Some of your employees, although they know what is expected of them and how to perform, simply do not do it consistently. A vivid example of the above is the typical behavior of cashiers in self-service gas stations.

These employees sit behind a bullet-proof window and think that their job is to simply take the customer’s money. They often do this while simultane­ously talking on the phone, chewing gum, or chatting with a fellow employee. That type of behavior is definitely not service-oriented. Read More »

To grow your small business, you must find and employ ‘A List Players” – employees and potential business partners who perform at the top of their game, not just some of the time, but every time.

You can’t get to the top with a mediocre team!

With my agency, whenever we had an opportunity to hire an ‘A Player’ versus a ‘B Player,’ we found the  ‘A Player’ would deliver ten times the results than the ‘B Player.’ And even though they often demanded a premium in compensation, they were more productive, responsible, and effective in their performance. Read More »

If, like me, you train regularly, you’ll know how easy it is to put your foot in it.

I was reminded of this training truth recently when I read the obituary of one of the UK’s finest support comedians, John Junkin.

Junkin had been a schoolmaster before treading the boards. The story goes that one day while taking a class of particularly uninspired fourth formers, Junkin had spotted a boy at the back of the room chewing gum. Read More »

I was doing a brain storming session with a client recently and an issue they were having with the inaccuracy of their website was identified. Several office managers complained that no one was asking for their input, and as a result, the organization had a website that was improperly informing their customers about new services that were being provided.

Good public relations begins at home. Happy staff equals happy customers. Meaningful and regular staff meetings can be a very powerful tool in helping your company meet the needs and expectations of your customers. As situa­tions come up, mini-meetings and brain-storming sessions that quickly solve problems can also be used very effectively. Read More »

I read two different newspaper stories the other day. One suggested that, if you are a manager, you’re probably working longer and harder than ever before. The other suggested that only a small percentage of us do a job that we really love.

Which makes me think that, as suggested by Henry David Thoreau, there are a lot of people out there – including managers who manage others – who are “leading lives of quiet desperation” and will “go to their graves with their song still in them”. Read More »

A business owner puts an ad in the local paper for some additional help. After interviewing several applicants, she hires a young man, who appears on the surface, to be well groomed and able to do the job.

A few weeks later she starts receiving complaints from some of the other workers and the customers that this new employee is not very friendly, doesn’t smile much, and alienates the people with whom he comes into contact. Eventually, this employee is terminated and the owner realizes she wasted a substantial amount of money and time in hiring and training the wrong person. Read More »