Survival
Guide to Stress in Organizational Change
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Develop
a greater tolerance for constant changes in
the game plan for mid-course corrections and
for raw surprise.
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Allow
a little more confusion in your life.
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Be
willing to feel your way along, to wing-it
more often.
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Think
of your job as having movable walls - flex
to fit the immediate demands of the situation,
instead of struggling to make the job adapt
to you.
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Customer Service
- It will Make
or Break Your Business
In an age of competitive fever
and instant communication, customers have learned to expect
the world. Remarkably, the great new customer service providers
are giving them that and more. Although good statistics are
hard to come by, studies show that customers are demanding
better service in general. Roland Rust, a marketing professor
at the University of Maryland and co-author of last year's
Dividing Customer Equity, says that companies increasingly
see the link between great customer service and "retention,
loyalty, and increased sales."
However, as we move into the
era of "tier Zero," the latest buzzword, which refers
to a customer service system that's so proactive that it anticipates
a customer's every need, it's clear that the overall quality
of customer service continues to deteriorate.
I think this is ironic when
you consider the huge challenge any company faces today trying
to differentiate itself in the marketplace. When you think
about it, many of the core products have been turned into
commodities. Providing state-of-the-art customer service is
one of the few means left for a company to help itself stand
out from the crowd.
Think about how you respond
as a consumer to great customer service. I personally give
them all of my business, and I become their ambassador. I
in turn end up telling everyone I know about this great business
and recommend everyone to go there.
On the other hand, when I receive
poor customer service, I become a rebel. I pull my business
and make sure I discourage everyone from going there.
To me great customer service
isn't about being able to fix your mistakes faster than the
next guy, nor does it mean that it necessarily always requires
that human touch. It is about ensuring that customers experience
a uniformly high level of service throughout their interaction
with your company.
Keywords here are uniformly
high-level of service throughout. To provide this type of
service consistently, you must have a competent, stable, well-led
workforce. Period.
To have a competent workforce
you need: · The right people with the right personality for
their position · Their Wonderlic© score should meet the minimum
benchmark score for the position · Training - an enormous
amount of time and money is needed to educate and train everyone
on staff
To have a stable workforce you
need to: · Address retention issues - what do you need to
do to keep top performers? · Have the "internal customer"
mindset throughout the entire organization
To have a well-led workforce,
top management needs to: · Continually develop and enhance
leadership skills · Work more ON the business, rather than
IN the business · Transition from a Doer to a Manager of Doers
Without baseline essentials
in place, it will be a constant struggle to provide the uniformly
high-level of customer service that customers have come to
expect.
For additional information on
topics discussed in this article, click the desired topic
below or go directly to our web site http://www.tgassociates.com/.
Personality
Profiling
Wonderlic© Testing
and Scoring
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**
Another NEW Product **
Job
Descriptions specifically for the Mailing and Fulfillment
Industry
In conjunction with Debra
speaking at the Mailing and Fulfillment Services Association
in Philadelphia, PA in June, she also announced the
immediate availability of a set of 12 job descriptions
written specifically for the mailing and fulfillment
industry.
The job descriptions -
available for $149 plus shipping - include job descriptions
for: Bindery Operator, Bookkeeper, Customer Service
Representative, Customer Service Supervisor, Delivery
Driver, Estimator, General Manager, Mailing Database
Operator, Mailing Machine Operator, Outside Sales
Representative, Press Operator and Production Manager.
The job description series
is available on CD-ROM in both Mac and PC formats, and
includes both Adobe Acrobat PDF and Microsoft Word templates.
The job descriptions may be used as written, or may
be modified to fit specific conditions in a particular
mailing and fulfillment business.
Click
here to order.
Click
here for sample of Mailing Database Operator (in PDF
format)
REMEMBER!!
Basic and Deluxe Job Descriptions specifically for the
printing industry are also available. Click
here for more information.
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Bits
and Pieces
The
hardest thing is to get started, but the really
hardest thing is to finish.
Yogi
Berra, Hall of Fame baseball player
The
problem in my life and other people's lives is
not the absence of knowing what to do, but the
absence of doing it.
Peter
F. Drucker, Management consultant and writer
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Data
Offers Insight on Job Satisfaction,
Generational Differences
The Randstad Review unveils some information regarding
some generational myths and stereotypes. For instance, rather
than being stagnant in a job while waiting for retirement,
81% of Mature Workers (ages 55 to 69) are interested in trying
new things.
GenXers’ work
styles do not mirror the myth of being job-hopping slackers;
77% of GenXers (ages 21 to 35) say that success is finding
a company where you want to work for a long time, and 73%
find satisfaction in knowing their work helps clients or customers.
Baby Boomers may
be known as the selfish “Me” generation, but in reality Baby
Boomers (ages 36 to 54) truly want to make a contribution
to their clients and employers.
GenYers are often
viewed as having a sense of entitlement and wanting opportunities
handed to them; however, the truth is, GenYers (born after
1980) have an entrepreneurial spirit that makes them very
self-reliant.
Source:
Recruiting Trends - May 17, 2001
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Recommended
Reading
In
business today it is a team-effort that creates true success.
As stated by Ken Blanchard in the book The One Minute
Manager Builds High Performing Teams, “No longer
can we depend upon a few peak performers to rise to the top
to lead. If we are to survive, we must figure out ways to
tap into the creativity and potential of people at all levels.”
“As
a result, there has been a movement toward participation and
involvement so strong that it is called the Third Revolution
in management practices. A new organizational structure has
come into its own - the team that increases ownership and
commitment unleashes creativity and builds skills. Today’s
leader must be an enabler of people and a facilitator
of teams - not only as an effective team leader, but as
an effective team member as well.”
From
my hands-on experience in working with businesses and organizations
in developing teams, Ken hits the nail on the head when he
identifies why some business are successful and some never
quite get there. For the role of the team leader he says,
“You will never, never, never have an empowered, self-directed
team unless the leader is willing to share control. Your job
is to educate your people, to help them develop to the point
where they can take responsibility for their work and to give
them opportunities to perform. Your primary job is to develop
your people.”
In
his book, Mr. Blanchard explains in simple terms the four
stages of team development and the role of the leader in each
stage. This book makes the concepts of team development and
leadership come alive. This is a must read for anyone who
leads or is a part of a team.
Like
all of Ken Blanchard’s books, it is an easy read and only
104 pages.
To view other recommended books, click
here.
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Debra's 2001
Work/Life Summer Schedule
As most of you already know,
my family and work/life balance is a big deal to me. It's
always been very important for me to spend as much time as
possible with my family, and on the other hand, I love to
work. Since the summer is traditionally a slow time for speaking
and consulting in general, it's a great opportunity for me
to take time off for my personal life. It's a chance to spend
quality time with family and friends. And it's also a great
time to re-energize my internal batteries.
Hence, you will notice that
I will be officially out-of-pocket for a week in July and
a little in August. While I am away, Shari, our Administrative
Assistant will be coming in periodically to check on faxes
and voice mail. So if you need anything, please leave a message
and she will get back to you as soon as possible.
July 2001
7 - 10
Dallas, TX
National Association of Speakers Annual Conference
11
Springfield, VA
Teambuilding Seminar
12
Alexandria, VA
Graphic Communication Association
13-14
Orlando, FL
Sir Speedy, Inc. Annual Conference
Speaking: The Magic of People
20-29
San Diego, CA
TG & Associates will be closed for vacation.
August 2001
1-2
Shreveport, LA
Consulting
9
Tucson, AZ
Consulting
15-20
Madison, WI
TG & Associates will be closed. Our son, Cameron, is getting
married to Lisa, August 18.
If I'm heading
your way and you would like to schedule your own presentation,
team building session or consulting, click here to check out
my "On
The Road Fee Schedule." This schedule will be in
effect for all areas followed by **. You can also call toll
free 1-877-842-7762 or email debra@tgassociates.com
and I will send you my "On The Road Fee Schedule"
for your review. It's a great opportunity!
If you have anything you would
like discussed in The Communicator or with Debra Thompson
directly, feel free to contact her via e-mail at debra@tgassociates.com
or call 520-751-8922.
The Communicator is intended
to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter
covered. Advice received from here should be with the understanding
that TG & Associates, LLC, is not engaged in rendering
legal or other equivalent professional services. If legal
advice or other professional assistance is required, the services
of a competent professional person should be sought. TG &
Associates, LLC, is not responsible for misrepresentation,
misinterpretation, or misuse of the data contained in or derived
from this system.
1999 Copyright - TG & Associates,
LLC.
Bringing Systems & People Together for Profit
All rights reserved
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