be happy. Happiness is a choice.

People who have chosen to be happy and still are not, never were happy in the first place. Personally, have I found happiness in my work? Nope. It doesn't exist here either. There are parts of my job that I love. There are parts of my job that I despise (see travel, airlines, airports, security screening, long distances in rental cars, lost hotel reservations, bad meals in restaurants, bad service, bad coffee in hotel rooms, etc., etc.,). Does that mean I am an unhappy person? Of course not. But I made a deal a long time ago that I would help people get better at their jobs, improve their circumstances in life by improving themselves and develop a resilient attitude when life hands us crap. That deal, I am still keeping. That is my mission. That is the reason I get out of bed in the morning because I made a promise to do this and I keep my word. There is great reward in my work but I don't consider that to be happiness.

Any employer who believes that because of their own leadership, their employees will be happy, is self-deluding. I can't make you happy. I can bring some joy. I can bring a little peace. I can even bring an "a-ha" moment which opens you up to your own potential but I can not make you happy.

Clive Beddoe, former CEO of WestJet Airlines was once asked why all of his employees seemed happy on the job. He replied, "I learned a long time ago that you can't teach people how to have a happy personality. So we just hire happy people and teach them how to do the job."

Attitude Adjustment: You will NOT find happiness on the job. It is not a result. It is a choice. Make the choice to be happy. Learn everything you can in finding your happiness buttons, pursue it relentlessly and you will soon find that it never was the job that needed to be changed - it was you. Life gets better when you get better. But as for a happy workplace? The workplace will only be as happy as the people working in it!

No Better Time For Better

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:49:00 +0000

Personally, I always thought perfectionism was another word for procrastination. Often, in the perfectionist mind, the perfectionist will say, “Since it’s unlikely this project will turn out perfectly anyway and since there is no perfect time to start, why bother?” That seems like a great strategy to procrastinate.

But then, this week, I read an article from BPS Research Digest on Athletes Benefit from Being Perfectionist. In the article, it extols the virtues of striving for perfectionism and that our performance level and personal motivation are actually increased when we strive for perfection. If you recall, a recent article I wrote extolled the virtues of dopamine, a feel-good natural chemical, being released into the brain when we relentlessly pursue a goal.

Being your best, giving your best and becoming your best can be linked to perfectionism. Why wouldn’t we study that which we choose to do (employment or career) each day to improve our performance and in doing so, improve our results? Why is it that we choose to offer our clients and co-workers only the skill set we had when we took the job and choose not to self-improve?

Michael Bloomberg, the current Mayor of New York City once said that you are not paid for what you have done in the past but you are actually paid for what you are about to do in the future. In other words, people (companies and organizations in particular) agree to pay you for what you can bring to their organizations. You are not paid for what you’ve done in the past. You are paid for what you are about to do for your company or organization.

In the same way you would choose items in your investment portfolio based on performance of the past, you will choose investments that you hope will bring a healthy return to you on your investment in the future. The same could be said of your employer. They are looking for a healthy return on investment too. And so are your customers. Why then, would you choose to be a mediocre performer when there are some investments (people and companies) who are better performers in the marketplace?

Attitude Adjustment: You don’t need to be perfect to achieve an increase in your standard of living. You just have to adopt the attitude of wanting to strive for perfection – getting better with each and every day. People are more likely to invest in you if you have shown them that you are willing to invest in yourself first. Be your best. Do the work. Learn what you need to learn. Don’t allow the mediocrity of your co-workers to ever let you off the hook. Never allow yourself to utter the words, “that’s good enough.” Don’t ever let anyone tell you this is as good as it gets. Of course it isn’t. It can always be better.

The Pleasure Of Never Reaching A Goal

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:52:00 +0000

I remember years ago attending a seminar on goal-setting. This was sort of a generic goal-setting workshop that had the participants write down things that they wanted to accomplish in life - a sort of "Bucket List" if you will. Then a bunch of magazines were distributed to the participants and we were handed scissors to cut out pictures of the things we wanted. Those pictures were to be glued to a board as a collage of all of the things we wanted to have or accomplish with our lives. It sort of felt like Kindergarten class again.

We were told to, each day, visualize that we had already accomplished what we each said we wanted and to focus on pretending that it was a done-deal. I had difficulty subscribing to the concept of trying to trick my brain into seeing it as already completed. I mean, there was no work involved. According to the seminar leader, believe it and stuff would just show up magically.

I was at a loss for words to explain how cheated I felt in this session. I had hoped to find a blueprint to do the work but instead I was being asked to believe that simply thinking it would make it so. And I suppose it could for anyone provided there were no reality involved like bills showing up and bank statements indicating that each participant was a little shy of their goal of millions of dollars in the bank. In other words, there was no strategy to overcome reality. Just dream it and it will be so. Sorry. Didn't buy it.

So yesterday, when I read in the Lifehack Blog, an article on The Science Of Setting Goals, I realized why I didn't subscribe to the "motivational speaker" concept of goal-setting. It turns out that it is actually the pursuit of a goal that releases dopamine into the brain - a kind of "feel-good" chemical that brings pleasure. When the goal is achieved, the dopamine release stops. Therefore, pleasure stops. So it turns out that there seems to be less satisfaction and personal pleasure in achieving a goal than there is in relentlessly pursuing the goal. Once a person achieves a goal, it's over. There is no more mission, no more purpose, no more reason to get out of bed in the morning. Perhaps it's the reason that people who have a windfall of money end up doing nothing and eventually spend their windfall. They are looking for a high of dopamine pleasure that only exists in pursuing something worthwhile - not in actually getting it. Once you have accumulated everything you say you ever wanted in life, it doesn't seem to matter anymore.

Now the smart goal-setters are the ones who keep their goals just out of reach. What I mean by that is to set goals for yourself that will require you to stretch yourself a little. The goals can't be easy. There has to be some work involved.

Attitude Adjustment: Set your goals so that you have to work for them. Once you feel and see yourself getting close to attaining the goal, simply move the line away a little more so it is just a little out of reach again. You will find, over time that you were capable of attaining things you never thought you could do. Keep moving the line further and further away - but still within reach if you work at it. You will find that there is a whole lot more pleasure in realizing how far you are capable of stretching yourself than the pleasure you would find in attaining a goal and then resting on your laurels because you think you've accomplished something. Develop the attitude of believing that you are always capable of more - and more is what you will do and more is what you will have. There's a great deal of pleasure in that.

A Complimentary Complaint

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:18:00 +0000

I recently had a question to ask my bank about my business. I called the toll-free number on the web site and was connected with a gentleman who gave me the answer to my question. While we were on the phone, he also had a look at my business account and offered a couple of suggestions for new services that would help me and the day-to-day running of the business. After his explanation of each of the features, I agreed that they would benefit me. So he set the paperwork in motion.

A few days later I was in the local branch to sign a few papers. It took no more than about ten minutes. Leanne was my local representative. I must say that she didn’t inspire a lot of confidence for a business banking specialist but I gave one to the bank thinking they must know something I didn’t. She got the job for a reason.

A few days after that, while on a trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin, my cell phone rang. It was Leanne apologizing but she missed one more place that she needed a single signature. Being out of the country for a few days presented a challenge as the paperwork could not move forward without that single signature. I assured her, reluctantly, that I would come back into the branch for one signature when I returned.

I drove the twenty-five minutes to the branch, made one signature and drove home again.

Three weeks later, I had expected to see some kind of correspondence from my bank but I had received nothing. I called the business banking toll-free number again and was connected with Ian. I told Ian my story just as I have told it to you.

“Who was your rep at the branch?” Ian asked.

“Leanne,” I answered, “but I have to say she didn’t inspire a lot of confidence from me.”

Ian chuckled softly. “I really shouldn’t respond to that,” Ian laughed. “Let me put you on hold and see if I can track down what happened with the paperwork.”

A few minutes later, he returned to the call.

“Well Mr. Burns, Leanne isn’t with the branch anymore,” he chuckled.

“No surprise,” I responded.

“They seem to have misplaced the paperwork too. No one can seem to find your file. But I see here on my computer what was happening. Give me a few days. Perhaps we can just fax it to you for your new signatures.”

A week later, no one had returned my call so I called the business call center again.

“Karen speaking. How can I help you?” announced the voice on the phone.

I told my story again and followed it up with, “Don’t you think that it’s funny that after I have been offered these new services from the bank and I agreed to them that I can’t seem to get them?”

“Mr. Burns,” Karen spoke seriously. “I am on it. The buck stops here. I am taking accountability for this file. It will get it done. Will you trust me with that?”

Karen then proceeded to make arrangements to have the paperwork faxed to me. The difference this time was that no signatures would be required since I did my part already and they lost the paperwork. If there were no questions from the faxed paperwork, it would proceed. We chatted on a personal level for a few moments before we hung up. She had also given me her direct number and email address and told me she would be taking vacation for two weeks.

Two weeks later I spoke with Karen again.

“I just got back this morning from vacation,” she said. “Yours is the first file I checked on. I told you I would get it done and I have. Thank you for your business. If ever you need anything else, you can call me directly. You have my number and email address.”

I wanted to give Karen a compliment on her service and “accountable” attitude. I went to the web site. Here’s where it got funny. There was no place to give a compliment to the bank. Complaints? Oh I could complain all I wanted. There were all sorts of choices to offer a complaint but I couldn’t find a single place to give a compliment. So I called the call center again.

I was given Karen’s supervisor’s name, mailing address and email address. I wrote a letter, mailed it and also sent a note to Karen too, thanking her for the way in which she handled and took charge of my situation.

Attitude Adjustment: Have you made it possible for the people you serve to give you compliments? I realize that it’s en-vogue to complain about the big banks and their profits but how about if someone wants to give a compliment? Is your service worthy of a compliment? If you get outstanding service, is it even in you to give a compliment? Offer people a reason to say something nice and they probably will. Give them only the option of complaining and they will. Take on the attitude of “service” and serve. Customer service isn’t just a department – it’s an attitude.

Wearing Commitment Under Your Sleeve

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Her name is Holly and she is what appears to be, a typical seventeen year-old. I first met Holly at a music recital. Children as young as six years-old each took the stage and played at least one solo piece. The audience was a gathering of family and friends of the children who had been taking music lessons. Obviously, this was a friendly crowd for any child who performed.

When Holly took the stage, we could see a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve of her T-shirt. She sat herself upon the piano bench and proceeded to “blow the hair back” of every audience member. What this young girl accomplished at the piano was astounding. Needless to say, she didn’t miss a single note and her fingers were flying across the ivories.

After the recital, as we gathered in the church hall for snacks, Holly and her mother sat at out table.

“That was pretty impressive,” I said to her.

“Thank you,” was her shy reply.

It was then I could see the bottom of the tattoo peeking out from under her sleeve. This time I was close enough to read what it said: “Ludwig Von Beethoven.”

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone sporting a Beethoven Tattoo,” I smiled at Holly.

With that said, Holly pulled up the sleeve to show the rest of the tattoo. A full picture of Beethoven’s bust with his name inscribed below. The tattoo went up to her shoulder and halfway down her bicep. All tolled, it was about six inches tall and four inches wide. And it was magnificent work – incredibly detailed.

“That’s my commitment,” Holly said with a smile.

Turns out Holly, at seventeen, has been playing for only two and a half years. However, she said she practices about three to four hours a day. Her mother, who also played piano as a child, is very proud of her daughter’s commitment to the piano. Even though, it seems Holly has a hard time finding enough time in the day to practice – as she also helps out the family financially. In addition to contributing to household finances for the family, she is still in school plus she helps her music teacher out with lessons and other ways so that she can exchange for extra lessons for herself.

Holly’s commitment to being the best she can be on the piano is evident. Her heart is in it and her commitment to her music is unwavering in spite of her financial situation. There are no excuses for not being her very best.

Attitude Adjustment: What are you prepared to do to be the best on the job you can be? Are you letting reasons, excuses and justifiers stand in the way of your personal performance? Really, it doesn’t take a lot of time to read a chapter in a book that can improve your performance. If you would one day like to move up into a promotion, are you preparing yourself now by reading everything you can on leadership, management or communications? Why is it that once we have a job, we think we can stop learning? The world is an ever-changing place. Think about the technological advancements that have been made over the past five years. Are you in front of the curve or lagging behind it? If you’re not constantly self-improving, in this day and age, you are falling behind. And trust me when I say this, the people who will be rewarded with perks, bonuses and promotions in the future, are the same people who are self-schooling and self-improving today. So what can you learn today that improves your potential rewards tomorrow? Remember, no excuses.

Older Workers Still Have Value

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:44:00 +0000

Perhaps it’s my age but I find the best part of American Idol are the qualifying rounds to see who gets to go to Hollywood. Out of the tens of thousands of hopefuls only a few hundred are chosen as “good enough” to advance to the next round.

It amazes me though, how many of the contestants, even with a lack of talent in the singing department, feel that they deserve a shot just because they’ve worked hard. Now as much as I may work hard at becoming the best basketball player I can be, my height is going to prevent me from getting a shot at the “big-league.” I don’t ceaselessly whine that I deserve a shot at the NBA just because I’ve worked hard. I’ve just come to accept that there are some things that a guy five and half feet tall won’t ever do.

Tone deafness cannot be replaced with hard work. I don’t care how much a person works. Reality says that there are some things some people are not meant to do. I’ve given up hope of sharing a bench with Steve Nash or Kevin Garnett. It just isn’t going to happen. But perhaps we as Baby Boomers have overindulged our little ones into making them believe that they are entitled to anything just because they’ve worked a little for it.

With that being said, there are some older workers in the workforce today who just don’t understand that just because they’ve been with a company for a long time, doesn’t guarantee them a shot at a management position. In fact, in some cases, the amount of time you have been with a company may actually preclude you from getting a shot at running a department. Old ideas aren’t likely to move an organization forward in an economy and marketplace that are making light-speed changes daily. However, there are times when a senior person in the organization should take the reigns and drive the buggy. There are sometimes when a new and younger perspective is exactly what is needed as well.

I recently addressed a group of workers who are in an ever-changing and largely inter-generational environment. There are some people in their mid-twenties who have been with the organization just a few years and now find themselves steering the ship of a department having become managers and supervisors. That has created difficult situations with many Baby Boomers who are just a few years away from retirement. Resentment is an underlying theme for some of the older workers - having to take direction from a kid less than half their age.

For many older workers in today’s economy, many have become complacent just trying to make it to retirement with all of the perks and benefits that come from working a seeming lifetime with the same organization. It’s a shame when many younger workers view this type of employee as “the working dead.”

I admit that as a kid, a strong work-ethic was drilled into me. This didn’t come from my parents, although it could have. This came from my employers – my managers and supervisors. There was a high expectation of quality from my bosses regardless of the fact that I was a teenager. And there wasn’t a lot of hands-on supervision in many of my summer jobs. It was either I come forward and ask for help or figure it out on my own. I spent a lot of time figuring.

In many of my jobs, the work was solitary. I worked alone and for the most part unsupervised. We had no Internet to surf if we had a question. We had no MSN to ask all of our friends at once. There was no union nor was there any positive feedback on a job well done. A job well done was the expectation of employment. Almost everything I ever learned on my summer jobs was learned on the job and mostly by trial and error. Every trial stretched us a little out of our comfort zones. Every error made us wiser. What I learned is that you will never be given more than you can handle and you can handle all that you’re given.

As many managers get set to retire, new people are needed to replace them. The ideal choice would normally be the worker who him or herself has experienced the ups and downs of the organization over a lifetime but still has an open mind and a willingness to stretch themselves to a new position. There are a lot of organizations who don’t necessarily want diplomas to lead their organizational units but instead want life-wisdom. Knowledge you get in school – wisdom you get on the job.

Mentoring through management is a wonderful experience for older workers. Although the official term would be management, the chance to communicate a lifetime of knowledge through mentoring the members of a department should be grasped with both hands by any older worker. The experience would allow older workers to stretch themselves a little and to impart values and work-ethic onto the new generation of workers. And while the older workers are mentoring younger workers, the younger workers will likely be schooling their new managers in the use of technology. It’s a great experiential trade-off.

But not every older worker is cut out for opportunities like this. It requires an admission from older workers that they haven’t learned it all yet but are still willing to read the books, attend the training sessions (which most companies would gladly provide) and do the work necessary to guide others to being the best they can be. It’s hard work. But it’s rewarding work too.

Attitude Adjustment: The young workers of today are willing to stretch themselves. They want instant gratification right now. That’s not such a bad thing. They’re willing to do whatever is necessary to advance themselves as fast as they can. Older workers should taste the determination of these younger workers and stretch themselves too. If, as an older worker, you don’t want to risk stretching yourself right before retirement, perhaps you should ask yourself if you’re doing something meaningful or just taking up space? There’s a big difference between being selfish and selfless. Every older worker has got something of value that others could learn from. The question is: Are you, as an older worker willing to share it or are you just hoping to get out alive?

Fix The Problem Today

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:21:00 +0000

As a professional traveler, I visit a lot of airports, ride a lot of airplanes and stay in a lot of hotels. That requires me to spend a fair bit of time being served in restaurants. I have become fairly proficient at eating out. But the problem is that I experience more head-shaking, eyes-rolling-back, you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me moments while being served in some of these same restaurants.

I want to share with you an example of how glaringly obvious the “service attitude” is not being instilled in the so-called service industry.

A new national chain restaurant had recently opened in the town where I live. I had eaten at many other locations across the country prior to their opening of a location in my town. I was satisfied with their fare in past, although if it were an important meal, this would not be the place. (If you’re wondering about which restaurant, think Bruins and Celtics.)

Forty-five minutes had elapsed from the time we placed our order to the time the food arrived. That was unusual for this chain. They've usually been pretty quick in other locations. When my pasta meal arrived, the pasta had been overcooked and was one big, mushy ball of pasta on top of which was placed the sauce. To the touch, the bottom of the plate was lukewarm at best. The first forkful and, yep, you guessed it, it was cold.

“How is everything?” asked the server.

“Um, cold actually,” was my simple reply.

“I can have the kitchen prepare another plate for you if you would like,” she seemed far too rehearsed. It was like it was not the first time she had said it that day.

I thought about waiting another forty-five minutes for another plate for a twelve-dollar meal and decided to just deal with what was in front of me. I took a few more bites and decided I wasn’t hungry anymore.

The manager came to the table with a slip of paper in her hand. She placed it on the table and simply said, “Sorry that your meal wasn’t to your liking. Here’s a ten-dollar coupon you can use on your next visit.” She then walked away.

On my next visit? Seriously?

When I got to the front counter to pay for my meal, I used the coupon immediately. There hasn’t been a next visit.

Attitude Adjustment: At your place of work, do you fix today’s customer problem today or do you fix it the next time they place an order? C’mon, is it really that hard to fix stuff when it happens? It is not your right to have a customer do business with you. It is your privilege. The ‘service attitude’ says you are in service in some way, shape or form to others no matter what job you hold. You provide a service or product and people choose to pay for that product or service. It’s simple really. And it doesn’t matter if your customers are internal or external. A customer is a customer and they deserve your best even when they’re not being their best. Your job, regardless of the title on the door (or cubicle if that’s the case) is service. If you’re the CEO you serve the shareholders and your employees. If you’re the sales or customer rep you serve the external customer. If you’re the janitor you serve the employees who deserve a clean place to work. If you’re the delivery driver you serve the client and the other drivers on the road. If you’re Human Resources, you serve every department within the organization. Everyone is a customer. Serve them well. It will serve you well. Oh, and fix the problem right now. That’s service.

Thirty Years After

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:29:00 +0000

This past weekend was my thirtieth high school reunion. Now the truth is, we had not had a reunion in previous years so this was the first. Thirty years is a long time to wait.

Walking into the hotel ballroom on Saturday night was a strange feeling. The first person I saw was my chemistry teacher who, I'm led to believe, has concocted an eternal youth potion. I didn't see one extra wrinkle on his face since high school. He looked exactly the same yet he's been retired six years already.

The men got a little gray, OK some went right past gray to chrome (you get my drift here don't you?). Some had actually become quite distinguished. Some had lost weight, some had gained and these were just the men. As for the girls I went to school with, some got a little gray, some got a little heavier, some lost a little weight and some, two in particular, had aged about a week in thirty years.

My favorite teacher, Mr. Keon, has since retired but is still an influence at the school. It was good to spend a little extra time with him. He was my history teacher, my Driver's Ed instructor and coach of the curling team of which I was a member for three years. It was good to catch up with him but was a little weird calling him by his first name.

Four students are no longer with us, from a graduating class of about thirty. It was a small high school. Four out of thirty is a shame after only thirty years (just over ten percent). Think about how fortunate you are to be reading this today.

From the first night of the weekend we didn't spend a lot of time asking each other what we did for a living. It really didn't matter. We were just picking up where we left off thirty years ago. With such a small school we were all pretty close and everyone sort of hung out with everyone.

"Sister Clare would have been proud," Elizabeth (former classmate and now teacher) said to me upon hearing that I was about to release my seventh book. Actually five students are now teachers - five out of thirty.

Sister Clare was my English teacher. I, in retrospect, was a pain in her behind for the years she had the misfortune of having Burns in her class. But, she managed to get the grammar, spelling and sentence structure basics into me. I guess I was capable of learning something even while being a pain in the butt.

You know, as I look back, I guess I really owe Sister Clare a debt of gratitude and a rather large apology. I'm sorry Sister. And thank you.

Attitude Adjustment: Who has made an impact on your life? Have you ever expressed your gratitude to that person? How much of a difference do you think saying "thanks" would make to one of your old teachers? How would you feel if someone thirty years later gave thanks to you for something you did in their lives? It only takes a moment and very little effort to show your appreciation to someone for something they did. By the way, be grateful for all of the events of your life - good and bad. There's wisdom in all of it. Pay attention and pay respect to your teachers and mentors. That's your "gr-Attitude Adjustment."

Timeout For This Important Message

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0000

My friend Ed has just returned from a couple of weeks of holidaying in Egypt. He said it was a great vacation with a full schedule of things to see and do, although as he puts it, “My wife sets up the tour and the things we’re going to see and I just go along.” He says it was a very memorable holiday.

“This is where that James Bond movie was filmed,” Ed exclaimed at the start of a tour of one of the pyramids. The tour guide gave him a rather dismissing look – a way of suggesting that what they were about to see was considered history and culture more than a movie location.

This time though, upon returning from vacation, Ed came back with some stomach troubles. The last vacation he came back with little spider bites.

“It’s always something,” Ed shakes his head with disbelief.

It got me to thinking that summer vacations are approaching quickly so how do you maximize your vacation in order to have a balance of fun and rest? My friend, business associate and mentor, Marty Park, has also just returned from a vacation to Costa Rica. He wrote an article about that very thing on his Blog

In his Blog post, he challenges you to think about what a vacation is really for and how to get the most from it. “In order to maximize your vacation, keep it simple,” Marty suggests. Go ahead and read his Blog post.

Marty is one of those guys that anyone in business could admire: he runs five companies, looks after his home, car as well as rental properties, has a lot of friends, does yoga, plays hockey, has a good sized extended family, piano lessons, etc. He was also recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 for business success. He conducts training programs and keynote presentations in sales and business growth and is currently working on completing his first book.

“Sometimes it's a race to see if I can fill all the hours in a week,” he says.

Marty knows what it takes to grow a business as evidenced by the fact that he is successfully growing all of his businesses. He writes his Blog entries on business growth as well as a second Blog on how to get more from each day.

Although my area of expertise is attitude in employee engagement, service leadership and corporate safety, Marty’s expertise is business – specifically growth. When Marty speaks, you should listen. He speaks from a depth of knowledge and experience. Many times he and I have had conversations and those conversations have caused me to re-think some of my business strategies – every single one of them successfully I might add.

So when someone as busy as Marty says you need to take a vacation, you should be paying attention. Read his Blog posts. You’ll find good information for not just your own vacation but your business as well.

Attitude Adjustment: Stop listening to the people who say you can’t do it and start paying a lot of attention to the people who are doing it. Make sure you’re reading the books from people who are at the top of their game and not those who hypothesize what it takes to get there. Who is in your circle of influence? As speaker/philosopher Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said, "You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read."

Taking Care Of The People Who Matter Most

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:19:00 +0000

I was recently approached and asked to participate in an on-line book tour for Sybil Stershic’s new book, “Taking Care Of The People Who Matter Most – A Guide To Employee-Customer Care.” The title of the book sounded intriguing enough so I decided to participate.

In reading Stershic’s book, I was impressed at how well she made her case that the more invested employees are at work, the better service they will offer. Her book addresses the concept of “internal” marketing. External marketing is used to bring customers to a business but Internal marketing helps employees better understand the company’s strengths, vision and competitive advantage. In addition, internal marketing helps a company have their employees buy into company’s vision and helps put everyone involved with service delivery on the same page.

“Internal marketing involves the application of marketing inside an organization to instill customer-focused values for organizational success,” writes Stershic. “Most products and services can easily become commoditized, but competitors cannot duplicate the relationship an organization’s employees have with its customers.”

“Managers would do well to remember that unhappy customers are not the only ones who can choose to leave an organization,” she continues. “Just like the cost of customer-churn, the cost of employee turnover can be damaging especially when you examine both direct and hidden costs.”

What I found in this book, in addition to many tidbits of useful information as it concerns the running of a successful employee-engagement program in any business, is that your employees are not only your best customer service representatives, but also your best recruiters of new talent within an organization.

“Here’s a simple way to assess your firm’s internal service culture,” suggests Stershic, “ask this question: Would you refer a friend to work here? … Unfortunately, many organizations do not proactively engage in tracking employee satisfaction unless there are human resources or morale issues. The reality in many companies is that they know more about their customers than about their employees.”

In essence, in addition to reducing attrition rates of both customers and employees, a successful internal marketing program can attract new customers and new employees. The foundation of an effective internal marketing strategy is based on gaining employee commitment – which in turn helps to solidify customer commitment.

In my keynote presentations, I espouse the philosophy that business gets better when the people who are employed in the business get better. This book provides a foundation to achieve several ways to do that. Stershic presents several business cases which illustrate her points as well as a step-by-step guide to creating an internal marketing strategy for any business.

This book is an easy read of 128 pages (not including bibliography and references). Mixed into the research and evidence to support her claims, Stershic has interspersed practical tools that can be used to develop the basis for an internal marketing strategy to develop internal buy-in as well as a commitment to customer-focused and customer-satisfaction driven service.

It’s well worth the read. Even if you choose not to do the exercises, there is still plenty of kindling to light a fire in the brains of human resources and upper management about the importance of some sort of internal marketing strategy.

Bottom-line: improve the culture and the people who deliver service and service will improve as a result. That goes right to the bottom-line of any organization.

Want to own this copy for yourself? Click this link and enter this coupon number "107VBT" to save 20% off the book price. You may also want to check out Sybil Stershic’s Blog page here.

Schedule of Sybil Stershic’s Virtual Book Tour:

On June 2nd, Kevin Burns of Burns Blogs Attitude will be posting a review.
On June 3rd, Lisa Rosendahl will be posting a review on her blog HR Thoughts.
On June 4th, Chris Bailey will be posting a review on his blog Bailey Work/Play: The Alchemy of Soulful Work
On June 5th, Toby Bloomberg of the Diva Marketing blog will be posting an interview with Sybil.
On June 7th, Becky Carroll, the blogger behind Customers Rock! will be posting a review and the results of an interview with Sybil.
On June 9th, Paul Hebert will be posting a review on the blog Incentive Intelligence.
On June 10, 2008, Phil Gerbyshak will be posting an interview on the blog Slacker Manager.

Salesman-of-the-Month Must Go

Tue, 27 May 2008 17:38:00 +0000

I have been noticing in my daily newspaper these past few weeks, the sheer volume of ads touting various car dealerships’ Salesman-of-the-Month awards. Now, as much as the next guy, I understand the value of recognizing employees and their contributions. And I also get that, especially as it concerns car dealerships, revenue generation is one of the more important tasks that must be met daily. But then that’s business: without sales there is no business. The same rules apply to every business.

However, here’s where I take issue with the Salesman-of-the-Month Award.

A car is purchased, on average, once every three to five years. That means that if the only person you deal with at a dealership is the salesman, he can expect to see you every three to five years – providing he did a good job the first time. But a vehicle is a mechanical thing – you know, moving parts and stuff. Vehicles require servicing which should take place a little more often than every three to five years. So my question is: why does the salesman get all the glory by being publicly recognized when there are, in fact, a whole team of others who make that car run for three to five years and make customers want to come back to buy another? Why is it just the sales rep that gets recognized?

It seems to me that car dealerships, and many other businesses in fact, are more focused on the revenue side than they are the customer-satisfaction side. I would like to see a picture in the paper of the mechanic or technician who takes the time to explain why a part is being replaced to each and every customer whose car he works on. What about a picture in the paper of the wash-bay attendant who details the car before giving it back to you? How about the receptionist who calls you by your name when you walk in the door and offers a cup of coffee while the car is being serviced? Tell me these people are less important than the guy who sold me the car and can’t remember my name when I walk into the dealership.

What I’ve learned in my years in business is that it’s the “back-end” that keeps the “front-end” working well. It’s the people behind the scenes who do the day-in day-out customer service that make us, as customers, want to do business again with the company.

Just because some sales guy got his picture in the paper for making the company a pile of money doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It doesn’t make me say to myself, “I need to go spend some money with this guy.” In fact, if I wanted to buy a car, I would probably buy from the number two or number three sales rep just because I think they would do a better job of serving my needs.

Attitude Adjustment: So in your organization, is it just the people who put up big numbers in sales who get the recognition? Hey, you’re in business. You’re supposed to make money. But you’re supposed to make money by serving customer needs. So stop trying to convince me that the only thing that matters to you is the money thing and start telling me that your customer service is most important – and then make it more important. I will be more likely to be willing to part with my money if I feel that our long-term relationship is more important than writing that one big check every three to five years. And feel free to recognize the “back-end” people a little more. After all, it’s their contribution that will determine whether or not I, as a customer, spend big bucks with you again. Get rid of the Salesman-of-the-Month Award in the newspaper. It’s sending the wrong message. You’re telling people that sales are more important than service. Trust me, if you do the service right, the sales will be there.

An Attitude Reality-Check

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:27:00 +0000

Is the glass half-full? Is it half-empty? Or is there just a half-glass of water? The first, of course, is what we know to be the optimistic viewpoint. The second is supposed to be the pessimistic viewpoint and the third is simply the realistic viewpoint. It’s the realistic viewpoint that I wish to address.

The realistic viewpoint comes before all others. Realism, in my estimation, is simply the absence of judgment. Realism is rooted in facts – not the spinning of those facts. Without judgment attached, you can look at the results of your career and simply say, “These are my results.” It doesn’t matter whether or not the results are viewed as good or bad, whether a job is good or bad or whether a boss is good or bad. What is, is.

Your career is like a shopping mall. I didn’t say your career was in a shopping mall although for some that would be true. But regardless of which door you used to enter the mall, invariably you will find a mall directory board close to an entryway. The only thing you need to find on that mall directory is the “You Are Here” arrow. It matters little how you came to that board. The truth is you made a series of decisions outside of the mall that brought you to be standing in front of the sign at that very point. You can’t blame the government, the economy or your boss for where you stand in the mall. You made all of the decisions outside of the mall and find yourself exactly where you are – and you did it all by yourself. You just have to accept where you are in order to get to where you are going.

The events of life should never be looked at with judgment: “That was a stupid thing to do,” “I’m glad I got in on that early,” How in the world did I end up with this dumb job?” Viewing your results through judgment have the overwhelming tendency to gloss over the decisions of how you got to where you are.

Any long-held opinion or belief that you need to be successful before you can have happiness will delay any happiness until success is achieved. And since success is not clearly defined in that statement, how in the world would you know you have been a success? Does success smack you in the face when you achieve it? Of course not.

Every job you have ever held in your life, every experience, every decision and every event of your whole life has put you exactly where you are today. And every single event of your life provided you with a choice to make. You made your choice. Then this is your result.

It's your past that determines your present. Your past shapes your personality, your character, your attitudes toward work, goal setting, achievement, how you serve others, your values, your ethics and how you view every single event of your life.

Therefore, your present circumstances and the things you do, say and learn today will open the future for you tomorrow. In other words, whatever you learn and experience today will provide you with a new perspective tomorrow. A new perspective brings a new attitude. People don't just change their minds; they make new decisions based on new information.

So if something in your life needs attention, I encourage you to stop making that one thing be either good or bad and simply accept that this is a far as you’ve gotten in your entire life with the information you have. You obviously don’t have a plan for your so-called success or the resources to get it or you would have had it by now. Do you think you’re capable of more? How about having a better job, better boss or a better salary? Then learn as much as you can about what you need to know and then make an informed decision and not a baseless judgment. If you keep doing what you've always done you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten.

Attitude Adjustment: You are here. You did this to yourself. It’s not good or bad. It just is what it is. Where you go from here is largely determined by your willingness to take off the rose-colored glasses and accept that you did this. The more you learn, the more you read, the more you accept your results to be what they are - your results – the quicker you will find that your results begin to change. The more you change, the more your results change. Change your perspective and you will change your attitude. A changed attitude changes results.

How To Recognize Great Service

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:39:00 +0000

I travel a lot. Now, I don't mind traveling. I especially don't mind it if someone else drives which is the way it is when I fly. But sometimes, I am forced to make the long drive.

After rising early one morning, meeting with the Audio-Visual people, doing a sound-check, then delivering an Attitude Adjustment, packing my bags, flying to another city and then spending four hours behind the wheel to arrive just after supper time, I was ready for a quiet night in the hotel before another presentation the next morning.

As I approached the front counter of the hotel (which I had stayed in several times before), I was met by the new girl - I assumed she was new since her name tag read "In Training." (I didn't think any parents would be that cruel.) She was perky and smiley and I kept my distance so as not to contract diabetes from all the sugar and sweetness. (OK, maybe I was just too tired.)

"So we have you checked into Room #218, on the second floor, poolside," she gushed happily.

The only thought I had was the noise level from poolside. It was an open-air indoor pool and waterslide that went up four floors with rooms facing the pool and slides. It didn't close until almost eleven o'clock. I had spent a night poolside before. I wanted quiet and poolside wasn't it.

"I'd like an outside facing room if you please. I prefer not be poolside," I gently said.

"But we're full," she smiled so sweetly.

"But not everyone is here and checked-in yet are they?" I questioned.

Clearly, my request was beyond the total training that "In Training" had received yet so up stepped Lisa to the computer terminal.

"Welcome Mr. Burns," said Lisa. "I see you've stayed with us before. Glad to have you back. Let's see what I can arrange if you'll just give me a few moments."

I let her go to work. She grabbed a pencil and started making notes on a scratch piece of paper. Room #301 goes to #109. #109 goes to #412. #412 goes to #218 and #218 goes to #301. She put down her pencil, handed me my card-key and said, "I've got you now checked into Room #301 Mr. Burns. It's an outside room as requested."

I was one thankful guy. I said that to her - leaned in close, looked her right in the eye and said so. And as I closed the door to #301, I heard it - nothing - exactly what I wanted.

But the more I thought about how Lisa had moved all those reservations around to accommodate me, I felt my words just weren't enough. After slipping out to a restaurant for supper, I swung by the grocery store florist and picked up a $10 bouquet of fresh cut flowers and a card that simply said "For great customer service ... thank you," and I signed my name. As I returned to the hotel, Lisa was at the desk on the phone. I simply placed the flowers in front of her and said again, "Thank you."

Her eyes were wide with disbelief. Her face went red and her smile lit up the lobby. As I awaited the elevator, Lisa, In-Training and the night auditor gushed over the flowers.

Attitude Adjustment: I'm sure much discussion was had amongst the clerks and other staff about why a customer gave Lisa flowers. Lisa would be proud of why she got them and the others, well let's just say they would probably be inspired to make something nice happen for themselves. Sometimes, when we say thanks in unusual ways it inspires not just the person we say thanks to, but might also change the attitudes and improve the performance of those left out of the loop. Recognition is a great tool to inspire people to give their best as well as a better effort from those who weren't recognized. Are you recognized regularly? Could you be doing more? Think about it.

Lessons From The Foreman

Tue, 06 May 2008 01:57:00 +0000

Len is a foreman for a construction crew in the bustling Oil Sands region of Northern Alberta. He is a little rough around the edges, uses some fairly colourful language and is a little on the loud side. My guess that his personality is the result of working for many years with mostly men in a noisy environment. You know how guys talk when there are few women around? Len is definitely one of the boys.

In our conversation at the airport, as we both awaited flights, we spoke of many things. Two things in particular got my attention: something his father taught him as well as how he has found a way to reduce incidents and accidents on the job.

"My Dad always told me to make sure you have a lot of paper in your wallet," said Len referring to having several trades tickets and certifications. "Dad said that once you get those papers, ain't nobody able to take that stuff away from you. You always have that."

"The more you know, the more you learn, the easier life gets," I added.

"They can't suck the learning out of your head," Len smiled.

It's a simple self-development philosophy really: the more you know, the more you've been certified, the more paper you carry, the more you will be paid. Why? Because you're more valuable.

As Len and I sat at the airport, we also talked about safety in the workplace.

"I've got a crew of guys who work 'twenty-on' (twenty days on the job before they get days off). They usually work tens or twelves (ten or twelve-hour shifts) and the first three days back from days-off are tough," he said. "The guys are still off-work mentally. I've got to watch over them a little more at that time."

"But the worst," he said leaning in toward me, "is the three days just before they head home. When I see guys losing it - yelling at other guys, I know they're not thinking about the job. They're tired and their brains have already gone home even if their bodies are still at work. That's the most dangerous time. When they get like that, I make sure that we have a few extra toolbox meetings (mini safety meetings to help re-focus the guys). Keep them focused. Keep them present and we all get to go home, safely."

Are you losing it at work for no reason? If you are or someone you work with is, then they're not focused. They're not mentally present and something could happen that could affect others.

Attitude Adjustment: How often are you just letting disruptive behaviour slide? You don't have to be in management to take responsibility on the job. Check in with co-workers who seem a little edgy or unfocused. Help figure out what's going on in their world. If you don't, they could say or do something that could cause the loss of a good customer, a good working relationship or even a life. It's up to you to make sure that the work you do everyday doesn't get undermined by someone who isn't present and focused. It's your workplace too. Step up.

Kevin Burns
Author & Attitude Adjuster
Adjusting Attitudes in Employee Engagement - Service Leadership - Corporate Safety

Toll-free 1-877-BURNS-11

www.kevburns.com

The Wow-Factor In Your Work

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:42:00 +0000

As a teenager, I spent five years in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets - Squadron 653. If there's one thing I learned in those five years was how to spit-polish a pair of shoes. If you can see yourself in the shine, then it was done right.

As much as I may know how to give a pair of shoes a great shine, I still prefer to frequent someone who does it for a living. I've had shoes shined in airports, hotels and on street corners. So when I checked into the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina this week, and spotted the sign for on-site shoe shines, I checked it out. That's where I met Trevor. In his early to mid-twenties, Trevor obviously takes pride in everything he does. He is fit, well dressed and sports a pair of shiny shoes.

Over the twenty or so minutes Trevor worked on my shoes, we talked he explained his philosophy on shined shoes.

"I get a lot of business people through here," he said. "Many of them, when getting ready to interview a potential new employee, check out their shoes. If the new employee won't take pride in how they look themselves, then they won't likely take pride in the work they do."

"How we do one thing is how we do everything," I added.

"Exactly." He looked up at me.

I simply observed Trevor do his work. He was meticulous. Soap solution to wash off old dirt. A little alcohol to remove old layers of polish. Trevor got his fingers into the new polish, applied three coats, set fire to the polish to help it penetrate the leather, applied some water a few times, brushed and brushed and brushed and finished with a little lighter fluid and soft cloth rub. No powered brushes, no fake polishes, no Armorall (fake shine) and no shortcuts. The shine was noticeable. Those shoes reflected light from all around the room.

After twenty minutes in the chair, I stepped off of the shine stand.

"That'll be six dollars," he said firmly.

"No it won't," I replied. "Six isn't enough. I'll pay you ten instead."

I paid him ten, which, in my mind, was still a bargain for the quality of work. Oh, and so you know, Trevor gave me the best shoeshine I've ever found anywhere. Do yourself a favor if you're in Regina. Stop by the Hotel Saskatchewan and walk away with a smile and a shine.

Attitude Adjustment: Would people be willing to take the time to tell a story of how good your service and quality of work is? If not, is it possible you're not taking enough pride in what you do? People remember people who offer their best every single time - no excuses. How can you "Wow" your customers today? Remember, Customer Service isn't just a department - it's an Attitude.

Take This Relationship Philosophy To Work

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:40:00 +0000

A few months ago I was sent an email link to a video by Mark Gungor, a pastor from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Mark, in addition to being a pastor, is a facilitator of relationships. I watched the video and laughed so hard. Mark is also a stand-up comedian combining humor, values and real relationship solutions.

Last month I was visiting Green Bay and who do I run into in the mall? Mark Gungor. I recognized him right away since after watching the YouTube video, I ordered his DVDs. I had been watching them on the plane while laughing like a crazy person and lo and behold, there he was walking through the mall with his wife of thirty-five years, Debbie. We had a brief conversation and promised each other to keep in touch.

One of Mark’s philosophies in his program is advice to guys: “Be nice to the girl.”

How simple is that really? Just be nice. It’s not hard; in fact, it is easier than taking out the garbage or visiting your mother-in-law’s house. Just be nice. If the only time you spoke to your spouse was to point out their faults, that they did something wrong, messed up or screwed up, how long do you think your relationship would last?

Now take that same philosophy to work. (I know, I know. You think you’re supposed to check all home “stuff” at the door when you walk into work. Well you don’t do you?)

Think about working with employees as a relationship. The more you engage them in feeling better about the contributions they make, the more they will want to make the contribution. Jeez it's not that hard. Just be nice to people. Give a compliment when someone does something well. It will be easier to offer constructive criticism later if you’ve built up some respect from a little kindness. Trust me, it will mean much more.

People want to work for people who are just nice people. How hard is it really to offer a compliment? If it's hard for you, you're likely the wrong guy in charge.

You have to know, that in addition to being rewarded well financially, the one thing employees want (consistently finishing in the Top Five) is recognition. They want to be told they’re doing well – so tell them. If you give your people what they want, they will want to do more for you.

Be nice to your people. That doesn’t mean that you don’t address issues as they need addressing, but if people are doing things well, how hard would it be to tell them they’re doing it well? It’s only as hard as you make it.

And the same philosophy applies to standing in line at a Starbucks or wherever else you might find yourself getting impatient. Be nice to the person behind the counter. The whole world doesn’t stop because your venti, double shot, non-fat, extra-hot, caramel macchiato isn’t perfect.

“But for five bucks it should be perfect,” you might say.

Well, you’re being paid more than five bucks. Shouldn’t the same rules apply to you? Or would you prefer that someone is nice to you too?

Safety Attitude’s New Reality

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:59:00 +0000

Safety has become a big issue these days with not only the manufacturing, construction and heavy industry sectors, but also with a growing number of office-bound organizations. Safety is an issue that I take seriously. After all, I believe that safety is an Attitude – in the same way Leadership is an Attitude and Customer Service is an Attitude. Hey you can’t put on a hard hat, safety glasses and steel toes for an eight-hour workday and then go home and mow the lawn on your flip-flops. Safety is a concept your either own or simply tolerate. If you own it, safety is as important to you at home as it is at work. If you simply tolerate safety and safety procedures, then you’re a huge risk to the wellbeing of your co-workers. And somebody’s going to get hurt.

Now let me say that there are some people whose contribution to safety prevention I admire: accident victims who speak to schools, parents of children involved in accidents or injury who then take up the cause of making the world a safer place and finally, those who have lost a family member because of an accident and make it a life’s purpose to create a groundswell of change in laws and perception. These are all worthy causes and all commendable.

I’ve had several conversations this week with safety managers and safety conference organizers in preparation for several Safety Attitude Adjustments that I will be delivering. In past, many of these conferences have featured presentations from injured workers who now make their living on the speaking circuit warning people of the dangers of not being safe on the job. I think it’s commendable that people who have been injured on the job wouldn’t let their injury completely victimize them. Warning others of impending dangers on the job by witnessing the actual consequences of past mistakes (physical injury or dismemberment) can be a powerful message – for certain age-groups.

But here’s where I am becoming a little troubled. The labor market is changing. Baby Boomers are retiring and Gen Y’s are taking over. This is the same group (Gen Y’s) who have been raised on a steady diet of some of the world’s most violent video games – where dismemberment and blood-spurting graphics are used in delivering “entertainment.” Then there are the blood-spurting movies. Check out the video rental stores and count the number of horror/slasher films on the shelves. The new breed of worker is desensitizing to the concept of injury. To really drive home my point, look at the movies Jackass and Jackass II – films entirely about self-injury. And we sit at home and laugh.

The truth is that the message of “don’t do what I did” doesn’t hold the same punch that it used to. That message may have been very successful with Boomers but Gen Y thinks differently.

Think about this for a moment: an injured worker who may have been paid eighteen dollars an hour for doing a labor job now collects thousands of dollars per hour for simply telling the story of how he or she got injured. That is definitely sending the wrong message. The message you end up sending is that if you do the job safely you get eighteen bucks an hour but if you get injured you can tell your story for thousands. That message may actually be helping to glorify injury, not prevent it. I’m going to step out on limb here (with a tether and harness of course) and suggest that this is not the message you want your people to take away if you want to keep them safe.

You wouldn’t pay money to address your own organization’s business growth from someone who consistently went bankrupt. You wouldn’t pay money to learn leadership from a CEO who was just fired for being a tyrant. And you sure wouldn’t pay money to get the advice of a financial planner whose own investment portfolio is well below what your goal is. So with that thinking, why would you pay money to hear a safety message from someone who didn’t do it correctly on the job?

I would gladly be willing to listen to a former injured worker talk to me about how they overcame the loss of a limb and loss of a livelihood and turned their life around – how they managed to overcome adversity and find success regardless of their circumstances. That, I think, would be a great message. But don’t preach to me about finances if you’re broke. Don’t preach to me about leadership if no one wants you to lead their organizations. Don’t preach to me about how to grow a business if your history is primarily comprised of failures in business. And don’t expect me to buy into your safety strategy if it didn’t work for you. You need to start paying more attention to the message you’re sending your people.

Attitude Adjustment: Safety managers had better clue in to this and quickly. If you’re a safety manager, OH&S supervisor, department head or even CEO, take a look at your safety statistics. Are you finding the highest number of reportable or lost-time incidents with your younger workers? Then that should be a clue that your old way of training your people in the attitude of safety just isn’t working like it used to. Don’t blame the work ethic of Gen Y. If you want to improve your safety performance in your new workers, you have got to help change their attitudes on safety. And you had better be able to speak their language if you ever want to get through to them.

Confidence And The Workplace Attitude

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:19:00 +0000

Have you noticed the lack of eye-contact from a clerk while being served in a retail establishment? Have you noticed some of the people you work with who are reluctant to be forthright with customers and clients either on the phone or in-person? Have you noticed a propensity in your own workplace of people who don't seem to speak up when it comes time to address an issue that needs to be talked about?

It's happening more and more in workplaces across North America. Employers are searching out Communication Skills workshops in the hopes that communication with co-workers, clients and customers can be improved in an effort to streamline the workplaces. But it just doesn't seem to be working. Why? It's not so much about people communicating effectively as it is about the level of confidence within the individuals in raising the subjects that need to be addressed. It's a self-confidence issue.

I was recently surfing a business networking web site that asked the question: What are the most damaging aspects of a lack of self-confidence in the workplace?

I really began to think about how a lack of self-confidence impacts the workplace. Here's what I offered as my response.

Ultimately, every delivery and/or process mechanism in the workplace is directly affected on a quality level by a lack of self-confidence. Every intricate piece of the workplace puzzle is reliant on just one common denominator: people. It's people who deliver in every organization. It's people who make sales. It's people who develop marketing strategies. It's people who fix customer problems. It's people who lead organizations. It's people who implement safety programs. It's people who must communicate with other people on the job. One person without self-confidence makes the whole thing fall apart.

People without self-confidence will cause the organization as a whole to suffer.

Productivity suffers in the absence of self-confidence because if a person lacks the confidence to accomplish a task, they will hold back their effort in the hopes of not doing it wrong.
Sales suffer when a sales person lacks self-confidence. With a lack of self-confidence, a salesperson will feel intimidated to ask for the order. Sometimes in order to get a sale all one needs to do is ask. But without confidence, asking is the toughest thing they will do all day for fear they may be rejected.
Customer service suffers when a CSR lacks self-confidence. A Customer Service Rep who lacks confidence will not ask the customer if service could be improved nor will they go over and above to satisfy any concerns before they happen for fear that they may create something they are ill-equipped to address.
Management suffers when a manager lacks self-confidence. Sometimes managers need to address some tough issues with employees and by not addressing those issues, allow issues to go un-addressed and unresolved creating a new standard for behavior in the workplace.
First impressions suffer when the receptionist lacks self-confidence. If the person who answers the phone isn't sure of him or herself, the person at the other end feels as confident about doing business with an organization as the person who answers the phone. If the receptionist can't instill confidence, the customer has no alternative but to feel uneasy about dealing with that company.
Organizational meetings suffer when attendees lack self-confidence. People without self-confidence don't speak up and therefore end up harboring resentment or frustration that issues are not being addressed. The organization as a whole will suffer if frustration and resentment run rampant inside their employees.
Innovation suffers when those charged with developing new ideas lack self-confidence. Without confidence, innovative ideas are not brought forward, nor discussed. New ideas are kept to oneself in the hopes that person won't be laughed at.
Time management suffers with a lack of self-confidence. If there's no confidence from the employees to be able to accomplish specific tasks, why bother scheduling it in to their Daytimer?
Communications suffer in the presence of a lack of self-confidence. People who don't have confidence don't speak up. Things are left unsaid and, by default, internalized. If it's not out in the open, it can never be dealt with.
Marketing suffers when the marketing team lacks self-confidence. "This idea probably won't work anyway." That's a likely statement from a marketing department employee with no self-confidence and so the idea gets dismissed without a second thought.
Cohesiveness suffers when employees lack self-confidence. People don't get along without talking out their issues. They simply tolerate each other. Toleration is not cohesiveness. Behind the tolerance could be a seething resentment and outward actions can demonstrate the harboring of resentment.
And finally, in the absence of self-confidence, can anyone really be called a "leader?"

Shall I go on?

You get the point here. Organizations work fine - it's people who screw them up. Fix the people and you fix the organization. Stop wasting money on a useless things like personality assessments and team building until you have solved the root problem in any and all organizations - soft skills training to address "self" issues. Build your people stronger and the organization must get stronger by default. Better people offer better service, make better sales, better communicate, build better relationships, focus better, achieve better and ultimately lead better.

Attitude Adjustment: Before you start looking for quick fixes to make your team more cohesive, embark on sales training or service training or communications skills training, time-management training or even management/leadership training, make sure you've addressed the root cause of many of these workplace problems: self-confidence and the corresponding confident attitude that goes along with it.

Good People Give Great Service

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:13:00 +0000

In my keynote presentation, I offer the suggestion that if you believe the person behind the counter (either in person or on the phone) is dumber than you then you'll likely go out of your way to prove it. And what if they're not?

However if you instead believe that the person behind the counter will provide you with an amusing story to tell others then you'll likely end up with a good service experience.

This is one of those amusing stories.

I was scheduled to speak after supper in Miniota, Manitoba, a small town of just several hundred citizens. My audience would be the employees of the regional cooperative, perhaps the area's largest employer. So I arrived in Miniota at about 3:30 pm to ensure the stage was set correctly, lighting would be satisfactory and so that I might resolve any sound system concerns before the attendees began to arrive. Preparation is key in anything you do if you want to do it well. And I do. My customers and clients deserve that.

Since my appointment at the hall wasn't until 4:00 pm, I drove around town a little and then decided to gas up the rental car. I pulled up to the pumps at the Co-op gas bar. No one immediately came out to serve me so I started the process myself.

When the pump got to thirty-two dollars, the front door to the gas bar swung open and the twenty-something attendant approached. He apologized for taking so long. By the time he got to my vehicle, it was full. So I handed him the hose and he shut off the pump.

"I didn't even see the self-serve sign," I joked as we both walked inside so I could pay for my gas. I knew it to be a full-serve operation. (Yes, they still do exist.)

"Again, I'm sorry I took so long," he genuinely offered. "So, that'll be thirty-two fifty," he smiled as I handed him my credit card.

After signing the credit card slip, I asked, "so the community center is over by the arena is it?"

He glanced down at the credit card. He instantly recognized my name. He had read the memo about the company meeting at the hall.

"You're the speaker tonight aren't you?"

"I am," I replied with a big smile.

"So what are you speaking about?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"Customer service," I blurted emphatically.

His face went completely red.

"You're going to have a little fun with me being slow to the pumps aren't you?" he sheepishly grinned.

"You know it," I laughed back.

"See you tonight then," he said red-faced and head shaking.

Dallas is his name. Before I took the stage, I learned that customers love Dallas and the service he provides. I also learned that he was handling three other customers at the time I arrived as the Gas Bar. His reputation is the “get things done” guy. I mentioned that fact publicly after I good-naturedly roasted him. He got a round of applause from his co-workers.

After the presentation, Dallas approached me and said, "I enjoyed your Tim Horton's story too. And the coffee there always tastes better when it's free," at which point he handed me a Tim Horton's Gift Card.

Dallas is one nice guy.

So, if ever you're in Miniota, Manitoba, plan on gassing up at the Co-op Gas Bar and let Dallas show you how good people offer great service.