It's All About "Attitude"
I visited a government
department today to follow up on an outstanding issue (we won't say what it was
to “protect the innocent”), but basically, I needed a certain set of documents in
order to progress something and only those people could issue. I started things in the middle of the month,
so here we are almost at the end.
What was interesting was the different attitudes I
encountered from the two staff who saw me.
One was older and more experienced in terms of “time served”. The other was younger.
The first kept pointing to a calendar, counting the number
of days lapsed since I had initiated this matter and not really wanting to
commit to a firm time. The younger one
simply asked me for my contact number and said she’d check and give me a call if
things were ready.
Both did their jobs, and were very pleasant, but which would
you say left a better impression? The
one who “played by the rules”, or the one who took my number?
Was one “set in her ways”, whilst the other was a “modern
thinker”? Who’s to say.
Here’s the fun part – I know
that, in fact, I shouldn't have gone until at least tomorrow. However, miracles do occasionally happen in the “government machine” and I’ve had
pleasant surprises before. I knew I was
taking a risk, I’m not going out of my way to detour to the department
concerned, so I’m fairly relaxed about things.
My thoughts on this were simply that two different people
displayed two very different attitudes and I know which one left me feeling
better. I made me ask, what attitude am
I showing others, and is it helping me and my business to achieve our
objectives?
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running
different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide
solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses,
charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An
international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be
asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Selling, Strategy, Teamwork
Outcomes or Methods?
I’m reading a
fascinating book by L. David Marquet who is credited with turning around one of
the lowest-performing submarines in the US Navy. For his full story, read his book “Turn The
Ship Around!”.
One of the related issues that Marquet explores is how things are done, focussing both on
methods and outcomes. He’s very clear in
his disapproval of processes (methods) becoming the “raison d’etre” of an
organisation, rather than working to serve users or customers.
Having worked in the financial services industry for a long
time, “process” was everything. Our
processes were designed to prevent errors (they didn’t), fraud (nope) and to
provide high-quality service (err…). We
were audited to make sure we were following the process and “written up” if we
didn't. In the “old days” there was no
questioning why people might not be
following the exact process laid down, or whether it was still relevant. You just weren’t following it. That was bad.
As you can see, my opinion of processes in the financial
services industry isn't high, and I suspect that the same holds true of other
industries as well. We need processes, yes,
but when one hides behind them as an excuse for poor service or sub-standard product
performance, we should be asking why
our process let us down – that’s not meant to happen, it’s meant to work...
A lot has been written about process management and
engineering (I even consult on it when called on), but we’re only just
beginning to question whether the traditional practice of implementing it
through the traditional “Leader/Follower” system works. This usually results in processes designed to
serve the user, not the customer.
As a result of processes imposed by “leadership” getting in
the way, we’re seeing the development of concepts such as “Total Quality
Management”, “Customer Experience”, “Process Management” and people who (like
me) make a living out of them. They
still, however, rely on “Commitment from the top”. The way you get commitment is from the bottom
up.
My question is, shouldn't we focus on outcomes, rather than how we achieve them? I’m not advocating that instruction manuals
be shredded (they’ll still be needed) but rather that we actually ask what the
end result is that our customers (and therefore, we) want and design things
around that.
No matter how “good” our procedures, if they don't deliver
what the customer wants, we’ll all be out of business.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running
different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide
solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses,
charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An
international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
Luck
I hear many people
saying “He/she was so lucky to get that business”, “He/she got where he/she is
today though pure luck,” or similar phrases.
I came across a great equation recently:
Luck = Preparation + Opportunity
Have you ever had one of those moments where everything just
seemed to fall into place? The right
person or customer came along at the right time, or the right circumstances
presented themselves just when you needed them?
It’s happened to me and my immediate reaction was “That was lucky!”
Thinking about it though, was it? All were circumstances for which I was prepared whether by education, planning
or having put in the work on something.
Sometimes, there was a considerable period of time between when I put in
the work and when I “got lucky”, but it happened.
At times, I’ve caught myself doing things and thinking,
“Why”. Sometimes my managers in the past
have asked the same question and accused me of “wasting time”. I had no answer to this, other than it seemed
the “right thing to do.” Also, I was
working on the project or concept during a moment of downtime when my mind was
wandering freely and came up with an idea.
The preparation is what we have control over. The opportunity comes in two ways: either we
create it or a chance remark, meeting or event creates it for us. Social gatherings and networking events can
be great opportunity makers, as well as chance encounters in airports or on
trains.
Whatever form in which the opportunity presents itself, we
have to be ready to recognise and grab it.
We may need to put in a bit more work to perfect the idea, or to be in
the “right place at the right time”, but it’s worth it. Equally, not every chance encounter, event or
social function will result in opportunities, so sometimes patience becomes a
virtue.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought “That was
lucky,” but I do know that luck wasn't the only thing that played a part now.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running
different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide
solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses,
charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An
international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Career, Strategy
