Coaching Skills
Create
a Positive, Upbeat, "Can-Do" Workforce and Dazzle
the Customer with Your Caring!
Given
the choice of dealing with a positive, upbeat
employee with a "can-do" attitude or dealing
with a disgruntled, distracted, uninterested one, which would
you choose? No contest. Customers always want the best experience
possible; they want it to be easy and pleasant to do business
with your company. Enter the real challenge of "Relationship
Management," the relationships. Until all of our
business is done electronically, and much of it might be,
managers, in addition to making sure the work gets done, still
need to be concerned with the performance of the most important
link in the customer connection—people.
Whether answering the phone,
fixing equipment, selling a product or reconciling an unpaid
invoice, the quality of the interaction between one human
being and another is what will be judged by the customer to
determine how much you care about them and their business.
If the state of your relationship skills does not equal or
exceed your
sales and marketing skills, your "lifetime"
relationship is in danger.
As a manager you should
know that survey after survey reports that people prefer to
do business with a positive, upbeat person. As a customer,
you instinctively know that people want to do business with
people who enjoy what they are doing, are having a good time
doing it and genuinely care
about being able to help you solve your problem, or achieve
your goals. So, here are some tips on creating a more positive,
up-beat, can-do work force.
1. Remember,
the best teacher is a good example. First examine your
own behavior. Are you walking the positive talk or are you
mumbling beneath you breath, "3 more days 'til Friday."
Take great care to listen to your own language. Do you frame
things in the positive, or do you often start your sentences
with "No." Do you say "Yes, but.." a lot,
negating the first half of your sentence with your last? If
so, purchase a copy of Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
for your corporate library and inhale it. Then pass it on.
Optimistic people adapt easier to change, are more creative,
have more fun and are healthier then pessimistic ones. They
live longer too. Think about it, looking for innovation? Think
optimism, that's one way to get there.
2. Learn (and teach) the
power of positive self-talk. Often our internal chatter is
negative. Reprogram your own chatter and then listen carefully
for signs of it in others. When you hear someone saying, "Boy
am I stupid," gently coach them away from that attitude
by replying with "Don't be so hard on yourself, you're
not stupid. You may have made a bad decision, we all do, from
time to time, let's talk about that, what you've learned,
and how to avoid it in the future.” Our bodies respond
to our self-talk, if we tell ourselves we are disorganized,
we behave just that way. Tell yourself, with conviction, you
are an organized person, and the behavior will begin to change.
Our brain responds literally, like our computers. Learn to
replace negative
programming with positive.
3. Ban
Whining. One whiner in the group can bring everyone down.
A whiner is like an infection—it spreads. Put one strong
whiner in a room and they can turn it into a pity party. Stop
it at the source. Learn to spot them during the interview
process. Don't hire them in the first place, unless you are
prepared to keep vigilance over their behavior and attempt
to change it. Good luck. Whiners love whining. Put a "No
whining" sign on your door.
4. Teach
people the art of "win/win." In our competitive
society we have a win/lose mentality. This may be a good strategy
to fill a sports stadium, not a good way to run a company.
Help people to understand that thinking "Win/Win"
opens up the possibility for new solutions. Remember, in the
21st century, it's innovation and creativity that will give
us the edge, innovation comes from open minds and "possibility
thinking."
5. Dump
the drama. Melodrama. It sells tabloids, and gets people
to watch "Hard Copy" on TV, but it's something you
don't need in your company. It saps valuable creative energy.
If you've been using "Crisis Management" as your
modus operandi, get out of the office, read a few good books,
(like Steven Covey's), benchmark with "new thinkers",
and learn a new style. Crisis management is passe, wasteful
and destructive.
6. Learn,
teach and reward "Time-out" stress management techniques.
A recent poll says that 90% of all Americans live in a state
of chronic stress. YIKES!!!! No wonder customers get treated
so poorly. Make sure people
understand the role they play in controlling their own
stress. We don't have control over circumstances; we do have
control of how we perceive them. Take a deep breath, count
to ten, walk away (physically or mentally) when you have to
and call a "Time-out." Short circuit stress on the
way in. Learn good stress management skills and teach them.
Reinforce them. "Bob, I noticed how well you reacted
with that angry customer yesterday, I was glad to see you
take a deep breath and not react defensively—good job—you
saved a valuable customer, and your own health as well. I'm
proud to have you on the team."
7. Encourage people to live
in the "now." Dwell on the past only long enough to figure out what
you want to learn from it, and then move on. Stop talking about "the good
old days." What is important is what is going on right now. Give your fullest
attention to exactly what you are doing now. Do it well, do it right and enjoy
it. Customers can always tell if you are giving them your undivided attention,
and they really appreciate it.
8. Start a list called "The
10 Best Things about Working Here." Let people add to it and watch it grow.
It's fun, positive and a great way to focus people on what's right with your
business. After the list is finished start one called "Ten More…"
Remember you get more of what you focus on.
9. Get psyched! Recognize
that almost 80% of what the average person takes in is negative. You've got
a job to do. Create a positive sanctuary in your workplace. Develop a corporate
library that includes all kinds of motivational literature, audio and videotapes.
Play audiotapes and videotapes in lunchrooms, keep inspirational books around,
start discussion groups. Create positive energy, people inside and outside the
company will feel it and want to come back for more.
10. Don't worry, be happy.
Playing upbeat music helps lift your spirits. Challenge the staff to develop
the "Happiest" of happy music tapes, a collection of tunes that will
keep people smiling and whistling while they work. (They make great coming to
and going home from tapes too.)
11. Smile. When you activate
the smiling muscles in your face, you activate the "happy" brain chemicals
that help you feel good. You can't be depressed when you are smiling, and smiles
are contagious. So, smile.
As a manager, it's your
responsibility to help to create an experience for your customer that has the
word "value" all over it. Customers respond better to a company that
provides them with a quality product at a fair price served up by positive,
upbeat, can-do people. Aw come on, who wants to do business with a grump?
JoAnna Brandi
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