Category Archives: Leadership

what is your customer experience?

Is Your Customer Experience Driving People to Your Competitors?

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Over the weekend, I went to a brick and mortar store to buy a few things for an upcoming event. Of the four items I was looking for, the shelves were empty for two and they only had two (of six needed) of the third item. At a second store, the results were the same. They were out of stock of two of the items. In both cases, the people suggested I look online, but not necessarily at their store.

But here’s the thing: There is no way to capture sales that don’t happen because you are out of stock. And, when you tell people to shop elsewhere, they will.

The lessons from this time of disruption in the retail industry are important to observe and to learn from. Too often people are using Amazon’s dominance as an excuse for a poor customer experience. Website problems, out of stock inventory, and long delivery times are just a few examples of poor customer experience. And when not addressed, the business will go out of business.

Do you know how your customer experience stacks up? What actions can you today to improve your customer experience?

who is in your orchestra

Does your organization operate like an orchestra?

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When was the last time you saw the symphony?

Before the performance begins, each musician tunes their instrument. It is a hodgepodge of disjointed noise. Then, the conductor walks to the center of the stage, raises the baton, and a beautiful melody fills the air.

Do you have a picture of the best performance you’ve been to in mind? That’s how a high-performing organization works. You know it when you see it.

Each person in the orchestra is highly skilled at playing their instrument. They each play their part and have to work together to make a beautiful piece of music. And they all want the best players in each chair. Any weak link will spoil the performance.

Does your organization look and sound like an orchestra? Do you have any weak links? What can you do to strengthen your organization now?

 

are sunk costs impacting your decision making

Are sunk costs impacting your decision making?

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Years ago, a customer of a company I worked for halted their capital spending program. The entire program, no matter how far along the construction was. Some facilities were more than 80% complete. And the amount of capital spent was in the billions. The market collapsed and no longer supported new capacity coming online. So they just stopped.

It was an amazing decision. But it was the right one for them. From that point on, they would have been throwing good money after bad. It takes guts to walk away from that much invested capital. But it was a sunk cost.

Whether it is time or money spent, once the resource is spent it is a sunk cost. Sunk costs are anchors that drive bad decisions. How often do sunk costs impact your decision making?

Are you part of the problem or solution?

Are you part of the problem or the solution?

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A few days ago several folks were talking about manners in the locker room at the gym. The topic du jour—a pile of wet towels at the bottom of the locker that had to be cleaned up by the next person. It happened again, but this time the towels were piled on a bench in two separate piles, probably by two different people. Without a word, a woman picked them up and dropped them in the towel bin. The scene highlighted a basic phenomenon—people that are part of the problem and those that are part of the solution.

This sort of scene plays out daily in work environments. At work, the towel may be an unfinished project that others have to complete or disruption in the workplace that slows the team down. Many times the people that are creating the problem are unaware of their role in it. How are you creating an environment of people who create solutions?

leadership lessons from Laurel vs Yanny

Leadership Lessons From “Laurel vs. Yanny”

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Laurel vs. Yanny was everywhere over the last week. I heard Laurel so clearly, it was hard to imagine hearing Yanny. Surely someone must have adjusted the pitch so people could hear both. So, I went out to the internet to find it. I found a Youtube video that adjusted the sound in a way that was supposed to let you hear both. And I still heard Laurel.

As a leader, it is important to hear different perspectives from your team, your people, and your customers. Sometimes it takes work to hear those perspectives. And sometimes, you won’t hear the perspective directly no matter how hard you try. But, you need some way to know that it exists and it is a valid perspective.

How are you seeking out the perspectives you need to hear?

one ah **** wipes out ten atta boys

One “Ah ****” Wipes Out Ten “Atta Boys”

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He sat there rocking back and forth like he was in a rocking chair.  Hands folded over his belly, thumbs twiddling as he talked.  You could tell by looking at him he had been around the block several times—it wasn’t just the years on his face, it was the calm, but knowing air about him.

“One Ah **** wipes out ten Atta Boys” he said

The comment was simple, but profound. We were talking about risk management and the impact on reputation. When something goes really wrong, it wipes out your credibility and all of the good things you’ve done before. And if you get a second chance, it takes a long time to come back to the status you held before.

How do you make sure you are thinking about risk early? And how do you make sure you don’t have one bad moment that wipes out ten good ones?

are you keeping your commitment?

Something else is more important than you

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Years ago, one of my people got mad at me because I rescheduled a meeting. It is something that I try not to do and I felt badly that I did. He felt that the time we scheduled was his—I made a commitment and backed out. The unintended message to him was: Something more important than you has come along and you are being rescheduled to accommodate.

Keeping commitments is one of the toughest and most important leadership lessons. When I reflect on the most successful leaders I’ve worked with, they never rescheduled on me. Keeping their commitment was so important, I had a CEO take a call from a hospital bed. Another kept a meeting in the midst of a major acquisition. Keeping their commitment was important.

It is easy to apologize for rescheduling a meeting and move on without thinking about the real message. It is worth taking time to step back and think about how you show up with your team. Are you sending the message you intend?

are you setting your front line people up for success?

Are you setting your front line people up for success?

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It was a long flight, so I got up to stretch my legs for a minute. The flight attendant was nice and not in the middle of anything, so I stopped to chat for a minute. She was having a tough day. The coffee had exploded on her three times, leaving spots across her uniform at the start of the flight. Catering did not stock about half the food they should have. She expected to spend the entire flight apologizing. After all, she had 26 years of experience and did not relish being in the position of looking incompetent.

Being on the front line is tough. Especially if the business is not run well. Front line people are left to apologize and take heat for something they have no control over. At the same time, the customer expects a certain level of experience and don’t really care who is to blame. Having a cohesive experience is important. How are you ensuring you meet customer expectations, while not leaving your front line people to flap in the wind?

Are you compelling enough?

Are you compelling enough?

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The dogs two doors down were barking, so my 75 lb yellow lab decided it would be fun to join in. She was having a grand time barking and running back and forth across the fence line. So when I called her, she really was not interested in coming. She was having too much fun and was enjoying herself. My offering of a treat was just not that compelling.

That’s the thing with motivating people. If they are having a great time with what they are doing, and are enjoying themselves, doing something different is not compelling. Even if they aren’t having a blast, if there is no promise that doing something different will be better, there is no motivation to make that change. Change has to offer something better—people need to understand why they will be better off. It has to be compelling.

How are you making change compelling in your business?

 

is there a third option you haven't considered?

Is there a third option you haven’t thought about?

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My dog was at the doggy hotel. Being a rescue dog, she always struggles when I’m out of town. So, I do my best to minimize the time she is there. I was debating the merits of driving back and forth twice in traffic to pick her up, drop her at home, then back into town versus leaving her for a few extra hours at the doggy hotel and making just one trip.

Then it struck me, my plane was getting in early enough and I could pick her up tonight rather than tomorrow. I usually get in too late, so the option didn’t immediately occur to me. But once it did, it was obvious and the best choice—and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought about it earlier.

Many times there are better options that don’t present themselves because you are so focused on the choices in front of you. It is only when you step back that other better options present themselves. How are you making space to invite better options to reveal themselves?