Success Connections

Manage Your Weaknesses

In a previous article, Overcome Limitations That Are Holding You Back, I shared a little story about Rhonda, and how her weaknesses were holding her back from more success.

Now, Brian Brim, a Principal and leader of Global Client Education for The Gallup Organization, has followed with an excellent article for the Gallup Management Journal.  Debunking Strengths Myths #1: Adopting a strength based approach doesn't mean you can ignore your weaknesses

Brain's strategy for managing your weaknesses:

• Get the right education and training
• Leverage your greatest talents
• Form complementary partnerships
• Just do it
• Stop doing it

Great advice Brian!  Go check out the details of his article here.

What are your tips for managing your weaknesses?

The Quality Of Your Work Equals Your Reputation

I don't typically cross post between this blog and Your Customers Matter...Don't They?  But in this case, I believe the post is worthwhile wisdom for both audiences.  So, without further delay...

I flicked on my furnace this morning to take the bite out of the air and low and behold, no heat!  So I put a call into a guy that’s been taking care of my plumbing and heating woes for over 20 years. 

Greg Van Strien from Van Strien Plumbing and Heating just repaired my furnace.  Even though his day was already jam packed, he reminded me that the temperature was going down to 39 tonight, so he wanted to take care of me before he quit for the day.  That’s what I call dedicated service!  If you live in the Grand Rapids or Lowell area, Greg comes highly recommended!

As I was pondering this post I was basking in the late afternoon sun brightly shining in my newly cleaned windows.  What a sight for sore eyes.  It’s been cloudy so I didn’t really notice the true quality of the job that Dr. Windows did just last week.  Amazing streaks!  And the attention to details around the window edges…not good.  See my previous post here.

Those thoughts reminded me how much the quality of the work can impact your reputation, especially when you’re a professional service provider.  After all, what do you think I’m going to say when a friend says “Didn’t you just get those windows cleaned?” 

I often think the same thing when the stylist at the salon has a bad day.  Sometimes my hair gets fried with bleach, and sometimes she just gets scissor happy.  People still ask, “Where do you get your hair done?”

Sometimes I wonder if professional service providers take this issue seriously enough.  It doesn’t matter whether you fix furnaces, cut hair, wash windows, or anything else.  The quality of the work that you do for your customer impacts your reputation.  If you do hair or nails for a living, your customers are living, walking advertisements for your work.

Are you proud of your advertising?

Talk to me!

Your Customers Matter...Don't They?

Hi Everyone!

I've been busy branching out a bit!  Many of the posts related to customers, customer service, customer experience and CRM have been moved to my new blog Your Customers Matter...Don't They?

If you'd like to follow my thoughts on the world of Customer Service, click here and add it to your feed or sign up for the email update.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Overcome Limitations That Are Holding You Back

Since the release of Marcus Buckingham’s book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, there’s been a lot of buzz about strengths vs weaknesses in the field of personal/professional development.  I absolutely agree with the concept of the book, but I think it misses a key point.

It’s not smart to ignore your limitations (or weaknesses) if they are holding you back.  If you choose to focus on your strengths and ignore ALL of your limitations you could be putting yourself at a disadvantage.  So it pays to know which (if any) of your limitations are holding you back, before you start focusing exclusively on your strengths.  Let me give you an example:

When Rhonda found Buckingham’s book she felt like she finally found the answer to accelerate in her career.  She read everything she could get her hands on about “focusing on your strengths”.  She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was finally on the right path.One of Rhonda’s greatest strengths is her productivity.  She processes paperwork like a printing press spits out print jobs.  And she takes great pride in her speed.  In fact, every year during her performance review she debates the issue with her boss.  But she feels like her boss doesn’t recognize or reward her greatest strength. 

Now here’s where it gets a little bit sticky.  One of Rhonda’s limitations (or weaknesses) is “attention to detail”, and it definitely holds her back.  Have you heard the expression “the devil is in the details”?  Well it’s true.  Poor quality detracts from high productivity, so it minimizes the value of the productivity. 

In essence, the “strength” that Rhonda is so proud of is actually detracting from her overall performance.  If she slowed down a bit, and paid more attention to detail, her work would add more value to her company.

Until she gets this distinction and makes the necessary changes, she’s likely to be frustrated.No matter how much you focus on your strengths, you must also overcome limitations that are holding you back.

Take Action Challenge:

My challenge to you over the next month:

1.    Identify one limitation that’s holding you back
2.    Validate your choice (ask your boss, a colleague or a client if it would be valuable for you to improve or eliminate this weakness)
3.    Determine the steps you need to take to improve or eliminate the limitation
4.    Put your plan into action
5.    Ask for feedback on how you’re doing
6.    Stay focused and keep going
7.    Share your experience with me

How To Receive Feedback The Easy Way

Related Posts:

Add Feedback To Your Whitelist

Ask For Feedback Regularly

 

First, a couple of key points about feedback.

 

§            Most people tell you what they think you want to hear because either they don’t know how to provide feedback, or they aren’t comfortable providing feedback.

 

§            There is no universal “TRUTH” - We all have our own version of the truth – what is true for me may be different than what is true for you.  There are facts and data but in reality “truth” is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

If you agree with these points then it’s probably safe to assume that you understand the value of knowing what people are thinking…AKA getting feedback. 

 

On the flip side, there is probably a little part of you wincing at the mere thought of hearing something less than wonderful.  It’s sort of like sitting in the dentist’s chair through a root canal.  You know that when it’s over you’ll feel better, but the thought of sitting through the needles and drilling is dreadful.

 

Here’s one way to receive feedback the easy way.

 

Let’s assume for a moment that you’re responsible for managing the IT Help Line in your company.  What you know for sure is that the competition is stiff.  There are hundreds of little IT support businesses out there that would love to convince your company to outsource to them.  You know in your heart that there’s a good chance your company could save some significant money through outsourcing.  Your ultimate goal is make sure that your company is getting the best return on investment possible.

 

One of your strategies is to collect information from your users at least every quarter.  After all, the satisfaction of your users is an important factor in the success of your department.  You want to know everything they’re saying about the help line because chances are, they’re telling plenty of other people about their experiences.  So it’s in your best interest to uncover as much as you can.  You want the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

This is a bit of what you learned in your last survey:

§            75% of the users responded to your survey

§            50% of those who responded said that their issue was resolved in the first call

§            25% of those who responded said that their issue required 2 – 3 calls

§            25% of those who responded said that their issue is still unsolved

 

Now that you have the information you can decide what to do with it.  You decide how to react or respond.  Which response would you be inclined to choose?

 

§            “This is ridiculous!  Something must be wrong with this data.  The survey’s have never shown 25% of the issues still unsolved!”

§            “Hmmm…let’s take compare it to the last survey and take a look at the tech support database and see if we can learn more about what might be going on.”

§            “We know our users have been frustrated by the new software install.  Let’s just file this away and see what the next one shows.”

 

The beauty of collecting the information (getting feedback) is that you know more than you did before, and you can choose to act on it or default and do nothing.  It puts you in the driver’s seat.  Information gives you power…feedback gives you power.

 

So the easiest way to receive feedback is to look at it as an information collection process.  And that’s what you’re doing…collecting information that you can use to take charge of your future. 

 

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Validate Your Assumptions

I've received some good feedback from the March issue of Relating@Work.  I don't normally make a habit of posting info from the newsletter here (so people don't get duplicate information), but this time I thought there may be value.  You can register for your own copy of Relating@Work here.  It's a free quick read, focused on one monthly strategy, and includes 3 - 4 support links for additional reference.  You can expect it just once (the first week) every month.  This month's topic...Validate Your Assumptions

Amy is a concierge for a prominent hotel in town.  She has a reputation for "pulling rabbits out of hats"…for making the impossible…possible. 

Last week one of the hotel's preferred guests put her skills to the test.  He wanted 10 tickets to a sold out concert at the local arena.  She assured him she would do everything possible.  In her own mind she thought, "I've pulled this off before, it's no problem." 

After a few calls she found that one of the corporate suites was open.  Within the next 2 hours she had the deal nailed down.  The only thing left to do was communicate to the guest.

Now that turned out to be the real challenge.  After several attempts to reach the guest she was starting to get stressed.  Her daughter's dance recital started in an hour, and she vowed not to miss it.

She decided to turn the job over to the hotel desk manager.  After all, she knew him well, and he always came through for her in a pinch.

This situation turned into a nightmare.  The front desk manager couldn't reach the guest either.  He finally assumed the guest would stop by and ask about the tickets.  In the meantime, the guest assumed that Amy couldn't get the tickets; after all he hadn't heard from her.  Although he wasn't happy about it, he made other plans.

The next morning Amy realized what happened.  She was infuriated.  After all, her reputation that was on the line.  After she chewed up and spit out the front desk manager, she immediately jumped into her "damage control" mode.

Can you pick out the assumptions that contributed to the issue here?

§           Amy assumed that the front desk manager would follow through for her.

§           The desk manager assumed that the guest would check on the tickets.

§           The guest assumed that Amy couldn't get the tickets.

In this case, 3 people made assumptions but didn't bother to validate them.  What could the assumptions cost the hotel?

§           The preferred guest didn't get what he wanted, and he's likely take his business elsewhere.

§           Amy is so angry with the desk manager that she's not speaking to him.  There is tension between them and they're not communicating.  Tension and lack of communication can cost the company plenty in terms of wasted time, lower productivity and possibly even poor service.

People avoid using the word "assume" because they know too well that it can lead to trouble. Often an assumption is hiding beneath by a statement like, "I thought you were…"

It's human nature to assume.  Most of us make several assumptions every single day.  Great people in companies make assumptions.  Smart people validate their assumptions. 

Are you ready to take the challenge?

Take Action Challenge:

My challenge to you over the next week:

1.       Start listening to yourself very closely

2.       Notice how often you need to explain something that didn't go as expected

3.       Catch yourself every time you start thinking or saying, "I assumed…" or "I thought…"

4.       Start asking yourself, "What am I assuming here?"

5.       Practice validating your assumptions before things go wrong

6.       Notice what's different for you

7.       Share your experience with me

Godaddy Update

The Godaddy saga finally came to an end.  Not because their tech wizards helped me.  I simply figured it out for myself.

I did get a great little bit of advice though.  You increase your chances of success with their tech support team if you call versus using their email system.  Secondly, keep calling back and getting different people until someone comes through for you.

After about 4 worthless email exchanges I picked up the phone.  The response from that wizard was "We don't do that".  So I called back.  This time I got Justin.  Justin wasn't completely sure about what I was trying to accomplish, but he was very willing to help if he could.

So for the heck of it I asked him why the others wouldn't help me.  He said, "Well we don't normally do this, but I would want someone to help me if I needed it".  Wow!!!  Great attitude Justin!  Thank YOU!!! 

Justin sent me away to get a piece of information, but he gave me his email address so we could continue down the path.  He was committed to helping me.  He even offered to call me back after I provided the info.

In the meantime I resolved the issue.  BUT...it still helped a great deal to know that I could go back to Justin if needed.

What do you think?  Do you think Justin was out of line for offering to do something his co-workers weren't willing to do?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Godaddy Doesn't Get It

I would have never guessed that Godaddy would show up as a service rant here.  That was until I needed a little tech support for the first time.

For several days now I've been trying to map a new blog "Get Your Career In Gear" to a domain I registered with Godaddy a few months back.  I'm no geek, and that's probably part of the problem.  Typepad has done a pretty good job of detailing instructions, but I still haven't been successful.

This morning I decided to try to get help from Godaddy.  Here's the response I received:  "Unfortunately we cannot assist with this issue however, you will need to modify your Total DNS settings so the information below can be used to update the info needed."  The email went on to tell me how to access the DNS settings.

What kind of an answer is this?  Why can't they assist with the issue?  What needs to change in my DNS settings?  Now I have more questions than I did in the beginning!

Godaddy!  This is the first time I've tried to use your tech support...and this is your customer's first impression about the service you provide.  I've got to tell you...it's not good!

Unfortunately little issues like this are all too common in the world of customer service today.  One person decides to take the easy way out.  Doesn't take the time to help the customer.  And one customer at a time disappears.  They find a company that cares about doing business with them.

What do you think?  Am I missing something here?  Talk to me.

End Of Year Reflection

Ian Christie over at the Being Bold Blog is creating a great series of posts called "Career Development Through The Holidays".  His most recent post focuses on the "Reflective Phase".  Something most of us start doing as we approach the new year.  Some of the year end reflection questions he suggests:

1. What happened this year that I want to record?

2. Where did I meet the targets I set for myself and where did I fall short?

3. What behaviors helped me to succeed? What behaviors caused me to fail?

4. What did I learn?

5. What unfinished business do I have going into the New Year?

6. What do I want for the coming year?
* What do I want to start doing?
* What do I want to stop doing?
* What do I want to achieve? Happen? For me? For those around me?

7. Why are those things important to me? What different will they make in my life?

8. What would success look like in the various aspects of my life?

9. What decisions do I need to make?

10. What am I resisting doing?

11. What goals am I setting for myself?

12. What is my plan to achieve those goals?

13. What structures can I set in place to increase the probabilities that I will succeed?

Great post Ian!

Let me ask you this!

What are you doing to wrap up your year and move your career forward for next year?

The Genius Of Mistakes

Curt Rosengren over at The Occupational Adventure posted a couple of great takes on "The Genius Of Mistakes".  He suggests keeping a genius mistakes journal.  It's a fabulous idea and an effective tool to reflect back on lessons learned.  Check it out here:  The Genius Of Mistakes