The February Leadership Development Carnival is now live over at TalentedApps.  Thanks to Mark Bennett for doing us all a great service by putting this edition of readings together. As always, you will find great articles by some of the best thinkers and bloggers on leadership.  Shoot, you can even find an article by me

Thanks also to Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership for making the Leadership Development Carnival consistently excellent month after month.

My most recent article for The Student Branding Blog is now posted. In it, I recommend that students read Seth Godin’s new book “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?“  I reviewed the book previously here and concluded that although Seth’s message is not entirely original, it is still a powerful message.

Especially in tough economic times, if you are not remarkable you are replaceable. Because the overwhelming majority of your peers are content with the mediocrity that pervades their lives, including their work, it is not as difficult as it might sound to become the remarkable person in the crowd.

But it’s impossible if you don’t see your mediocrity and resolve to behave your way to excellence.

Related Posts:

Are You Untouchable?

Excellence Is A Form Of Deviance

The Land Of Excellence

I recently wrote about an experience I had where ATT had a service failure that they used Twitter to help them recover from. As a result of my laments about ATT service on Twitter, my complaint was addressed and I received two separate calls from people at ATT to make sure I was satisfied. One of those folks, Randy Brown, also sent me a letter to apologize and invite me to call him directly if I have any more concerns about ATT service. You can see that letter by clicking on the link below:

attletter

I think that is impressive. In fact, I can’t recall ever getting a letter like that when a company as giant as ATT dropped the ball. But that is the way that it should be.

We can think of all kinds of excuses why companies should not send letters of apology to customers after they recover from failure, but excuses are irrelevant. Customers rightfully expect more when they spend hard earned and increasingly scarce dollars, and smart companies will listen to those customers, strive to impress them, and drive their competitors out of business.

In my January 2010 newsletter, I invited my subscribers to tell me about the best leader they have ever known personally. I offered to publish these stories at my blog to recognize these leaders for their service. One of my subscribers, Jackie Christensen, shared with me the story of her favorite leader, Alita Burke. The story I share below is in Jackie’s words, and Jackie graciously gave me permission to publish it here and share it with you.

I am a subscriber to your newsletter and when I read about you wanting stories of great leadership there was only one person who came to mind for me.  That person is Alita Burke. I have had many bosses before and after her and no one has compared to her leadership.  She is the type of leader who knows and understands her people. She knows those on her team she can rely most on and those who will give her the honest information/feedback she needs. If she cannot get information in a meeting from the team and yet knows there is a problem no one will talk about, she knows who the person on her team is she can go to and get the information in order to fix it if she can. She is the type of leader who will always stand behind her people if she thinks they are right, no matter the cost; who will take a decision/idea to the top to get approval if she thinks its right; but is also the type of leader who will tell you when you are wrong without hesitation.  She is the type of leader you always know where you stand with her. She is the best in the company I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and I’m probably one of her great supporters and will not hesitate to let others know how wonderful she is.  She is the type of leader every company wishes they had more of!

Alita has always treated peers with dignity and respect.  She never raises her voice.  If you need to be corrected for something with Alita it is always done in private and its done when it happens not day/week etc later.  One of the best books she ever got me to read was the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard.  She is excellent at developing people by example and by sharing leadership and motivation books/knowledge with them.

Thanks for sharing this story, Jackie! And thank you, Alita, for all you do for the people you have been given the privilege to lead.

Do you have a story of a great leader that you would like to share? If so, contact me because I’d love to hear it.

Related Posts:

My Best Leaders: Part I

Another Great Leader

Another Great Leader: The Paradox of Repsect

In November of 2009, I switched my TV and Internet services from Charter Communications to ATT. I’ve never been a big fan of ATT, but I was tired of paying high cable bills and the internet service while fast, was not 100% reliable.

I ordered my ATT U-Verse service over the phone. The service was of course top-notch. Among the things I got over the phone was an offer for $300 worth of bonus rewards that I was told would come in the form of two separate Visa cards once my service was installed. One card was supposed to be for $100 with a separate card for $200 – so I thought.

I never realized that ATT could deliver satellite TV over the phone line. The TV service meets my expectations, and the Internet exceeds my expectations. I was nervous about switching to DSL, but it is every bit as fast as my cable and 100% reliable (so far). I highly recommend the product – it is a winner.

The problem came when I tried to get the rewards I was promised. To make a long story short, they tried to deliver 50% of what I was promised, twice as many cards (most $50), and 1-2 months later than I was led to believe I would receive them.  I spent (wasted) hours of my time on the phone negotiating the automated avoidance system trying to reach a live person to help me with my problem. Last week my frustration boiled over when I tried to activate one of the reward cards and both the internet and telephone system failed to work.

So I took my lament to Twitter and complained about ATT.

That same day, a representative from ATT, @ATTChrisL reached out to me on Twitter and asked for my phone number. I was impressed, but that soon led to more frustration when he told me he had simply passed my number on to someone else.

When I did not get a call, I went back on Twitter and lamented again. Once again, @ATTChrisL responded, apologized, and took some additional action. A few days later, I got two separate calls from people at ATT to help me with my problem. My cards arrived Friday of last week for the full amount I was promised, and this time the telephone activation system worked flawlessly.

I think ATT is very smart to be on Twitter, and very fortunate to have people like @ATTChrisL working for them. He did his best to help me, but the system ATT has set up for him to work with still needs some improvement. Instead of being forced to pass me off to someone else, the system would be better if @ATTChrisL could work within his system to solve problems and then get back to customers with real solutions.

I was also encouraged to see that ATT fixed one of the roots of their problem, the broken reward card activation system. The other root problem I hope they address is how the folks that take orders communicate promises about rewards. They need to be much clearer about what it takes to get the reward, and while they are at it, they should simplify the entire system so customers get promised rewards quicker and easier.

Overall, I consider this a good example of how social media can help companies recover from service failures. I am impressed and very glad to be able to share this story of success.

If your company is going to be on Twitter, and I think it should be, you need to be ready to take action when people complain. The folks that run your Twitter accounts need to be trained and enabled to make decisions and take actions that will help you recover from a service failure and once again impress your customers. You also need to take what you learn from customers on Twitter and fix the root causes of the complaints in your products and service delivery systems. If you set up a system like this, Twitter can be a powerful tool that will differentiate you from your competition.

If you are not willing to do this, then your company should not even be on Twitter.

Related Posts:

Personal Branding: How and Why I Use Twitter

Pat’s Garage: The Website

Service System Failure: A Tale of Two Hotels

There are at least five places right on the UNR campus that I can buy coffee, so the competition for those selling Joe is stiff. Coffee is sold in the fast food joint in my building, but I usually prefer to take a walk to buy from either Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee, which are located within 40 yards of each other.

The tall (small) cup of Starbucks coffee of the day sells for about $1.62. You can always count on that coffee being fresh because they brew a new batch every 30 minutes or sooner based on how fast they are turning over inventory. The coffee is kept behind the counter and poured for you by a Starbuck’s associate.

Last week I discovered that Peet’s Coffee sold a 12 oz cup of coffee for $.99.  That coffee was kept in a decanter on the counter, so you had no idea how fresh the coffee was when the associate handed you a cup for you to pour your own coffee.  But that was the best price on campus for a cup of coffee, so I switched my purchases from Starbuck’s to Peet’s. I bought my cheap coffee from Peet’s all last week, and Monday and Tuesday of this week.

I assumed that’s what Peet’s wanted me to do – buy product from them instead of their competitors.  Isn’t that what you want to do as a business, train your competitors’ customers to buy from you instead of them? More than that, you want to get my butt (and the wallet next to it) in your store, because if I never step into your store to buy my $.99 cup of coffee, you have no opportunity at all to suggestive sell me anything else you offer (e.g. bagels).

Today I walked across campus for my $.99 coffee from Peet’s and when I got up to the counter I was told “we are out of that.” Excuse me! Assuming that all coffee from decanters sitting next to each other on a counter that I have to pour myself is all the same, I asked “well, why can’t I have one of those for the same price?”  She explained to me in all seriousness that they only have so much of the “special” coffee every year and when they are out, they are out. Oh, my goodness.

My money was already on the counter, but I picked it up, put it back in my pocket, and walked out. I went across the way and gladly paid Starbucks $1.62 for fresh coffee and extremely friendly service. I will never return to Peet’s.  The Starbuck’s product is consistently superior, as is their service, so when price is no longer a factor, I’d be an idiot to pay the same for a colder and older cup of Joe.

What could management at Peet’s be thinking? Having successfully retrained customers to switch their buying habits from their larger and better known competitor, why would Peet’s want to alienate customers by taking away the deal? Even if you assume a conservative profit after controllables (PAC) of 20%, why would you want to surrender this position? Remember, from a competitive perspective, not only are you making profit off your sales, you are keeping your competitor from making a profit off the same sale.

All you have to do is compare the traffic flow between Starbuck’s and Peet’s, as well as the labor on the floor (5 associates at Starbucks to 1 at Peet’s) to know that Starbuck’s is kicking Peet’s butt. Love or hate Starbucks, at least they know how to compete.

Related Posts:

Service System Failure: A Tale of Two Hotels

Help Your Employees Kick Ass

The Service-Profit Chain

I am very pleased to feature a guest post today by Jim Taggart.  I love what Jim has to say, and I would strongly encourage you to leave Jim a comment at the end of this post. Here is Jim’s bio, followed by his article. Enjoy!

Jim Taggart has been a student of leadership for over 15 years, devoting over a decade to applied work in leadership development, organizational learning and team building. As a thought leader, he has initiated and led several change management projects. He’s also an economist, and has conducted research into labour market functioning, business innovation and industrial competitiveness.

In addition to a Masters degree in economics, he holds a Masters degree in leadership and organizational learning. He recently released his first e-book: “Becoming a Holistic Leadership: Strategies for Successful Leadership Using a Principle-Based Approach.” Jim’s passion for leadership extends to openly sharing with others. He invites you to visit his leadership website http://www.leadershipworldconnect.com and his blog http://changingwinds.wordpress.com

Leadership is hard work–really hard work. Just when you think you’re getting it, finally figuring it out, you encounter a new situation at work or in your community. And from this you learn, adapt and move forward. The “situation” could be an underperforming employee, a micro-managing boss who questions your decisions, a fellow municipal councilor with whom you frequently disagree, an uncooperative community stakeholder, or a very demanding client.

In facing these challenges, one key element is often ignored by those in leadership positions: the support and loyalty of those you lead. Remember, management is an appointment of position; leadership is earned, regardless of where you work and the position you hold.

Many years ago as a new manager I fell on my face more times than I could count. Maybe it’s partly due to my Scottish heritage, but I stuck it out, learning from my mistakes, adapting and always moving forward. Along the way things started to fit together. And now that I’m completing a 28 year career in the public service and seeking to start a new one, I can look back and shake my head at some of my dumb mistakes. But I also take pride at my accomplishments, which would not have been possible without the terrific people with whom I worked, and in some cases, led. Leadership, I fervently believe, is a shared phenomenon.

I’ve learned many lessons after 30 plus years in the workforce. However, what I would like to share with you are ten ways to gain respect from your co-workers and those you lead. Sure it’s not the definitive list, but drawn from my personal experiences.

I believe that by adhering to these lessons you will set yourself on the right path to excellence in leadership, and also achieve great results with your committed followers. With that said, please keep in mind that this is a never-ending process of self-enlightenment and personal growth. Keep stretching your learning.

Good luck in your leadership journey!

1. Get to know your co-workers and their families. This doesn’t mean snooping or putting on a false interest, but instead showing genuine interest in those you lead.

2. It’s okay to change your mind. If you change direction, make sure that you explain clearly to your team why you did so. It’s also advisable to involve your team in setting direction, as well as when it needs to be altered.

3. Communicate clearly and regularly. Ensure that your team is up to date on what is going on in the organization. The best way to do this is face-to-face. Make judicious use of email.

4. Encourage a learning culture within your team. Show leadership by starting with yourself. Lifelong learning is not a 9 to 5 proposition; it’s about how you absorb new experiences at work and through community service, training courses, assignments, reading, travel, etc. It’s a reciprocal process: employers provide opportunities to learn and grow, but employees also need to engage in activities outside of work.

5. Maintain a careful balance between work and socializing. As much as it’s good to do some outside socializing with your team, take particular care as a manager to never be seen as creating favorites, which can occur through social activities.

6. Give regular feedback on performance. Be open and honest. Don’t whitewash performance reviews; this doesn’t help anyone and deludes people (especially newer recruits) into believing that they’re doing a good job. But acknowledge and recognize superior performance. And be sure to link performance reviews to learning activities. Performance and learning go hand-in-hand.

7. Make generous use of self-deprecating humor. NEVER make fun of others at their expense. This shows your own insecurity. And don’t tolerate others making fun of those who may be more vulnerable. Lead by example.

8. Share the leadership. Avoid micromanaging your staff. As they gain work experience and grow, keep the tension on by giving more responsibility and leadership opportunities. As manager, park your ego.

9. Admit when you screw up. Make a point of showing how you’ve learned from the mistake. This is a powerful way to demonstrate your leadership to your team and to underscore that you’re not above them–you’re a human being.

10. Stand behind your staff during times of difficulty. When your staff make mistakes or get caught up in organizational politics and are in trouble, don’t abandon them in an attempt to cover your own ass. If you can’t stand behind one of your team members, then you don’t belong in management and you’re certainly not a leader.

Thanks, Jim!

This weekend, my family and I stayed at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Reno, Nevada. If you are ever in Reno and need a great place to stay, I highly recommend the Hyatt Place. The service was excellent. The minute we hit the door we were greeted by a friendly staff associate that was ready to check us in. The rooms were new, large, clean, and well furnished. Our room had two queen beds, a sofa, desk, iron/board, free Internet access, free coffee at 5 am, free breakfast at 6 am, free airport shuttle, and the largest flat screen TV I have ever seen in a hotel room. We got all this for $89 – a tremendous value.

If I ever need a room in Reno, I won’t even consider anyplace else. If anyone ever asks me for a recommendation, I won’t hesitate to recommend The Hyatt Place. I will use this hotel as an example in my management classes, so I will end up singing the praises of Hyatt Place to over 100 students every year (students love examples). I gave the Hyatt Place an opportunity to impress me, and they made the most of that opportunity.

But it is not where I wanted to stay.

I wanted to stay at John Asquaga’s Nugget. I’ve booked a major social media marketing conference with this hotel in December 2010, so I am going to be sending lots of customers and tens of thousands of dollars their way. I was impressed with them when I vetted venues for our conference, but I wanted to see firsthand what type of experience my customers can expect when they try to book a room and stay in the hotel this December.

This hotel has two towers. The east tower is recently upgraded, so rooms in that tower go for about $20 more than rooms in the west tower. On the night I needed a hotel, the west tower room rate was around what I paid at the Hyatt Place. At their website, they advertise a special upgrade to a room in the east tower for the same rate as a room in the west tower. I tried to book the advertised special upgrade, but although rooms were available in the east tower, the special was not available online on the night I needed a room.

So I picked up the phone and called the hotel.

The person I spoke to was very friendly and courteous. She explained to me all the different nights in February when I could stay at The Nugget and get the special. But as I explained to her,  that did not matter to me because I needed a hotel room for only one night – January 30, 2010. She apologized, and then she let me go.  I was dumbfounded.

I was a pre-qualified customer. I was going to spend my money somewhere on 1/30/10, it was just a matter of where. I was motivated enough to pick up the phone and call the hotel when I ran into a roadblock at the website – so they had ample reason to believe that I wanted to spend my money with them. But for essentially $20, they lost $100 in revenue that night and any future revenue that I might bring to their hotel via my own needs and recommendations I will make to others.  I am convinced they had empty rooms in the east tower that night. Is that good business?

I consider that a service system failure. The worst part is management at the hotel will never know that they lost revenue they could easily have had that night, and they will never be able to measure the negative impact letting me go will have on future revenue streams. Sure, it is probably small, but your business lives and dies in a tough economy with how it handles the little things.

I went out of my way to give them an opportunity to impress me, but they squandered it.

Why wasn’t the reservation’s agent trained to say “We want your business, what would it take to get you to stay with us?” Not much, and this story would have turned out entirely differently.

After hanging up with The Nugget, I found the Hyatt Place website and they advertised a price of $89. I had a problem placing my reservation online, so I picked up the phone and called the hotel. Over the phone I was quoted a price of $99 for the room. When I told them I had seen it online for $89, they did not hesitate to book me at that rate.

I consider that a system success. It is a success that I hope will reap future revenue streams for the hotel because in my opinion they earned it. I work hard for my money, and I am very happy to spend it with a business that has smart systems and people trained to use those systems to impress customers.

Are your service systems disabling your employees from impressing your customers?  Do you even have a system to know how many sales you lose as a result of the design of your service systems?  If not, you deserve what your customers are going to say about you.

Related Posts:

Enablement

Pat’s Garage: Kick Ass Excellence In Action

Service-Profit Chain: There Is Something Right With This Picture

Please take some time to visit The Student Branding Blog, where I am a regular contributor. Today, my post is entitled “Consistency and Transparency.” If you are serious about communicating your value to others, and you should be, then you need to eliminate any confusion about who you are and what you can do to help others with problems that matter to them.You also need to be an open book everywhere you go online.

Ambiguity and opacity are the antithises of personal branding.

Check it out!

I got an early copy of Seth Godin’s new book “Linchpin: Are you indispensable” because I made a $40 donation to the charity Acumen. In return, I agreed to review the book in a blog post at my site. Here goes, I hope you find this helpful.

Every once in a while I run across a book that is so important, so compelling, so unique with respect to not only content but also writing style that I can’t put it down until I finish it. This is not one of those books (for me); nevertheless, I am going to recommend it because I concur with his core message and if you have not heard it before from other sources, I think you need to hear it now.

Parts of this book are brilliant – they will change how I talk about my core message. Much of what Seth had to say in this book was not new to me, and frankly I prefer the way others have said it. But Seth has a style of writing that will appeal to many, and I predict many will come away reading this book thinking it is the most important book they have read in a long time.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a BIG fan of Seth Godin, but for this book such claims would be pretentious.

Here is Seth’s bottom line:

I didn’t set out to get you to quit your job or to persuade you to become an entrepreneur or merely to change the entire world. All I wanted to do in this book was sell you on being the artist you already are. To make a difference. To stand for something. To get the respect and security you deserve. If I’ve succeeded, then you know that you have a gift to give, something you can do to change the world (or your part of it) for the better. I hope you’ll do that, because we need you. (p. 230).

I think he succeeded, and if you have never heard this message, then I encourage you to get this book and read it. Seth is right, we need you to make a difference, to stand for something. YOU need you to make a difference.

A linchpin is someone that is remarkable. They bring the emotional labor to their work. They pour themselves into what they do because they know it is the right thing to do, and they become better people for living and working this way. This also makes them very scarce, and that scarcity makes them valuable – indispensable.

Seth defines art as “the intentional act of using your humanity to create a change in another person” (p. 99). I love that. Seth acknowledges that when we give to others, the law of reciprocity kicks in and they will feel indebted to return our favor. But Seth reminded me that when we give to others with no expectation of anything in return, that posture of unconditional generosity changes us. It creates abundance in our lives and in the lives of those we connect with at work and in our communities. I’ve known that for a long time, but is always good to be reminded of it. Thanks, Seth.

I wish this book had been 50 pages and free on the internet instead of 236 pages and $15 on Amazon. Then more people that need to hear this message of remarkable, abundant living might get it. Alas, this book to some extent represents the cog in the system that is the object of Seth’s lament.