How to bridge the “service gap” when customers and employees live on opposite sides. Service Circa 1968’s In my childhood memories, my mother pulls up to the gas station. A man dressed in a crisp uniform jogs to the driver’s window. “Fill ‘er up?” he asks politely. “Regular or Ethel?” That same uniformed service professional …
Purple Cows
Purple Cows of Business When I was in college, there were only four “P’s” in marketing: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. As our economy moved from a manufacturing and extraction to a service-based economy, a fifth “P” was added to the list: People. Contemporary marketing’s ever-expanding checklist of “P’s” also include; positioning, publicity, pass along, …
Appreciation
“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” – William James People need to feel appreciation. Especially now, when all of us are “doing more [and even more] with less;” the yearning to feel appreciated is intense in every workplace. Pre-recession research from the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that …
Employee Performance Evaluation
Want to know who is really working for you? Try this fundamental formula to evaluate employee performance: Systems + Ability + Effort = Performance Results. Systems The process, procedures, technology and resources essential to achieve results are systems. If systems are lacking, it is often out of the employee’s authority to fix. So, assess systems …
We’re So Lucky
Do you feel lucky today? With our economy in a deep downturn, we experience a constant barrage of negative news and forecasts. We need stories like my grandfather’s to remind us that small businesses can survive truly hard times.
On My Mind: Good People Making Tough Choices
Rushworth Kidder would say ethical fitness is like physical fit ness. “You have t o work on it all the time so that it be comes a way of life—it is ref lected in your integrity and your leadership. A mature sense of eth ics is one of the most dominant of all leadership characterist …
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On My Mind: Fortune Favors The Brave
By Jeri Mae Rowley, MS Human Resource Management The Latin proverb “Fortes adiuvat” reminds us “Fortune favors the brave.” It would be a stretch to say an economic downturn is a “good time” to start a business. Yet, 16 out of the 30 of the current Dow Jones Industrial Average corporations started during a recession.
Make Meetings Matter
By Jeri Mae Rowley Ninety percent of managers report that half of the meetings they attend are “either unnecessary or a complete waste of time.” When I am sitting in a meeting, I habitually calculate the “cost” of holding that meeting. You can too. Begin with the hourly wage and benefits dollars per participant. Then, …
E-Mail Netiquette
When you correspond with e-mail, you’ll be using a communications form still in its infancy. And, you’ll join over 930 million people worldwide. That’s a lot of humans to remember!
Lead Like Santa
By Jeri Mae Rowley Simply start with this list — and check it twice. Be a legendary leader — with Santa’s advice! Have a Great Story Everyone wants to be part of a great story. Have a story to tell. Tell it well. Tell it so often everyone “just knows” what to expect and how …