January 2012
1 post
Zappos - on of my favourate subjects ...
Interesting article on Zappos in Business insider -
http://www.businessinsider.com/zappos-customer-service-crm-2012-1
with a fantastic little video advert…
Looking forward to the Zappos insights webinar tonight - “Bring your vision to Life”
November 2011
2 posts
positive thinking and countering negative thoughts
It’s interesting when you read a couple of articles within a day or so of each other, where the message is linked. As with a lot of these things, the fundamentals are the same but are put across in different ways. I love to read everything, but always find some articles or authors will resonate with you more than others, it’s just a question of finding the right fit.
this article...
An interesting take on Voltaire.
Stephen R Covey in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” (a highly recommended read), has an interesting take on the saying “the best is the enemy of the good”, the subject of a previous post.
In the context of the advice to “put first things first” and saying no to people in certain circumstances, Covey said that saying yes to something good...
October 2011
1 post
Putting the customer first
Whatever business you are in, putting the customer first makes financial sense. According to research, companies which outperform the American Customer Satisfaction Index also outperform the stock market in terms of success. Put your customer first, and profits will follow. Interesting reading on customer service research from Shep Hyken here.
August 2011
3 posts
Do more at $200 an hour, and write your job...
Each working day we have work to do that differs in its value - admin tasks at $10 an hour to high level creative at $200. Target to increase the $200 work, even a small percentage increase will make a huge difference to your work or business.
And whatever level you are at, write your job description - watch this excellent short video from Paul Lemberg
http://www.paullemberg.com/jobdescription/
in the morning, and the evening
A couple of ideas I came across, online and from a colleague recently, to start and finish the day.
Creatives often start early, and spend the first 30 minutes of the day writing, often before breakfast. This is a great way to have a positive effect on the day, for momentum and creativity.
And an excellent suggestion for the end of the working days is to spend 5 minutes jotting down what you...
Core Values - a deep dive?
Focusing on your core values is a key to success in many business and personal coaching models. I came across this useful exercise from Culturesync - the team behind the excellent book, Tribal Leadership.
http://www.culturesync.net/happiness Its well worth downloading and completing for yourself, and for your organisation. Also listen to the audio instructions from Dave Logan - with some...
July 2011
3 posts
invest, in yourself.
Do no underestimate the importance of investing in yourself. A valuable lesson that I learned from Tony Phillips is that spend some time each day doing what you love and increasing your development - this is not in conflict with you work, but in harmony with it.
One of my colleagues is has always been relentlessly disciplined in the time she devotes each day to research and keeping up to date...
are you listening? →
This little story emphases the value of really listening (scroll down to “Thanks for your interest”…). When someone is speaking to you, are you giving them your full attention, making eye contact and hearing what they say with the correct body language?
It shows respect, and makes a remarkable difference to working relationships.
Delegation, and not delegating.
Delegation is great and a necessary and valuable skill to be embraced. In my experience,more often than not people love to be asked to take on more responsibility. The feeling of letting go and watching them grow is very rewarding and really cannot be underestimated.
Some things, though, might need to be kept closer to home. You may always need to deal with a select group of clients, customers...
June 2011
3 posts
A cup of tea and a cigarette
I was lucky enough a few years ago to go on a expedition to Morocco, learning desert survival techniques from Jonny Crockett and Kevan Palmer. Our instructor gave us the first piece of advice on what to do when lost in the desert, and the gentleman in charge of transport, with over 30 years of desert travel experience, said that it was the most sensible thing we would learn.
When things go...
The importance of persistence
I came across a quote this morning which stuck in my mind when I read it some years ago. The quote, attibuted to Calvin Coolidge,
Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States:-
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education...
The best is the enemy of the Good
One of my favorites, first heard from Drayton Bird but attributable to Voltaire - Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien. And an ideal first post, especially given the danger of always waiting until something is “just right”. Beware of the danger of putting things off until the moment is right or until you have the perfect result; it is often much better to take a view and get something...