Have you been to customer service hell? Of course, you have. It gains more ground in our world every day. Personal responsibility is in decline. There are many facets to good customer service, but there’s one principle that underlies all of them: personal ownership. Good customer service happens when an agent takes personal responsibility for…
Critical Thinking Creates Results “I can’t trust my people to make big decisions.” “My employees aren’t engaged.” “No one cares as much as I do.” Coaches and consultants hear these frustrations often. These are symptoms of a complex problem that has a simple solution. Here’s a true story. Evan, an executive in professional services was…
“That’s an issue I’m working on.” “I’m a work in progress.” “I do a lot of work on myself.” Sometimes these are statements of responsibility. Sometimes they’re excuses. How do you tell the difference? Popularity of any anything tends to dilute. I’m reminded of the Devil Wears Prada Scene where we’re taught how trends from…
This article is about dealing with excuses. Don’t have time to read it? Yeah, that’s probably an excuse. C’mon, you’ve got five minutes, especially because: If you spend time dealing with excuses, this article will save you hundreds of hours a year. Also, in this article is a free tool with six simple principles that,…
Imagine you’re a personal trainer: you help people get in shape. A new client calls you and tells you their problems: they’re tired a lot, their clothes don’t fit, and they don’t feel comfortable going to the beach because of how they look. You tell them you can help, and schedule the first session. The…
2016 was a huge year for my client, Brian, and I want to honor his transformation. Brian and his wife, Kim, own a landscaping and snow removal company. They came to me in July of 2014 with a list of serious problems in their family business. They were both working about eighty hours a week.…
The following isn’t a secret, but might as well be because it’s rarely understood. I was very fortunate to begin my coaching career at EMyth in 2002. The E-Myth Revisited remains to be one of the top best-selling business books of all time (over ten million copies last I heard). I’ve spoken to hundreds, perhaps…
Have you ever given brilliant advice to someone who couldn’t receive it? Of course you have. I want to tell you about one of my biggest mistakes. I’ll also share with you one of the secrets of getting good help. We all need help, but don’t often realize we can make ourselves more helpable. As…
Here’s one crazy idea that has the power to change an entire company: no adult should need supervision. I’ll explain. Let’s define supervision this way: Ensuring somebody who already knows what to do, actually does it right. Management on the other hand, we can define as supporting people to grow and learn in ways they…
I know. You’re tired of hearing about New Year’s Resolutions. But I promise you something new here. We’re going to turn the whole thing on its head, and that’s always fun. What if everything you’ve been taught about goal setting left out the key ingredient? And that’s why your eyes glaze over when you hear…