Movie of the Week: The Lemonade Stand
We’ve been talking about the value of turning lemons into lemonade this week. With this group as your competition, the market will be all yours! Grab the popcorn and enjoy this feature in celebration of Mistake Management Month.
By the way – have you ever thought about the connection between customer service, morale and productivity?
More on Mistake Management:
Making Things Right at UNC
Here’s a great story from the archives…perfect for Mistake Management Month.
There was a problem at UNC graduation held in Kenan Stadium in May 1997. The names of two graduates were left out of the program. When they went to pick up their diplomas after the ceremony, they were told that the error was caused by a computer crash and were assured they would receive their diplomas in a few months.
One of the young women sent a letter of complaint to university officials Read more
Brainteaser of the Week #45
Use a brainteaser to start, revive or end a meeting. It’s a great way to shift the brain – maybe even cause a giggle or a smile - especially helpful when dealing with mistakes.
Instead of a brainteaser though, this would more acurately be called a bit of silliness.
Are you ready?
Here’s a sign seen outside of a restaurant: Read more
Action Action We Want Action
A-C-T-I-O-N. Action action we want action.
While making lemons out of lemonade is an easy, universally understood way to describe the end result of handling a customer complaint well, that is not what an angry, dissatisfied customer would say he wants.
No – if we are even lucky enough for an angry customer to contact us (more often than not, they just silently leave us), he is not hoping to turn lemons into lemonade. He wants something done. NOW! Read more
Quote of the Week: On Mistakes & Discovery
In celebration of Mistake Management Month, our Quote of the Week is: 
By definition, a portal has an “imposing appearance”, which means for most of us, it’s not so easy to hang out at that portal very long, much less go through it. Because who knows what we’ll find? Is there a tunnel or a mine or a bridge or a deep, dark cave? It could be okay but we just don’t know what’s on the other side. Read more
We beat the heat & turned lemons into lemonade.
Can you think of a time your organization made a mistake and then handled it so well that the customer was pleased, kept doing business with you, and maybe even recommended you to others?
If so, congratulations! I hope it’s part of your company folklore so that everyone there can learn from it – both the mechanics and the philosophy.
And I hope you will share the story here so that people outside your organization can learn from it. Who knows…you might be on the receiving end of better mistake management because of it!
Need some examples first to trigger some memories? Here are a few stories we have collected over the years. Read more
Theme for the Month: Mistake Management
No matter hard we try, we will make mistakes from time to time.
The true test for us as individuals and as leaders is how we manage those mistakes….what we do with them…what we learn from them….what we create from them.
The way we manage mistakes can be a make it or break it point for external customers. If we do it poorly, we not only lose the customer and the associated revenue but we likely lose their friends who could have been our customers. If we manage the mistake masterfully, however, we keep the customer – maybe even for life. Read more
Movie of the Week: Next Steps
Football season has just begun and so our feature film is from the locker room…a scene from the movie Any Given Sunday.
This is a good one to show your team if they need encouragement to keep on pushing, inch by inch, toward the goal.
In case football isn’t your thing or in case showing a movie with this message is not the best next step for your team…
don’t worry! There are many other options in our cineplex. Scroll below to see all the choices. You can watch one or all for the same price.
So grab some popcorn and enjoy!
Watch Your Step
A word of caution about next steps…
…be sure your next steps are connected to your desired outcome.
Doing so can save you lots of unnecessary steps.
By the way…do you know your desired outcome?
Use this (below) as a helpful reminder. Post to your computer screen in 3 easy steps (see below). 
Related Articles:
- Theme for the Week: Next Steps
- Quote of the Week: What’s the next step?
- 10 opportunities to get more done in less time
Related Themes: Read more
Brainteaser of the Week #44
Use a brainteaser to start, revive or end a meeting. It’s a great way to shift the brain, spark new energy, maybe even cause a giggle or a smile. All of which can help you boost morale and productivity. Making it easier to get wherever or whatever it is you want to get.
This one reveals a great tip for….oops…better not tell you. Have already given you enough hints.
Brainteaser #44 is below. Read more
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