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Friday, June 27, 2008

Business Etiquette

I was thumbing through some training material the other day around Business Etiquette.  I worked for a company that took business etiquette very seriously so we trained to our expectations and didn’t leave much to chance when it came to how we expected our employees to treat customers and each other.

Now this was some 12 years ago, and I have to say I cannot remember the last time I heard about a company training Business Etiquette skills.  I wonder why that is, I mean we still should be respectful of each other, and be polite to our fellow employee and all our customers, correct?  Did the school system start teaching these skills when I wasn’t looking?  Not in my home town at least.

So I have to wonder if companies are not training Business Etiquette anymore, and the skills are not being developed at school, there just must not be a need for them anymore.  That need would mean either humans are now coming by these skills naturally or companies don’t care about treatment anymore unless is crosses the harassment line.

I do not subscribe to the idea that humans come by these skills naturally, so I am left with companies not caring.  That is evident with the majority of people’s inability to respond to an email, or a voice message anymore. I nearly fall out of my chair these days when someone returns my call or responds to my first email.  What a pleasure it is to work with people that respect me, and use proper business etiquette in dealing with outsiders.

I posted a blog a couple of months ago on customer service, and you really never know when your actions will prevent a sale of your product.  I’m now beginning to see that a lack of business etiquette goes a long way to separate or bring me closer to an organization depending on these old fashion skills.  Last week a non-profit hospital sent me literature to make it possible for me to donate funds to their good work.  And two days later I recieved one of the rudest emails from one of their directors.  I was actually moved enough by the project that I was considering a donation, but I changed my tune quickly by the behavior of one of their employees.

Organizations that don’t train employees, and then establish performance guidelines in the actions they expect are just asking for the opposite to happen.  So I’m curious as to what your company does to ensure business etiquette occurs.  And if you are doing nothing, I'd love to know why?

Jim Hopkins – JK Hopkins Consulting

Posted by Jim Hopkins at 6:13 pm         0 Comments

Labels: customer service  

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Experts are everywhere, but not everyone's an expert

In any organization there are thousands of tasks or activities that require expertise and experience. The subject matter experts for each of these tasks can be found throughout the organization, not always in leadership or training roles. NetSpeed Fast Tracks provides a platform where subject matter experts at any level of the organization can capture their knowledge, and others in the organization can discover and benefit from it.

Our approach is to emphasize the role of the subject matter experts as "owners" of their respective content. This is different than some collaborative environments that encourage freeform discussion, where "everyone is an expert" but no one takes ownership. Those platforms have their place and can be very popular, but they don't fit the primary goal of Fast Tracks as a learning platform.

Wikis

For example, wikis have proven to be powerful tools for capturing and disseminating information. The essence of a wiki is that anyone can edit any page. Operating on a principle of trust and mutual cooperation, a wiki invites everyone to become an authority, leading to richer content and greater depth. One of the best-known wikis, Wikipedia, boasts a breadth and depth of information on that is breathtaking compared to the traditional model of an encyclopedia where articles are written either by the staff or by hired experts.

In Fast Tracks, we've applied the successful aspects of wikis to the feature that we call Knols. A knol is similar to a wiki page in that each knol covers a single topic, and can be created by anyone. But unlike a wiki page, a peer-submitted knol credits its author, and the knol cannot be added to or edited by other peers. (All peer content must be approved by an administrator, and administrators can edit any content.) Our goal, again, is to encourage individual ownership. Corporate wikis often start with good intentions, but quickly die because not enough individuals take on responsibility to contribute. Wikipedia succeeds in part due to the massive pool of dedicated, unpaid volunteers who administer and police it regularly on their own time.

Discussion boards

Another popular collaborative platform is the discussion board, also known a forum or bulletin board. The defining element of a discussion board is that anyone can start a topic by posting a message, and anyone can reply to any message, or to any reply. The benefit that a discussion board can bring to a corporate learning environment is the opportunity for anyone to express an idea regardless of their rank, thus providing an avenue for creativity and fresh insights. And because anyone can then reply to the idea, other points of view can be brought into the discussion, providing balance and often leading to even greater perspective.

In practice, however, forums typically generate more noise than valuable information, with discussions petering out in debates on minutia until no one cares anymore. Corporate users rightly sense that they have more important things to do, and discussion boards on the company intranet often languish. Fast Tracks implements the benefits of discussion boards through the vehicle of blogs and knols, where the principle of ownership brings better focus and a higher ratio of valuable content. At the same time, the ability of peers to submit comments provides balance and allows ideas to spark one another.

Posted by Leo Brodie at 2:19 pm         0 Comments

Labels: netspeed fast tracks  

Friday, May 30, 2008

The 4-Hour Workweek - Part 1

I am about half way through a book called The 4-Hour Workweek'  by Timothy Ferris.  A good friend of mine suggested I read it because I would be open to the concepts.  That alone intrigued me to go buy the book, as what makes me so unique to the idea of only working 4 hours a week?

I have no plans in this blog to take the surprise out of reading this yourself, but I will say that the first half of the book is spending time learning to accept that it would be okay not to work all day and all night for the rest of our lives.  It made an interesting argument about retirement that I found myself agreeing with, and that is what happens when we suddenly stop working the full time job?  Now what do we do?  But rather, maybe we realize that working is how we are engaged and that we need to stay engaged until we die.

I’m reminded of a line in a movie called “Out to Sea” with Walter Matthau  and Jack Lemmon.  Walter’s character makes the statement that “it is never too late, that’s why they invented death!”  So Timothy Ferris spends much of the first half opening your mind to the world of possibilities of things to do with your extra time.

He spends several chapters on how to become more efficient with your time, and breaking a lot of habits and rituals in our daily routines.  This is all about time management, but I will say a much different slant than my years in training FranklinCovey.

I’m just getting into the second half of the book where we learn how to create the income sources that allow us to live this different style, and I am now realizing what my friend meant when she said I would be open to the concepts.

Without a doubt, The 4-Hour Workweek'  for less than $12.00 is a must read!  If for no other reason than it allows you to dream and see how changes in our current life could mean a much more pleasant future!

Jim Hopkins – JK Hopkins Consulting

Posted by Jim Hopkins at 11:17 am         0 Comments

Friday, May 2, 2008

Everyone Is Your Customer!

I had a very coincidental experience recently that made me think about which people a company should consider as their customer.  I was making a call to a company about a training program that I had heard they were looking for through a mutual associate.  At the same time this was one of two companies I had narrowed done to choosing for a product I personally wanted to purchase.

After leaving two emails, and three phone messages I received a call back from the training director I had been referred to contact.  I was told that “when she needed training solutions, she made the calls to vendors, and never talked to people like me!”  Then she abruptly hung up on me!  Guess what kind of training I was told they were looking for?  You guessed it, Customer Service!

It was after that “wonderful” treatment that I made my choice of which company I was going to choose to make my purchase.  In essence, the treatment I received from this training director said a lot about the culture, and made me question the level of service I would receive if I chose to become one of their customers.

Now I will grant you that not everyone that calls on your employees is a potential customer.  Even though this was a retail store, not everyone will be looking for their products.  Yet I ran across similar behaviors at a bank, one that actually claims to have won the customer service of the year award for the third straight year.  Having come from the banking world ladies and gentlemen, I know first hand that Everyone is a potential customer!

So my challenge to every organization out there is to provide good service skills, or at the very least try being polite.  You never know how the person you are offending may reciprocate, and at the very least blab like I do about the kind of treatment this store gave me to every friend I know.  I did try to reach the store’s CEO to chat about a potential solution; however, his assistant told me “he doesn’t take calls from people like me and that I should talk to the training director.”  Seems he and the training director graduated from the same service training program!

If you and your organization could use a refocus on customer service, I’d be glad to introduce you to a program that would make a difference.  That is of course if your organization allows you to talk to people like me.

Jim Hopkins – JK Hopkins Consulting

Posted by Jim Hopkins at 1:26 pm         0 Comments

Labels: customer service  

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The sky is falling! No, the world is flat!

Someone is always sounding an alarm of caution, concern, or fear.  Regardless if you are recalling a fairy tale from your kindergarten room or if you are reading one of the New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman’s book, the words of alarm points to one question – who do you trust? 

 

With global expansion and rapid changes in the landscape of the marketplace, organizations are abandoning the traditional organization structure – position/title based power.  Leadership has gone beyond being a position; it is a responsibility of all people working.  It is a front-line duty.  It's becoming a red badge of courage. 

 

As a responsibility, one favorable outcome of this newer – flatter world is a new reality.  A reality of teamwork, joint accountability, remote decision making and a reliance of complex and hi-tech communication network, like Cisco’s TelePresence, are becoming the behavioral / communication norm.  The realities of operating virtual teams in a “flat world” are here to stay.

 

Such changes require strong character and trust-based relationships among all workers at all levels from all parts of the globe.  Without trust, decisions are questioned, problems are not solved, innovative ideas not executed.   In the absence of trust, there is internal sabotage, important information is not timely shared; customer loyalty crumbles both internally and externally.  Trust is the hinge point of organizations effectiveness.

 

This evolution of growth has created an interesting paradox.  At a time when trust has become increasingly more important, the climate in most organizations has made it increasing harder to establish, build, and sustain trust.  Trust does not naturally happen; however, it becomes natural to break.

 

Complicating this challenging climate is the organization’s attitude of “what have you done for me lately?” perspective on employee performance.  Yesterday’s great performance is history.  Today’s higher customer expectations are the new reality.

 

Successful people operating in the new age of “net speed” continue to demonstrate and inspire trust despite the forces that undermine it.  They daily demonstrate trust in the way they behave, follow through on promises, speak the truth, and treat people with respect.  People, who inspire trust, demonstrate trust by making sure their actions are congruent with they words. 

 

So, who do you trust?  Start with yourself – do what you say and only say what you are willing to do.

 

Byron E. Steele

Senior Consulting Partner

bsteele@netspeedlearning.com

 

Posted by Byron Steele at 2:50 pm         2 Comments

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Trust - Who Needs It?

Trust – who needs it?

 

This is not a rhetorical question; yet, the answer tends to be bombastic in this day and age of cynical workforce.

 

Leaders must display trust in everything they do and say within the organization.  Is there an easy test to indicate how a leader is doing?  Yes, try answering these simple and insightful questions:

 

1.  Do I do the right thing, even when it is difficult?

 

2.  Do I assume people have good intentions?

 

3.  Do I always follow through on commitments?

 

4.  Do I stay focused and balanced in challenging situations?

 

5.  Do I admit that I don’t have all the answers?

 

6.  Do I always tell the truth?

 

If your answers are “yes” to all of these initial questions – you are laying the foundation of trust that enhances your organizations ability to perform effectively and efficiently.  Now, lead by example.

 

What other characteristics does a leader need in addition to trust?  The research is clear, concise and compelling.  Contact me for some straight answers.

 

Byron E. Steele

Senior Consultant Partner - Southeast

bsteele@netspeedlearning.com

 

Posted by Byron Steele at 10:52 am         0 Comments

Labels: character  

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Passion and the Paycheck

I just read an overview of a book called "The Passion and the Paycheck'  by Serena Williamson.  This author seems to have struck a nerve when she talks about people working at jobs that only provide compensation and little more.  She also pushes back on the excuse list that people throw up when they would prefer to complain about circumstances rather than take the time to assess what needs to change.

I run across people every day of the week earning a paycheck, wait a minute, I should rephrase that a bit because everyone I talk to in a week is getting a paycheck, only a few are earning their paycheck.  So what is the difference?

Showing up for work everyday, looking busy, attending a lot of meetings, and unable to respond to email or voice messages does not earn a star in my book as a productive person.  Especially in today’s economy, and yes I believe recession.  In fact I rarely shed a tear when these folks find themselves unemployed because at least now they are earning their current paycheck.

What does impress me are the folks that know what their company is all about.  They understand the mission, and values that their employer has, and work daily to help that company achieve success.  They have goals with deadlines, and they are focused on getting things done.  They are passionate about earning their paycheck.

One associate of mine was a consultant for 5 years, and then returned to running a learning organization full time.  He said “the money was too good to pass up!”  And yet, he told me recently that at the end of each week before he leaves, he tallies up in a journal what went well that week, what could have gone better, and what he accomplished.  He takes the list and writes down what he was paid next to it.  This he told me was his way of making sure that the work he did was equal to the amount he got paid.  Some weeks the company didn’t get their money’s worth, but he strives the following week to give them a bonus.

Tell me folks, do you earn your paycheck?  If not is it because you are not passionate about the job?  Do everyone a favor, and become passionate about your work, make a difference, and earn your paycheck every single day!

Jim Hopkins / www.jkhopkinsconsulting.com

 

Posted by Jim Hopkins at 7:47 pm         1 Comments