Posts Tagged ‘business’
Be A Champion Communicator by Becoming a Chameleon
Recently, I worked with a client who was having a problem with some of the women in her organization. The organization had just undergone major changes, which resulted in different reporting relationships for many of the women. The problem was that the women were having trouble effectively communicating with their new bosses.
Before the changes, the women were able to work with their supervisors very successfully. They and their supervisors shared similar communication styles, so they complemented each other quite well. However, when the women were reassigned, their communication styles differed dramatically from those of their new supervisors. Instead of being able to get along with their new bosses, they experienced a lot of conflict every time they spoke to them.
What happened? Why were these women who were so successful in dealing with one type of person having so much trouble dealing with a different type of person? It is because the communication styles no longer matched and when styles don’t match, problems are almost certain to develop. (One point worth mentioning ? while we are talking about women in this situation, this problem occurs equally as often with men if they mismatch the people with whom they are communicating).
Many of us make a critical mistake when we interact with others. We believe that everyone perceives the world the same way we do. This assumption can lead to strained relationships, conflict, or worse. People are different and while we may find a large number of people who are like us, we will find an even greater number of people who are not like us.
People make unconscious decisions about whether or not they feel comfortable with us. If our styles of communicating are like theirs, we can usually develop rapport with them easily. However, if our styles are very different from theirs, they feel an unconsciousness sense of tension whenever we are around. Tension between people usually does not lead to successful interactions.
To be champion communicators, we need to change our approach to match the specific style of each individual we wish to influence. This is a powerful way to get people to feel comfortable with us; when people are comfortable with us, they are more willing to be open to what we have to say. There are four major communication styles. While everyone has some of each style incorporated into his or her own unique personality, each of us has a predominant style.
Amiables ? Are very cooperative, they get along with others, they are self-controlled, systematic, stable, patient, perseverant, accommodating, and logical. They are motivated by feeling secure, being part of a team, and feeling appreciated. They dislike conflict, taking risks and change.
Analyticals – Are rational, detail oriented, organized, unemotional, process-oriented, logical, and cautious. They are motivated by being right, doing things themselves, and being noticed for their accuracy. They dislike aggressiveness, conflict, or being forced to make quick decisions.
Drivers – Are aggressive, impatient, and results oriented. They are motivated by being in control, being number one, having personal choices, fast actions, and change. They dislike details, long drawn out conversations, and not being in charge.
Expressives – Are friendly, talkative, emotional, optimistic, people oriented, and enthusiastic. They are motivated by being liked, having fun, being noticed, and receiving approval. They dislike conflict, details, and focusing only on the business at hand.
When you recognize someone’s predominant style (especially if it differs from your own), use that style when communicating with him or her. Going back to our example with the women who were reassigned, most of them used an amiable approach, which is somewhat slow paced. However, most of their new supervisors were drivers who wanted information quickly and succinctly. After learning about different communication styles, the women used a quicker, more results oriented approach with their bosses and they were able to work together successfully.
A champion is someone who can be successful no matter what the circumstances. By adopting a chameleon communication strategy, you can change your style to match the person you are with and then you can be a champion too.
Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who helps organizations achieve greater success by improving the performance of their people. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers e-zine – send blank e-mail to subscribe@dellamenechella.com.
CEM Can Improve Customer Loyalty
‘A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by 25 to 95 percent.’
‘The greater the loyalty of customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders, the greater the profits reaped .’
This is the received wisdom from experts on the nature and importance of customer loyalty. Yet in a world of product and service commoditization and as the timelag between imitations to innovation declines, how can organizations differentiate themselves to build loyalty?
The answer lies with Customer Experience Management creating the ‘emotional responses and connections with products and brands tha are difficult to build in any other way’ . In effect marketing is not just concerned with the uniqueness of the 4 Ps and more focused on the way customers feel about you through the emotions evoked by the customer experience. Need this be surprising, or is this long overdue? after all a dictionary definition of loyalty refers to it as a ‘feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection’ .
Looking at the evidence from the services sector, the Market Metrix hotel index demonstrates this link between loyalty ‘emotions’, customer satisfaction and price premiums elicited by the ‘experience of hotel products and services’.
‘Guests who experience the loyalty emotions at midscale hotels feel these emotions and they will pay on average $10 more. If they do not feel these emotions, they will pay only about $3 more’
A recent Gallup survey further found that:
‘Over a one month period shoppers whom were emotionally connected to a supermarket spent 46 percent more than shoppers who were satisfied but lacked an emotional bond’
For the New York supermarket Wegmans this emotional bond is reflected in the customer experience with well cared for employees at the frontline treating Wegmans consumers in a better and friendlier manner.
Managing the customer experience to achieve the correct emotional response for loyalty involves more than the right price or the right product and don’t expect satisfaction alone to be enough. For instance, delight and anger have been noted as emotions that may link better with understanding customer emotions and loyalty.
So look at your whole customer experience and ask the question, what emotions are you evoking and will these be valuable, detrimental or could they be reengineered in such a way as to promote a loyalty inducing experience.
By Colin Shaw
Beyond Philosophy ©
Research Reference
Frederick Reicheld
Trends in the Experience and Service Economy, Professor Voss, 2004,
www.dictionary.com
Evoking Emotion, Barsky and Nash, 2002
The Price of Loyalty, National Petroleum News, March 2005
Schneider and Bowen, Sloan Management Review, 1999
Colin Shaw
is the Founding Partner of Beyond Philosophy and guru of the Customer Experience Management. He has also produced two most successful books on customer experience which are now available in market. His first book, Building Great Customer Experiences sold out within just eight weeks, is on a third reprint and available in paperback. Colin’s second book, Revolutionize Your Customer Experience released in September 2004 and considered as Bible in Customer managment business world.
Whats For Lunch?
As an entrepreneur, I’m always intrigued by small businesses, home-based or not, that exceed the expectations of their customers in a big way.
Let me tell you about one of them.
Recently I spent some time with my daughter in her college town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We were spending the day getting her apartment ready for her return to school in the fall. When it was time for lunch, she wanted to take me to a restaurant in the small town of Northport, just to the north of Tuscaloosa.
Northport is one of those typical southern small towns whose downtown area has been converted into a delightfully quaint shopping area. Central to it is a restaurant called City Cafe.
What an experience.
We arrived at the location at 11:30 a.m. Typically I like going to restaurants for lunch at that time so that one can “beat the rush.” I commented on this to my daughter before we arrived; she just laughed.
When we walked in, I understood why. I faced a room with
Like visitors to Disney World, we automatically took our place at the end of the line. Then I began to look toward the front of the line and realized that it continued on into another room (which I couldn’t see). So I asked my daughter, “where is the FRONT of this line?”
Her response – “you’ll see.”
Sheesh!
So I began to look around at the diners surrounding me. Their plates were piled high with what can only be described as “down home Southern cooking.” And the diners themselves? A quick glance around the room told me that this establishment attracted customers from every walk of life. At this moment, however, they all had one thing in common – the serious business of eating.
Meanwhile, the aroma was making my mouth water. So I turned my attention back to the ultimate end of the line. When would I have my turn?
About 15 minutes later we made our way to the next room. It was there I discovered that the front of the line ended at the doorway between this room and yet ANOTHER room. Both of these rooms had two rows of booths on either side. I didn’t count them, but my estimate is about six on each side of the room, making about 24 booths in total. They could sit as many as four to a booth.
I looked around for a hostess; there was none. Then I began to understand the system; you waited in line with your party, and when someone got up from one of these booths, you just went and sat down. Period.
The waitress appeared at our table almost instantaneously, cleared off the previous diners’ plates, wiped the table, and took our drink orders. Actually, what she said was, “Tea?” And you’re an idiot if you order anything else. It’s important to note here that if you order tea anywhere in the Deep South, it is understood that it comes iced and sweetened. If you want it any other way, you’d better tell them that.
Time to check out the menu. It was at this time I realized that City Cafe operates five days a week only – Monday through Friday. The lunch menu consisted of your choice of entree and/or vegetables which you chose from the list for that particular day of the week. The price of the meal was determined by the number of vegetables and entrees you chose.
This was Tuesday; my choices included fried green tomatoes. Who was I to pass this up? Beef tips with rice and steamed squash rounded out my meal, but I could just as easily have chosen from a dozen other tempting selections. It was tough to pass up the fried okra and steamed cabbage (my daughter chose the cabbage along with chicken-fried steak), but I was pleased with my meal. Dinner rolls and cornbread were, of course, provided as well.
And the tea? Try drinking it to the bottom of the glass – won’t happen at City Cafe. It’s another person’s job to make sure of that.
The price for both our meals? I spent $10.75 – but $3.00 of that was a tip. No kidding. She and I had dined at a well-known restaurant chain the night before and the tip for that meal was the same as the price of the City Cafe meal itself.
Guess which one I enjoyed the most?
About The Author
Cathy Bryant’s newsletter, HomeBizJunction Herald, has just entered its fourth year of publication. Subscribe today by visiting her website, http://www.homebizjunction.com, and you will benefit from her practical, no-nonsense information on how YOU can achieve your dream of working from home!
Does It Really Take Money To Make Money (Online or Offline)? A Reality-Check of 2 Case Studies
The short and simple answer to this question is NO!
Now, before you start screaming that I am crazy, out of my mind, have lost my marbles and all the other things that generally get tossed around when someone has the nerve to state something like that, let me clear a few things up.
It does not take a monetary investment to get your business off the ground (aside from the everyday items you already have around your house).
It does take time, effort, drive and determination on your part to do it though, a good dose of imagination, sprinkle in some luck for good measure and most importantly, it takes a dream. Now I am not going to go into any of the usual dream-building, nor will I tell you exactly what to do, or how hard you have to work to do it. You already know the answers to these things.
NOW, to make it big (and trust me, what you consider to be ‘big’ may differ greatly from every other reader of this article) it will at some point take monetary investments. There, I said it. At some point, if you really want to break out and make some serious money, you will have to invest some money in your business.
But that does not mean you can’t get started for free, work hard, and see your cashflow begin to roll in. At that point, reward yourself, you’ve earned it, maybe take your loved one out for a dinner, because he/she probably had to put up with quite a bit already.
Being an entrepreneur is not hard, but the dedication it demands can be hard on any relationship, so take a night off.
Ok, now we’re back, had a great and wonderful evening, time to get back to work. The next step is to take some of the money you are making and if at all possible, invest it all in growing your business (after all, you probably still have a job that pays your bills at this point).
If you reinvest at least a healthy part of what you earn from your new venture, you can achieve the success you dreamed of, but beware, it can be an pretty strong temptation to start tossing your money out the window, but I know you are strong enough, deep inside (go ahead, grab yourself by the collar and shake a little) to overcome it.
Let me give you two examples from my own experience that I hope will inspire you to take your dream, embrace it and get you rolling with your own vision.
Case Scenario 1: Offline Food Delivery Service
While still living in San Antonio, I was working part time at a Pizza joint delivering pizzas a few nights a week. I had a full time job as a dispatcher, but with a wife (now ex-wife), two kids, a dog and a cat, and all the bills that come with a family, things can get tight. The team that managed this little franchise was doing a pretty poor job at marketing, and an even worse job at managing. Well, enough of the ugly picture, it just gets worse. Time to talk shop…
I wanted to do something a little different, help my colleagues (who were just as fed up as I was), so I happened to notice that most of the deliveries (and probably the only thing really keeping that pizza shop going) was the local Air Force training facility.
So I sat down one weekend, with my ex-wife and laid out the plan (You have to have a plan. Let it start as a vision and a dream, but make sure you write it out step by step).
The plan was simple, take orders from the Airmen, pick up food, take the food to them, and get paid. Easy, huh?
Ok, here’s what I did, I made some flyers on my beat up old computer, used a freeware contact management software to keep track of customers and an old tin lockbox I had in the garage for a change drawer. Bingo, N.E. Deliveries was born.
We would take calls from the local servicemen and my ex-wife would jot down their order. She then paged me, since I normally hung out (if I wasn’t on a run) near Fast Food Central (a little corner where a bunch of the main chains all had a shop). I called her back from the payphone (I didn’t have a cell phone at the time), took the order, grabbed it from the store and took it to the Airbase. Cost to the Airmen? Price of the food, plus a $5 delivery charge and whatever they wanted to tip me. Understand the scenario please, these men and women, come out of basic training and haven’t even seen a Big Mac in ages. Now they are at a technical school, which still doesn’t give them the freedom to run down the street and grab a taco.
It only took one weekend and I had made more money with this venture than I had during the whole week of delivering pizzas every night.
But here’s the kicker. Word spread real fast, I got too busy and I was even getting orders to go pick up pizzas at my old shop (they couldn’t deliver fast enough and people were willing to pay the delivery charge for good and fast service). We even started getting calls from the local neighborhoods, were our fliers had spread to, or other personnel, who were not in training at the airbase, lived.
Uhoh, we ran into a big problem, too much business. (What a wonderful problem to have). It happened that I kept running into some of my former colleagues, and boy I tell you, the first few times they saw me show up at their shop to grab a pizza and then a little while later some others saw me deliver their pizza to the airbase, wow, what a rush that was and it was the turning point for my company. 4 of the drivers that I was pretty close to and that I had great respect for came on board with me instead.
The end scenario was that we delivered a lot of food to hungry people and made everyone happy in the process. And the drivers were able to make more money as well.
Scenario 2: Online and offline Telecommunications Brokerage
Unfortunately, N.E. Deliveries had to stop when we were transferred to Japan (thinking back, I know I could have sold the concept and kept it going, but I was still new to business thinking).
So, here we were, overseas in a new country, not a lot of jobs to even start with, what to do.
I happened to notice that a lot of the phone services for calls back to the States were very expensive and even more so in my case, since most of my family lives in Germany.
I also happened to have noticed this online company, which was giving away free dealerships for long distance calls, callback programs and a few other telecommunications services. And who doesn’t like free? Not only that, but their rates were pretty good, they offered not just one service from one company, but a lot of them together. So I sat down at that old beat up computer again, cleared out all the contacts from N.E. Deliveries out of the same old freeware contact manager, and created some new flyers. I was able to hang them up in a lot of areas at no charge and started to get some calls in. Now, part of my online business meant, I could literally just send them to a website, let them pick the service they wanted and just wait for my check. The problem I saw though was that a lot of military people overseas at the time were not familiar with what a callback service is, so I decided to help. I put my phone number on the flier, and when someone called, I explained to them briefly the cost, how it works and what makes it better for them than using, say a calling card. I would even go visit them to show them how and even set up an account I used for myself as a demo account and would allow them to call home to the United States for 5 minutes for free, just so they could say hi to someone special in their life.
Just doing something simple like that (and it really didn’t cost me much on my phone bill) generated a lot of extra sign ups, since I went out of my way to give them more information than any of the other companies that were trying to push their services.
Ultimately, this lead to a steady, monthly stream of income and several other opportunities to work with other companies as a telecommunications consultant. The best part? I learned everything I needed to know from the online company I signed on with, I still learn a lot even now. I am still receiving paychecks from clients that signed up with me all those years ago, who now have services through me in either the United States or in some of the other countries they are now stationed in. And once I took some of that income and placed a small display ad in the local military paper, wow, things really started to take off.
The overall thing I want you to leave with after taking the time to read all of this is plain and simple: YOU CAN MAKE MONEY OFF-LINE AND/OR ON-LINE, without investing any additional money (I only gave you two examples, but your imagination will guide you well, as long as you think outside of the box). And you can grow your business even more by reinvesting some of your earnings (if not all) into your new venture.
I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before, but I have to say it anyway. If I can do it, so can you. I have no special education (aside from the school of hard knocks), no degree, none of those things. I am just an average guy, with a computer, an internet connection, a printer and most importantly the dream, desire, vision and determination to succeed.
Here’s to your success,
Xavier Nelson is the publisher of eBusinessCornerNews, your source for reviews, articles, free resources and more. Get your free subscription at http://blog.makemoneymarketingonline.com right now.
Don’t forget to grab your free copy of the new, rebrandable ebook “Time to laugh” at http://freestuffbazaar.com/timetolaugh and promote your website and grow your list further. My gift to you.
Bankruptcy – The New Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter states in Chapter 2, “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.” The letter A stood for the word adulterer and represented one of the worst insults in society. One would have thought that today we are a lot more civilized than 200 years ago, but unfortunately it is not true. Society has abolished the letter A alright, but it has latched onto a new one, the letter B, which stands for bankruptcy. People do not see it on their chest and think it does not affect them, but it does. Bankruptcy is as insulting and as damaging to one’s financial, emotional, mental, and even physical well- being as any major failure or stigma.
Although lawyers may tell their clients the stigma lasts 7-10 years, the truth is the stigma lasts forever. Ask those that have been through the process and most will tell you how rough and hard it is to get a good job, buy a new car or a home, get a promotion at work, or even lease an apartment. In certain industries, bankruptcy also means instant termination from work. The pains and agonies of bankruptcy will not just end there. Financially the person is haunted with higher interest rates, higher down payments, and outright rejections for many years to come. Emotionally and mentally the person has to endure constant refusals that affect morale, self-esteem, and self-respect. Eventually, the stress could potentially affect the person’s health. Mental stress incapacitates numerous people each and every year and the numbers are staggering.
How does one avoid questions on applications such as this one: “Have you ever filed for bankruptcy?” Please note, it does not say, “Have you filed for bankruptcy in the last seven years?” The way to avoid such applications is usually by walking away from them. In other words, by allowing doors to be closed in one’s face. The bottom line is, bankruptcy has a very real downside that is likely much worse than any postive short-term results. Many consumers are unaware of these potential pitfalls associated with bankruptcy, as countless attorneys often paint a rosy picture.
My Advice through person experience: Avoid bankruptcy, at all cost, and only as the absolute last possible resort. Weigh your decision carefully. I recognize there are certain circumstances where bankruptcy is truly the best option and there may be times where it’s the only option. One should not use bankruptcy as an option simply because it is “easy” or seems to be a quick solution.
Phil Andrews is currently the VP of Business Development for Precept Financial Solutions, a leading debt settlement firm based in Dallas, Texas. For more information, go to http://www.PreceptFinancial.com or call toll free 800-584-0855 and press option 2.
Internet Tip of the Week: Reality Check
Every time you turn around it seems you see another affiliate program which promises you vast riches. They give you all the sales material you need, and even throw in a free web page. How can I loose, one might think. Everything is all set up for me, and all I need is get a bigger PO Box to handle all the checks that will roll in. Your web site will be carried by the search engines, you have the “pre-written” ads ready to go – how can you lose?
A few ads are placed here and there, and the responses “trickle in” but there are few, if any sales. Time for a reality check. If you have seen one affiliate web site for a particular product, service or opportunity, you have seen them all. There are a number of affiliate programs, which have thousands of people who have bit. Why should a person go to your site when they know from the URL (address of your web page) what it is already?
They won’t. Am I saying that affiliate programs don’t work? No – I am saying that the tools they provide “don’t cut the mustard”. It is a proven marketing fact that it takes 5-7 exposures to your ad before someone might purchase from you. If you have a “canned” web site, what are the odds of them coming back to you to buy? Slim to none.
So how does a person who is serious about marketing an affiliate program get you to buy from them? First, they “deep six” the affiliate web site as their primary web contact, and create their own. On their web site they provide content which is interesting for anyone who stops by. They also change the content on a regular basis to keep them coming back, and let them know when it does change. They also provide a link to their affiliate web site.
The next step is to try to get a listing on the search engines. Now, think about this. There are most likely several thousand people who have an identical web site to the one you get as an affiliate. What do you think the odds are of someone “stumbling across” your site when surfing the web? Again – slim to none. But if you have your own site, your chances take a giant leap forward. The link to your affiliate site is a minor part of your web site, even though it is where you want them to eventually wind up.
Now – can you use a site that is not your own domain? While not the preferred route to take, it is “head and shoulders” above the link you get from the affiliate program. Most ISP’s give you web space free. Learn a little HTML code and you’re in business. Or, if push comes to shove, hire someone to do it for you. Let’s face it, if I see a URL that I recognize as an affiliate program, and I’ve been there before, I will simply “click away”.
The old saying, that if “salespeople sell themselves first, the sale of their product or service, follows shortly thereafter” is certainly true. Establish yourself on the web and in the newsletters/ezines as someone who can be trusted, and is knowledgeable in their field. If people get to know and trust you, your recommendation to join your affiliate program will carry a lot more weight.
Now that you have control over your web page, you should have a guest book that visitors can sign. Now you have their email address. Folks, these are literally worth their weight in gold. You can now send them email about upcoming events on your web site, and not be accused of spamming.
Run a contest on your web site – the prizes don’t have to be off the wall. An ebook (and there are a number available for free) can be your prize – and again more email addresses. Write a free newsletter/ezine and publish it on a regular basis – even more email addresses. As long as there is content of interest, they won’t mind a gentle reminder to visit your web site.
Consider a “non-competing” partner to help you with the site or to write articles for the ezine. It makes no difference to you if there is another link to another affiliate program on your site. If they are willing to share the work in return for the link, it is to your advantage. The key here is “non-competing”.
So – are affiliate programs a sure thing? If you simply join and sit back waiting for the money to flow, no. If you are a “take charge” type of person and are willing to work a little, it can be a great opportunity.
Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby’s Free Ezine the “Tip of the Day” get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips ? Monday. Wednesday. and Friday. Instructions on how to place an ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm.
You Should Interview the Interviewer, Too
I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking, “Wait a minute. Wouldn’t that be somewhat presumptuous if I were to ask the interviewer questions?” No. The truth of the matter is they want to see that you have enough intelligence and business sense to ask questions requiring informative answers. Most human resource professionals and hiring managers believe having an applicant ask questions is one of the most important aspects of the interview. They are able to tell more about you by the questions you ask than the answers you give in response to their questions.
Most everybody expects to have an opportunity to ask questions. However, many assume the interviewer is expecting questions that consist of compensation matters and they don’t want to appear to be focused on self centered issues. Invariably, they pass up the opportunity to delve further for more information about the job.
What they don’t realize is they should be asking questions regarding what will be expected of the employee and opportunities for growth in order to learn more about the job offered. Finding the right job and finding the right applicant is a two way street. The employer is looking for somebody that can and will meet their needs. You, on the other hand, are looking for a job that will fulfill your career aspirations.
The interviewer will obviously get to question you and your abilities so they can decide if you will be a good fit for them. You need to ask the questions to determine if the position is the right fit for you and this stage of your career. They want to know that you are coming into the employer/employee relationship with them with a good understanding of the expectations on both sides. Posing your own questions also demonstrates your communication skills in addition to showing your ability to accurately assess matters at hand.
Here is a list of five questions to ask that will show them you are someone they can count on to dig deeper for more answers, especially in high pressure situations.
1. What are the top priorities of the position?
2. What are the major challenges facing the company in the next few years and how does this position contribute to overcoming them?
3. What do you believe my weaknesses to be and how do you think they will affect my performance?
4. What do you see as my strengths and how beneficial do you believe they will be for the company?
5. Does this company value employee growth and, therefore, provide opportunities to further one’s training or education and career advancement?
This is another chance for you to show your willingness and desire to be prepared for the job. If asking intelligent questions of the person conducting the interview seems to put them off, it could be a clue to you that this isn’t the right job for you. If you see them sit up, take notice, and answer your questions readily, it’s a clue that your input as an employee will be valued and respected.
Go ahead. Now that you understand the importance of interviewing the interviewer go prepare your own list of questions. When it’s your turn to pose your questions, pay as much attention to body language as you do the verbal answers. By the time you leave the meeting you will probably have a good idea whether or not the position is a good fit for you if you are offered the job.
Compelling, targeted resumes that will open doors to interviews developed by Angela Betts. For more career and job search tips sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.resumeritr.com. Contact Angela at 501-467-8768 or info@resumeritr.com to request a free resume critique or resume development services.
Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
This article relates to the Job Security competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. After a large scale cut in personnel, this particular group of employees needed some extra support. Examining the issue of job security measures how your employees view their job security within your organization. In today’s often volatile or contingent labor market, it’s crucial to understand the level of security your employees feel about maintaining their jobs. Studies show that employees who do not feel secure in their jobs are less likely to be committed to best assisting customers. Evaluating this competency can be especially useful if your organization has suffered recent layoffs or firings.
This short story, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, is part of AlphaMeasure’s compilation, Tales From the Corporate Frontlines. It illustrates how a group of employees who survived downsizing dealt with their own fear and uncertainty and received help from management to get back on track and move forward.
Anonymous Submission
I never thought much about job security until a few weeks ago, when our company announced a 15% reduction in workforce. That simple number translated into half of my department. It wasn’t a total surprise-I work in an industry that has been losing jobs to overseas outsourcing for a few years now. Sooner or later, our company would have to cut to stay competitive.
The remaining half of the department operated in a fog. Supervisors tried to reorganize the workload. I spent my time and energy trying to figure out my new responsibilities and learn about the new customers added to my roster.
Then I began to overhear conversations. Cubicles are close, and when people speak loudly, well, you know… I heard the guy next to me speaking with one of his “new” customers, introducing himself. He was faced, as we all were, with the task of explaining what had happened to their prior reps. “Yes, gone” I heard him say bluntly. “Yes, I’ll do what I can to serve you, but who knows how long I’ll be here… I could be next. You know, here today, gone tomorrow.”
For a week or so, those words reverberated around the department. It seemed that the remaining employees had to voice their fear. I felt as though somehow, if I voiced that fear to a customer, my termination would surely come to pass. I wondered what the customers thought about these conversations. Did they hang up and begin a search for back up suppliers in case our company folded suddenly? Did they assume that our prices would increase?
One afternoon, as the after lunch service calls began and the “here today, gone tomorrow” chorus was gaining momentum, I saw a supervisor stroll nonchalantly among the cubicles, listening. Finally! This had to stop. He left the department abruptly, and 30 minutes later, we received an e-mail to be in our manager’s office, first thing in the morning for a meeting.
It was a short meeting, but it told us what we needed to know. The worst was over. There was no reason to think that there would be more layoffs, anytime soon. If anything, our positions were more secure now than they were before. Business appeared to be on the upswing, and it was more important than ever to keep our current customers happy. To do this, the here today, gone tomorrow conversations would have to end immediately, our manager said, with a twinkle in his eye. We’ll get through this, he told us, but we needed everyone to be at top performance level.
It was a wonderful talk. It was the best he could do, as no one can promise permanent job security forever. But it was just enough to silence the chorus of the cynics and keep our customer base growing. I, for one, am extremely grateful.
© 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. – All Rights Reserved
This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.
Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee surveys.
Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc.
AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.
Launch your employee surveys with AlphaMeasure.
Ten Things To Do If You Really, Really Hate Your Job
1. Begin focusing on what you want instead of how much you want to escape. When you find yourself sharing the latest horror story, stop in mid-sentence and say, “What I want to have is…”
2. Create an image that describes you in your job. Are you on a riverbank with no way to get to the other side? Lost in a jungle? Poking through a thorny hedge? When you get comfortable with the image, begin visualizing a change in the obstacle. Imagine building a bridge across the river or finding a path in the forest. Don’t force the image or the change. When you’re ready it will come.
3. Think of developing skills, not serving time. Take every course that’s offered and focus on skills that can lay a foundation for your own business or next job. Can you learn HTML or PowerPoint? Can you use some evenings, weekends and lunch hours to solicit some free lance gigs?
4. Focus on satisfactory, not superior performance. Use the time difference to build your new life. People often say, “I can’t do anything — I work ten hours a day!” If you are firing yourself or expecting to be fired, your job is finding a new job. Be ethical: you owe your company the minimum you need to earn your salary.” But don’t be surprised if you start to accomplish more than ever and find yourself getting promoted.
5. What conflict are you escaping? Dishonesty? Corporate greed? Hypocrisy? Allow yourself to wonder if these qualities are mirrored in your own life — or even in your mind. If everyone around you seems dishonest, are you being dishonest with yourself? With others? After you resolve your own conflict, you may find the workplace has changed or you have been catapulted into a new, more satisfying life.
6. Put on your shield and armor when you enter your workplace. Everyone should learn how to create a psychic shield. Imagine that you are surrounded by an outer shell that is made of a solid material — so strong that nothing can get through to hurt you. Some people prefer to imagine a protective golden light, but I think the solid shield is stronger. Take two or three minutes to put on your shield, every day, before you enter the workplace.
7. Give yourself a gift every day — a splurge of time or sensual taste buds. Read a book, talk to a friend, eat your favorite food. Don’t deaden your senses with alcohol (although if you’re a wine connoisseur, your special wine can be a gift) or spend big bucks at the mall. Think simple.
8. Find at least one thing in your life to appreciate: the softness of your cat’s fur, the winter sky, the spontaneous hug from a friend. Appreciate as much as possible about your job: the money, the view from the window, the new computer, friendly conversations with the guy down the hall. Savor the experience. Appreciation is the engine that attracts good things into your life.
9. Tune in to your intuition before deciding what to do next. Meditate and listen to the world around you. The saying “frying pan into the fire” is real. If your goals and desires do not come from a secure place within yourself, you will find yourself paying undue attention to wet blankets (“If you quit you’ll never get another job”) and false friends (“Just quit! Move to Tahiti! You won’t starve!”). Sometimes the same “advisor” proposes both ideas in the same week. A good coach or counselor will give you confidence in your own intuition, not impose their views of what you should do now.
10. Write this down somewhere: After you’ve left — and you will — all that time will seem to have gone in the blink of an eye. You will have trouble remembering what bothered you so much. The rest of your life will still be ahead of you.
About The Author
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., coaches results-oriented midcareer professionals who want to develop uncommon business and career strategies as they move to their next goal. See http://www.cathygoodwin.com, cathy@cathygoodwin.com
