10 Tips for Tough Times

June 7, 2011 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Father's Day, Get 2 Goal, Quick List · Comment

10 by 10 on Tuesdays This week’s Quick List* is a companion to our Quote of the Week which is:

Tough times never last; tough people do.

But besides knowing that tough times aren’t going to last forever…what else can we do?

How are we going to get ourselves and others through the tough times?

Here are 10 quick tips – mostly from Dads.

Tags: coaching, goals, Managing Tough Times, Mistake Management, morale, motivational quotes, performance management, stay out there

I love burned biscuits now & then

June 7, 2011 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Father's Day, Get 2 Goal · Comment

Here is a lovely story sent to me by longtime Business Class reader, Aida Cancel who is Director of Regulatory and Quality Assurance at Family Health International. Author of the story is unknown:

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. She placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my Dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed. Read more

Tags: Mistake Management, morale, productivity

The Heaven & Hell of Making Things Right

May 24, 2011 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Serious About Service · Comment

I recently shared Making Things Right on a brand new site called Chapelboro.com and it created a bit of a buzz.

Several people wrote to say thanks for the memories. Some thought it was a bunch of froof and fluff. I mean after all – what was the big deal about being left out of the program and not getting a diploma on graduation day?!!!

Others passed the story to colleagues as a reminder of the importance of paying attention to mistakes from the customer’s point of view and then responding in a way that shows undeniable concern and respect – leaving the customer absolutely delighted.

It even served to launch a story telling session during at least one Customer Service meeting, one dinner table and one cocktail party. From what I’ve heard, not all the stories had endings that were made in heaven. Read more

Tags: customer service, Mistake Management, morale, performance management, productivity

Quote of the Week from Coach Dean Smith

March 21, 2011 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quote of the Week, Serious About Service · Comment

In celebration of March Madness, we have selected a quote from Coach Dean Smith.

A longer version of the quote from Coach Smith: “If you make every game a life and death proposition, you’re going to have problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot.”

Thought/Discussion Questions: Read more

Tags: customer service, employee engagement, expectations, goals, linkedin, management, meeting ideas, Mistake Management, morale, motivational quotes, performance management, productivity

Quote of the Week: On Battles & Kindness

February 14, 2011 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quote of the Week, Serious About Service · Comment

This week’s quote helps to remind us that when a person interrupts, or pushes ahead in line or ignores us in the hallway or whatever it is that rubs us the wrong way or ticks us off - it’s probably not about us. And whatever it IS about, could be a good reason for the rest of us to try our best to do business with heart. Read more

Tags: coaching, DOING BUSINESS WITH HEART, goals, linkedin, Mistake Management, morale, performance management, productivity

10 things to capture before year end

December 14, 2010 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal · Comment

Ever feel like you deal with the same mistakes and problems over and over again? Ever feel like you wrestle with the same decisions over and over again? Maybe even bounce back and forth between the same solutions which curiously seem to fail over and over? Such a WASTE of time.

It’s enough to drive morale and productivity into the dirt, people out the door and the bottom line into the red zone.

Much of this could be avoided with mindful preservation of institutional memory. Read more

Tags: management, meeting ideas, Mistake Management, morale, productivity

Theme for Week: Customer Service Week

October 3, 2010 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Serious About Service, Themes · Comment

Happy Customer Service Week (October 4-10)!

Back in 1988, the International Customer Service Association declared the first week of October as Customer Service Week.

In 1992, United States President George H. W. Bush signed the Customer Service Proclamation and declared Customer Service Week a national event, to recognize the importance of customer service and to honor those who provide it.

There are many ways to celebrate it. Some companies have internal activities to recognize those who provide customer service. Some have special activities or promotions to say thanks to their customers. Some have activities focused on raising awareness of customer service in their organizations. Some will post the Business Class Quote of the Week: Customer Service is not a department… on their computers and then will come back to Business Class throughout the week for additional ideas.

What about you? What are your plans for Customer Service Week?

Other Tips & Tools for Customer Service Week: