Innovation is not always planned

I was interested in reading in Wired last month about the inventor of the Slinky!

In 1943, Richard James was working on instrumentation for WWII ships, when he knocked off a torsion spring from a shelf..... and it 'slinked' from shelf to books to table to floor. One patent and 300 million toys later it is as popular as ever!

Sometimes it is not about sitting down and having a brainstorming session, sometimes it is about using events that happen to come up with a new idea. It is about adapting those events to something that is commercial - thus the best tools for innovation, your eyes and your ears!

Carnival of Leadership Development

Welcome to the December 3, 2007 edition of carnival of leadership development.

Anna presents 10 Inspiring Thoughts on Leadership posted at The Engaging Brand

Stanimir Sotirov presents Motivation:Become a Leader posted at All About Your Body And Spirit, saying, "Learn how to become a leader the right way,not being the boss that everyone hates!"

Louise Manning presents Two visionary men posted at The Human Imprint.

Warren Wong presents How To Win Someone?s Heart posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Do you want to win someone's heart and gain their trust and loyalty? Here are some tips on how to go about doing it."

gamy presents Self Improvement Starts With Making Decisions posted at Mind Think Success, saying, "To have a positive change in your life, you have to decide you want a positive change, and this in itself is making a decision."

Terry Dean presents 80/20 Rule In Time Management posted at Integrity Business Blog by Terry Dean.

Wanda Grindstaff presents Success Through Service, the Most Important Component! posted at Creating Abundant Lifestyles.

Miami Phillips presents How Often Do You Change? posted at Miami Phillips - About Happiness.

Lodewijk van den Broek presents Does your (personal) leadership suck? | How to be an Original posted at How to be an Original.

GreatManagement presents The Rest Of The Company Does What? posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "If you were to join the James Dyson Company, within your first week, if not first day, you will build a vacuum cleaner. This is whether you are an accountant, call centre operator and or any other job at Dyson’s."

Gavin Meikle presents It’s The Audience Stupid! | Reluctant Presenter's Guide posted at The Reluctant Presenters Guide, saying, "An interesting article on preparing for successful presentations and speeches"

David Kam presents Psychological Effect of 99-Cent posted at MarketingDeviant.com.

Matthew Spears presents Breaking through the chains of identity posted at Loving Awareness, saying, "Having a strong identity is greatly emphasized in this culture. We have expectation upon expectation placed upon us. This article explores what identities are, how they're limiting, and gives an exercise on how to move beyond some limitations."

Thomas D. Brownsword presents Where I Am, Where I Am Going, And How I Will Get There posted at Business Action Steps.

Dan McCarthy presents The Worst Leaders Of All Time posted at Great Leadership.

David B. Bohl presents Is it Time to Turn up the Heat in Your Life? posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, "The inspirational message contained in the clip is that one extra degree of effort, in business and life, can separate the good from the great. The premise is a great one."

Andrew presents How to Become Great in any Field - Success Secrets Revealed posted at Personal Hack

Ivan Rios presents How to Win Negotiations By Seeking Differences posted at artofleading.net.

Raj Sheelvant presents Bottom up Management posted at IT Strategy, saying, "HCL Technologies, an Indian Info tech company is taking a unique approach to hold its management accountable."

Jay Gordon Cone presents Why Meet? posted at Interaction Associates - Thought leadership and practical tools for collaboration., saying, "According to Workforce.com, about 50% of leaders say the meetings they attend are not productive. What's a leader to do?"

Yazan Manasrah presents Uncluttering your mind posted at The Blasted Crossing, saying, "Want to find out how to gain the focus and mental energy to accomplish the daily tasks you must do?"

Dominic Tay presents Adopt a New Job: Entrepreneur for People posted at Personal Development Blog for Winners, saying, "Winners in life basically understand how critical it is to pursue personal development and become an entrepreneur for people. This entrepreneur is someone who knows how to take in control of his personality, knows his limitations and weaknesses."

Jeremy Neal presents You Are a History Maker posted at Thoughts on Quotes, saying, "There are many things for a which a generation of people may be known a hundred or thousand years from now, and you may be one of the few whose names are carried through to the future."

Moneywalks presents Road to Success: Setting your Goals posted at moneywalks.

The Career Counselor presents Seven Strategies for Coping with Personal Problems While at Work posted at ask the CareerCounselor

GreatManagement presents Successful Managers Share Information! posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "We can share lots of different things with others, such as material things, money and time, but one of the easiest and most useful things we can share are thoughts and ideas."

Alvaro Fernandez presents Robert Emmons on the Positive Psychology of Gratitude posted at SharpBrains, saying, "can we enhance our happiness and health by nurturing gratitude?"

Michelle Cramer presents How Accessible are You? posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "Customer service is a key element in the success of your business. That’s not news to anyone. But a crucial element of customer service, that business owners often overlook, is being readily accessible to your clientèle."

Alvaro Fernandez presents Cognitive Fitness, The Future of Work, and Concept Maps posted at SharpBrains, saying, "What the future may bring to enhance our productivity."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Crisis? What crisis?

I love the Chinese symbol for crisis - it combines the characters for danger and opportunity. For me that beautifully describes a crisis. The danger is that you treat it as a MASSIVE problem and worry about what is going to happen. The opportunity is that you see it as a MASSIVE chance to show your strengths as a leader and learn a huge amount about yourself and those around you.

So when faced with a crisis...ask how can you turn these events into an opportunity...

Creativity in a Box

Michael Eisner the former head of Disney does not believe that throwing money at a venture breeds creativity. He likes to describe the need for creativity in a box - ie creativity but one that must come in on budget. He tells of the Raiders of the Lost Ark. This was a film that had been rejected many times but they decided to go ahead with it - on a strict budget.

Harrison Ford on the day of the sword fight was ill - and kept running to the toilet. They could not afford the delay with the filming - so changed the scene from a sword fight to Harrison Ford getting his pistol out and shooting the guy! This became a famous comic scene and added to the film...the creativity was forced on them by constraints.

I never mind a small budget for anything...because I know that others would fail, but I love the challenge of creating something wonderful with little resource.

How to keep Employees

Charles H. Green presents We've Got the Hamburgers: a Customer Service Classic posted at Trust Matters, saying, "One day the Russian trainee pulled aside the trainer and said "“we’ve got the hamburgers. The customers don’t. They want them—we’ve got them. They have no choice. They’ve got to go through us. And you don’t want them getting ideas about who holds the power here. Just remember—we’ve got the hamburgers. Now do you understand?”"

Our employees need jobs. We've got them. Does that mean we don't have to be nice to them? Of course not, but I bet many of us work for, or have worked for companies that certainly act like they believe that."

Ivan Rios presents 9 Things To Do In The First 100 Days posted at artofleading.net.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Persistence and Perseverance for Winners – Losers Just Quit posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Giving up is easy. Most people make a habit of giving up. In fact, they make a life of it Persistence through a solution-oriented attitude is for visionaries, dreamers and other winners who refuse to take “no” for a final answer. "

David Kam presents Bad Chief Officers, The Downfall of Many Companies | Marketing and Business Strategy - MarketingDeviant.com posted at MarketingDeviant.com.

Charles H. Green presents Terrorists and Convenience Stores: When Social Trust is Threatened posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Many years ago, I consulted to a Texas retail chain that managed to achieve a 150% store manager turnover rate -- by treating everyone like a suspect."

Joshua C. Karlin presents Ought Implies Can & Should Implies Will posted at Marketing & Fundraising Ideas.

Tina Su presents Power of Freedom: Working for Yourself | Think Simple. Be Decisive. posted at Think Simple. Be Decisive..

Alvaro Fernandez presents Emotional Intelligence and Faces posted at SharpBrains, saying, "What do facial expressions communicate?"

Sagar presents Just Do It: 67 Ways to Tame the Procrastination Beast posted at Bootstrapper.

David B. Bohl presents Could a Wellness Program Keep Your Company Healthy? | Slow Down Fast Today! ~ David B. Bohl posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, "‘Wellness plan’ is a broad term, but here are some opportunities you might explore:
* Life strategy, lifestyle mentoring, and personal development programs.
* Holistic work-life balance initiatives."

Jose DeJesus MD presents Business Relocation: Tips For The Savvy Mover posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Emmanuel presents Getting the best out of your employees posted at Emmanuel Oluwatosin: Inspiring Excellence, Realising Ambitions.

Warren Wong presents How To Win Someone?s Heart posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Do you want to win someone's heart and gain their trust and loyalty? Here are some tips on how to go about doing it."

Sagar presents Better than Monster: 50 Free Places You Can Post A Job Online and Get Top Talent posted at Bootstrapper.

Tina Su presents 7 Habits of Highly Innovative People posted at Think Simple. Be Decisive..

Keyboard Culture Community, Lori Prokop Co-Founder presents Help My Company Doesn’t Understand Me! posted at Jinsoo Terry - Multicultural Education

Alvaro Fernandez presents Cognitive Fitness, The Future of Work, and Concept Maps posted at SharpBrains, saying, "What the future may bring to enhance employee's productivity."

Raj Sheelvant presents Bottom up Management posted at IT Strategy, saying, "HCL Technologies, an Indian Info tech company is making its management accountable by asking its employees to grade the performace of their managers and everyone gets to see those results!"

Piper presents Holidays & Retail - Keeping Your Employees Through the Season posted at Business Broad Merchandising Resources.

Yazan Manasrah presents Uncluttering your mind posted at The Blasted Crossing, saying, "Want to find out how to gain the focus and mental energy to accomplish the daily tasks you must do?"
Ivan Rios presents How to Win Negotiations By Seeking Differences posted at artofleading.net.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of how to keep employees using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.

When you get stuck on a problem...

We all face it in business...we all cannot, at some time or another see the 'wood for the trees'. The problem is, in our desire to find the answer we don't stand back or relax.....allowing the answer to emerge. A lesson we can all learn is from the Archimedes approach to problem solving...

Syracuse's King gave Archimedes a problem to solve - namely to find out is the if the gold crown really was gold. He was stuck, didn't know what to do. He took a bath to relax and that is when the answer came - leading to the famous Eureka moment. He realised through the water level rising when he got in the bath, that this was the way to measure the crown's density.

As hard as it is, when faced with a dilemma often the best cause of action is to walk away, relax...let your brain have the chance to muse subconsciously.....doing that can provide you with your own Eureka moment!

Don't Forget the Quiet Talent

So often the people who get recognised are the ones who are louder, better at self promoting but often there is some real talent hidden away. Your role is to search for that talent and to let that talent shine. Learn from Emperor Claudius!

Claudius became Emperor in AD41 and far from the obvious choice. He limped, stuttered and was perceived as weak. He had been kept in seclusion as his family was embarassed about him! When there was a huge power struggle, many nobles were killed and left Claudius as the last surviving male. This was the time that Claudius showed his astute ability as a leader...this person who people had perceived as weak proved to be a good leader throughout his 13 year rule with a spate of impressive public works and the conquest of Britain.

Never be fooled by a perception, don't assume......look through the shyness, and assess the ability.

Carnival of Leadership Development

Welcome to the November 22, 2007 edition of carnival of leadership development.

Ivan Rios presents 9 Things To Do In The First 100 Days posted at artofleading.net.

Anna presents Behave Yes...Conform Never! posted at The Engaging Brand

Ivan Rios presents Why Leaders Break Rules That Need To Be Broken posted at artofleading.net.

Jeremy Neal presents Thoughts on Quotes: Leaders Make Leaders - Creative Thoughts - Famous Quotes posted at Thoughts on Quotes, saying, "The function of leadership is to produce more leaders. Leaders make leaders, otherwise they are just managing to get by."

David Kam presents Bad Chief Officers, The Downfall of Many Companies | Marketing and Business Strategy - MarketingDeviant.com posted at MarketingDeviant.com.

Michelle Cramer presents Learning From Experienced Entrepreneurs posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "We all have regrets - it’s just a fact of life. But we learn from those experiences, much like the flourishing entrepreneurs interviewed in Entrepreneur.com’s article "If They Could Turn Back Time." Their feedback reveals important steps that everyone starting their own business should know."

The Career Counselor presents Four Ways to Recognize an Office Liar posted at ask the CareerCounselor, saying, "Tips and tricks to help managers and other leaders see through office fibs and lies."

Mike Buckley presents Motivation posted at Mine Your Own Business.

Sagar presents How to: ?Fire? Your Bad Clients, Make More Money and Restore Your Sanity posted at Bootstrapper.

Matthew Paulson presents Eight Tactics That Will Help You Win Any Negotiation posted at American Entrepreneurship.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Inspire Yourself on Purpose – Inspiration from Inside Out posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Here are twelve common sense reminders on how to inspire yourself. The word “inspire” derives from root words that mean “in spirit” or “spirit within.” Although there’s always another step to take, these points are a natural result of recognizing and identifying with this realization of who we really are. "
Jeremy Neal presents The Hard Work of Genius posted at Thoughts on Quotes, saying, "A strong work ethic combined with the ability to focus, and exhibit leadership courage, can make people of average intelligence appear to be geniuses."
Gavin Ingham presents What’s your Si (Sales Intensity) rating? posted at Gavin Ingham.

Carol Bentley presents Here’s 8 elements for a powerful sales letter. . . posted at Here’s 8 elements for a powerful sales letter. . ..

Alex Marlin presents Stress Is Rampant In Our Community posted at Life Improvement Tips For Thin and Small People, saying, "Very nice article that deals with stress related issues, like how to avoid stress and simple signs for spotting stress."
GreatManagement presents How To Be An Effective Public Speaker posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Sagar presents Top 100 Entrepreneur Podcasts posted at Bootstrapper.

Edith presents How to Find Your Greatness (Inspired by Barbara DeAngelis) posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Alvaro Fernandez presents Emotional Intelligence and Faces posted at SharpBrains, saying, "What do our faces say?"

David B. Bohl presents Driven to Succeed, Prisoner of Success, Workaholic, or Someone Who Can?t Say ?No?? posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, "As you contemplate the number of hours you’ll be spending on your work in the months ahead, do you dread the thought? Will you have a mountain of work to do, yet still take on more with a smile (maybe forced) on your face? Will people be pulling you in every direction?"
Ralph Jean-Paul presents Meet 7 People in 7 Days posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, "Looking for new clients and business contacts? There are 6.7 trillion people in the world. How many of them do you know? Meet a new person for business or social advancement each day this week."

Michelle Cramer presents Communicating Competence posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "Though your personality has a lot to do with it, people often judge by what they see first rather than what they hear. So it’s important that you portray competence in your business industry not only in your knowledge and performance, but also in how you convey yourself."

Marco Richter presents Be Flexible posted at Work From Home Concepts.

Jason Jacobsohn presents 15 Questions to Evaluate Your Networking Committment posted at Networking Insight.

Wanda Grindstaff presents Success Through Service, the Most Important Component! posted at Creating Abundant Lifestyles.

GreatManagement presents Great Inspiration Articles 19 Nov 2007 posted at The GreatManagement Blog

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Learn from the Past, Rather than Live in the Past

We should never ignore the past, we should learn from the past and use our experiences to shape our thinking. The danger is that you take that too far and that you live in the past.

The French built The Maginot line to keep the Germans at bay - a series of anti tank traps, observation posts and pillboxes. Great for how the previous war had been fought - static fighting. But in 1940 the line was broken by thousands of well armed German troops who unlikebefore, were highly mobile. Times had moved on, what worked in the past no longer worked now.

This is so true for business. You can have a "lessons learned" after large events, then when faced with new challenges look for the trends on what was important last time and ensure that you have improved your approach as well as updated it for today's world.

Experience the past to live the future!

Carnival of Leadership Development

Welcome to the November 6, 2007 edition of carnival of leadership development.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Cognitive Fitness @ Harvard Business Review posted at SharpBrains, saying, "A new area of leadership development: cognitive fitness."

Anna presents A Brand Story ....Starring You posted at The Engaging Brand

Louise Manning presents From a town called Searchlight posted at The Human Imprint.

GreatManagement presents Great Inspiration Articles posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Choose Excellence and Lose Mediocrity posted at Tupelo Kenyon,

Daryl Furuyama presents The Prehistoric Leader posted at darksociologist{dot}com, saying, "This article describes the first leader-follower relationship in history and what we can learn from it."

Hueina Su presents Deadly Conversations posted at Intensive Care for the Nurturer's Soul.

Warren Wong presents How To Be Genuinely Interested In People posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Why you should show genuine interest in people and how to go about doing it."

Scott Fusco presents Thinking big vs. Thinking small posted at Personal development coaching | Scott Fusco . net

Warren Wong presents The Weakness Of Overconfidence posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Why overconfidence is a weakness and tips to overcome the dangers of overconfidence."

GreatManagement presents Come On, Be An Effective Manager posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents What Do You Really Want? posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat

Philippe De Ridder presents List of Crowdsourcing Examples posted at Open Innovators, saying, "A lot is happening in the area of open innovation, making it difficult for managers to stay on top of this trend. This article provides an overview of the leading and best practice examples in the field of open innovation and crowdsourcing."

Christopher J. Brunner presents Brainstorming Motivation for Your Employees posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "Have you ever been to a business meeting that, though the intention was to come up with great ideas for the progression of the business, turned out to be a total flop?"

Alex Marlin presents I Am Not Trying To Belittle No One posted at Life Improvement Tips For Thin and Small People.

John Crenshaw presents Are You Proactive or Reactive? posted at Dominate Your Life, saying, "You can learn a lot about how to be successful in life and business by studying what works for people in really intense situations. Am I ever going to be so bombarded with information that I’m incapable of processing it all?"

Charles H. Green presents Trust vs. Incentive Compensation: What Joe Torre and the NY Yankees Have to Teach Business posted at Trust Matters

Erek Ostrowski presents Leverage Your Time and Energy - Untie Your Shoes! posted at Verve Coaching, saying, "Let’s face it, time and energy are precious resources. I’ve never worked with anyone in small business who has extra time and energy to spend revisiting issues they solved once already..."

Jay Gordon Cone presents Why Meet? posted at Interaction Associates - Thought leadership and practical tools for collaboration.

James D. Brausch presents Act Or Don´t Act… There Is No Try posted at jamesbrausch.com.

Arin Vahanian presents How to Change or Develop a Belief System posted at Super State.

Warren Wong presents Focus On One Thing At A Time To Completion posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Learn to focus on one thing at a time to save time and get more done."
Dr. Joe Capista presents A Mentor Can Change Your Life posted at Success Triangle

GreatManagement presents The Simple Top Management Skill and Technique you’ve got to Have! posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Leon Gettler presents The downside of charismatic leaders posted at Sox First

Alex Marlin presents Dealing With Bitter People posted at Life Improvement Tips For Thin and Small People.

Ralph Jean-Paul presents Start Meaningful Conversations posted at Potential 2 Success

Jason Jacobsohn presents How to Become Memorable When Business Networking posted at Networking Insight.

Marco Richter presents Learning to Say No posted at Self Improvement Emporium.

Christopher J. Brunner presents Finding An Employee That Matches Your Leadership Style posted at GreatFX Business Cards

Steven Silvers presents Rockies ticket sales fiasco a case study in bad news. posted at Scatterbox at stevensilvers.com

Randy Nichols presents The Job Burnout Cure posted at Career Advice by Randy, saying, "The daily grind of working for someone else and being on a limited income takes it’s toll, What in the world is the cure?"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form.

Management - As Easy as 1-2-3

In business there are always challenges, always problems - indeed if there were none, many of us would be unemployed!

Sometimes you can get really bogged down in understanding what the real problem is - if that is the case try the 1-2-3 method.

1. Is there a system in place for handling the task? If not, you have a systems problem - training won't help
2. Is there a system and employees know how to use it, but don't follow it? If so you have a management problem.
3. Is there a system, but employees don't really know what it is or how to use it? If so you have a training problem.

See as easy as 1-2-3 !

Embrace Social Networking

Often people say social networking is new, firms try to ban access as though it is something to be banished from society. I would never ban it for this simple reason - the tools might be new but the sentiment isn't..those conversations are going to be had whether you give access on the internet or not. I love this quote from Scott Donaton from Ad Age

"Since the first 3 cavemen stood around a fire, we've had social networks"

The important factor is how to use social networking, social networkers and social networking sites to your benefit. Think of it as access to talent, access to a database of mind power, access to that human need of belonging, access to a communication tool that can connect people globally. You know people used to fear the telephone, fear emails as a waste of time...then they learned how to use them for their own benefit and the benefit of the firm. Embrace new technology, if you fight it..you will just be left behind....

Carnival of Leadership Development

Here is the latest collection of articles for leaders and managers who want to motivate, inspire and engage people at work. Enjoy!

GreatManagement presents Tom Peters Recommends The Dream Manager posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

David Kam presents A Generous Leader, A Great Figure posted at MarketingDeviant.com.

Randy Nichols presents The Job Burnout Cure posted at Career Advice by Randy, saying, "The daily grind of working for someone else and being on a limited income takes it’s toll, What in the world is the cure?"

Chris Russell presents The Power of Personal Space posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "Have you ever thought about how powerful personal space is as a determinant of productivity? Everybody works differently, and where possible good managers should take into account individual preferences and needs when allocating workspace."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Choose Excellence and Lose Mediocrity posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "What if you knew that a life of excellence was lurking right around the corner, if you would only prioritize your moments in such a way so that you could recognize it. Take an objective look at the various activities of your life. Get inspired to lose the mediocre to make room for something better. "

Robert Michel presents Business Networking is Like an Orange Tree posted at Social Networking Skills, saying, "Print advertising, phone solicitation, and direct mail if done correctly lead to immediate results. Personal networking takes longer, and therefore requires a greater level of patience and maturity. However, the quality of business received from networking is by far superior because nothing beats a personal referral."

Warren Wong presents How To Be Genuinely Interested In People posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Why you should show genuine interest in people and how to go about doing it."

Warren Wong presents The Weakness Of Overconfidence posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Why overconfidence is a weakness and tips to overcome the dangers of overconfidence."
Chris Russell presents Are the ?Yeah, Buts? in Your Business or Organization Affecting Productivity? posted at Productivity Planner, saying, ""Yeah, we can do that, but so and so or whatever is keeping us from doing that." How are all of these "Yeah, Buts" affecting employee productivity and overall business results?"
Peter Quinn presents 10 Tips For Effective Negotiations in Life and Business posted at Easy Negotiation Techniques, saying, "These 10 points are things you need to have in mind to have a win-win."
Emmanuel presents Getting the best out of your employees posted at Emmanuel Oluwatosin: Inspiring Excellence, Realising Ambitions.

GreatManagement presents Come On, Be An Effective Manager posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Listen with Your Heart posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "When someone is talking to you, do you hear with your ears, monitor with your mind, or listen with your heart? Invest a few minutes thinking about the importance of listening well – a deliberate conscious act – and watch your relationships grow to a new level of closeness and understanding."

Charles H. Green presents The Point of Listening Is Not What You Hear, but the Hearing Itself posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Listening, or rather, hearing, is what makes people like and trust you. Just hear, don't listen thinking about what you want and in so doing you will gain the influence needed to keep the employees you value."

Tina Su presents 6 Ways to be Positive in Any Situation posted at Think Simple. Be Decisive..

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of how to keep employees using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Remember the Role of Luck in Business

W Edwards Deming known for his work on TQM, was only sent to Japan after the second world war to improve their production methods as the US did not feel they needed any help....Deming offered his wisdom, TQM was born and Japan rose to new production heights.

When you are given a task that you are not sure about think how many people have been like Deming....in the right place, at the right time by accident. Face the challenge with a positive mind...after all you have no idea whether this is your breakthrough opportunity... your TQM!

A Tale of Customer Service

A regular listener to The Engaging Brand podcast - Harold Thompson - sent me a wonderful story that is doing the e-mail rounds. I thought I would share it with you as it is a wonderful reminder of customer service

The Cabbie

When I arrived at 2:30 A.M., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.

But, I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice.

I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.

In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness.

"It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated".

"Oh, you're such a good boy", she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice".

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a
driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.

They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door..

The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers," I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said.

"Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light.

Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.

What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Listening to Customers Costs Nothing

Tonight I have been working on my computer for about 2 hours. During those 2 hours I have received 3 cold calls...well 1 cold call and 2 people surveying what their customers want. Why?

The answer looks obvious...to build into the products and services for the future?

I suppose...

But what I find strange is that - people pay people to work on a night to ask customers inane questions at a time that is not convenient - it is family time and most people don't want to be interrupted to help you. They don't even give you an incentive or reward for providing the answers...

If you have to spend money doing this as a leader I would be asking "Why spend money upsetting, interrupting customers during their personal time....when we could just listen to them when they are interacting with us! You don't need a telephone you need bigger ears...."

Carnival of Leadership Development

Here is this months carnival of leadership development. Hope you enjoy the articles that we have chosen. Development is the lifeblood of leadership...both for the leader and the followers.

Anna presents 10 Tough Questions to Ask Yourself at The Engaging Brand

Ravi Vora presents 15 Ways To Speak With Confidence and Be Taken Seriously posted at Ravi Vora.

Christopher J. Brunner presents But on the Other Hand . . . (i.e. Exploring Options) posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "Exploring your options is an important part of every decision we make. And especially when it comes to the big ones, such as how to run a business."

Ivan Rios presents Sometimes It?s Better to Quit and Move On posted at artofleading.net.

Wanda Grindstaff presents Wealth and Freedom - Get Clear on What they Really Mean! posted at Creating Abundant Lifestyles.

Ivan Rios presents Why Leadership is About Measuring Success posted at artofleading.net.

David B. Bohl presents Conflict: Difficult People We Can’t Avoid posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, "There are people who are part of our lives, at least now, not by our choice but by circumstance, and we just have to learn to get along. We do have the option of not getting along, but that rarely feels good or works out well, so I highly suggest learning to deal with these people in a way that causes everyone involved the least amount of damage and turmoil."

Luke Houghton presents The wiki way of thinking posted at Luke Houghton, saying, "The wiki way of thinking challenges fundamental business thinking. Read this to learn more."

GreatManagement presents Tom Peters Recommends The Dream Manager posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Sue Massey presents How to Write a Business Proposal posted at Business Management Life, saying, "Writing a business proposal can seem like a daunting task. Where do I start? What do I need to say? How do I know if I’ve written a proposal that my customer will understand?"

Tristan Loo presents SMART Goal Setting 101: The Definitive Guide to Goal Achievement posted at The Synergy Institute, saying, "Life Coach Tristan Loo explains how to set and achieve SMART goals. At 4915 words, this is the most comprehensive article on goal setting on the internet. Learn and integrate these powerful goal setting techniques into your life to produce the good that you desire for yourself."

David Kam presents A Generous Leader, A Great Figure posted at MarketingDeviant.com.

Alex Marlin presents Most Educated People Have No Social Skills posted at Life Improvement Tips For Thin and Small People, saying, "Your are an educated person, so why are you not making it? Learn exactly what is keeping you back."

Rahul Bhambhani presents Take Control of Your Life: Be Proactive » Take-20.com posted at Personal Development Advice, Tools to Improve the Quality of your Life, saying, "All great leaders are proactive. This article explains how to become more proactive, and take control of your life."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Business Book Giveaway for You

Over on The Engaging Brand there is a chance to win a leadership book from Anna's extensive library!

All she wants you to do is to leave a comment suggesting a party game for the holiday season for leaders to play with their teams. This follows on from the post "What bad leaders might play at the office party..." Here are some of her suggestions

Pass the Message (Parcel) - Don't communicate directly, just pass on a message and let people pass on what they think they have heard!
Hide and Seek - Say you are a people person but hide in your office.
Pin the Tail on your Objectives - Give a general idea and then let people fumble about in the dark trying to work out what is expected of them.
Musical Chairs - Set a goal then keep taking resources away until there are none left
Charades - Say one thing and do another!

Have you got some ideas, have you some positive ideas as well as tongue in cheek ones if so pop over and see if you can win a book too!

How to Keep Employees Blog Carnival

Welcome to the October 10, 2007 edition of how to keep employees.

Anna presents Allow Your Employees to Fly posted at The Engaging Brand.

Charles H. Green presents How Sales Contests Kill Sales posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Instead of burning out your sales force with destructive sales contests, here's how to make both your sales team and your customers happy."

Wayne Hurlbert presents Staff training: A business essential posted at Blog Business World, saying, "In the hustle and bustle of a daily business routine, proper training of the company staff is often forgotten. Whether the personnel requiring instruction are new hires or long time employees, good staff training is essential to business success. If an employee is unable to do the job assignments, simply as a result of not knowing how to complete the tasks at hand, the company bottom line can experience some severe damage."

Karel Vandenberghe presents 5 Essential Thoughts for Open Source Innovation posted at Open Innovators - Open innovation and crowdsourcing, saying, "An essential way of empowering employees is to involve them in new, open innovation processes. This article present 5 thought to stimulate open source innovation."

GreatManagement presents How Not To Give Staff Feedback posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Leo Blanco presents How Employee Recognition Affects Your Company | Logo Design Works posted at Small Business Tips.

Doris Chua presents How Do You Manage Your Employees? posted at A Meeting Place for All Home Office Women.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Choose the Companionship of Positive People Who Inspire You posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "If the people you spend the most time with are inspiring, supportive, encouraging, and they demonstrate qualities you want to emulate – great, you are on the right track. If not, it's up to you to do something about it. Life is too short to put up with other people's pity parties, bitch-and-moan marathons, and oh-woe-is-me clubs"

Ivan Rios presents Why Leadership is About Measuring Success posted at artofleading.net.

wilson ng presents Incompetent Bosses, Inutile Employees, Messed up Systems posted at Reflections of a BizDrivenLife, saying, "What destroys company value faster? A system with established process/brand name but with a bad boss, or an excellent boss but bad systems. In many ocassions, there might be a limit on what a good CEO can do in the face of inutile processes."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
how to keep employees using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Developing Cool Products

I just love this quote from Hugh Macleod from the Gaping Void blog

"If you wanna have a cool product, you gotta do cool sh**!"

I just love this quote and have it on my desk......the more you read it, the more sense it makes.
Doing cool stuff means taking a few risks, but without risk you won't get cool stuff.

I will extend this quote now

"If you wanna be a cool leader, you gotta take a risk and allow people to do cool sh**!"

Believing in Your Goals

I don't know anyone who has had a dream, who has achieved it with absolutely no setbacks...do you?

The way we think about setbacks and how we cope with setbacks is often the difference between success and failure. A little story...

Michael Jordan, in his biography explains his mental approach to a painful foot injury. He didn't want to miss any basketball games so tried to keep playing but the pain got too much...he had to miss the rest of the season.
During rehab, he didn't get down, he didn't feel that his career at the top was over...instead he visualized himself taking jump shots, making passes and eventually winning a championship! He kept a positive mind set all the way through the recovery process...he believes this positive approach brought him back quicker and stronger.

Setbacks will happen...when they do visualize the way through rather than mulling over how it happened....watch the difference in your career success.

Carnival of Leadership Development

Welcome to the October 5, 2007 edition of carnival of leadership development. Here are various articles submitted by readers who want to help you achieve that career success that your potential deserves!

Louise Manning presents Reducing stress posted at The Human Imprint.

Charles H. Green presents Business Ethics and Self-Orientation posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Ethical business leaders are distinguished by their conscience and intrinsic orientation towards others."

Anna Farmery presents The Heart of an Employer Brand posted at The Engaging Brand

Warren Wong presents A Lesson In Standing Up For What You Believe In posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "An inspiring story about a father teaching a son how to stand up for what he believes in."

The Career Counselor presents Four Ways to Recognize an Office Liar posted at ask the CareerCounselor.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Make Assumptions Obsolete by Communicating posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "We assume because we don’t know. We don’t know because we don’t ask. We don’t ask because we act as if we already know. Or, we don’t want to appear stupid. So we make an assumption. Then we forget it is merely something we made up, and we behave as if it’s a fact. When the facts are known, it would never occur to us to assume. The solution is clear communication. When we know the truth, assumptions are forever unnecessary."

Arin Vahanian presents How One Quote Can Change Your Life posted at Super State.

Marc and Angel presents 15 Key Qualities that Offset Job Experience Requirements posted at Marc and Angel, saying, "Never let the supposed job qualifications or experience requirements stand in your way of applying. If you know you can handle the job, you are probably the employee the employer wants. All you have to do is make them aware of your potential."

Christopher J. Brunner presents What Successful People Do - Part 1 posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "Part one in a two post series - According to Dr. Henry Cloud’s book, 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life, successful people exude similar qualities that make them a success."

Terry Dean presents Finding Your Unique Ability posted at Integrity Business Blog by Terry Dean.

Ivan Rios presents How To Make Your Team Happy posted at artofleading.net.

Randy Nichols presents Fast Paced Success - Considering a Career in Business posted at Career Advice by Randy, saying, "Whether you have relatives who have entered the field ahead of you or you are simply looking for a field that will always provide you with challenges, careers in business are definitely one way to go!"

Chris Tackett presents Cold Calling - Does It Work Anymore? posted at Direct Marketing News, saying, " Here are just a few of the different ways you can generate leads or prospects."

Jason Rakowski presents Critical Priorities for Extraordinary Service Quality posted at Learn Good Customer Service, saying, "What are the vital few ideas and actions that really made a difference with the customers and clients? There are thousands of tiny things that made a necessary and positive contribution, but here are five areas that are make or break."

Chris Russell presents Boldy Go Where No Has Before - Prepare to Do 20 Times More by Looking Five Years Ahead posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "The steps for creating a 2,000 percent solution (accomplishing 20 times more with the same time, effort, and resources) are listed here...

John W. Furst presents Touch It - Do It - Get It Done - Part 2 posted at E-Biz Booster Blog, saying, " I introduce very simple rules and exercises that will get you started quickly. Start using your time more effectively now."

GreatManagement presents Management Bureaucracy Gone Mad posted at The GreatManagement Blog.

Ralph Jean-Paul presents Develop Mental Toughness posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, "MVPs, CEOs, extraordinary leaders, and successful people of all kinds have it and so should you. Develop, strengthen and master your ability to perform under pressure, bounce back from failure, and excel in life."
Rodney Burge - Marketing Strategies presents Managing a Mutlicultural Workforce posted at Jinsoo Terry - Multicultural Education, saying, "Multicultural Education Expert Jinsoo Terry gives five tips to become a more effective manager within a multicultural workforce."

Luke Houghton presents 8 things I have learned about success posted at Luke Houghton, saying, "Success often is pictured as being material or financial. What I share in this article is eight things I have learned about success. I went from being a high school failure to being a lecturer."

Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents Don’t Reduce Your Price! posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat, saying, "If you don't value yourself, people will perceive you as a discount brand. Making yourself priceless begins with knowing you're priceless. You can teach yourself to be that way!"

Arin Vahanian presents How to Build True, Lasting Confidence posted at Super State.

Scott Lee presents Creating Social Value in Your Identity posted at Scott Free Thinking.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

How do you inspire innovation?

Do you ask for ideas? Do you hold creative sessions? Or do you speak like Jeff Immelt of GE who asked his teams for

"breath-taking, mind blogging, word rattling, technological innovation"

Now that is inspiring talk, that is helping people not to have an idea but to have a dream....to create something special. Both approaches are asking in reality for the same thing, but one uses words that stir emotion, that stir the company to want to create success.

Value Your Skills and Experience

A little story from the world of Picasso. Picasso was sat one day when someone walked by and asked him if he would paint their dog.....Picasso agreed and 45 seconds later there was a Picasso original. The person asked how much he would charge....the answer 350 francs. The buyer was shocked and said.."It only took you 45 seconds?" Picasso looked and said "No, it has taken me all my life...."

Valuing your experience, valuing your skills, valuing yourself is vitally important in business. If you don't value yourself, no one else will....

How to Keep Employees

We live on talent as business leaders so how do we motivate and retain that talent within our organisations...here are a few articles to help

Drew McLellan presents Is your little red wagon stuck? posted at The Marketing Minute.

Anna Farmery presents Leaders Have Great Balance posted at The Engaging Brand

Jay Gordon Cone presents Authentic CSR creates higher employee engagement posted at Interaction Associates - Thought leadership and practical tools for collaboration., saying, "Today's employees expect to care about what they do. If they love their work, they're more willing to give additional discretionary effort to see meaningful projects succeed."

David B. Bohl presents Surviving (Tolerating, Accepting, and Eluding) Negative People, Places, and Situations : Slow Down Fast Today! posted at Slow Down Fast Today!.

Edith Yeung presents How to Read People and Get Your Point Across? posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Jason Rakowski presents How to Deliver the Ultimate in Customer Service Delight posted at Learn Good Customer Service, saying, "With the right approach you can add wow factor to your customer experiences and develop mutually beneficial long term relationships with them."

Carmen Van Kerckhove presents If diversity training doesn’t work, why do companies do it? posted at Race in the Workplace - how race and racism influence our working lives, saying, "Companies are twice as likely to invest in diversity training than any other type of diversity initiative because their real motivation is to mitigate risk."

Christopher J. Brunner presents Implementing a Wellness Program posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "The cost of health benefits for employers and employees alike is a rising concern, especially for smaller business owners. Though it can’t get rid of the cost all together, implementing a wellness program into your employees’ working lifestyle can save you money."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Make Assumptions Obsolete by Communicating posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "We assume because we don’t know. We don’t know because we don’t ask. We don’t ask because we act as if we already know. Or, we don’t want to appear stupid. So we make an assumption. Then we forget it is merely something we made up, and we behave as if it’s a fact. When the facts are known, it would never occur to us to assume. The solution is clear communication. When we know the truth, assumptions are forever unnecessary."

David B. Bohl presents Fulfillment and Leadership : Slow Down Fast Today! posted at Slow Down Fast Today!.

Debra Moorhead presents Integrity in Today’s Workplace posted at Debra Moorhead.com.

Ivan Rios presents Go Beyond Responsibility posted at artofleading.net.

Ivan Rios presents How To Make Your Team Happy posted at artofleading.net.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of how to keep employees using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

What is Your Nascar?

When IDEO wanted to redesign an operating room, it found insights from the NASCAR team. The way that the team worked together safely and quickly, despite the time constraints.

Too often managers think that they have to come up with the solution...not so, what you have to do is recognise the problem, or even better the potential problem, and search for a solution. That search should not be limited to you, to your team. Look outside to other departments within your firm and also other firms that face similar issues...what is your NASCAR?

Carnival of Leadership Development

One thing we try and do here is to help people think about their own development and the development of others. Today we look at articles that are centred around developing leadership. Enjoy!

Anna Farmery presents Magic Tricks for Great Leaders posted at The Engaging Brand.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Work– Just a Job or Visible Love? posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Do you love what you do and do what you love? Here's a step-by-step method on how to put your passions to work and start living the life you were born to live. "

Wanda Grindstaff presents Summer is Over, Is it Time to Focus on Success? posted at Creating Abundant Lifestyles.

edithyeung presents Disempowering Phrases Successful People Never Say posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Ralph Jean-Paul presents Be Smarter in 30 Days posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, "Become a better leader by increasing your critical thinking skills and your ability to relate to others."

Ivan Rios presents Slow Down?Think?Act posted at artofleading.net.

Claudia Juarez presents What was the mission statement for? posted at A reality blog - Will I succeed?, saying, "When your business is not going as planned, it's time to review your mission statement"

Luke Houghton presents Does it pay to do the right thing? posted at Luke Houghton, saying, "It's important to do what's right. Read this to learn why."

Ariel Laurel Strong presents Instinct « The Cloud of Unknowing posted at The Cloud of Unknowing, saying, "Take the step beyond theory and training. Listening to the inner voice of intuition and instinct can make you a better leader, whether it is on an emergency scene or in a board room."

Jack Yoest presents Management Training Tip #2: Writing an employee evaluation? Try 101 helping sentences. posted at Yoest.com, saying, "Academia and the Army have one thing in common.Perhaps the only intersection is the willingness to share with with fellow servicemen or teachers various helps needed for the efficient and effective transference of knowledge."

Karl Goldfield presents Building a plan Part 4b: Get to know your superiors, reports, and peers (Just hired) posted at Coaching sales champions.

Tom Stanley presents Dream Your Own Dream posted at Tom's Franchise Information Blog, saying, "When you are considering owning your own business, a franchise may seem quite appealing. But instead of starting with someone else’s idea, why not start with your own?"

Jason Rakowski presents How to Deliver the Ultimate in Customer Service Delight posted at Learn Good Customer Service, saying, "With the right approach you can add wow factor to your customer experiences and develop mutually beneficial long term relationships with them."

Chris Russell presents Office White Noise posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "The reason office white noise machines are being implemented in office environments is that they provide a calm and soothing working environment, which leads to better productivity."

Stacey Derbinshire presents Business Plans - An Outline for the New Entrepreneur posted at Starting a Small Home Business

wilson ng presents MultiTasking for Productivity posted at Reflections of a BizDrivenLife, saying, "Doing few important tasks well may be more crucial to your success than doing many tasks haphazardly."

Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents Making Your Mistakes Count posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat.

Fred Black presents Why Does it Feel Wrong to Feel Right? posted at Fred Black: Internet Business Blog..

Christopher J. Brunner presents Leaders Can’t Do It Alone posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "The term leader is defined as “a guiding or directing head,” which indicates that, as a leader, you must have people to guide and direct. Leaders can’t be leaders without followers."

Jason Jacobsohn presents Learn to be Patient or Else… posted at Networking Insight.

Charles H. Green presents Trusted Politicians posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Leasing as a politician is about moving to the majority - or in cases of real leaders - creating a majority. Politicians without a majority soon become ex-politicians."

SJ Yee presents Nick Vujicic, the man with no limbs, on Perspective, Vision and Choices posted at Personal Development for the Book Smart.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

The Secret of Career Success

Peter Drucker once said

"The critical question is not 'How can I achieve?' but 'What can I contribute?"

For me, this is the key to career success. Contribution will always be recognised, contribution is measurable, contribution gives a sense of personal achievement.

To be able to contribute you need to constantly develop, constantly learn and expand your knowledge..this takes effort but is a lot more interesting than being bored "hoping" that someone may recognise your declining potential!

Love Your Competitors

I love this quote from Bruce Jenner at the Olympic games.

"I love my competitor; he brings out the best in me"

What a wonderful way of looking at competition - whether internal or external.

Competitors are not to be feared they are to be embraced as your motivation to keep growing, keep learning. Competition can be used as fuel for your motivation, a fuel for your next targets, a fuel for your career and talent.

Imagine how boring it would be without competition!

3 Tips on How to Motivate Your Team

Motivation is a key part of improving productivity and therefore achieving your goals. Here are 3 quick techniques that I use to improve motivation

1. Spend a 30 minutes each day walking or talking to your team. Make sure you are asking them about how they are feeling, ask about their life outside of work, ask what is going well, what is their biggest concern. Time invested here is so important to show that you care, that you value them not only as a team member but as a human being.
2. Hold a monthly session with small groups of people who are direct reports of your direct reports.....no agenda...just ask them for their ideas...how can we make our work lives better, what is working well and we want to do more of, ask about their understanding of goals/objectives.....then act on the feedback.
3. Use surprises to break the monotony. Be it holding meetings outside, giving each person a small budget to woo their internal customers, thanking them with a treat, send cards to individuals with personal messages about achievement, go and work alongside during busy times....and understand their issues.
   

Customer Connection for Customer Service

When a Company reviews their customer service, they often review process and systems...that's fine but that is only part of the story. Process reliance is about delivery but it has no emotional connectivity.

You also have to review how people are connecting with the customer, if people are using their energy "sticking to the process" it is removing emotional energy to connect with the customer. I always say to my people "Please the customer not your boss!" Then tell me what you did if it is outside the process...we then review the process, develop the customer service skill if it was needed and think of how we can build this into our future service.

So remember, yes the process needs work....but the people need energy!