Posts tagged as:

setting standards

Silent Endorsement

by Jen Kuhn on May 3, 2012

What we ignore, we endorse.

Think about how many times you’ve seen behaviors that you find distressing (at home, at work or in public).  The child getting slapped by the angry parent, the bullying employee/supervisor that others fear, or the elderly person who needs help while everyone just looks in the other direction.

Yes. We all have these experiences. Our choice is simple.  Do I take a stand or do I endorse the behavior/situation by ignoring it?

In the workplace, if you are a supervisor you do not have a choice.  You’ve been paid and trusted not to endorse behaviors that are counter-productive to your culture, your norms, your expectations.

The problem is that we are used to looking the other way. It’s a quick fix easy solution that allows us to maintain our comfort. Yet for a company to do well (by it’s employees, consumers and the public), supervisors must never look away.  A leader must keep all behaviors in the spotlight, for it is in the spotlight that we shine. When it comes to negative behaviors, once the spotlight is removed, some people mistake that for endorsement.

3 things a leader can do to ensure they are not endorsing behaviors that are counter-productive to the culture:

  1. Positive reinforcement: recognize behaviors that your employee demonstrates that you do want to consistently see and experience.
  2. Discover their value: recognize the value each employee brings to your team. Then see #1. Lather, rinse, repeat.
  3. Address behaviors that do not meet expectations. It’s not about you. It’s not about your comfort. It’s about your obligation to your employees, your company and your consumers.

As a leader, what are some of the most difficult behaviors for you to address within your organization?  We promise, we won’t ignore you!

 

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Customer Service: The X Factor

by Jen Kuhn on August 22, 2011

Revolve your world around the customer and more customers will revolve around you. ~Heather Williams

There are 6 levels of customer service:

  1. Poor
  2. Service Recovery
  3. Neutral
  4. Good
  5. Excellent
  6. The X Factor

Let’s talk about Levels 5 and 6.

As consumers, when an employee does their job well, we typically consider that excellent and exceptional.  The Experience Factor says, “Raise your standards!”

Excellent service is a bit rare, like spotting a Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat.  It occurs when you, the customer, experience a level of service that is not only exceptional, it’s unexpected, welcomed and memorable.

The X Factor is when a business or employee delivers a level of service that leaves the consumer in awe.  The X Factor is when a business or employee makes a conscious effort to exceed your expectations, provide a personalized experience and excel at every touch point.  It’s about a 1% difference between excellent and X Factor.  It’s an employee mindset: always looking for ways to take it up a notch, to make the difference.  The X Factor is the rarest of service experiences.

Ask our clients: we are educated consumers who have high standards. It’s our job to educate our clients in order to take their service to the X Factor level (that’s level 6! I haven’t even achieved that level with Angry Birds!).

When was the last time you experienced X Factor service? Was it really the X Factor, or was it just a “given”?  Throw some examples at us!  And what about your business…do you have the X Factor?  We will give you our opinion.  And remember, we can agree to disagree, as long as you know we’re right!

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Snowflakes and Employees

by Kelly Ketelboeter on December 17, 2010

As I watched the snow falling yesterday I couldn’t help but notice the beauty of each individual snowflake. So intricate.  So delicate.  So inspiring. And each flake so different. As my mind wandered to leadership I discovered a connection to employees. Each employee possesses their own beauty. Their own intricacies. They are delicate in their own right. Working to inspire and make a difference for the people around them. And how each employee is in fact so different.

Often times leaders try a blanket, one size fits all approach when working with employees. Failing to see how different each employee is. Failing to recognize that each employee is motivated in different ways. Failing to understand how to communicate with each employee. Failing to recognizing the beauty of their diversity.

Employees need to be led, coached and approached differently. As leaders we need to meet them where they are at, not where we are at. We need to provide information, feedback and motivation to meet the individual needs of each employee. Employees bring unique experiences and perspectives to the work place. They bring different levels of knowledge. They learn differently, they listen differently and they care about different things. As a leader it is our job to discover what each individual employee needs to be successful. We must then use that information as we help lead them to success for and within themselves.

There are however, a few things that must be consistent across the board no matter what employee you are working with. Effective leaders consistently coach, train, recognize, reward and hold everyone accountable to the standards, goals and expectations for performance and within the organization. How you provide this information and the opportunities to do so will be different. Employees must first understand the standards, goals and expectations. It is then up to us as a leader to teach them, provide feedback, celebrate the success and ultimately hold them accountable. This is how you create an equitable work environment. Treating everyone with the same one size fits all approach doesn’t create equity, encourage engagement or recognize the individuals that make up our team.

Just as each falling snowflake is unique, I encourage you to remember the uniqueness that each employee brings to your organization. To achieve high levels of success we must capitalize on that uniqueness by treating each employee as an individual.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Should leaders treat all employees the same? How do you create equity in your organization or on your team?

Until then enjoy the snowflakes or the sunshine depending on where you are!

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Respect THIS.

by Jen Kuhn on October 25, 2010

Self-absorbed leaders of the world: You are done.  Over-cooked. Fried. Put a fork in yourself.  Or, please, seriously, please, let me. 

Just this weekend I heard a supposed “leader” DEMAND respect from his “subordinate”! *Eavesdrop moment*: “You must respect me! I am your BOSS.” The demand was based solely upon TITLE.  Seriously?  That works for you?  Excuse me while I throw up a little in my mouth.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!  Find out what it means to me!

Let’s start with:

Behaviors: Don’t say one thing and live/do another. Your title can sit in the bottom of my toilet…with the rest of the sh-tuff.  EARN respect.

Attitude: Ummm, nursery rhymes have a “king of the castle”.  Move on, please. EARN respect.

Fear: You may be the big dog, but you ain’t the only dog.  By the way, you might want to wipe that drool, you’re starting to froth at the mouth. EARN respect.

Ultimatums: Trump! You lose! Play that big card and wait til you see what I’ve been holding.  Don’t ever mistake my compassion for weakness. EARN respect.

Duplicity: If you choose to live without integrity, don’t expect me to follow along.  You are so FLAGRANT you’re see-through.  EARN respect.

If you must demand respect, you have NOT earned respect.  Get a clue.  See a therapist.  Or, could you just this once, for old times sake, be self-reflective? Nah, see a therapist.  Who are we kidding here?  If you think your title/name/job/status/etc EARNS you respect, then you need to start over.  Way over. If you don’t know what I’m saying, then this probably applies to YOU!

Blind compliance brings abuse of power, genocide, terrorism, ignorance, enabling, fear, corruption and all sorts of nastiness.  If you CANNOT or CHOOSE NOT to lead with integrity, compassion, morality, nobility, honesty, gentleness, understanding, empathy, sincerity, transparency, insight, wisdom, peace, courage, dignity,  perception and acceptance…THEN PLEASE, step down.  Accept who you are, and move along.  We NEED more.  We do NOT judge.  We just know what we NEED.

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The Untapped Market of Customer Service

by Jen Kuhn on April 14, 2010

I find little evidence of a positive customer service trend in businesses today.  I look for it at every opportunity.  I’m like a scientist, analyzing the data and concluding that most employees and companies don’t give a rip about their customers.  The average consumer receives below average service.  I’ve conducted scientific research.  The data supports my findings.  My research is highly respected in the scientific community.  The technical term for this scientific approach is called “shopping”.  I’ve listed behaviors of employees that support the fact that excellent customer service is an untapped market:

1. Argue with me:

If I present a problem or issue with your service or product, arguing with me makes you look bad.  Don’t give me excuses, show me results.  Remember: The customer may not always be right, but we must always do right by the customer.

2. Throw a policy at me:

“I’m sorry, that’s our policy.” Really? That’s all you got? Puh-leaze. Managers throughout the world, hear me roar, “Don’t let those words come out of your employees’ mouths ever again!”  If you have to quote a policy to me then you should not be in business. Seriously, hand over the keys to the store and let’s shut ‘er down. Customer service is about explaining the policy, not quoting it. If you don’t understand the necessity of the policy maybe you should consider changing it or learn why it’s important. If you’re still lost, ask yourself: does this policy protect our customers?

    3. Memorize your lines:

    You’re an employee, not an actor. What’s with the script? An employee from my bank recently called me in an attempt to sell me some kind of insurance.  It was so obvious he was reading a script. “Hello, *insert name here*, I’m calling to tell you about *insert product here*. This will help your children and spouse in case of your untimely death.” Wow, sign me up.  The fact that I don’t have children or a spouse seems to elude you.  And call me crazy, but I would never consider my death “timely”.  Please, take the time to know what you are offering without the need for a script.  Show me you care and maybe I’ll listen.

      These are just 3 customer service behaviors that drive customers away.  Imagine how many more exist within your company. By improving your customer service you will be tapping into a market that many businesses have overlooked.  Go for it! Your bottom line depends on it.

      Please share your thoughts on customer service gone awry.  What drives you crazy?  Is it a short drive?  We’d love to hear your thoughts…

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      Effective Coaching Starts with YOU

      by Jen Kuhn on February 22, 2010

      Coaching to Create a Culture

      Recently I was asked by a supervisor why coaching plays such a crucial role in the development of their service culture.  The supervisor wanted to understand what particular coaching behaviors are the most effective in enhancing this culture.  Although there are many coaching behaviors that will influence your cultural development, I am going to address two of them in this blog: upholding standards and positive reinforcement.

      Several years ago I was facilitating a motivational and teambuilding seminar for employees of a juvenile court detention center.  This particular team had a great deal of internal conflict and resistance.  The primary reason for the seminar was to get them motivated and working together in a more productive manner.

      During one of the activities, I asked the participants why they chose to work at the detention center.  (I was hoping that we would find some common ground as a foundation for building a more cohesive team).  One participant responded by saying, “If I can make a difference in just one child’s life, I will have done my job.  I work at the detention center in the hopes of helping one child.”  I asked if they all felt the same way since they were all nodding their heads.  Everyone vigorously nodded in agreement.  My response was from the heart: “You see hundreds of kids a year, and you’ve done your job if you’ve helped just one?”  Their new common ground: hating me.  Hey, we had to start somewhere.

      If people are paid and trained and coached to do a job, we should expect that they will do it well.  I highly doubt that the supervisors at the detention center were hiring people and saying to them, “During your tenure here, it is our hope that you can help one child.  Welcome to the team.”  That sounds ridiculous, right?  But isn’t that what we sometimes communicate to employees?  We set our standards low and become accustomed to underperformance in certain areas.  What coach hasn’t had the thought, “Well, as long as they’re not making any big mistakes, or causing too much conflict, I’ll be happy with my team”?  (But remember, what you are willing to accept becomes your standard).  Or, the ever popular, “I really don’t have time to meet with my employees or catch them doing something right…I’m just relieved they showed up for work today”.  These thoughts lead to coaching behaviors that serve to de-motivate employees and ensure underperformance!  They are destructive to the development of your culture.  Negative and neutral reinforcement guarantee underperformance, as does setting the standard, then not holding employees accountable if they are unwilling to meet that standard.  When we finally confront underperformance, it’s met with shock, defensiveness and resistance.   The employee learns to respond by saying things like, “At least I’m not as bad as her”, or “Remember, back in 1989 when I helped that one guy?  I can’t believe you think I don’t help enough people”!

      As coaches, we need to have high standards and expectations.  The person we should expect the most from is ourselves.  If you are given the honor and task of supervising employees, have standards and expectations of yourself.  Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you do not have time to coach employees.  We are all given 24 hours in a day.  No matter how many employees you supervise, projects you are working on, emails you have to answer, you get 24 hours.  What you do with those hours makes all the difference.  “Time management” is just a phrase.  In the book, 100 Ways to Motivate Others,(100 Ways to Motivate Others: H…) the authors state that “…you can’t really manage time.  You can’t add any more time to your day.  But you can manage the priorities and the things you choose to do.”  Wow.  How about that for a reality check?

      You may wonder where to start coaching your employees, and how to fit that into your day.  (And remember, you can’t manage people, but you can coach them)!  You must start with something simple.  Make it a priority to catch your employees doing something right everyday.  Give them immediate, positive feedback.  Be specific about what they did well.  Pay more attention to the behaviors that you want to see and you will see more of those behaviors.  Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new car, you start seeing “your car” all over the place?  Funny, suddenly everyone has a car like yours.  Do you really believe that the car you bought gained in popularity overnight?  Or is it more realistic that you started noticing the car once it became important to you?  Once you decide that it is important to catch your employees doing “it” right, you will see them doing things right with more frequency.  Remember, coaching is a way of thinking and behaving, not an event.

      Giving consistent positive reinforcement to your employees will help lay the foundation for all other coaching thoughts and behaviors.  Additionally, holding employees accountable for meeting standards is an effective coaching practice that treats people as capable adults.  I’ll say it again: what you are willing to accept becomes your standard!

      Coaching plays a vital role in developing and enhancing your company culture. You have been given an opportunity as a coach to influence and ensure this development at your company, school, hospital, court system, restaurant, not for profit, government agency or where ever you work.  You can do it!  Changing your coaching style may be difficult at first, but eventually effective coaching will simply become what you do.  Now go out there and catch the next employee you see doing something right!  Seriously, get out of your chair, walk away from your computer…Are you still there?  It’s over, move along, there’s nothing to see here…

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