Voluntary education is different from compulsory, the kind we grew up with. When you’re the victim/beneficiary of compulsory education, it happens to you. You have little choice. Perhaps you choose to open your mind and do the work, but either way, here it is. Now that we’re adults, though, we have choice. Endless choice. Most […]
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Tag: 2017 staff training calender
Four ways to improve customer service…
Delegate it to your customers. Let them give feedback, good and bad, early and often. Delegate it to your managers. Build in close monitoring, training and feedback. Have them walk the floor, co-creating with their teams. Use technology. Monitor digital footprints, sales per square foot, visible customer actions. Create a culture where peers inspire peers, […]
Is this your missing Skill….?
It’s difficult to find the leverage to make a difference. At your job, there are probably people with more experience than you, more domain knowledge than you, even more skills than you. The same is true about your competition. But there’s one place where you can make your mark: Your attitude. You can bring more […]
A professional stumbler….
Leo’s working hard to do something he’s never done before. He’s just turned one, and he doesn’t know how to walk (yet). There are no really useful books or videos on how to walk. It’s something he has to figure out on his own. But instead of waiting on the couch until the day he’s […]
The right effort of generosity….
Don’t expect much from a drowning man. He’s not going to offer you a candy bar or ask how your day was. He’s too busy not drowning. Generosity takes effort. It requires the space to take your mind off your own problems long enough to see someone else’s. It requires the confidence to share when […]
Defending myself (vs. offending my self)
The reason it’s difficult to learn something new is that it will change you into someone who disagrees with the person you used to be. And we’re not organized for that. The filter bubble and our lack of curiosity about the unknown are forms of self defense. We’re defending the self, keeping everything “ok” because […]
Top 30 Open-ended Questions for Business...
Open-ended questions are incredibly valuable to the sales process (as long as you listen). They help you gather information, qualify sales opportunities, and establish rapport, trust, and credibility. As a sales professional, its very important to have a repertoire of powerful open-ended questions questions that are answered by more than a simple yes or […]
Emotionally attractive…
We spend a lot of time talking about celebrities and how attractive they are. Paul Newman’s blue eyes, how tall is Jake Gyllenhaal, how fast is Usain Bolt… Most of the time, though, our success is based on something we have far more control over: our emotional attractiveness. People who are open, empathetic, optimistic, flexible, […]
Is ignorance the problem…?
It’s nice to think that the reason that people don’t do what you need them to do, or conform to your standards, or make good choices is simply that they don’t know enough. After all, if that’s the case, all you’ll need to do is inform them, loudly and clearly. So, that employee who shows […]
Fear, failure and shame, oh my
Fear runs deep. Fear used to keep our ancestors alive. Fear keeps you from taunting a saber tooth tiger. The thing is, most of us don’t have to deal with tigers any longer. But the fear still runs deep. We still feel the same feelings when we face possible failure, but now those feelings revolve […]
How to Create a Peak Productivity Enviro...
My mother said to me If you become a soldier you will be a general; if you become a monk, you will end up as the pope. instead, I became a painter and would up as Picasso. -PABLO PICASSO You can load yourself up with big, hunky day planner devices, computer software, notepads, different […]
Cost reduce or value increase…?
Organizations that want to increase their metrics either invest in: Creating more value for their customers, or Doing just enough to keep going, but for less effort and money. During their first decade, the core group at Amazon regularly amazed customers by investing in work that created more value. When you do that, people talk, […]
Top 5 Reasons Negotiating Skills Are Nee...
There is no question that negotiation skills are an important part of doing business. In today’s hyper-connected and increasingly competitive market, the ability to negotiate effectively is more highly valued than ever before. In fact,according to a study in the UK, it was estimated that UK businesses lose around 9 millionper hour due to poor […]
How to Slay Mr.Meeting
One of the most dangerous Time Vampire is Mr. Meeting. Some people seem to do nothing but attend meetings. Just as I was about to start writing this blog, a colleague of mine dragged me into a 20-minute,four-person conference call to discuss when we could have next, longer conference call to plan a meeting. Geez. […]
Culture defeats strategy, every time.
It turns out that what actually separates thriving organizations from struggling ones are the difficult-to-measure attitudes, processes and perceptions of the people who do the work. And yet Organizations spend a ton of time measuring the vocational skills, because they can. Because theres a hundred years of history. And mostly, because its safe. Its not […]
More and less…
More creating Less consuming More leading Less following More contributing Less taking More patience Less intolerance More connecting Less isolating More writing Less watching More optimism Less false realism
How to touch your imagined Future
Researchers have shown that thinking about how the future events will occur actually lays the foundation for such events to occur. But your thinking about the future has to be concrete. In one study, about the effect of thinking about the future, one group of students was asked to imagine the happiness of doing well […]
Your choice
Attitude is the most important choice any of us will make. We made it yesterday and we get another choice to make it today. And then again tomorrow. The choice to participate. To be optimistic. To intentionally bring out the best in other people. We make the choice to inquire, to be curious, to challenge […]