Correction

Posted on March 3, 2011 by David

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” Goethe

As an experiment, I’ve changed my approach to communicating with my team at work. Why I have waited this long is a mystery.

I guess part of it is the anticipation of attending more training through the Disney Institute. The next course is on People Management.

Are you a manager or supervisor? How are your communication skills? Do you have a high turnover rate among front line employees? Do your front line employees know what it takes to achieve your goals?

What is your skill level on correcting and encouraging your employees so that they perform at their best? How good are you at selecting the right individual for the right job?

Those are the questions I hope to get answered as part of the course.

I guarantee you this . . . it will probably reveal more about my faults, areas where I need correction, and how to communicate to all of my team members. It should be humbling and rewarding at the same time.

Day 3 – What standard are you using for self correction?

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Posted in 31 Day Challenge, Answers, Bottom Line, Disney Institute, Front Line, Goals, Leadership, Learning, Manager, Retention, Talents, Teamwork, Training | 5 Comments

What are you giving away today?

Posted on March 2, 2011 by David

Give it away.

When was the last time you bought a book? Wait, it’s 2011. Sorry to be so outdated.

When was the last time you downloaded a book in electronic form to your e-reader of choice? Was it from a best-selling author? And was it free?

I did. And it was almost free. It was $1. The going rate for most electronic books is $10. Why would the author do that?

He’s taking an uncharacteristic (that’s 6 syllables folks – I usually don’t get that fancy) marketing approach to generate a buzz even before the book was published.

And it worked. Thousands of people signed up, tweeted, liked and otherwise jumped on the bandwagon for the new blog/newsletter. While he didn’t reach his goal (whatever that was), he felt compelled to offer the book for a buck if you pre-ordered before March 1st. I say it’s worth the investment and I haven’t even read the first word.

Is this a new tactic or an old tactic wrapped in a package using new technology? Marketers, successful ones anyway, are great at creating a sense of urgency. You need their product and you need it now. There’s nothing new about this approach.

Like a drug dealer, I’m going to let you have this now, just this once, for free. You’re going to love it so much I know you’ll be back for more. And next time you’ll pay for it.

So with your service or product, what are you going to give away today? You say you can’t afford to throw money away. I say you can’t afford not to.

Day 2 – Free gift. No purchase necessary.

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Posted in 31 Day Challenge, Change, Free, Impactful, Incredibly different, Linchpin, Seth Godin | 6 Comments

Change is good

Posted on March 1, 2011 by David

Don’t like the way sales are going? Then something has to change.

Don’t like the person you’re working for? Then something has to change.

Don’t like your paycheck? Don’t like . . . . whatever? Then something has to change.

And the change might be you.

I didn’t like the fact that I wasn’t giving enough attention to my blog. And maybe, just maybe, someone out there wasn’t getting the encouragement they were seeking to help them in some way.

So a challenge is born. March has 31 days. There will be 31 blogs in 31 days. Some days may get two posts. A friend of mine did the same thing a couple of years ago. He’s still writing.

Where will my challenge lead?

Day 1 – Ready. Set. Go.

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Posted in Change, Cheerleader, Dreams, Encouragement, Focused, Insane | 7 Comments

If you are a leader, who’s following?

Posted on February 22, 2011 by David

When this blog first started, it was just one of millions of blogs in cyberspace.

After returning from a Disney Institute course on Leadership Excellence, I had a story to tell. Yes, David Balentine had a story that he wanted to share with everyone. Why? What was going to be so special about his story?

Well, everything. That is if you believe in the power of story telling.

At first, there was nobody around. It’s like walking on stage in an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,000 and all 1,000 seats were empty. But slowly, one-by-one people started coming in. Some just dropped in for a moment, others grabbed a front-row seat.

So, are you a leader? How many followers do you have? It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 or 100,000,000. Inspiring others to become more than they think they are requires leadership.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams

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Posted in allforthecustomer.com, Audience, Customer Service, Disney Institute, Following, Leadership, Sharing, Social Media | 5 Comments

Overwhelmed

Posted on February 18, 2011 by David

"IT . . . . COULD . . . WORK!"

Have you ever had a time in your life where a lot of things are clicking together all at once? And this is in a good way.

Negatives have been turned into positives. We were supposed to have a break from school next week, but that was erased due to weather conditions last month. Oh well, we just have to reprioritize and keep moving forward. Now we are more focused on plans for April.

Or, better yet, why don’t we just get better organized so we could deal with the curve balls or sinkers or fast balls that come our way? Seriously, why don’t we?

Do we thrive in an environment where we love being “under the gun”, having our “backs against the wall”, or having “no where else to turn”? Phooey with the cliches.

Reprioritize your commitments. Get some organization in your life. Don’t let the stress of everyday life guide you. Put excellence into everything you do. There’s no time for excuses.

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Posted in 5-a-day-blogger, allforthecustomer.com, Career, Common Sense, Disney Institute, Dreams, Encouragement, Hard Work, Jeff Noel, Leadership, Organization, Overwhelming, Preparedness, Priority | 4 Comments