Does a Bad Culture Sour Your Customers?

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:21:00 -0700

Often, when I am shopping or trying to use the services of a particular company, I can anticipate the kind of service I am about to receive by the attitude and interactions of the staff. For example, I have been privey to negative conversations between employees about the management or policies they are required to follow because they are oblivious to the fact that I am standing there in their presence, listening. I sometimes overhear comments concerning an employees’ dislike for another employee, or their absolute lack of enthusiasm at my wanting to purchase their merchandise. Managers have confided to me how they would love to help me with my needs, but the “powers-that-be” won’t allow them to make that decision. My particular current favorite is walking into a store and being asked if I plan to buy anything or am I just wasting time. Apparently, people simply looking through the store at the merchandise is a source of irritation to the employees.

I’m aware we are in still in very difficult times, and in fact, will go out on a limb and say that we don’t need to state that anymore as it is painfully obvious. Yet; when I go to these stores and businesses, I have the sense that the “powers-that-be” have filtered this common knowledge down to all levels of the organization. This is one way that a little thing called company culture, the “personality” as it were of an organization gets created.

Culture is a crucial aspect of an organization. It can define a company as it will set the tone of how a company is viewed by its client or customer base. Culture almost always established and defined by the behavior and leadership of upper management, the founder or owner. So you really can’t blame your front line personnel for being less than cordial to your customers, if you’re less than cordial to your own employees.

I have had numerous conversations with business owners and upper level executives who state that they just can’t find good help or their staff seem to be in a “funk”. My first question is, “What training have you done to set the example of how to perform within the company?” Stated another way, if the “powers-that-be” are hostile, unfriendly, rude, short, curt, dismissive, irritated, gossipy, or anxious toward the staff, it is likely that the staff and front line personnel are reflecting that “personality” to customers. It takes training, leadership, positive examples, positive reinforcement, and dedication to a mission of excellent service to shape a positive corporate culture (very similar to raising children). Otherwise, your business will be the reflection of the negativity that is observed and filtered down to your staff. Take stock in the culture, attitude, and “personality” of your leadership and business as a way of calibrating how your customers are observing your operation. The more positive and ethical the corporate culture, the more positive and ethical the service.

If Only Life Imitated Art...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:49:00 -0700

Is it me or are there an overwhelming amount of articles and pundit discussions concerning our lack of leadership? Intellectuals and “experts” ponder the lack of crisis management and leadership while asking the question, “How could this or that have happened and who was suppose to be on watch?” Amazingly, they really don’t seem to be any closer to answering these questions concerning the state of our economy and business today than they were several months ago. There are books, articles, blogs, and endless news magazine specials all trying to pin down the problem. I think the question isn’t so much about why we are in a crisis situation with our government and economy, but how we need to proceed to navigate ourselves out of these crises.

These current crises have landed squarely on the shoulders of business owners, executives, and entreprenuers. They are expected to lead their organizations out of the fog and into the light of a brighter, more secure future. Since the “experts” haven’t provided clear guidance, I’d like share some thoughts on leadership in times of crisis. You may have seen the movie, Apollo 13, based upon the true story of the United States astronauts who went to space in the Apollo 13 spacecraft. I like anything to do with the NASA program, and have been a fan of space exploration ever since I was a kid and shook the hand of John Glenn at a political rally for Robert Kennedy (that just dated me!). I recalled watching the incident of the Apollo 13 mission on TV, but had no idea of the seriousness of the situation until the book and movie came out. The movie demonstrates how people, when properly prepared and trained, can manage a crises successfully.

In the movie there are three incidents that I feel really exemplify the type of leadership and response needed for business today, and I’d like to share them with you:

Example 1: At the initial realization that the command module is disabled, the flight controller asks the simple question, “What do you have on the ship that is good?” Translation, instead of focusing on what is not working, the focus is on that of what is working that can be used to salvage the situation. This is an important moment in the mission; the leader immediately shifts the attention of everyone in that room from the impending problem to a possible solution – to what is working.

Example 2: The staff at command central gather in the meeting room and the flight controller tells them to forget the flight plan by symbolically throwing it into the trash. From that moment on, the staff improvised “ a new flight plan” that included thinking outside the design characteristics of the craft. This is a great example of “thinking on your feet and being resourceful.”

Example 3: Words of wisdom were spoken in the flight controller’s constant mantra of “let’s work the problem, let’s not make things worse by guessing.”

I think today’s business world is facing similar challenges and I’m surprised at how leaders are dealing with these challenges. Many business owners or managers cling to or give value to old marketing plans when they’ve outlived their usefulness. Some leaders guess and give answers that have no real data to support them. Others focus on only the negative aspects of their business climate, and then directly relate this negativity to their team.

Not only are these tactics counter-productive in resolving their business issues but they do not inspire staff to rise above the problem to find a solution. Our economy is damaged, but not destroyed. It can be repaired and restructured, but for this to happen, we need to train, re-organize, and inspire people to work toward a positive goal of bringing the life back into our businesses. I encourage everyone reading this blog to watch the movie or read the book Apollo 13 from the perspective of leadership. You may discover some other bits of wisdom of your own hidden within the story of our nations’ astronauts.

Pick-My-Brain.com: Blog - Leadership

Does a Bad Culture Sour Your Customers?

If Only Life Imitated Art...