Down To The Bone

Welcome to a second week’s collections of observations, insights and rants about the always curious, sometimes bizarre, often mind-numbing and, from time to time, fulfilling (admit it; you know it’s true) World of Work. Where, for most, creativity is squelched, independent thinking shunned, a real focus on the customer – so widely preached – rarely is more than talk and, sadly, where that thing some refer to as "upside potential" is unrealized. Sad, because we’ve never faced a time quite like this. A time where every company needs great ideas, needs every person to step up, needs real leadership, needs to blow the socks off of its dwindling pool of customers. To exceed expectations, to surprise and delight, to shine. Now’s the time to tap that upside potential and take it for a spin around the dance floor. See if there’s truth to the rumor that people, when jazzed about possibilities, mobilized to perform as a team and, critically, given the room to contribute can, indeed, accomplish amazing things. Hey, we’ve seen it happen with our own eyes and, let me tell you, it’s a beautiful thing.

• This thing called 'service'. Last week, to the delight of a very few, we wondered aloud about the dearth of warm, genuine and/or gracious customer service. Assuming that it ever existed in the first place, the question remains: Where has all the service gone? To this we humbly offer our Theory of Bad Service, which defines four core possibilities for the observable decline in customer service:

1. Like other expendable budgetary items, companies have downsized service. This is obvious to anyone who’s ever asked for a second bag of peanuts or another cup of water on that plane that’s over an hour late, waited at the cash register in a line that seems endless, had to stand up and drag a wait person to your restaurant table, or held a phone to your ear for forever while on hold hearing that infernal computer voice (who is she?) for the 100th time tell you that your business is important. Companies have been cutting to the bone and we, my fellow customers, are that bone.

2. As companies mess with their employees (read: layoffs, cuts in pay, reduction in benefits, etc.), employees are, in turn, doing the same with the companies’ customers. The anger and frustration many customer-facing employees have runs strong and deep. How best to get even? Yes! The customer! No matter that we’re paying their salaries. No matter that we’re all that’s between them and unemployment. ‘If we’re going down,’ I’ve been told, ‘I’m taking everyone at the top of this company with me.’ Lovely.

3. Although they’ll deny it into bankruptcy court, companies don’t really care about service. If they did, would the service typically delivered be mediocre at best? Of course there are exceptions – the service at Apple stores is always terrific – but it appears that most companies simply don’t care about making us feel that our money was well spent. Come to think of it, aside from Apple stores, I can’t think of another example of a large, for-profit company that provides consistently outstanding customer service. Can you? And while companies will deny their lack of interest in service long and loud, the answers to two questions will reveal the truth: What care is given to hiring and training those who will serve in customer-facing roles? What will these people be paid?

4. It’s hard to treat others well when you’re scared. And many of us are scared. Unemployment is as high as anyone can remember, state governments are teetering, U.S. automakers are dying before our eyes, and few companies are taking any real steps to assure their people that we, together, will get through this. But, here’s the skinny: We will get through this and those companies that take appropriate steps now will be positioned to thrive as we do so. And, hardly a shock, it will be companies that inspire their people, giving them the freedom to make a difference, making them feel important, allowing their people to provide outstanding service, and providing hope for the future – these will be the companies that will thrive and those where we’ll feel that our money was, indeed, well spent. More about that soon.
Our Theory of Bad Service, in four easy pieces.

• 'Dad, wanna have a catch?' Lastly, like It’s A Wonderful Life for Christmas and The Robe or The Ten Commandments for Easter, shouldn’t Field of Dreams be the official movie of Father’s Day? (If you don’t know to what I refer, watch it again.) Happy Father’s Day to all of you who mentor, coach, guide, support and/or have the backs of anyone, anyplace.

Have fun at work and see you next week.