Category Leadership

I know a woman who fired her hair stylist after catching her inappropriately parked in a handicapped spot. An associate of mine lost a client because of something their associate posted on Facebook. An account director lost a prospect they were close to getting because they treated a waitress badly. The waitress happened to be the prospect’s sister.

Most companies proclaim to hire for attitude and train for skill. But the “attitude” most sought in potential employees is actually soft skills, which are widely believed to be unteachable. Therefore, the training provided to employees once hired is predominantly focused on the hard skills needed to do a specific job, even though it is soft skills which better guarantee employee success and longevity, and lately, seem harder to come by.

We live in a world of disappointments, broken promises and under delivery. Okay, so maybe it’s not quite that bleak.  But I think we can all agree that when it comes to doing what you say you will do, most people fall short. What a tremendous opportunity to excel with your customers and make a powerfully positive impression.

Here in mid-Missouri, we are all recovering from perhaps that worst case of spring fever anyone can remember, after what seemed like months of a winter that wouldn’t let go and a spring that lost its sprung.

Planning events.  That’s what does it for me.  It’s that thing that’s just… in me.  The checklists, phone calls, scheduling, décor…  seeing it all come together and then looking on, watching everyone enjoying themselves.  I get immense satisfaction from it.

I read an article recently that talked about a natural tendency to treat prospects differently than we do clients. It’s kind of like a new relationship – what my mom calls “love’s rose-colored glasses.”

Does it seem like policies do nothing but get in the way of whatever you’re trying to get done? In theory, all policies were derived to help the business run smoother and to better service the client. But when a policy is held so strictly that there is no room for flexibility, it becomes not so good for the client, and therefore, not so good for the business.