It was late morning and I was in my hotel room getting ready to speak and then to travel on to my next engagement. It was a long flight and wanted to be able to change into my travel clothes before getting on the plane. Knowing what a hassle that can be without having the convenience of a hotel room, I called down to the front desk to ask a favor.
One summer, I went fishing with a friend. We rented a canoe and ventured out into a lake at dusk. If truth be known, I was mostly watching, not really fishing. But my friend was very serious about it. As dusk turned to darkness he opened his tackle box and began searching for a new lure. I watched, curiously.
Up until that moment he’d been using a yellow lure. He explained, “It’s time to switch to a black lure.” This mystified me almost as much as what I was doing in the middle of a lake, in the dark, fishing.
I had to ask, “Why would you use black lure in the dark, in what now looks like a black lake?”
If you’re too busy to laugh, you are entirely too busy, according to “fun” expert Matt Weinstein, Founder of Playfair, in Berkeley CA. Matt, who has built an entire organization around the concept of play at work, believes the company that plays together, stays together. The intentional use of fun on the job can help improve employee morale, increase productivity and create a more people-centered corporate culture.
The “Get Real” Guide to Having a Good Day Every Day
By JoAnna Brandi
There’s never been a time when great customer service mattered more than it does now. The economy is recovering, but consumer confidence is still down, and the customers who are buying have scores of choices of where to buy and how to buy. And now, almost every product and service out there has been “commoditized” so it’s hard to determine who actually offers the best value (and so, many people just shop based on price alone.)
I”m getting ready for two important events: Customer Service Week (Oct 4th – 8th) and uploading the short videos I made yesterday that we’ll be sending out every day that week (It’s the ONLY time of the year that you will be receiving mail from me every day – and it’s only 5 days). And…
Want a more positive workplace where you and your co-workers feel happy and motivated? Want to make customers happier so that their loyalty – and your profits – grow? Want to work more efficiently and effectively and improve your health? Authentic Happiness Coach and Customer Loyalty expert JoAnna Brandi shares tips for transforming these wants into “haves” Her overall message: Happiness creates resilient employees who, in turn, create resilient, thriving companies.
In my seminars on Customer Caring I talk about something I call the Work-Relationship Tripod (sm). As many of our businesses are consciously moving from being “transaction – based” to being “relationship – based,” it’s important to understand the interactions of relationship in business. Imagine, if you will, that your business sits on a tripod (or even a three-legged stool.) Each leg of the tripod represents a different set of relationships: External, Internal, and Inner. All of the legs need to stay in balance, in order for the business on top to be in balance.
One recurring theme is dealing positively with conflict. I thought I’d tackle that topic today since I was recently challenged myself to do just that. Here are 12 ways to deal more skillfully and positively with conflict. Adopt a Win/Win intention. We live in a competitive culture. We want to “win,” but in the competitive…
Steven Slater became a folk hero overnight last week when he jumped ship on his airline attendant job and career by popping open the emergency exit slide on his JetBlue plane, grabbing two beers and sliding into the spotlight as an employee who was “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.” After…
Recently I had the opportunity to do the closing keynote address for Merit Direct’s private user conference. Once a year this company gets its customers together and provides two and half days of learning, playing eating, dancing and even… karaoke. They pull together a roster of industry experts to teach and stimulate lively conversation among…
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