Are You Prepared for the Inevitable Battle!

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A recent study by Egon Zehnder International, one of the top five global executive search firms in the world today, conducted a recent study which revealed that the number of managers available to step into leadership roles will drop dramatically in the coming years! This critical study disclosed that the average company will be left with just half the talent it needs by 2015. Why? Demographics—there just aren’t that many people around with the right type of skills and experience today.

This means that companies are going to have to get a lot better at identifying and nurturing talent from within, as recruiting externally is going to get tougher and more expensive. Sadly, few organizations acknowledge this harsh reality and even fewer know the proper way to do it well.

Developing future leaders isn’t really that difficult. The problem lies in the fact that time, energy, and dollars invested today may not produce benefits for some time. Therefore, it doesn’t appear to be a value-adding investment. However, when the need for leadership does arrive, the benefits reign supreme in revealing that initial “cost” to actually have been a shrewd “investment”!

Developing future leaders is something that managers should be doing—especially now.

Belts are about as tight as they can be as we claw our way out of the great recession. However, it’s more important than ever to motivate employees. Taking an active interest in the development of top talent is a no-cost way to keep staff members engaged and happy to go above and beyond in their current role, because they see that as the quickest way to advance to their next step with the company.

Try this exercise with your top leadership team. Identify a key leader on your current staff and ask yourself:

  • What would happen if that person were to leave the company tomorrow?
  • Who would take on that persons’ role and responsibilities?
  • What challenges would they struggle with?
  • How long would it take the replacement to get up to speed?
  • What negative consequences may occur during the transition?

Answers to these questions will give you the starting point to identify potential candidates and their development needs. You might surprise yourself by coming up with a name that wouldn’t normally be the obvious choice.

An emerging trend of proactive talent development is sweeping the nation. A battle is brewing for potential leaders and those not preparing for it will suffer unmeasurable consequences which could mean the difference between success and failure.

We’ve experienced a notable increase in inquiries concerning our Future Leaders program. If you’ve recognized the need for and extreme benefits of such a program, contact our corporate office at 1-800-886-2629 for further details. It may just be one of the best investments you’ve ever made! Don’t delay, call today!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

The Business World Could Learn Much from the World Cup

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Sports analogies have forever been utilized to prepare those in business for the competitive challenges evolving from global chaos. And for good reason. Where better to learn of the decisive impact of teamwork, motivation, communication, etc. and its influence on successful outcomes … for both individuals and organizations alike.

Sunday’s Women’s World Cup soccer final provided many lessons for those not only involved in the sports world but for anyone in the business world as well.

Let me be direct. Consider the following facts:

  • This was Japan’s first appearance in the final of a major tournament!
  • Japan had not beaten the Americans in their first 25 meetings!
  • Japan suffered a pair of 2-0 losses to the U.S. team in warm-up games a month prior to the World Cup.
  • Throughout the tournament, the Japanese teammates poignantly reminded the world that they were playing for their battered country, still reeling from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami where nearly 23,000 people died or were reported missing.
  • Several of their key players had considered skipping the World Cup this year as a result of the disaster. They changed their mind only at the last minute.
  • They were hoping their success could provide even a small emotional lift to their nation.
  • After each and every game, the team unfurled a banner which read: “To our Friends Around the World — Thank You for Your Support!”
  • They paraded the banner prior to Sunday’s final as well. After the game, they unfurled another banner which read: “Champion — the First Asian country to win this title!”
  • The odds were against them. Everything they read and heard predicted a U.S. domination of the final.
  • They came from behind twice before winning this crucial final.

A closer study of this unique Japanese team will provide volumes on the subjects of teamwork, motivation, pride, determination, and focus.

Another valuable lesson appeared at the close of the game. While the U.S. team played a good game, they were beaten. Plain and simple. And they were shocked and devastated as their hopes for a Final World Cup victory were crushed. And yet, in the chaotic turmoil immediately following the end of the game, I watched several of the U.S. players approach their opponents with congratulatory hugs, handshakes and kind words … at a time when they probably would have preferred to be alone in their locker room drowning their sorrows. That says a great deal about the integrity and class of those young ladies. They served as a fine example for the millions around the world viewing this event. They’ll be back and they’ll be successful once again!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Increasing Need for Future Leaders

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As I continue my travels from coast to coast, I’m finding more and more organizations, across industries, placing more focus on developing their Future Leaders.

As odd as it may seem to be concerned about jobs going unfilled at a time when unemployment is nearly 10%, experts suggest that in some industries, employees may soon be retiring at a much faster rate than they can effectively be replaced. Where those new workers will come from and the cost of training them are employers’ two top concerns.

UPS announced that it will need to hire 25,000 new employees over the next five years to replace retiring baby boomers. This trend will obviously affect many employers across the country.

As few as 6% of organization have leaders identified for critical roles. Strikingly, 22% have no one slated to take over any key positions.

Research by the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University predicts labor shortage over the next eight years to the tune of more than five million job vacancies. Savvy companies are proactively preparing today for this inevitable shortage lurking in the shadows of the near future.

If the baby boom generation retires from the labor force at the same rate and age as current older workers, the baby bust generation that follows will likely be too small to fill projected new jobs.

The key issue for employers is: Are there enough workers in the pipeline who are trained and ready to step in when the baby boomers retire?

We’ve worked with several organizations over the years in creating a “Future Leaders” program for this very purpose. The process is simple and straightforward. Potential leaders are selected to attend on-going leadership boot camp seminars to expose them to the fundamental tools and strategies required to lead organizations in chaotic business environments. Some programs are conducted monthly and others quarterly.

In many cases, there are no openings available for those chosen for this training at the time they are chosen. However, when the crucial need does arise in the future, leaders can be assured that they will have candidates fully prepared to step into leadership positions with the leadership competencies required for individual and organizational productivity and success for everyone involved.

We’ve noticed over the past year that more and more leaders are recognizing the need and value of this approach. Requests for “Future Leaders” programs have increased and will certainly continue to do so in the near future.

Do you know where your future leaders will come from? Don’t wait until a crisis strikes to begin this process. Doing so will certainly lead to even greater challenges for your organization.

Call us today at 800-886-2629 for further information about the tremendous benefits available with this “Future Leaders” training program.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

LLTD — Look – Learn – Think – Do!

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I’m the first to admit that today’s fast-paced world leaves very little time to stay abreast of what’s happening in the news.

However, know this! Leaders in every industry find time to do so. They either make time in their schedules to do so by delegating and empowering others to deal with less important tasks, OR they have someone to monitor current events and keep them informed. They’ve made a conscious decision that there is tremendous value in observing life outside our own realm.

We have one client that has actually created a team of three talented employees who do nothing but monitor the news, determine what can be learned from what’s happening, consider how their organization can benefit from adopting and/or adapting concepts and then making it happen.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that you copy other people and businesses. What they’ve done simply may not apply to your needs and goals. However, you can certainly use their accomplishments to stimulate your own thinking in new directions.

Many of today’s successful and accepted products and services were inspired by observing totally unrelated influences:

  • Zip lock food-storage bags
  • Pet-grooming shops
  • Fed-Ex
  • Henry Ford’s assembly
  • Motown
  • Velcro
  • Camouflage
  • Liquid Paper
  • Snow shoes

The list goes on and on.

At a time when the economy, for so many reasons, has closed or down-sized more businesses than ever before, I’ve witnessed many organizations growing and prospering because they’ve followed the simple formula of Looking, Learning, Thinking and especially DOING!

In the past two weeks, the news has reported many examples of what I’m talking about:

Airline Industry

The airline industry reports $3.4 BILLION in bag fees over the past year! Not only is that up 24% over the previous year, but it’s also a major reason the industry made money after three consecutive years of losses. I’m not happy with the fees myself, but it’s a fact that this idea saved a floundering industry.

Southwest Airlines

At a time when everyone seems to be “waiting it out” in hopes that things may someday change, Southwest Airlines purchases AirTran to become the nation’s first megasize, low-cost airline. “Calculated” risk has often been the decisive factor in achieving success while others flounder.

Target

Target initiates an aggressive “full speed ahead” campaign at a time when the retail industry remains dormant and very cautious. Target is currently remodeling more than 400 stores, opening smaller urban stores to ward off the assault of the many dollar store chains, planning to expand to Canada, and totally overhauled its website … soon operating independently of Amazon. Target is also expanding its fresh food offering as well as adding a new higher-end clothing line and expanding its housewares line. Target is approaching today’s soft economy by taking action while so many of its competitors “play it safe.”

McDonald’s

Did you ever think you’d enter a fast food restaurant to find fire places, free WiFi, comfortable faux leather couches and chairs, or large flat-screen TVs? That’s all part of a $1 billion+ make-over that McDonald’s has planned for more than 14,000 of its U.S. locations. McDonald’s is even doubling the number of its drive-thrus. “McChanges” may just be the word to describe this ambitious game plan for the home of Ronald McDonald and his friends. By the way, this strategy was inspired by observing the emergence of the Apple stores. The CEO pointed out that “entering a new Apple store makes you feel as though you’ve actually entered an IPad and never want to leave. We want our customers to feel the same about their visit to any McDonald’s location.”

Do you see a common thread among these examples? Daring leaders in successful organizations are opting to “take action” to strive, survive, and succeed in one of the worst economies this nation has ever witnessed.

I’m not suggesting that you duplicate any of the efforts mentioned above. I’m suggesting that you watch these organizations closely to see what works and what may not work. Note their creativity, strategies, daring, and precise planning efforts. Then create a powerful strategy for yourself. “Sitting and waiting” is no longer a feasible strategy … it’s a “death wish.” Do something!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Speed Becomes Crucial Element in Serving Customers!

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You don’t have to approve of the tremendous shift to Internet retailing. Many people simply aren’t comfortable with technology. In fact, many will never come around. However, you have to admit that the transition has been very successful, unusually rapid and appears destined to continue its rapid growth. Millions have made the move for a variety of realistic reasons … cheaper prices, free shipping, faster service and delivery, larger selection, no sales pressure, easy payment procedures, and detailed and clear information about what is being offered.

While there are many differences between shopping online and visiting your local brick and mortar location, there are also many similarities. One of the most crucial parallels is the need for outstanding customer service leading to long-term customer loyalty! Those currently neglecting an online identity must learn this lesson as well—and quickly—before losing their current audience to the many online entities evolving daily.

On line or in person, speed seems to be emerging as a critical element of good customer service. How quickly someone picks up a customer’s call or writes them back is essential in today’s competitive marketplace.

A new study points out some fairly big disparities in customer response times among the Internet’s top 100 retailers. The difference between being the fastest and the slowest can be a matter of minutes on hold or days waiting for a emailed reply. The study was conducted by STELLAService, which used a network of full-time mystery shoppers to evaluate each site, making more than 1,200 interactions via phone and email.

Their study found that consumers have a lot of choices and being fast or slow could be the difference between whether someone who tries your site comes back again or goes elsewhere.

According to the study, 31 of the top 100 retailers clocked in with average hold times of less than one minute, with the average time to reach a live agent being 1 minute, 41 seconds. The longest hold times occurred on Mondays and Fridays; Sunday was the easiest day to reach a live representative. Out of the top 100 Internet retailers, 80% offer call support on Sunday.

DisneyStore.com ranked among the top 10 for both speediest email support (1:47:40) and phone support (12 seconds).

Of the top 100 retailers, the ten companies with the shortest average call hold times are:

  1. SierraTradingPost.com (6 seconds)
  2. YOOX.com (11 seconds)
  3. DisneyStore.com (12 seconds)
  4. UrbanOutfitters.com (17 seconds)
  5. Grainger.com (21 seconds)
  6. Nordstrom.com (21 seconds)
  7. Fingerhut.com (23 seconds)
  8. MarketAmerica (25 seconds)
  9. LLBean.com (25 seconds)
  10. Cabelas.com (27 seconds)

The 10 companies with the quickest average email response times are:

  1. OfficeDepot.com (48 minutes)
  2. MusiciansFriend.com (58 minutes, 40 seconds)
  3. Diapers.com (1:23:48)
  4. DisneyStore.com (1:47:40)
  5. Abercrombie.com (1:50:45)
  6. USAutoParts.net (3:38:00)
  7. Gilt.com (4:43:00)
  8. PCMall.com (4:49:48)
  9. Kohls.com (5:02.00)
  10. Coldwatercreek.com (5:06:10)

Are you even aware how long your employees take to answer your phone or to reply to a customer e-mail? If so, how do you rate against the very best as listed above? If you don’t know, you’d better find out. It could be crucial to your future success!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Never Underestimate the Power of the Human Spirit!

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I love to come across examples of what people can accomplish when they put their minds to it! I want to share a video with you, but I have to set it up first. I came across this video at a time when I was in need of a little spiritual boost. Knowing the back story, I was into the video for just a few seconds before breaking into a smile, sensing a heartbeat increase and wanting to sing along with the song. Again, it wasn’t so much the video alone … the back story made the difference.

This video is what they call a LipDup and, by the way, this one set a new world record. A LipDup is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song.

This particular video evolved from simple pride. Newsweek magazine printed a story in January which listed Grand Rapids, Michigan, as No. 10 on a list of America’s “dying” cities. This didn’t sit well with the sassy citizens of the “Furniture City” so they decided to prove their town is very much alive. They did so via a massively multi-performer, lip-sync video done in an epic, single shot, unedited take lasting almost 10 minutes.

The video is set to a live recording of Don McLean’s “American Pie” so you WILL find yourself singing along. They shut down a good portion of downtown Grand Rapids as they coordinated more than 3,000 people, marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and a helicopter takeoff. The entertaining, up-beat LipDub included entertainers, political figures, and local media celebrities surrounded by hundreds of football players, musicians, cheerleaders, police and firefighters, swing dancers, kayakers and more. Watch closely for the impeccably-timed pyrotechnics!

This unique project shows a sense of kinship that is endearing to everyone because it gets at the heart of who we are, and gives us a sense of what we can do together with determination, pride, focus, communication and a keen desire to succeed.

If only more of us would do something like this without waiting until we’re pushed into a corner being forced to respond in desperation! The Human Spirit is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Let’s harness it today to face the challenges confronting us!

Enjoy this video as you recall how a so-called “dying” America city spanked a statistically-dying magazine and entertained the Internet to the tune of 2,754,494 hits

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

What Seems to Be the Problem?

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If you’re a regular reader of USA Today, you’re more than likely familiar with its Snapshot Surveys. Some are simply humorous and others are useless trivia tidbits. However, every once in a while, you can find a survey that is informative, useful and even sometimes perplexing. I found one in today’s paper that was somewhat puzzling to me. I’m certain the figures were accurate; I’m just not sure why!

This particular survey was conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management. Human Resource professionals were asked what most concerned them most about their younger employees.

  • 55% — Inappropriate clothing
  • 54% — Poor work ethic
  • 38% — Excessively informal language behavior
  • 38% — Need for supervision
  • 38% — Inappropriate use of/excess reliance on technology

I had to re-read this list several times to believe it! Apparently our younger generation is out of control, hopeless, and simply can’t be reigned in. Personally, I would be ashamed to admit that I was having to deal with any of the above issues!

The behaviors listed above are NOT the problems of today’s younger workforce. In fact, today’s young workforce is as creative, diligent, and productive as any in our history. Full responsibility for each of those behaviors lie solely with the leadership of any organization. Those conditions will NOT exist in any environment that focuses on CULTURE.

Three simple steps will insure that the above conditions will never exist in your organization.

  • Expectations must be clearly established concerning accepted behaviors and performance of every member of the workforce.
  • Accountability at every level must exist to insure that all established expectations are met by everyone in the organization.
  • Consequences, as rewards and/or discipline, must be applied fairly to everyone based on their performance and execution of expectations.

How much more simple can it be? Time and time again, we have learned that organizations that faithfully practice these three strategies seldom, if ever, have to deal with the concerns listed above by Human Resource Professionals.

However, very few organizations have established and continue to maintain these simple but critical practices. How does your organization fare? If your workforce was asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being fully enforced, each of those three practices, what results would you see? Are you satisfied with those results? You might want to give this issue some serious thought!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Close Your Gap and Success Will Follow

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I just returned from another road trip filled with the mixed emotions that always accompany me on my adventures. While I’m always somewhat exhausted, the positive aspects of every journey far outweigh the well-earned fatigue.

There are many facets of my travels which I find very interesting and rewarding … the locations I visit, the organizations I’m fortunate enough to work with, and the people I meet to name just a few. I learn something new from every client I have the privilege to work with and for that I’m very appreciative.

Something I continue to find fascinating differs very little from one part of the country to the next.

  • There is more than enough information available today to insure success for those who truly desire to achieve it.
  • Tips, tools and strategies abound in today’s chaotic and competitive business environment.
  • Most everyone is well aware of what it takes to succeed and is capable of doing so … yet only a small percentage actually actively pursue and achieve their desired goals.

The answer is simple, yet difficult, to comprehend. We speak often in our seminars and keynotes about the importance of closing the knowing-doing gap. While most fully understand and readily agree, few put forth a concentrated effort.

In today’s world, education and experience are critical to one’s success … but ONLY when focused and applied to the challenges we face!

Achieving a Ph.D. is worthless if not utilized in the pursuit of success!

Thirty years of experience means nothing if it’s actually one year of experience repeated 30 times … as is so often the case!

Last year 11,653 books were published in the U.S. That means nothing if they’re not read and the shared information applied.

In short, it’s not what we KNOW—it’s what we DO with what we know!

How many times have you read a good business or motivational book and felt that you already knew or have previously been exposed to 80% to 90% of the content? It happens more often than not.

The same holds true for CDs and seminars. Why is that? If we know the content and it’s been proven to be effective, why don’t we apply it?

Do you really want a successful career?

Do you want your employees to increase productivity?

Do you want to mentor your children successfully in preparing them for future challenges?

Focus on closing the knowing-doing gap!

I recently watched a great video entitled “You Can’t Send a Duck to Eagle School,” and it was filled with a number of what the author called “Lessons Learned.”

I found each lesson to be very useful and right on target. While I recognized the majority of the messages, I couldn’t help but realize that it was difficult to think of the last time I had witnessed these popular truths actually being applied in the business world. Thus—a knowing-doing gap.

Take a look for yourself. You’ll recognize many of these “truths” in this short video. However, try to recall the last time you saw any of them being practiced. You’ll soon have a much better perception of the knowing-doing gap.

Start today in closing yours!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

When Is “The Right Time”?

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I’m on the left coast this week … Los Angeles to be exact. It’s always a pleasure to make the trip west from my home state of Michigan to the much warmer climate and always intriguing culture of California. Every time I venture to this area, I learn something new and always meet very interesting people. California is indeed the epitome of the term “melting pot.”

While so many things out here differ tremendously from my local stomping grounds, there are also many similaries that appear to have nothing to do with geography. I make that same observation on each visit to the deep south or any one of our east coast metropolises such as NYC, Boston, D.C. or Philly.

One commonality which never seems to change is the issue of AGE. Regardless of your locale, AGE has already been an issue of concern for the majority of us. Interestingly enough, this issue affects us regardless of our current age.

For example, I can remember many of us waiting very impatiently to reach a certain age which would allow us certain privileges:

  • drivers training
  • “sweet 16”
  • privilege to vote
  • opportunity to drink
  • opportunity for military service.

It seemed we were always too young to do so many things we yearned to do.

Then, almost over night, it seemed we were too old to do many things:

  • compete competitively in many sports
  • have children
  • qualify for certain jobs
  • wear certain clothing styles proven time and time again over the ages.

There’s a valuable life lesson to be learned here if we can merely handle the critical re-frame. It’s actually very simple but also challenging for many. In short, forget your age! It’s been proven time and time again as revealed in the pages of our history books. Clearly it’s what you do, not when you do it that really matters!

Consider the evidence:

At age 7 Mozart wrote his first symphony.

At age 14 country singer LeAnn Rimes won her first two Grammy awards.

At age 16 swimmer Shane Gould won three Olympic Gold medals.

At age 17 Joan of Arc led an army in defense of France.

At age 20 Debbi Fields founded Mrs. Fields cookie company.

At age 21 Fred DeLuca co-founded Subway with just $1,000 in the bank.

At age 43 John F. Kennedy ran for the U.S. Presidency and won.

At age 45 boxer George Foreman regained the heavyweight championship of the world.

At age 46 Jack Nicklaus won his sixth Masters tournament.

At age 54 jockey Willie Shoemaker won the Kentucky Derby.

At age 57 Ray Kroc founded McDonald’s.

At age 62 Colonel Sanders devoted himself to Kentucky Fried Chicken.

At age 78 Grandma Moses started painting and was still participating in one-woman art shows well into her nineties.

At age 83 architect Frank Lloyd Wright was asked which one of his masterpieces was the best. “My next one,” he said.

At age 86 Ruth Rothfarb ran the Boston Marathon in just over five hours. “You lose a lot of speed between 80 and 86,” she joked.

On his 104th birthday Cal Evans was interviewed by a Denver reporter. “Have you lived in Denver all your life?” asked the reporter. Cal laughed and replied, “Not yet, Sonny.”

Whether you’re five or 105, you have a lifetime ahead of you—so renew your dreams!

It doesn’t matter which part of the country you live it!

What are you passionate about?

What is something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done?

Right now is a good time to start.

It’s never too late to begin your Bucket List! Give it a shot!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Customer Connection

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I don’t know, maybe it’s because I travel so much. I’m exposed to customer service, or the lack of it, every day on so many various levels. It seems to becoming more and more evident that we’re in the middle of an epidemic of disastrous proportions concerning the quality of the service in today’s environment.

At a time when quality service would seem to be an obvious strategy for most any business, it appears to be neglected regularly.

Consider this obvious example.

I visit the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on a regular basis as a keynote speaker at a variety of leadership conferences. Industries choose the Bellagio because of its tremendous reputation for focus on the customer.

On my visits, who do you think will have the greatest input and impact on my memory of this property, my experience, the possibility of my return, and what I say to others about my stay?

Will it be the Chairman of the Board, the President, or those at C-Level (CEO-CFO-COO) positions?

Or, will it be the valet parking attendant, the bell hop, the front desk clerk, a telephone operator, or members of the housekeeping staff?

Well, let’s be realistic. That first group of individuals is critical to the success of a major attraction such as the Bellagio and they certainly deserve a great deal of credit.

However, that wasn’t my question. My question was: On my visits, who do you think will have the greatest input and impact on my memory of this property, my experience, the possibility of my return, and what I say to others about my stay?

It takes only a moment to realize that the second group actually has a greater impact on me than the highly educated, highly experienced, and highly paid executives. And the reason is simple. The second group comes into contact with the customer much more often than the executives!

I get my impressions and make my decisions based on the quality of those contacts: Plain and simple.

Now, of the two groups, who is usually:

  1. Paid less money?
  2. Receives fewer benefits?
  3. Receives less information and feedback?
  4. Has less experience?
  5. Receives less training?
  6. Is less appreciated?

Kind of frightening, isn’t it?

Now let’s be realistic. I’m not suggesting you pay this second group more money than the executives … nor offer more benefits. That’s totally unrealistic. However, we can certainly prepare them for reaching that level one day by offering everything on that list. And yet we seldom do.

The behavior of these front-line people can make or break our business and yet we do little or nothing to prepare them for that enormous responsibility.

So how do you explain the success of the Bellagio? Its pay is very similar to the other hotels on the strip. It hires from the same potential employee pool as its competitors. What makes the difference?

It’s actually very simple.

  • The Bellagio screens its applicants.
  • The Bellagio provides strong expectations of the performance it requires of its employees.
  • The Bellagio provides the necessary training to provide those skills.
  • The Bellagio inspects what they expect (accountability).
  • The Bellagio provides consequences, both positive and negative, for employee performance.
  • The Bellagio celebrates success.

I almost feel ridiculous posting that list because it’s so very obvious. On the other hand, very few organizations do it! Yet, look at the great consequences afforded the Bellagio for doing so. It has a reputation that is second to none and it continues to reap tremendous ROI for its efforts.

Have you prepared your staff for their crucial role in your success? Think about it!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.