Welcome to My Blog
"Engagement is all about feelings and how you make people feel"
Intuitive Street Knowledge
Being "street smart" is an important part of being a leader. What follows are five areas* you can develop to improve your performance as a leader. As with all things we discuss, do not do anything that will show a lack of humility, engender disrespect, or show a lack...
Customer Service Wow Story
After our last two blogs on the “ 10 Commandments of Customer Service” I thought it appropriate to share a customer service story. Customer Service Story: Auto Craftsmen, Montpelier, Vermont Chip and Amy run an auto repair business called Auto Craftsmen in...
The Ten Commandments of Customer Excellence – Part 2
Hello Everybody, Welcome to the second edition that completes our Ten Commandments of Customer Excellence. I hope you have adapted the first five to your business and have started putting them into practice! THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE...Cont'd 6....
The Ten Commandments of Customer Excellence
Customer service is so instrumental to the success of any business that we are going to dedicate the next two blogs to this subject. When I became CEO of Westpac Financial Services in 1994 my first "Contact Point" column in our monthly staff magazine focused on...
Leadership – Performance Management
Today we are going to talk about performance management. This is a critical part of a leader's role. While we need to address performance issues promptly, the overriding goal should be getting people back on track, not managing them out. Sure, we can't afford to carry...
Customer Loyalty Is The Key to Sales!
At all times, and especially in tougher economic times creating customer loyalty is something the successful businesses work hard at doing. 1. Customers are “searching for stability”. They are still showing restraint with their spending, so this means you had better...
Smart Heart Leadership
In past I have spoken of the importance of a leader operating from his or her heart. In my opinion, if you want to transform the culture and results of an organization, leaders need to connect heart-to-heart with their people. This will transform their spirit,...
Hire for attitude and train for skill
Attitude In my opinion the single biggest factor in success or failure in any endeavor is based on attitude. You cannot change anyone else's attitude...BUT, you can change your own! When selecting new players for your team, remem ber: Hire for attitude and train for...
Recognition Is Crucial To Your Business. Learn Why!
In my opinion a leader's role with their team members is three-fold: Change behaviors Create an environment where people can be the best they can be Help people believe in themselves Today I would like to concentrate on belief. Neuro-Science research shows us that the...
STOP IT!! Negativity Undermines Your Worth as a Leader….AND Your Health!
Emotionally Intelligent leaders are continually searching for ways to increase productivity and engagement of employees. Increasing engagement, thus the happiness of the team will increase motivation, morale and results. BUT is it possible that leaders are...
Motivation – The Key to Team Success
The word motivation literally means “a reason to move,” and pretty much every move we make has a reason behind it: we sleep when we are tired, we eat when hungry, and we drink when thirsty. Leaders who want to motivate their people don’t have to be trained...
Revise Your Game Plan as we MARCH into 2016!
Hello Everybody, We are going to look at constructing a Game Plan that will help you and your team have a successful 2016. I like to describe this as a simple 4 or 5 point action plan that is formulated by you and your team with a view of achieving your intentions....
5 Steps To Being Street Smart
Being "street smart" is an important part of being a leader. What follows are five areas you can develop to improve your innovation and performance as a leader. Remember, as a people leader we do not do anything that will show a lack of humility, engender...
Be A Champion Team!
A leader's role is to massage the egos of their top players to ensure that, in their minds, they do not become bigger than the team. We have all seen teams of champions that, although they may have a strong start, do not turn into long-term champion teams - the...
6 Key Steps To Being The Best
I read in a newsletter recently: ‘someone has to be the most expensive, so it may as well be you. But if you’re going to be the most expensive you have to be the best.’ This resonated with me as I see many a business having the strategy of being the cheapest and...
Secrets for Improving Workplace Morale
In a past blog post I have written about how to motivate people. We discussed the different hot buttons, or key motivators, that we as leaders need to get to know to obtain the best results from those we lead. Today we are going to talk about workplace morale. We all...
7 Ways to Include Employees Who Work From Home
Many managers today lead mobile or off-site workforces, so let’s look at the major aspects of including, leading and developing these employees. 1. Include Them in the Development Processes Make sure your mobile or off-site employees are following the same ...
The Secret to Generating Better Business Referrals
Today we are going to discuss how excellent customer service and the wow factor will produce referrals and improve your bottom line...even when that is not necessarily your purpose. The Supreme Value of Referrals Every business, every leader, and every salesperson...