Can You Hear Me, or Aren’t You Listening?

Posted on by Scott

listeningThe human body truly is amazing. Take your ears, for example. So many of us take them for granted. Yet these odd looking appendages allow us to enjoy music, recognize friend from foe, and engage in meaningful communication. In fact, we rely on verbal communication to such an extent that references to ears and hearing are everywhere.

“Do you hear what I hear?”

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

“Can you hear me now?”

Here are a few facts about our ears that you may find interesting:

  • The outer ear, the part hanging on the side of your head, is designed in a way that funnels the variety of sound waves around us and channels them to the middle ear.
  • Incoming sound moves from the outer ear to the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations are picked up by three bones that amplify the sound.
  • These three bones (the malleus, the incus, and the stapes) make up the middle ear and are the smallest in the human body. All three could fit on the face of a penny.
  • After leaving the middle ear, sound waves are picked up by tiny hairs in the liquid medium of our inner ear. These hairs release chemicals that send signals to the brain which interprets the sound.
  • Humans are capable of detecting sounds as low as 20 Hz and as high as 20,000 Hz.
  • We need both ears to help determine the direction from which sounds originate. Using both ears also makes it easier to pick out someone’s speech in noisy environments.
  • The human ear continues to function even while we are asleep. The brain simply blocks out most of the input.

As incredible as our ears are, we don’t do a very good of using them. As far back as 1957, researchers have been studying the difference between hearing and listening. That’s when Ralph G. Nichols and Leonard A. Stevens from the University of Minnesota conducted tests to find the connection between hearing information and retaining it.

They tested several thousand people by having them listen to a short talk and then testing them on the content. Their tests revealed that “immediately after the average person has listened to someone talk, he remembers only about half of what he has heard – no matter how carefully he thought he was listening.” Within two months, the average participant in their study could only recall about 25% of what had been said during the short talk they had listened to.

You would expect that, over time, we’d retain less and less of the material we’d been exposed to, but the University of Minnesota study found otherwise. After one year, Nichols and Stevens reported that we tend to forget more during the first, shortest interval than we do over the next six months or more. The most significant retention loss occurs within the first eight hours.

Their conclusion was rather blunt: people simply do not know how to listen.

Hearing and listening are two very different activities. Hearing is a passive activity. It happens without me doing anything. Without any effort on my part, sound waves are entering my outer ear, hitting my eardrum and vibrating the bones of my middle ear, and then creating chemical secretions in the hair of my inner ear which then travel to my brain. This complex process is effortless.

Listening, however, is not a passive activity. Listening is intentional. It requires me to concentrate on specific sounds in order to analyze them. Listening involves more than just the ears. The brain must be engaged in order to create context, meaning, and application. This complex process is anything but effortless.

But remember, Nichols and Stevens found that the no matter how hard participants in their study worked at listening, the results were still the same. Listening “harder” did not help anyone retain more information or hold onto it for a longer period of time. The problem, they said, is that our brains are just too powerful.

Most Americans speak at a rate of around 125 words per minute. Our brains, on the other hand, process information significantly faster. We still know all there is to know about the brain, but suffice it say 125 words a minute barely registers. Our minds simply have a lot of extra time to ponder other things even while listening intently to someone else.

I myself am often distracted while trying to listen to other people. For instance, during a walk around my neighborhood, I like to download a podcast or two in order to help pass the time. I hit the play button and focus my mind on the speaker’s content, intent on learning something new and interesting. But within seconds, my mind has drifted. Something that’s said sends causes my thoughts to wander. Sometimes I start thinking about how I can apply one of principles they’ve shared. Other times, a word or phrase jogs my memory about an unrelated topic and my mind is off to the races – moving in a different direction even as the speaker shares valuable and intriguing information. I’m hearing, but I’m not listening.

They key to improved listening has nothing to do with our ears. Obviously, the answer doesn’t lie in slowing our brains down either. We’ve got to arm ourselves with tools that help focus our minds in a way that listening is improved. We have to discover methods of actively participating with the information being received so that it makes a bigger impact.

That’s why the term “active listening” is so appropriate. Listening is not a passive activity. It requires action on our part in order to work. The next time you find your mind drifting during a conversation, don’t just sit there. Take action!

Make Sure Cross-Training Sticks

Posted on by Scott

checklistLet’s face it, a lot of cross-training just doesn’t stick. Despite your best efforts to provide an employee with adequate training, they just can’t seem to grasp what they need to do and when. People wind back up in the same class time after time, but forward progress is agonizingly slow.

Before we go any further, I think it’s important to point out the difference between training and coaching. Many people confuse the two, but to me there’s a huge difference. Understanding how they are distinct is key to what we’re trying to accomplish.

Training focuses on relaying information. There’s data that needs to be transferred; a base of understanding that needs to be built. This is often accomplished through classroom instruction, online courses, webinars, or even using emails and articles like this one.

The goal with training is, obviously, to increase a person’s knowledge about the given subject. We want to make sure the brain understands the what, when, why, and how. Training focuses on presenting information in a way that’s easily retained.

Often, we use some kind of assessment to gauge how much of this knowledge a person has absorbed. A product of the month quiz, for example, helps you see how much information about a product you have retained. This is the standard model used in schools and universities to gauge the level of knowledge a person has acquired regarding any particular topic.

Coaching, on the other hand, focuses on turning knowledge into action. After all, information isn’t any good if you can’t actually use it. Coaching is the process of turning information into observable steps that can be replicated. The knowledge has to travel from the brain into practical application.

The goal with coaching then, is a change in behavior. The result of coaching should be the observable implementation of what’s been learned. Since I can’t look inside your mind to see what you know, I have to rely on what I can see – the way you perform – to ascertain whether or not the knowledge that’s been shared is having an impact.

Therefore, the measure of success when it comes to coaching is the successful achievement of a goal. The change in behavior should lead to the attainment of desired performance outcomes. That means I have to have something to measure against. There has to be a benchmark of some kind.

Cross-training requires both of these components. You can’t have someone attend a webinar and say they’ve been cross-trained. You can’t just show someone the mechanics and assume they understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. Effective cross-training happens when the learner can successfully demonstrate the desired skill under the appropriate circumstances, and understands why it’s important to do so.

This all means that cross-training is a process. For it to work, cross-training has to be carefully planned and methodically conducted. Here are some quick tips to help make sure your next cross-training effort goes smoothly.

  1. Identify the key steps that need to be learned. Zero in on the four or five actionable parts of the process to be learned and write them down. Spell them out in basic terms. Describe the action to be taken, point out why it’s important, then explain the specific steps.
  2. Assign the best possible teacher. Pick out a member of the team that’s an expert and ask them to coach the new kid. Pick a top performer – someone who gets it right. Don’t leave cross-training to someone whose own performance is sketchy.
  3. Put the learner in charge. Provide the person learning a new skill with a checklist of your key steps. Give them questions to answer and problems to solve. Cross-training should end when the learner feels they’ve accomplished their goal, not when the teacher decides to stop.
  4. Provide some structure. Make sure both the teacher and the learner understand the rules of the game. Give them both a copy of the skills to be shared. Walk through particulars regarding when the cross-training is to take place. Explain what success looks like.
  5. Ask for proof. Ultimately, you have to witness the new skill in action for cross-training to have successfully taken place. Ask the learner to complete the steps in your presence. Have them explain to you what they are doing and why.

Developing the team is a key aspect of leadership. The care and attention you provide to the growth of your crew speaks to your level of commitment to their success. Don’t leave this one to chance, and they won’t leave you hanging.

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Getting Past the Barriers to Cross-Training

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road-block-340196_640Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of different managers. If there’s an excuse for not getting something done, I’ve probably heard it. And truth be told…I’ve used most of them myself. When it comes to cross-training, here are the most common reasons we just haven’t been able to get it done. 

It could be that we just don’t know how to do the job ourselves. It’s kind of hard to teach someone a skill you don’t possess yourself. And let’s be honest, there’s plenty that we don’t know – or at least plenty that we don’t feel competent enough in to act as a teacher for someone else.

Now, you might think the answer to this is bone up on your own skills. But let’s face it. There’s a limit to what any one person, even a manager, can do. And despite what some people think, your job as manager is NOT to be the expert at everything.

So, when you’re faced with the need to cross-train an associate on a skill you don’t have, the best move is to delegate that responsibility to someone else. Let another associate take the reins on a co-worker’s skill development. One way to motivate certain people is to give them responsibility. This could be just the opportunity to show someone how valuable they are to you. In fact, even if you could do the cross-training yourself, I encourage you to empower a member of your team to take that on whenever possible.

Another reason cross-training falls to the side is because we’re holding on to a task we like doing. Everybody has their pet projects. Everybody has some routine chore that they hold onto like it’s their baby. We complain about it, and struggle to find time to get it done properly, but we resist handing it off to someone else.

We have to force ourselves to consider the cost of holding onto these pet projects. As managers, there are only a few tasks that we absolutely must do ourselves. Most the work that gets done each day could be handled by someone else on the team. When we refuse to let go of certain things, we’re stealing time from those responsibilities that ought to be front and center for us. We should put our time and energy toward those things that will best move the team forward and grow the business – that’s what we’re here for.

Plus, when we hold on to those things that could be handled by someone else, we rob them of the opportunity to grow. We make them less able to contribute to the team. We need to cross-train people so they can realize their full potential.

A third reason cross-training doesn’t happen is that we often don’t believe their associates are capable of getting the job done. Perhaps they’ve dropped the ball in the past. Maybe we just don’t trust them or like them.

In any case, we need to be careful about putting artificial limits on members of the team. I found out long ago that people can surprise you – in good ways. And time after time, when I’ve made the decision to challenge someone to stretch their capabilities, they’ve come through. Remember that people want to do a good job – and they want to do a good job for you, the boss. Believe in them even more than they believe in themselves and watch them blossom.

Probably the most common reason we don’t get around to cross-training people properly is that we just don’t have the time. We’re shorthanded, behind the curve, and just trying to get everything done. Who has time for cross-training – or any other meaningful leadership activity for that matter?

Well, believe me, I get this one. We’re all being asked to do more with less and the tasks just keep piling up. That’s actually one of the best reasons to make cross-training a priority. But I don’t necessarily think the answer is reshuffling schedules or putting off important jobs to focus on cross-training.

The answer lies in finding natural opportunities to make cross-training happen. Instead of blocking out chunks of time dedicated to showing someone every step of the process, maybe the answer is to take advantage of nooks and crannies of time. There are some naturally occurring teachable moments we can tap into if we try.

If you’re one of those managers for whom cross-training just always seems out of reach, take a few minutes to rethink your approach. Delegate some responsibility. Let go of pet projects that don’t require your involvement. Challenge your perception of the team’s potential, and look for ways to incorporate cross-training into the day-to-day routine. You just might surprise yourself.

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Try a Little Exercise at Work

Posted on by Scott

gymer-1126999_640Long ago, elite athletes determined that by augmenting their normal training regimen with activities pulled from other sports, they could improve performance in their own. Focusing on a limited set of movements and skills left them vulnerable to injury when something unexpected came along. By spending a portion of their workouts engaged in other sports, an athlete improves their overall strength and conditioning, providing a firmer foundation upon which to perform.

This is called cross-training. While it’s become standard practice in sports, it’s not quite as common in the business world. Too often, employees are pigeon-holed into silos of responsibility. In addition to leaving the team vulnerable to events like absences, revised deadlines, or surges in customer traffic, it leaves individual workers at a disadvantage. That’s because, like an athlete, we can improve performance in our core duties by engaging in a bit of cross-training. Cross-training flexes the mind just like it does any other muscle.

Cross-training provides variety. When we do the same things repeatedly, the brain starts to develop neural pathways that make it easier for us to get the job done. Actions become automatic and we do thing without even thinking about them. This muscle-memory can be useful. I don’t have to think about putting my seatbelt on each time I get in the car – it just happens. But when work becomes routine, our minds begin to wander. We disengage. We get bored.

When we tackle a different kind of work, we’re exposed to a different set of circumstances. We have new variables to consider and new decisions to make. Our brains start firing in new ways and we are forced to think, and act, in ways we otherwise wouldn’t have. Work becomes challenging and interesting. Cross-training keeps us from becoming bored.

Cross-training provides insight. Encased in the bubble of sameness presented by our siloed work environments, it’s hard to see the bigger picture. Our actions have ripple effects that we can’t see because our focus is so narrow. There are others working hard to solve problems we could help solve if we’d only look outside the bubble.

When we engage in work typically done by others, we start to connect the dots between our job and theirs. We begin to see relationships that expand our understanding of the organization’s mission. We learn to appreciate the struggles others face and the value they provide. We begin to understand the meaning of the word “team.” Cross-training keeps us from becoming isolated.

Cross-training provides perspective. When we do the same job day after day, we develop systems that become habits. Like a trail in the woods, a rut starts to form. Before long, the ruts become so deep that we adopt the edges as the boundaries of our ability. We can’t see any other way to get the job done because we’ve gotten comfortable living in the rut.

When we take on a new task, it’s like blazing a new trail. We see things differently because we must. There’s no established rut to follow. We’re free to ask questions and explore new ways of thinking. As we learn the what, why, and how of a new task, we start to question the boundaries of our own responsibilities. We start to see the ruts we’ve created from the outside. This new view helps us identify new and better ways of performing our own job. Cross-training keeps us from becoming short-sighted.

Cross-training has numerous benefits for the team. The flexibility of having multiple people capable of performing any given task is obvious. However, the greatest benefit may to the individual who steps up to try something new.

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Circle Up! Lead From the Huddle

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Hands-In-e1448857238616Paul looked across the line of scrimmage at the other team. He glanced at the scoreboard and then at the stands; full of friends and family, all anxiously awaiting the next play. Then he scanned the faces of his teammates. Each one stared intently at Paul, eager to receive his instructions. It was 1892 and, as captain of the Gallaudet University football team, Paul Hubbard felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The two teams were fairly evenly matched. Defenses on both sides had had little difficulty in thwarting any big offensive moves. But that came as no surprise to Paul. It’s easy to anticipate your opponent’s next move when they spell it out for you. You see, Paul and his Gallaudet Bison teammates were all deaf; so were the players lined up across from them. Gallaudet and their rival school were both universities designed for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Naturally, plays were relayed using American Sign Language. All you had to do was watch the quarterback’s hands, and you knew exactly what play he relayed to the rest of his team.

Paul suddenly realized that, unless he could devise a way to communicate with his team in a manner that prevented their rivals from seeing his signs, this would be a very long game. So he stepped back from the line and motioned his men to follow. Then he arranged them in a circle facing each other and relayed his instructions safe from prying eyes. In other words, he initiated the first football huddle.

Today, huddles are an expected part of any football game. In fact, just about every sport has adopted the huddle as way to bring the team together between plays. It’s a great way to share time-sensitive information, gain consensus, and boost motivation. Smart business teams also understand the value of the huddle. Teams that take advantage of opportunities to huddle routinely report increased productivity, camaraderie, and job satisfaction.

The thing I like most about the huddle is that it happens on the field – right in the midst of the game. When you’re in the middle of a huddle, its game time. There’s no time for practice. No time for debate. It’s all about execution. Once the huddle breaks, the game is on. That makes the huddle the most important meeting a team will ever have.

If you haven’t tried huddling with your team, maybe now is the time to give it a shot. Even if you currently utilize the huddle, you might want to check out Arina Vrable’s tips for running an effective team huddle. She provides some great ideas for incorporating this strategy into your daily routine.

  1. Keep it short. Shoot for no more than 15 minutes. You need to get out there and score some points.
  2. Keep it moving. This is not the time to make long-term plans. Focus on what’s needed to succeed today.
  3. Keep it going. Don’t let the practice die because it feels awkward at first. Like anything else, team huddles take some time to get right.

Leaders consistently ask me to help them with tips for motivating the team. I’m a long-time believer in the power of huddles to keep teams informed, focused, and accountable – all essential elements to motivation. Practiced consistently, a 15 minute huddle can dramatically impact the outcome of the day.

Committed teams look forward to the huddle. They see it as part of a game-winning strategy. And once the huddle breaks, every player knows exactly what they’re supposed to do in order to win. So what do you say, quarterback? Ready to win this game? OK then…circle up!

The Keys to Peak Performance

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basketball

The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there. -Vince Lombardi

If you’ve never been a professional basketball fan, now is a good time to tune in. The Cleveland Cavaliers are locked in a tough battle with the Golden State Warriors for the NBA championship. The first two games went into overtime, a first for a finals series, and both teams are bringing their best in a bid for the title.

On display are two of the game’s elite players. The marquee player for the Warriors is Stephen Curry, the regular season MVP. The Cavaliers are led by Lebron James – arguably the best player on the planet. These two men bring their best game after game and, as a result, raise the level of play from their teammates.

Whether you’re talking about athletes, craftsmen, salespeople, or service providers; there are certain traits that set the best apart. I’m not talking about natural ability or physical characteristics. What puts top performers on the top is the way they approach the game.

Top performers constantly look to improve. The best of the best are never satisfied with their performance. They know there’s always something more they can do to get better. There’s always something else they can do to elevate their game. And knowing there’s something they can do to improve, they can’t sit still. They feel compelled to pursue the next level.

Top performers seek out feedback. There’s only so far you can improve on your own. Those who seek excellence understand that assistance is necessary for them to move on. So they reach out to the best resources they can find – their coach, other experts, more experienced players – and ask them for help. You don’t achieve elite status without inviting others to evaluate your performance. Assessment isn’t viewed as an inconvenience; it’s considered a necessity.

Top performers respond to constructive criticism. Superstars welcome criticism more than accolades. It’s not that they don’t appreciate praise and validation; but “atta-boys” alone don’t help you improve. To achieve greatness, you have to understand what’s keeping you from it. You need someone who will point out your weaknesses and then help you tackle them. The elite need to hear the bad news; but they need to hear it from someone who cares about their success. In the end, they stand on top; but they don’t stand alone.

As of this writing the Warriors have the advantage, having gone up three games to two in the best-of-seven series. Regardless of which team winds up on top, I’m enjoying the show. Seeing top performers do what they do best is always a treat.

The Music of Mastery

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guitar

My son Alex and I recently started taking guitar lessons. We’ve made attempts at it in the past; but online videos, DVDs, and instruction manuals just didn’t do the trick. We’ve only had two or three lessons to this point and we’re both excited about our progress. Even though we’re just at the beginning of this journey, I’ve already made a few observations that I believe apply to mastering any new skill.

Getting started is the hardest part. The first time you pick up a guitar, it feels awkward. Everything is new. You really have to think about where your fingers should go – and it hurts. In the beginning, your finger tips are sensitive. They aren’t used to the pressure it takes to properly play the notes. But with time, your fingers develop calluses. With regular practice, the movements that felt so foreign start becoming second nature. The thing is though, you have to fight through that initial phase. Mastery is the result of practicing until new becomes normal.

Focus on mastering the fundamentals. There are hundreds of different chords, strumming patterns, and combinations of each that one can play on the guitar. Looking at the volume of techniques that are possible is overwhelming. But most popular songs can be played with four to seven basic chords. It makes sense then to spend time practicing these basics before moving on to more complex skills. Use the 80/20 rule to your advantage. Mastery is the result of perfecting a few key behaviors.

Personal instruction trumps going it alone. Alex and I struggled during our attempts to learn guitar on our own. He didn’t have the discipline to stick to a regular practice schedule and I wasn’t sure if I was using the right technique. Now that we attend lessons with a personal instructor, things are different. We have someone who suggests a course of action, models proper technique, and holds us accountable for sticking to the plan. Mastery is the result of partnership with someone invested in your success.

Mastering a new skill set can be intimidating, frustrating, and exhausting. It can also be very rewarding. I don’t expect to be playing Carnegie Hall any time soon; but that’s ok. Strumming with my son around a campfire is more my style anyway.

What new skill would you like to master?

Try It Before You … Sell It

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business bagMany products today come with a “Try it before you buy it” clause. That is, you can try the item (typically software) for a period of time without paying before you decide if it offers enough value to for you to make a purchase. It’s a great way to assure customers that their money won’t be wasted – that their faith in the company is not taken for granted.

But in most cases, testing the product out before taking the plunge isn’t an option. Prospective buyers have to rely on advertising material, product reviews, and the opinions of past customers. Even then, making a purchase untested can be a scary proposition.

What customers really need is an advocate; someone on the inside whose job is to look out for their best interest. And that’s where you come in. As a representative of your organization, you are in the perfect position to match the needs of your customer with the features and benefits provided by your products. You just have to embrace the role.

Successful salespeople possess superior product knowledge and understand that fulfilling customer needs leads to success. When you can draw upon your knowledge and experience with your company’s products to make a customer’s life better, everyone wins – the customer, the company, and you.

Sadly though, too many salespeople possess less-than-optimum product knowledge. You don’t have to look very far to find restaurant servers who have never tasted the food on their own menu, car dealers who can’t explain the features of the model in question, and bankers who don’t understand how their institution’s internet banking service works.

There’s simply no excuse for not knowing at least fundamental information about each of your organization’s products. Even if your primary job duties don’t involve selling, you need to be prepared for the eventual questions. Every employee should be ready, willing, and able to represent the organization when the opportunity presents itself.

While there are numerous ways to learn about your products, nothing compares to hands-on experience. Only by tasting the food, driving the car, or navigating the website can you speak confidently about the features and benefits of the product. Customers trust an expert’s opinion. And they can see right through someone who’s faking it.

So if you’re ready to up your game, take the plunge. Spend some one-on-one time with the products on your menu. Your customers will thank you for it.

 

Flip or Flop?

Posted on by Scott

ihighju001p1Richard had two bad feet, a bad back, and a dream of being a star track & field athlete. His chosen sport was the high-jump; but he struggled to clear the minimum distance – five feet- required to make the high school track team. No amount of coaching or practice seemed to help. The proven techniques utilized by his teammates and world-class competitors didn’t work for him. He just couldn’t get himself over the bar.

So Richard began to experiment. Over several months he altered each aspect of his performance. He started by adjusting his approach. While every other athlete ran straight at the bar, he began to run at a diagonal. This gave him more speed in the final few steps.

He changed his takeoff, starting further and further from the bar. He worked at it until he found the launching point that would position him over the bar at the highest point of the jump. As the height increased, he found he needed more room to achieve apogee.

Traditional jumpers utilized a scissor kick to clear the bar, stretching out one leg and then the other before landing on their stomach. Richard started twisting his body in the air so that he cleared the bar headfirst and landed on his back. This allowed him to arch his back and kick his legs up simultaneously, creating precious space between himself and the bar.

Richard’s track coaches were worried. The methods he was using were unheard of. They feared his deviation from standard procedures would damage his ability to compete and possible lead to serious injury. But during his junior year he broke the high school record. Suddenly the critics became supporters.

After winning a series of competitions in college, Richard Douglas “Dick” Fosbury began to catch the eye of the press. They dubbed his technique the “Fosbury Flop.” During the 1968 Olympics, he won the gold medal by clearing 7 ft. 4.25 in., setting a new Olympic record in the process. Today, the flop is the most popular high-jump technique in use.

Its easy to get stuck in a rut. People do it and so do organizations. We get used to doing things a certain way and rarely question why. Most people fail to realize that greatness lies just a few tweaks away from the norm. Innovation is rarely about huge, radical changes; although even small change is typically met with strong resistance.

Innovation is a critical aspect of any thriving business. If you aren’t constantly looking for ways to improve, you’re doomed to stagnate. Those who are willing to change thrive – they can even flip an industry upside down. Those who aren’t fall into obsolescence – they flop. And anyone can be a catalyst for change.

Could your business benefit from a little innovation? Could your performance use some tweaking? What small change would make a huge difference in your success?

A Rare Southwest Service Failure

Posted on by Scott

imageWhen my Southwest flight out of Lubbock was canceled this afternoon, I was disappointed, but not surprised. A late winter storm had dropped a few inches of snow and ice over the south plains, causing school cancelations and numerous delays. The entire airport was shut down yesterday along with the stretch of interstate between Lubbock and Amarillo. So it made sense that crews were still battling the after-effects today.

I quickly rebooked for the only remaining flight out, the last one of the day. The biggest impact was to my priority boarding status. I usually purchase a “Business Select” ticket on Southwest in order to take advantage of the early seating. Being among the first to board allows me to locate an aisle seat toward the front of the plane, so I can stretch my long legs and get off quickly in order to make a connecting flight. Having to rebook for a later flight meant these tickets were no longer available. I was left with boarding passes in the “B” group – not terrible, but not ideal, and certainly not what I’d paid for.

The first leg into Dallas was uneventful, I even managed to nab an aisle seat on the coveted exit row. But it was the lead up to the next leg where Southwest let me down. A few minutes before boarding, the gate attendant announced that boarding group upgrades were available for a slight fee. I approached the counter, hopeful that my purchase of a higher-priced fare on an earlier flight would warrant an easy upgrade. But after consulting the computer for a few minutes, I was informed that because I was in the middle of a two-legged trip, “the system” would not allow them to print a revised boarding pass. The otherwise helpful employee was prevented from providing a satisfying service experience by the limitations of her company’s technology.

Frustrated, I waited for my turn to board with the “B” group. But the boarding pass I handed over was thrust back in front of me. “Your printer must be messed up. It can’t read this boarding pass. You’ll have to go see them at the counter.” I stared at this gentleman in disbelief as he looked past me to the next traveler. No second attempt to scan the document. No manual entry on the keyboard. Dispite the fact that my first boarding pass had scanned successfully in Lubbock, this issue was now my problem. So I trudged back over to the counter losing my place in line and any hope of a decent seat.

A customer’s perception of an organization is a mash-up of every experience, good and bad, that they’ve ever had with them. Any given negative interaction isn’t likely to make or break the relationship between company and customer, but they add up. And certain ones have a longer shelf-life and, therefore, more weight in the customer’s mind.

Service failures happen all the time. But in my book, the worst ones are those where, as a customer, I feel like I’ve done everything in my power to help the company provide me with an excellent experience. Failures of this type don’t just feel like poor service, they feel like injustice. And it’s hard to get over the feeling you’ve been done wrong.

So here are some tips to avoid creating feelings of injustice due to a service failure.

– Don’t allow policy or technology to keep well-intentioned employees from assisting customers. Despite anything written in a manual or programmed into the computer, my gate attendant should have been able to make a phone call and get assistance in oredr to provide me with a boarding pass equivalent to the one I paid for.

– Make sure employees understand that customers aren’t at fault – even if they are. My printer isn’t “messed up.” Another boarding pass I printed at the same time scanned flawlessly in Lubbock. But even had the problem been caused by my equipment, having it announced in front of other passengers does nothing to enhance the experience.

– Acknowledge the customer’s frustration. Even after explaining and pleading my case, the only thing I received was a weak “sorry.” How about a few drink coupons or extra rewards points for my trouble? In cases where you can’t rectify the issue, at least show the customer you care by doing something to try and make amends. As things stand, I don’t even know if I’ll get refunded the difference in ticket price. It’s on my shoulders to track that down as well.

Southwest typically does a great job, and they’re still my first choice (albeit often my only choice) when I fly. They have numerous awards to illustrate their dedication to customer service. But today’s experience showed me that even the best trip up sometimes. I’ll try to remain mindful of this when evaluating the service efforts of my own organization.