Leadership Lessons from the Garden

by Kelly Ketelboeter on May 20, 2010

One of my great joys in life is gardening.  I anxiously await spring each year and count down the days until I can get outside and play in the dirt!  This past weekend I spent 6 long hours in my yard planting bulbs, annuals, hanging baskets and pots.  It was so much fun and the weather was perfect!  As I spent the entire next day on my couch recovering from all my planting (I am not as young as I used to be!) I started to think about how gardening relates to leadership.  Lessons in leadership are literally all around us.

1. Preparation is key.

This is not my favorite part of gardening but it must be done if you want that beautiful garden.  To prepare my garden for the season, I had to clean out all the leaves, sticks, rocks (I have no idea how so many rocks get into my garden) and all the acorn shells our lovely squirrels harvest, hide and eat all winter long.  I have to weed, turn the soil, lay down some compost and add some new dirt.  All this preparation, I have learned, will pay off in the end.

It reminded me of how leaders must prepare their teams every day.  Successful leaders must remove obstacles that stand in the way of accomplishing the goals and strategies of the organization.  They must make sure staff is prepared with all the tools they need to accomplish those goals.  Leaders must take great care in preparing staff and by doing so, staff will be successful and so will the leader.  How do you prepare your team for success?  What obstacles have you removed?  What obstacles still stand in your way?

2. There’s a lot of trial and error.

We have lived in our current house for almost eight years.  It has taken me about that long to determine what type of plants and flowers will grow best in my garden.  I have some sunny spots and lots of shady spots.  And for some reason these spots tend to shift over the years.  I also learned you have to pay attention to when things will bloom, how far apart they need to be planted, how often they need water, how tall they will grow or even how wide they will grow.  I had to try certain plants and find what worked for my garden.  I discovered just because something worked in someone else’s garden didn’t mean it was going to look the same or work in mine.  I have planted things, torn things out, moved things and separated others.  I invested a lot of money and effort into my garden and I had to accept the fact that some things would work and some things wouldn’t.

Leadership is not a one size fits all approach.  Your managers and your staff require different conditions to enhance, maintain or improve their performance.  What worked with one may not work with another.  A leader will discover what works through her own trial and error process.  Leaders must be open to changing the game plan.  They have to recognize what things need to be torn out, what things need to be moved and what things will work.  Each leader must design her own leadership compass and leadership approach.  Just because it worked for Jack Welch or Vince Lombardi doesn’t mean it will work for you and your conditions.  What is the condition of your team?  How do you approach each staff member?  What have you learned over the years?  What works for you?  What doesn’t work for you?

3. Continued attention and care are critical.

Just because I prepared my garden, learned what works and planted my spring plants, doesn’t mean I can wash my hands and walk away.  I constantly need to monitor my plants and flowers.  I must pay attention to when they need water, when I need to fertilize them and when I need to rotate them.  I have to continually work to get rid of weeds that are trying to choke out my plants and take over.  I have to prune them and remove the dead blooms.  And most of all I have to spray everything so the deer won’t treat my yard like a 24 hour smorgasbord.  Every day I am in my garden doing something.  I learned a long time ago that planting and forgetting won’t turn out prize winning flowers or a garden.

Leaders must also do something everyday to lead their team.  They must interact, teach, mentor, communicate and provide necessary feedback.  This way the weeds (poor performance) won’t take over.  Leaders have to nurture their employees so they can expose their hidden talents.  They have shape their employees performance by providing positive reinforcement and taking advantage of teachable moments.  Just like a gardener, a leaders job is never finished.  What are you doing on a daily basis to lead your team?  How do you ensure your team is growing?  How often do you interact with your team?

I am sure my list, like my garden, is not complete.  What other leadership ideas have you planted?  What have you learned you through trial and error?  We would love to hear your thoughts!

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The Pursuit of Happiness

by Kelly Ketelboeter on May 14, 2010

I had the honor and privilege of attending my niece’s college graduation at Eureka College.  Graduating college is such a important moment in our lives.  It symbolizes our transition to the next phase of our life to the “real world.”  As one chapter closes another one begins.  Graduation day is full of mixed emotions.  From happiness, to excitement, to fear, to sadness, to hope and everything in between.  Not only for the graduates but for their families as well!

I have to admit, going to a college Commencement isn’t exactly at the top of my list for weekend fun.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I actually enjoyed the ceremony and was on the edge of my seat.  It could have been the 45 degree temperatures during the outdoor ceremony that had me on the edge of my seat.  Or maybe it was the wonderful comfortable blue plastic chairs.  Or the fact that I drank 32 ounces of diet coke before settling into the almost 2 hour ceremony.  But the truth is that the symbolism that was weaved throughout the ceremony and the amazing speakers, was what actually had me on the edge of the blue plastic seat, in the freezing cold.

Dr. Edward F. Diener, Senior Scientist on the Science Advisory Council for Gallup Research and a professor at the University of Illinois, was the special speaker for the day.  And he was amazing!  As a leader of the Positive Psychology movement he has changed the way of thinking in psychology.  Dr. Diener has done comprehensive research in the area of happiness. He has run countless studies over 30 years to discover what creates happiness in our lives.  In his talk, he shared three key habits of happiness with the graduates that would lead to a fulfilled life.

1. Close Relationships

Dr. Diener stressed the importance of maintaining and nurturing close relationships.  Relationships where you give more than you take.  Relationships where you recognize the strengths in others, value them and their contributions.  Relationships that are loving and caring and honest.  He talked about saying thank you and making sure we honor the close relationships we have and welcome new relationships with open arms.

Relationships keep us connected. I couldn’t help but reminisce about the important relationships in my life. From my family to my friends to co-workers, partners, mentors, clients and the wonderful relationships I have formed through Twitter, yes Twitter!  The opportunity to form close relationships is around us everyday.  The question is do you take the time and the opportunity to develop those relationships.  Think about the relationships you have.  What makes them special?  How do you give more than you take?  How do you nurture these relationships?

2. The second habit of happiness that Dr. Diener talked about was finding meaning and purpose in your life.  The key to this habit is caring about something bigger than yourself.  Get involved in your community.  Find a cause that taps into your purpose and your passion.  Engage to make a difference.  People that connect their meaning and purpose in more than one area of their life will be happier.  It may take some time to truly know and understand your meaning and purpose.  The best way to discover it is by getting involved.  Don’t sit on the sidelines, get in the game.  Don’t wish upon a star, make it happen.  Try new things and don’t get discouraged.  Find the lesson and carry it with you.  What’s your meaning and purpose?  How do you tap into it?  What do you care about?

3. Dr. Diener pointed out that finding work that you love and doing what you are naturally good at will bring happiness.  Are you working for a paycheck?  Or do you seek work that adds to your meaning and purpose?  Finding what you love and doing what you are good at may take some trial and error.  Stay the course until you unlock your passion.  Focus on your strengths.  Leverage those strengths in your work and in your life.  When you can do things that you love you will be engaged, having fun and making a difference.  I recently learned more about this aspect from Dr. Anne Perschel in her work-life flow series as part of the movement to Fix the Hole in the Corporate Soul.  She suggests that by tapping into your essence you will unleash your passion and you will achieve a state flow.  Where you are so engrossed in what you are doing because you love what you are doing.  When you can achieve this level of work-life flow you will have happiness.  What are you good at?  What do you love?  How do you bring that into your life and your work?

As I listened to Dr. Diener, I thought about my own personal happiness. I wondered if I had heard his speech when I was graduating college if I would have been ready to really listen and hear the wisdom in his words.  I wondered how many of the graduates actually heard his powerful message.  We spend endless hours and invest money trying to find happiness.  What we must realize is that happiness comes from within.   Have you discovered your happiness?

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Take Me to Your Leader

by Jen Kuhn on May 11, 2010

Leadership is (fill in the blank).  You can’t.  Neither can I. 

Despite articles, books, blogs and opinions written about leadership, what is often left unsaid is that leadership is over-defined.  Yes, there are characteristics that one might apply to a strong (or weak) leader.  There are behaviors one can observe, mentors one can model, quotes one can use and examples one can site.  I tend to agree with most of what I read about quality leadership and what that embodies.

Therefore, I would like to add a perspective on leadership by simplifying the definition to four dominant traits/characteristics/behaviors (fill in the blank!).  Consider a compass.  There are four primary directions: North, South, East and West.  And just like leadership, even something as precise as a compass has varying ways of defining and discovering North: there is True North, magnetic North and grid North.  No wonder I need GPS AND Mapquest to get me where I’m going!

So imagine that there are four primary elements of leadership, with varying degrees of direction.  Just like I might be traveling North-East to get to my destination, one can also move their leadership needle along the compass.

The Leadership Compass:

Moral Direction

In order to be an effective leader, one must have a moral compass.  Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.  Ah, the challenge.  Sometimes the right thing to do may have a negative impact on the bottom line.  The right thing may involve confronting an employee who is not meeting the standards and expectations of your organization.  The right thing may be to change a policy so it benefits both the consumer and the company.  The right thing may be the difficult thing to do.  Varying degrees of this compass point include: honesty, integrity, ethics, conscientiousness, virtuous, honorable, humane, compassionate and noble, to name a few.  How does your moral compass impact your leadership decisions?

Inspirational Direction

Another trait I would place on my leadership compass is the ability to inspire others.  Quality leaders, no matter their position within an organization typically make others want to do and be more.  They serve as an example of possibilities and dreams and courage.  Inspiring others at this level is a gift and a challenge.  Varying degrees of this compass point include: leading by example, encouraging, intriguing, motivating, refreshing, dynamic, persuasive and uplifting, to name a few.  What leader has made an inspirational impression on you?

Emotional Intelligence Direction

In Daniel Goleman’s article he discusses emotional intelligence as a quality of an effective leader.  This is often ignored when it comes to the promotional processes of many organizations.  Typically, one gets promoted into a leadership position because they are either highly effective at their current position, or they’ve been with the company for 78 years.  Neither of these reasons have to do with leadership; rather, they apply to job knowledge and longevity.  As Mr. Goleman points out, some varying degrees of emotional intelligence include: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.  What are your guiding principles when choosing a leader within your organization?

Effective Communication Direction

There are multiple ideas, visions and expectations that a leader must communicate within their organization.  The ability to do so effectively can mean the difference between: success or failure, motivation or discouragement, buy-in or complaints, collaboration or sabotage, understanding or confusion. In order to effectively communicate, a leader must have a handle on all other elements of their leadership compass.  Some additional degrees one would find: open body language, approachability, willingness to accept and receive feedback, ability to see and verbalize the “big picture”, positive recognition, holding people accountable, recognizing effort, keeping people in the loop, authenticity and many more.  What opportunities do you have to communicate more effectively?

So there you have it…my leadership compass.  Each direction allows for further definition and corresponding behaviors.  What would you add to this compass?  What direction are you taking your organization????


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A Lesson for Tired Teams

by Jen Kuhn on May 4, 2010

The “team approach” to work has become a tired slogan, a managerial fad, a forced concept. Many leaders and employees forget that they are working for something bigger than their own personal needs. They lose their passion and drive; they wear blinders that prevent them from seeing the big picture. Lost is the energy that initially helped drive their productivity.  Basically, a dog after a long walk…it starts out as a great idea, but it ends up exhausting all involved.

What are the elements of productive teams?  How do you create an atmosphere that fosters a team approach?  My initial thought was to create an analogy between athletic teams and organizations.  However, being a die hard Detroit Lions fan, I think I’ll choose another approach.

I recently attended a true team event at St. Francis DeSales High School.  The school sponsored a Relay for Life event which gives communities a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.


During this event, I witnessed the elements of a team that every organization should strive to implement.  These DeSales high school students (and some awesome adult volunteers and cancer survivors) lived and breathed the ideal of a high functioning team.  With the additional presence of representatives (Sheizka Komala and Ann Dee Hamilton) from Aflac, from students, parents and grandparents from Whetstone High School, plus additional vendors, the St. Francis DeSales community modeled an effective team.

The elements of an effective team that I witnessed:

1. Common Purpose: The students were educated and aware of the purpose of their participation.  They either had a personal experience with cancer, or wanted to support others.  The purpose was effectively communicated by the event coordinator, Kellie O’Riordan who lost her mother (Barbara) to cancer.  Kellie ensured that the students understood the solemnity and hope the relay represented.  Every student I spoke with was able to verbalize the purpose of the event.  If I visited your organization, would every employee be able to verbalize your purpose?

2. Motivation: What an amazing sight to witness: teenagers motivated to create a better future for others!  And to take this a step further, they did not confuse motivation with results.  They already had their sponsors and raised their money…yet they were highly motivated to follow through on their personal commitment in order to achieve results.  That’s true motivation.  You can tell me how enthusiastic you are about something, but are you doing the behaviors that demonstrate your enthusiasm?

3. Individual Responsibility in a Group Setting: Every student stepped up to the plate. Prior to the event, individuals of each team raised money, designed t-shirts and coordinated group efforts. During the event, they made sure they had someone representing their team (walking/jogging) for 24 hours.  After the event, individuals helped with post event details that required a great deal of attention.  How well do the individuals on your team contribute to the success of the group?

4. Flexibility: Due to weather, the relay was held indoors (demonstration that a team needs leadership to support decisions that will help them be most effective).  This required students to walk the halls of the school rather than the track they had prepared for; they had to set up their “tents” in the gym rather than the outdoor field. I didn’t hear a single complaint.  What I did hear were students asking about how to get water to others, whether or not there were fans available and how to use cross-ventilation effectively!  What would happen to your teams’ effectiveness if they encountered an obstacle that changed all of their initial expectations?

5. Identity: Each team developed a name and created a t-shirt. It was easy to spot members of individual teams.  They also had a greater identity: their common purpose noted in the first point.  This created camaraderie at two levels: the smaller team composed of individuals who had bonded together while preparing for the event; and the larger team: all the participants, whether they be a team, volunteer or survivor.  What is your organization doing to create identity?

Teams are important to any organizations’ overall success.  Please let us know what you think makes an effective team!

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Six Things Your Employees Want

by Kelly Ketelboeter on April 29, 2010

The importance of our employees sometimes gets lost in the shuffle between focusing on the bottom line, meetings,  focusing on your customers, meetings, focusing on your brand and yes more meetings!  Employees directly impact your organizations bottom line.  They are the ones that bring your brand to life.  They are the ones that take care of your customers.  They are the ones that often get missed.

If your employees could write you a “Dear Santa” letter, I bet the following would be on it.

Your employees WANT:

1. To know what you expect

You may be thinking they know what’s expected, it’s on the job description.  All it really takes is common sense.  Let me ask you, when was the last time you reviewed your job description?  Does it really tell you what is expected?  Or does it tell you about the job duties?  And common sense, well let’s just say it’s not all that common any more.  What you consider common sense is not what someone else may consider common sense.  Clearly state your expectations and do it often.  Effective leaders coach to the expectations.

2. Training

Employees need to be given the tools necessary to be successful.  Make sure they get all the training they need to meet and exceed your expectations.  Teach them what success looks like.  Even top performers benefit from training.  If an employee is exceeding your expectations that’s fantastic!  Don’t just pile on more work or forget about them.  Help to develop other skills outside of their job duties.  Training helps to develop knowledge and skill sets.  What are you doing to help develop your employees?

3. Feedback

Feedback can be both positive and developmental.  Either way, be sure you give it to your employees and frequently.  Employees want to know every single day where they stand in terms of their performance.  Don’t wait for your annual performance review or even your quarterly review to provide feedback.  Let each person on your team know what they are doing well and where they need to improve.  Believe it or not employees want feedback and want it frequently.  Make providing feedback to your employees a priority!

4. Recognition and rewards

Most employees aren’t motivated long-term by money. A personalized, hand written note goes a lot farther than that 5 cent an hour increase in pay.  Recognizing employees both in public and private goes a long way in teaching them the right things to do.  And guess what, they keep doing those things!  When you recognize or reward an employee make sure you focus on specific behaviors and the impact of those behaviors on the expectations.  This way you will come across as sincere and the feedback is personalized.  Let your employees know you care and care enough to recognize and reward their efforts.

5. A coach and mentor

Employees want to be challenged.  A great way to do this is to coach and mentor them.  As we are challenged we need on-going support and guidance.  Ask your employees what their goals are.  Find out what will help them.  Ask for their input and feedback.  Show your employees the potential they have yet to realize.  We all have potential sometimes all it takes is someone to help us unlock it.  Set goals, review goals, celebrate successes, engage your employees by talking to them.  Provide the guidance they are craving, even if the craving hasn’t hit them yet.

6. A fun work environment

Fun at work?! Yes, fun at work.  We spend a lot of time at work.  A sure fire way to engage your employees is to make work fun so that the work is fun.  My good friend Tim Porthouse recently wrote a great article on creating fun at work.  It’s not about having games or contests or team building days.  It’s about connecting with team members and customers.  It’s about igniting a passion. It’s about creating an environment where people want to come to work, especially on a Monday!

What else do you think employees want?  How are you giving your employees what they want?  We would love to hear from you, I am sure we have only scratched the surface!

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I Don’t Have Time to Coach!

by Kelly Ketelboeter on April 26, 2010

If I had a nickle for every time I heard a leader say, “I don’t have time to coach my employees”, I would be a rich woman.  Well I don’t and I’m not!

I hear this common, let’s call it what it is, excuse from leaders every day.  Some might say to these leaders, “we make time for the things that are truly important” or “you can’t afford not to make time.”  While I agree with these folks and have probably said it myself more times than I would like to admit, I think we need to address the underlying issues.

I believe there are three key causes that prompt the excuse, “I don’t have time to coach my employees.”

1. It’s not a priority.

On our list of things to do, we tend to avoid or push to tomorrow things that are not important to us.  Let’s take exercise as an example.  I am not a fan of exercise at all.  I know the benefits, I know how to do it and I want to do it.  I am your classic example of working out hard for one day and then hanging it up for a month before dusting off my gym shoes and trying it again.  For a long time exercise was not a priority for me.  I always found something else to focus my effort and energy on instead of lacing up my shoes and getting busy.  It was easy to avoid exercise and I often told myself, “I don’t have time.”  It wasn’t until I sat down, set goals, selected a set time to work out and committed to doing it that I made exercise a priority.  I shared my goals with others and they helped hold me accountable.  I got up every day, laced up my shoes and worked towards my goal.  All of sudden guess what, I had time to exercise.  I just had to make it my priority.

As a leader you have to ask yourself what’s my priority?  Where do I spend my time?  How do I spend my time?  How does that help my team?  How does it help my employees?  What small change can I make today to make coaching employees a priority?  Once you choose to make something a priority your behaviors will follow.

2. The leader is uncomfortable.

When I started my daily exercise regime it was uncomfortable.  I was uncoordinated as I did my step aerobics, I had no idea if I had the right form for my lunges or squats, I felt like a fish out of water.  I had to push through my discomfort every day.  And guess what, I started to get it and what was once uncomfortable is now comfortable.

Human nature is to be as comfortable as possible.  Sure we like to challenge ourselves but when it becomes uncomfortable we often retreat to what we know.  The truth of the matter is that discomfort is a function of growth.  If you are comfortable, you are not growing.  As a leader, you have to admit to yourself and be okay with the fact that you are a work in progress.  You don’t have to be perfect at everything just because you’re the boss.  In fact, the more your employees can see that you are challenging your own comfort zone and that you aren’t perfect, they will begin to do the same.

The key here is to get moving.  The only way to combat discomfort is to face it head on.  What will you do today to challenge your comfort zone?  Once you challenge yourself and act on that challenge ask yourself, what worked for me?  Also ask, what didn’t work for me?  And finally ask, what will I do next time?  Yes, there is a next time.  Leadership is not an event it’s a journey.

3. The leader doesn’t know what to do or how to coach employees.

The fact of the matter is a lot of leaders do know what to do and do know how to do it, it just isn’t a priority.  If that’s the case no amount of training or mentoring is going to help.  Begin by making coaching and the development of others a priority.

Some leaders though have been promoted through the ranks and all of sudden they are in charge.  Yet they have had very little training and/or mentoring on how to coach and lead employees.  That’s okay.  Realize you aren’t always going to know everything or know how to do everything.  Your job is not to be perfect, it’s to make progress in your development and help others make progress everyday towards the organizations goals.  If it’s knowledge you need, then go get it.  Don’t wait for someone else to provide it.  Take charge of your career!

Realize that coaching doesn’t have to be a long drawn out process.  One where you sit down with the employee behind closed doors and coach.  While sometimes coaching is a sit down meeting, that’s not the only form of effective coaching.  In fact, on-the-fly coaching is often more effective and can be done more frequently.  And get this, it doesn’t take much time once it’s a priority and you challenge your comfort zone.

If you don’t know what to do, start by focusing on positive reinforcement.  Get out of your office and observe your employees.  As you are observing pay attention for the things that are on-target in their performance.  Then tell them about it.  Be sure to focus on the behaviors you observed and the impact of those behaviors.  Employees learn from the things they do well and when you take the time to point out the positive they will repeat these behaviors.

Another on-the-fly coaching technique is to ask your employees questions.  Find out what their greatest challenge is.  Ask what excites them.  Ask them what their goals are for today.  Ask questions related to your mission, vision and core values.  Ask questions and then listen.  By asking questions, you are engaging in a conversation about performance in a non-threatening manner.

These are just few ideas to help combat the excuse of, “I don’t have time to coach my employee’s.”  Excuses don’t change results.  If you want to enhance the performance of your team and employees realize it starts with you.  Make it a priority.  Challenge your comfort zone.  Recognize that often times you do know what to do and how to do it and if you don’t, take a class, read a leadership book, find a mentor.  It’s up to you.

What advice would you a give a leader who says, “I don’t have time to coach.”?

What other factors do you think contribute to this all too common excuse?

What on-the-fly coaching techniques do you use to coach your employees?

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What’s Your Purple Goldfish?

by Kelly Ketelboeter on April 20, 2010

I am all about excellent customer service.  I look for it, I live it, I teach it, I coach it and above all I expect it.  A company gets my attention and can earn my loyalty when they exceed my expectations.  Otherwise it’s just another business and just another stop on my already way too long to do list.

Notice that I said exceeds my expectations.  Being friendly, making eye contact, greeting me, thanking me, being available to help me, knowing your product and services, are the basic ingredients for customer service.  Doing these things is what is expected, at least in my mind, and doesn’t create that memorable experience.

Raise your hand if you have received excellent customer service that exceeded your basic expectations in the last month. In the last 6 months?  In the last year?  If you raised your hand (you can lower it now) then you have a purple goldfish.

Let me explain a little bit about what a purple goldfish is.

Stan Phelps describes a purple goldfish as anytime a business goes above and beyond to provide ‘a little something extra.’  It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in.  Stan’s rules for a purple goldfish are experiences that are Relevant, Unexpected, Limited, Expression and Sticky.

I found myself racking my brain to find my purple goldfish experiences.  I kept struggling between what I thought was expected service and what would be a purple goldfish.  A purple goldfish is when Zappos upgrades my shipping with no charge to me.  The expectation is that I get the item I ordered.  A purple goldfish is when my dry cleaner gives me dog treats for my dog.  The expectation is that they clean my clothes for a reasonable price.  A purple gold fish is when Southwest Airlines allows your bags to fly for free.  The expectation is that my bags actually arrive with me at my destination. I think you get the idea.

Not only is a purple goldfish when a business exceeds your expectations, it’s also how a business differentiates themselves in their market place.  As Stan talks about in his Purple Goldfish Project businesses have little control over their market size, competition and the business environment.  What they do have control over is how they differentiate themselves in their market and among their competition, regardless of the business environment.

So what is YOUR purple goldfish?  Stan is collecting examples and we would love to hear from you.  To submit your purple goldfish visit the Purple Goldfish Project or you can submit it below and I will make sure Stan gets it!

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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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      Perfection or Progress?

      by Kelly Ketelboeter on April 8, 2010

      There are perfect games in baseball.  Just check out Chicago White Sox player Mark Buehrle.  There are perfect 10s in diving.  Greg Louganis comes to mind. There are perfect routines in gymnastics. Remember Mary Lou Retton?  Or Nadia Comaneci?

      How many of us grew up hearing the old saying, “Practice makes perfect?”

      All too often managers are looking for the perfect performance from their employees.  There are few perfect 10s if any, in the business world.  There is no such thing as a perfect game, dive or routine in the corporate world.  And I disagree that practice makes perfect.  In fact, I believe that practice makes progress.  Progress towards the goals.

      Progress is what managers today need to focus on, not perfection.

      Think about where your employees are at today and where they could be tomorrow.  Work with them to develop a plan that will get them there.  Engage your employees in a conversation and focus on behaviors that will lead to success.  As an employee begins to take steps towards their potential, celebrate their progress.  Don’t wait for the employee to arrive at the set destination.  Help them see how small efforts every day will get them closer to their goals.  As you celebrate their progress also find out how and what the employee is doing that is allowing them to make that progress.  This will continue their momentum and keep them focused.

      In my experience, if you wait for perfection, you will be waiting a long time.  Without celebrating the small wins, employees tend to give up and shift their focus.  Changing or enhancing behavior is uncomfortable, kind of like exercising.  Don’t wait to celebrate the win of going from working out for 10 minutes to 20 minutes to an hour.  You can’t get to an hour without first making it to 20 minutes.

      Realize that perfection in the workplace is a moving target.  Making it that much more critical to build on small successes and focus on progress!

      How will you focus on the progress your employees are making today?

      Do you agree, disagree or just don’t give a rip?  We would love to hear from you!

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      4 Sure Fire Ways to Alienate Your Employees

      by Kelly Ketelboeter on April 6, 2010

      I am sure we have all experienced an ineffective manager (also known as the bad boss) at one point in our professional lives.  The bad boss does exist and is still alive and well in many of today’s work environments.  Bad bosses drive good employees to your competition, keep under-performing employees in place and slowly but surely alienate customers and team members.  Based on my experiences, below are the top four ways that ineffective managers alienate employees.

      1.  They apply the “do as I say, not as I do” mentality.

      Ineffective managers do not lead by example.  Their behaviors do not support the mission, vision or standards for the organization or the department.  Bad bosses talk at their employees rather than with them.  They demand and command excellence without modeling the behaviors it takes for employees to be successful.

      Effective managers know that the single most effective way to impact behavior is to be the role model and lead by example in all that they do.  Employees don’t always listen to what you say, instead they watch how you behave.  The effective manager understands that their behavior directly impacts the behavior of their employees.

      2.  They only talk to employees when there is a problem.

      The ineffective manager prefers to stay in his/her office, behind closed doors.  That way they don’t have to interact or deal with their employees.  The only time you hear from the bad boss is when you screwed something up.  Only then are they quick to communicate with you.  When an employee gets pulled into the office everyone on the team knows that he/she is in trouble.

      An effective manager knows that consistent and performance based feedback is an on-going and necessary process.  They understand that employees learn from the things they do well instead of the mistakes they make.  The effective manager has frequent conversations with employees that balance positive as well as developmental feedback.

      3.  It is clear who the “favorite” employee is.

      The ineffective manager clearly has favorites on his/her team.  They often get rewarded with easier projects, long lunches, preferential treatment and can be found in the bosses office on the rare occasion that their door is actually open.  The bad boss does not hold these folks accountable and often excuses performance issues.

      The effective manager does not have any favorites on the team.  They value each and every team member for the strengths and opportunities they bring to the team.  They share the work load and are consistent in their feedback and behaviors across the board.  You exceed the expectation, you get recognition.  You don’t meet the expectation, they will coach you.  The effective manager sees the potential in all employees and works with everyone to harness that potential.

      4.  They consistently violate the core values of the organization.

      Most organizations have standards and core values that apply to how they do business, interact with others and serve as the guiding principles for all that they do.  Bad bosses blatantly ignore the poster on the wall in their area outlining the core values.  Clearly those apply to everyone else and not them.  Their behaviors are in direct opposition to what the company stands for.  As a result employees are confused and become disengaged.

      The effective manager believes in, lives and demonstrates the core values of the organization in all their interactions.  Again the effective manager knows that they must behave and model the expectations if they expect their employees to do the same.

      I realize that these 4 examples only scratch the surface of how ineffective managers alienate employees.  We could probably write a book on 1 million ways to alienate employees!  What experiences have you had with a bad boss?  What would you add to the list?

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