We all know what we have to do to create the positive customer experiences and long-term loyalty our organizations depend on, right? We've been to the trainings, read the books, attended the staff meetings, and have a pretty good idea of the changes we need to make for better performance.

We all know what we have to do to create the positive customer experiences and long-term loyalty our organizations depend on, right? We’ve been to the trainings, read the books, attended the staff meetings, and have a pretty good idea of the changes we need to make for better performance.

 

But do we DO IT? Do we create the changes necessary to reach the goals we desire?

 

There are inevitable changes that happen to and around us; our children grow up, we get promoted at work, the weather goes from bright and balmy to cloudy-soggy (especially on the Florida coastline where I live). We respond to these changes, grow into them, learn to make the best of the ones that are tough and to laugh at the rained on picnics.

 

But how much change in our lives comes from our own conscious choices and commitments? How many positive aspects of your work and home life are the direct results of your own perseverance and creative efforts?

 

Let’s face it, you’ve got to “do the do.” Or as Ghandi more eloquently put it, “You’ve got to be the change you wish to see in the world.”

 

Sounds simple, but most people get stuck on the “doing” part of obtaining what they desire. Just look at all the people who never start (or never finish) weight-loss programs. (Yeah, me too.) Or who complain endlessly about problems they never get around to fixing. And how about those who supposedly want to get better at their jobs – say, providing customer care – but pay more attention to distractions instead (cell phone apps, office dramas, an issue at home).

 

The question is:

How can you create the habit of your choosing to improve your customer care and leadership skills (by becoming more attentive, patient, trustworthy, proactive, respectful, appreciative…) instead of getting caught in a whirlwind of reactions to external circumstances (a customer’s bad attitude, a co-worker’s laziness, low customer satisfaction scores)?

 

The answer:

You do what all Masters of Change do, and you initiate an ongoing dance of decisions and doing. It starts with a decision – a clear and firm choice- to do something differently in some area of your life. Perhaps you would like to have a better relationship with someone in another department, or learn to listen to your customers with both ears, or see the positive side of a negative co-worker. Perhaps you would like to have a more positive attitude towards your work and all those around you.

 

Now you’re ready to DO something about your decision, and here’s what you do: Take a single step in the direction of your goal. Then reconnect with your decision, and then take another single step in the right direction. It’s like a simple two-step dance.

 

Decide, then do.

Decide, then do.

 

Repeat as often as necessary to achieve a victory, no matter how small.

 

If it’s improved customer relationships you’ve decided you want, then listen openly without assumptions, blame or judgment, speak the truth clearly, concisely and from your heart, and hold your customers in the highest regard.

 

Decide, then do. Decide, then do.

Tweak as necessary, and repeat ’til complete.

 

It doesn’t matter if you’re not a good “dancer,” if your steps aren’t as graceful as you’d like or if you find yourself wandering off track. Just take a deep breath, reconnect with your decision, and look for a way to take one step toward that decision. Remember that if you’re not taking conscious steps toward your goals, then by default you are stepping away from them. (And in this economy, the latter isn’t really an option.)

 

Keep up the two-step toward the change you’re making until it becomes second nature.

At that point, you own it; you don’t have to think so much about it anymore because you just DO it. (In fact, you will eventually become known for doing things that great way you do them!)

 

When you get to where you’re going, acknowledge your accomplishment not just in words (“I did it!”) but in emotions as well (happiness, pride, relief, joy). It’s a celebration in intellect and emotion – so important in everything you do.

 

Even better, jot down your accomplishment and your thoughts and feelings about it.

(It’s a great remembrance to have on hand for times when you don’t feel like “dancing.”) Every Friday I make a list of my accomplishments and steps I’ve taken to maintain balance in life (I call that “Soulfood”). I use a leather journal that was given to me as a gift and it’s a special and symbolic act that reminds me of things I did, rather than the things I didn’t.

 

Share your accomplishments with others and allow yourself to feel the joy others take in you and what you do. One of Positive Psychology’s “evidence based” exercises for increasing happiness is the “3 Good Things and Why” practice of writing and/or sharing 3 good things that happened that day and why. Over time you are retraining your brain to sort for the “good stuff” and you will begin to see more of it. What you focus on expands.

 

Then it’s time to think about what change you intend to make next, what new goal you are willing to dance toward. Reinitiate your two-step by deciding exactly what it will be, and then taking a step toward it.

 

Decide, then do. Decide, then do.

Tweak as necessary, and repeat ’til complete.

 

Dance like your customers are watching and your business depends upon it, because they are and it does.

 

Dancing my own two-step beside you,

JoAnna

 

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