The Act of Leadership: What Do Leaders Do?

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leading

Your actions speak so loudly, I can not hear what you are saying. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve written recently about the things a leader sees and the things a leader says. But it’s hard to ascertain the true measure of a person by what catches their eye. And anyone can come up with a great quote or two. What makes great leaders stand out is the sum of their actions. In short, you know someone is a leader by what they do.

Here are a few of the observable traits of effective leaders.

1. Leaders decide the direction. We’re each faced with a thousand decisions each day. Some are more critical than others. But some decisions affect lives other than just our own. When it comes to making the big decisions – the ones that impact customers, coworkers, and the future of the organization, leaders don’t hesitate. They instinctively know what the right thing to do is and they do it. Leaders step up and make the right call.

2. Leaders act with intention. Leaders see the promise of the future, and they communicate that vision regularly. Leaders also visualize a clear path to that vision. So when a leader acts, you can be sure there’s a reason for it. There’s an agenda. It may not always be readily discernable, but it’s there. Watch a leader long enough and you’ll start to see the master plan take shape. Leaders plan their work and work the plan.

3. Leaders serve as an example. I have three kids. I try to remind myself that they are always watching me. They see everything I do – the decisions I make, the way I respond to circumstances beyond my control, and how I treat other people. They follow my example and emulate my actions. Knowing this, I try to make sure that my example is a good one. Leadership is a lot like parenting. Leaders act knowing that others are watching and learning from their example.

4. Leaders equip others for success. I’ve said many times that I believe the number one responsibility of a manager is to develop those they lead. Ultimately, the job of a leader is to produce other leaders. Because the impact of a great leader is not felt in their presence, but in their absence. So leaders actively seek out resources that will help their team grow stronger. They look for opportunities to delegate responsibility. And they celebrate when the leader in others is revealed. Leaders participate in the education and growth of those around them.

5. Leaders let others lead. No man is an island. And no leader has what it takes to succeed in every circumstance. Strong leaders understand their own limitations and are comfortable with taking a back seat from time to time. That’s because leaders don’t focus on their own egos. They focus on achieving the vision. When someone else is better equipped to take point, strong leaders respond by following. Leaders happily step aside and others lead where appropriate.

This list could go on. There is no end to the list of positive things that leaders do. One thing I know for certain though, is that leadership is not a passive activity. Leading requires action – in a very real sense, leading is action. How will you lead this week?

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.

 

In Appreciation of the Humble Checklist

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ChecklistThere I was.

Out of town.

In a hotel.

And about to step into the shower.

That’s when I realized there was no soap.

It was the morning of an important meeting. Having stayed up late with an upset stomach, I’d hit the snooze button one or two times too many. There was no time to contact the front desk and wait for someone to bring a bar to the room. So I set aside my frustration and made good use of the shampoo.

Later on, as I reviewed the trip, I couldn’t help but think about the missing soap. It was a small oversight, but obviously a pretty significant one. How could something so critical to a guest’s stay be overlooked?

When you think about it, it’s really not that hard to understand. Today’s businesses have become increasingly complex. There can be hundreds of components to get right in order for things to work out perfectly. And with so many moving parts it’s very easy to miss one or more of the small ones. But it’s typically the smallest service misses that cause the most customer frustration.

So it’s no wonder that occasionally the soap is missing from a hotel room. From time to time a fast-food order is filled incorrectly. Every once in a while you open a box to find a part is missing. As hard as we try, every service provider is destined to miss something eventually.

But what if there was a simple tool you could use to make sure those little things weren’t overlooked? Would you use it?

Airline pilots use it; so do astronauts and quick-service oil change companies. Chances are you have one on your desk or in your computer or on your phone.

I’m speaking of the humble checklist.

When service providers perform the same steps over and over again, you’d think that things would become automatic; that nothing would be missed. But it’s for precisely this reason that small missteps happen. When service steps become routine, they can be taken for granted. And that’s when the details stand the greatest chance of slipping your mind.

In his book The Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande, a surgeon at Harvard Medical School tells how implementing a simple pre-surgery checklist reduced complications and deaths by 35 percent. If highly skilled professionals like surgeons and airline pilots rely on checklists to get the little things right, why shouldn’t the rest of us?

The process is simple:

  1. Map out your service delivery process.
  2. Draft a checklist to document each step.
  3. Use the checklist religiously.

Think you don’t need one? Gawande didn’t either. After, all he’s a Harvard-trained surgeon. But he wrote the book and felt compelled to practice what he preached. He says not a single week has passed at the hospital that his checklist hasn’t caught something.

What could a checklist help you catch?

A Simple Service Delivery Model

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123A customer’s perception of your service can be made or broken by how you handle a single request for help. And providing superior service isn’t hard. In fact, it’s a lot easier than providing poor service. The best thing about providing excellent service is that both parties win. While the customer receives the benefit of your efforts, you receive the satisfaction of having done your best. To ensure you’re providing excellent service with every interaction, follow this simple three-step model.

1. Ask questions to identify or clarify the customer’s needs. Asking questions shows your customer that you are interested in helping them and are really listening to what they say. Effective questioning can also save you time and effort. Most importantly, asking questions leads to better service. While in the process of gathering information from your customer, you often uncover other needs or opportunities you can address; leading to a more memorable experience.

– Make sure to ask enough questions in order to fully understand the issue at hand, but not so many that you unnecessarily delay providing service.

– Start with open-ended questions – questions designed to gather a great deal of information.

– Use active listening skills such as taking notes, using body language that shows interest, and verbal encouragement.
2. Suggest a course of action. After you have gathered as much information as possible, recommend next steps.

– Clearly state your recommendation for next steps.

– Reinforce your suggestion with any supporting information.

– Ask for agreement.

– Do what you say you are going to do.
3 Build trust by adding value. To complete the service experience, add value by using one or more of these tactics.

– Provide information that enhances the customer’s understanding of the situation.

– Assist with other issues or questions uncovered during your interaction.

– Follow up to make sure things turned out as expected and offer additional help.

– Communicate any operational or process enhancements that came about as a result of the customer’s question or issue.

Service excellence isn’t difficult, but it does require intent and focus. By following this simple model, you’ll be sure to address every aspect of a customer’s request. And in the end, you’ll be rewarded with a stronger, more profitable relationship. That’s something we could all use more of.

A Prescription for Dealing with Difficult Customers

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bandageI’m regularly asked to provide tips for dealing with difficult customers. You know the type – irate, demanding, and practically impossible to please. No matter how good your service is, you are guaranteed to encounter someone who just isn’t happy. Every business has them and employees dread waiting on them.

So, how do you handle these “difficult” customers?

The answer, I think, begins with understanding why the customer is upset or demanding in the first place. You see, most people don’t want to be difficult. They don’t want to be regarded as a problem customer. On the contrary, most of us want things to be easy. We want to get along with others and exist in harmony.

But sometimes this harmony is disrupted. Somewhere along the way, the customer’s trust in the organization is broken. The relationship is damaged. Perhaps a mistake was made, or perhaps something was miscommunicated. It may not even be your organization’s fault. But nevertheless, there they are, standing in front of you and being “difficult.”

Once you realize that your customer’s behavior is most likely the result of broken trust than a personality trait, it changes your perspective. You can focus on rebuilding trust vs. defending your position. You can stop dealing with difficult customers and start mending the relationship. Here are four steps to help you DEAL with these situations.

DEVOTE your full attention to the customer. Before notifying you of the problem, your customer spent rehearsing the interaction in their head. They practiced what they were going to say and probably anticipated excuses or denials of responsibility. This puts them on edge and causes them to act in ways that are perceived as “difficult.”

As service providers, we need to let the customer say what they have to say. Avoid interrupting – even of you quickly ascertain what needs to be done to make things right. The customer needs the problem fixed; but just as importantly, they need to express themselves to someone who will listen. Even if you quickly ascertain what needs to be done, avoid the temptation to short-circuit the process by interjecting. Ask questions to clarify, but give them the chance to tell their story.

EMPATHIZE with their situation. Empathy is the ability to understand another’s position. It’s important to let the customer know that you’ve heard what they have to say and respect their feelings. This validation is a critical step in the healing process because it lets the customer know you are on their side.

Remember, the reason your customer is acting aggressively is because they have anticipated a struggle in receiving the service they feel they deserve. When you empathize with their situation, you establish yourself as their advocate. This simple step is often all it takes to change the customer’s behavior. Once they feel they have someone who understands their plight, they relax and allow you to go to work on their behalf.

ACT quickly and decisively. Now that you know what’s going on, and have established yourself as the customer’s agent, it’s time to get busy. Do what it takes to make things right. Educate the customer along the way so they feel comfortable. Leaving them in the dark only serves to reintroduce confusion and suspicion.

This is not the time for guessing or assumptions. Make sure each step required is accomplished and follow through with any commitments you make to the customer. Any slip up negates the healing that’s begun to take place.

LET the customer know you really care. If necessary, say following an especially egregious offense, make a goodwill gesture to compensate for the customer’s frustration and inconvenience. The key is to reinforce the idea that the customer is valuable to you and any misstep in service was an anomaly. Apologize and thank them for their patience and continued business.

Studies show that a customer whose negative experience has been resolved to their satisfaction is more loyal than one who never has a problem at all. That’s because responding to service failures is often your best opportunity to shine. Your customer is bound to share their side of the story with others. Just make sure it has a happy ending.

The Best You Can Give: 10 Tips for Top Notch Service

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imageSome people make customer service so hard. They devise all kinds of barriers that get in the way. Or they focus on just about everything but the customer. And day after day, service takes a back seat. But, hey – as long as customers aren’t complaining, then everything must be ok. Right?

Wrong.

Studies show the vast majority of customers never complain about the less-than stellar service they receive. Oh sure, if things get bad enough a manager will hear about it. But most service isn’t really bad. It’s just mediocre. And customers have become so used to it that they don’t even notice how far things have slipped until they compare your service to someone else’s.

And if your service is found to be lacking, they’re gone. Poor service remains one of the top reasons why customers choose to take their business elsewhere. You just don’t know it until it’s too late.

But there’s good news. Providing great service doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are 10 easy ways to improve the level of service you provide.

1. Stand to greet the customer and introduce yourself (if appropriate).

2. Shake hands with the customer and repeat their name.

3. Let the customer do the talking. You should spend 70% of your time listening and only 30% of the time talking.

4. Speak slowly and clearly to ensure customers can understand you.

5. Make appropriate small talk to make customers feel welcome.

6. Make frequent eye contact throughout the transaction. Avoid speaking to the customer while looking at the computer screen.

7. Use the customer’s name occasionally during the transaction.

8. Keep a positive, energetic inflection in your voice.

9. Avoid placing blame for mistakes on others. Focus on solutions.

10. If possible, walk the customer to the door or back to the common area after your transaction is concluded.

Here’s a bonus tip. Thank every customer for their business.

There you have it. No silver bullet. No magic formula. Just basic customer service tips sure to add a little extra to your next customer interaction and leave your competitor wondering why their customer is now yours.

What They See: 5 Service Habits that Damage Your Credibility

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watchingService doesn’t just happen during an interaction with the customer. In fact, by the time you find yourself talking to them, your customer may have already have formed a negative opinion about you and the level of service they’re about to receive. That’s because as soon as they see and/or hear you, their experience begins.

Here are five behaviors to avoid any time customers are in the vicinity.

 

1. Personal conversations with other employees (especially when expressing negativity about the organization or its customers).

2. Using the computer to play games or browse the internet.

3. Talking, texting, or browsing on a personal cell phone.

4. Eating, studying, or conducting personal business in view of the customer.

5. Performing legitimate job duties when customers are obviously waiting. Assisting customers should always come first.

 

And here are five behaviors to display at all times.

1. Follow your dress code in order to ensure a professional appearance.

2. Keep your work area tidy and organized.

3. Acknowledge each customer as they enter your field of vision.

4. Smile.

5. Assume customers can see or hear you at all times.

 

Remember, just because you can’t see the customer doesn’t mean the customer can’t see you. So put your best foot forward at all times and make a great impression before the interaction even starts.

Welcome! 5 Tips for Greeting Your Customer

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welcome_matLast week, I wrote about the value of fresh starts. Of course, the ultimate fresh start occurs at the beginning of a new year. Last week, people all across the world greeted 2015 with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment. Among them were business owners, team leaders, and employees who resolved to improve the way they approach their work. You may have been one of them. For many, customer service remains a focus. Ninety five percent of businesses surveyed recently said that improving customer service was one of their top three initiatives for 2015. But it seems every year public perception of service drops despite promises made by companies that it is their top priority. As both a service provider and a consumer, I know how important the customer experience is to the success of any organization. That’s why I’m going to spend the next several weeks focusing my Monday article on simple customer service tips. There’s no rocket science here, just basic things that great companies get right. We’ll start where the customer interaction starts – at the beginning. Here are five simple tips to make sure your customer feels welcome in your place of business.

  1. Greet each customer as they enter. I hate being ignored, and your customers do too. Simply greeting them as they walk through your door gets the interaction off on the right foot. Make it sincere (not the auto-robotic sounding greetings delivered by many fast food places) and don’t go overboard. You don’t want the customer to feel smothered; but greeting them acknowledges their presence and lets them know you care.
  2. Hold the door if you are nearby. A lot of the businesses I visit seem to have forgotten common courtesy. Employees stand idly by while customers struggle with heavy doors, often juggling packages they’ve just purchased. With so many ignoring the customer on the way out, I can count on one hand the number I’ve encountered who go out of their way for customers on the way in. Impress your customers by going out of your way to hold the door for them.
  3. Proactively ask how you can help. Often, I’ll visit a business and observe several employees standing around while one or two work a line of customers. In fact, it happened to me last night. Abby and I went to the movies on a father/daughter date. One young lady manned a register and filled orders. As we waited, I watched another employee standing to the side. He was engaged with a manager in a casual conversation and neither seemed concerned that customers were waiting. It was only after the manager noticed me watching that he came over to help. Don’t be that guy.
  4. Acknowledge the customer even if you are otherwise engaged. Let’s say you are helping someone when another customer walks by or approaches. How do you respond? What about when you are on the phone as another customer enters? Try simply smiling or nodding your head in the new customer’s direction. Small gestures like this send the message that you are engaged and aware of their presence.
  5. Greet customers as they enter the drive-thru. I hate pulling up to a drive-thru and being greeted by silence. I know those inside are probably assisting someone else or must be busy with another aspect of their job; but I can’t help wondering if they’ve forgotten me – or even know I’m there. I’d feel a lot better if they would just greet me and let me know they’ll be right with me.

These are only a few ideas for greeting the customer. And, as I said earlier, none are rocket science. But how you start usually determines how you finish. Make a commitment to finish strong. How will you make your customers feel welcome this year?

The Art of the Do-Over

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goalsNow that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, attention turns to New Years. Across the globe, people are busy deciding where they will be and who they will be with as they count down the final minutes of the year and celebrate the arrival of 2015. For many, this also means making New Year’s resolutions – commitments to changes in behavior that will improve their lives.

According to research conducted by the University of Scranton, the most popular resolutions made for 2014 were:

  1. Lose Weight
  2. Get Organized
  3. Spend Less/Save More

That same study however, also found that only 8% of those who make New Year’s resolutions actually succeed in achieving them. As soon as one week after making their resolution, 25% report they’ve already broken them. Less than half are still on track after six months. That’s an alarming rate of failure. In fact, I know a great many people who have become so frustrated with their inability to achieve their resolutions that they have decided to stop making them.

We all make promises, to others and to ourselves, that we fail to keep. We fail for any number of reasons; lack of time or money, demands placed on us from others, even random and unforeseen circumstances. But one thing that seems to act as a stumbling block for me is self-control. I sometimes find myself struggling between that which I should do and that which I want to do. For instance, I know I should jump on the treadmill in my backroom for twenty minutes but I’d rather spend that time browsing the internet or watching TV. I should buckle down and finish the big report I have due for work, but I’d rather check out what my friends are doing on Facebook. This lack of discipline keeps me from achieving the goals I’ve set for myself and cause me a great deal of frustration.

Is it any wonder then that, every December, so many of us make the same resolutions we did the year before? How can we overcome this natural tendency to lose steam and forgo the needs in pursuit of the wants? Wharton professor Katherine Milkman offers one suggestion in a strategy she calls the “fresh-start effect.”

Milkman feels that, rather than getting frustrated with our inability to stay on track, we embrace it. Knowing that our motivation to perform is strongest in the days and weeks following a milestone, we should use them to initiate a fresh start toward our goals. Here’s how she puts it:

“At the beginning of a new week, the start of a new month, following a birthday, or after a holiday from work, people redouble their efforts to achieve a goal. Why? Because in these fresh-start moments, people feel more distant from their past failures. Those failures are the old you, and this is the new you. The fresh-start effect hinges on the idea that we don’t feel as perfect about our past as we’d like. We’re always striving to be better. And when we can wipe out all those failures and look at a clean slate, it makes us feel more capable and drives us forward.”

As a kid, I loved do-overs. So did my friends. We made a point to allow a certain number of do-overs in any pick-up game we played. It allowed us to focus on being successful rather than on being a failure. I think it’s sad that as grown-ups we seem to have forgotten the art of the do-over. Not that everyone gets an unlimited amount of free passes (even as kids we only allowed one or two per game); but we can all use a fresh start from time to time.

As you look forward to 2015 and make your list of resolutions – or goals, or commitments, or whatever you want to call them – aim for excellence, not perfection. Know that you don’t always have to get it right the first time. Know that if at first you don’t succeed…well, you know the rest.

 

What Are the Odds?

Posted on by Scott

Lucky DiceThe odds of bowling a 300 game are 1 in 11,500.

The odds of being hit by lightning are 1 in 576,000.

The odds of getting a royal flush on your first five cards are 1 in 649,740.

The odds of winning the jackpot MegaMillions lottery are about 1 in 175,000,000.

The odds of you being born in your particular time, place, and circumstances are about 1 in 400,000,000,000.

You are a miracle. The probability of any of us being born exactly as we are is so remote, that your very presence on this earth should be a constant source of amazement. The odds of you being who you are, where you are, are so remote; your existence cannot be an accident.

You have been given a unique set of talents and interests. You have experienced a unique sequence of events that have molded you into the person you are today. There never has been, and never will be, anyone like you. You have something to offer the world.

Here’s a question for you: What do you have to offer?

Here’s another one: What have you chosen to do with it?

You are here for a purpose. The unique entity that is YOU is here for a reason. No one else can do what you do, the way you do it. Whatever it is that you bring to the table, it should not be wasted. There are people around you – right now – who need what you have to offer.

There are only a few weeks left in 2014. Pretty soon, we’ll be turning the calendar and celebrating the start of a new year. It’s a time of reflection and a time of planning. As you wind down the last few days of the year, spend a little time thinking about your unique value proposition and how you have used it to help others this year. Then, take a few more minutes and map out a plan for 2015. Think about how you can make an impact.

Most people won’t do this. They’ll celebrate, and then keep on doing the same things (or not doing them). 2015 will look just like 2014; and the world will be a little less bright because they will have chosen to keep their unique gifts to themselves.

But what if just one decided to buck the trend? What if just one made the decision to take their special talents and use them – at every opportunity – to make the world around them a better place? And what if that decision made all the difference?

What if that person was you? What are the odds of that?