Leaders Understand The Importance of Superior Customer Service

Service with surprise is like a box of Cracker Jack. It was not the cool box or the caramelized popcorn we craved - it was the free prize inside. While the prize had little economic value, its emotional value was priceless. Surprise breaks the monotony of ho-hum, communicates a caring attitude, and fosters an infectious spirit that customers cannot wait to share with others. Some companies have the principle of including the Cracker Jack surprise down pat. Zappos is ranked #2 in the U.S. in customer service. It also has "Create Fun and a Little Weirdness" as one of its core values. Zappos sent a bouquet of flowers to a loyal customer after the call center operator learned she had just had an emergency appendectomy. Miller Brothers, Ltd., an upscale men's clothing store in Atlanta, has "sophisticated fun" as one of its hallmark values. And the proof? A colorful gumball machine sits on a small table in the store's entrance foyer. Beside it is a large bowl of bright shiny pennies. Guess where Junior goes while daddy is trying on trousers? What can you do to apply the "Cracker Jack" Principle? Pretend the service that you deliver is like your customer's birthday. The best gifts are those that contain a delightful surprise. Put on your "little kid" creative hat and consider ways to make your service silly, funny, whimsical or quaint. Better yet, ask a kid for ideas! Like Cracker Jack, position the surprise in a way that heightens the astonishment and amazement. "Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game." Customers exist inside, as well as outside, our organizations. In a manufacturing company, Shipping is the customer of Production Operations, who is the customer of purchasing (suppliers), who is the customer of Order Management. Product Design is the customer of market research, etc. The same customer service chains exist in service companies and non-profits. There are many examples. Does your organization need to significantly boost its level of customer service for either internal or external customers? As a leader, what could you do to improve customer service? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/

Awesome Leadership Conference Coming!

There is an awesome leadership conference coming to the Pittsburgh area! Nov 13 | 8:30am-12:30pm North Way Christian Community | Wexford, PA Tickets starting at $29* Leading Through Change is a four hour LIVE seminar with Brad Lomenick, President of Catalyst and best-selling author. Also present to share his thoughts on leadership will be the Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager, Clint Hurdle! CATALYST is well known for gathering Christian leaders from a wide variety of organizations at their national leadership events. Jay Passavant is hosting this event at North Way and will be happy to answer any questions you have. In addition, I will be there and would love to see you! To register, copy and paste the following link into your Internet browser: http://passavantleadershipgroup.com/ltc-register/?utm_source=Staff&utm_campaign=d80fa5117d-LTC_Invite&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c7fdf3651d-d80fa5117d-569207

Three Keys to Great Leadership

A gardener at the Disney studio left some tools in an empty parking space. When a producer drove up and saw the tools in his space, he honked at the gardener and gave the poor man a chewing out. Walt walked up and interrupted the producer's tirade. "Hold it!" he said. "Don't you ever treat one of my employees like that! This man has been with me longer than you have, so you'd better be good to him!" That was Walt. To his employees, he was not only a leader. He was their defender and their servant. That's what separates leaders from bosses. I've always been fascinated with the qualities and characteristics of great leaders. History has identified many qualities and characteristics of great leaders, and, of course, no person embodies them all. But the great leaders I've known, or read about have one simple thing in common: They have developed their leadership styles around their personalities and their values, and in the end, their actions are consistent with what they truly believe. The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. However, the goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves. There are three keys to becoming a great servant leader: 1. Let go of your ego. The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. 2. Become a good follower first. Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School. 3. Give your power away. One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp. Do you want to become a better leader? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/

You Can't Manage Your Time

Arthur Berry was described by Time as "the slickest second-story man in the East," truly one of the most famous jewel thieves of all times. In his years of crime, he committed as many as 150 burglaries and stole jewels valued between $5 and $10 million. He seldom robbed from anyone not listed in the Social Register and often did his work in a tuxedo. On an occasion or two, when caught in the act of a crime by a victim, he charmed his way out of being reported to the police. Like most people who engage in a life of crime, he was eventually caught, convicted and served 25 years in prison for his crimes. Following his release, he worked as a counterman in a roadside restaurant on the East Coast for $50 a week. A newspaper reporter found him and interviewed him about his life. After telling about the thrilling episodes of his life he came to the conclusion of the interview saying, "I am not good at morals. But early in my life I was intelligent and clever, and I got along well with people. I think I could have made something of my life, but I didn't. So when you write the story of my life, when you tell people about all the burglaries, don't leave out the biggest one of all... Don't just tell them I robbed Jesse Livermore, the Wall Street baron or the cousin of the king of England. You tell them Arthur Berry robbed Arthur Berry." Here are six terrific truths about time: First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time. Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results. Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use. Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use. Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone. Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities. Do you need help with time management? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/

Real Leaders Unplug

Real leaders recognize there is a difference between the personal, family, faith, vocation, and community dimensions of their lives. They know that while all are integrated, there needs to be a balance. Technology threatens to change all that. Technology has taken over. But it’s not as if we mind. Modern people have a love affair with technology. But if we are entranced, we are also enmeshed. The downside of technology is real and painful, and it is the far-reaching tentacles of technology - ​directly or indirectly - ​that have caused the majority of our work-life problems. In the past, there was a closure on the end of every day. It was called night. There also existed a closure on the end of every week - ​it was called Sabbath (observed by most on Sunday). Today, there are no natural closures. One religious leader suggested that Sunday is a day to stop our work, and it also is a day to stop thinking about our work. In Scriptures, the faithful disconnected from their work for a Sabbath every week. If we wish a healthy work-life balance, we will need to confront technology’s hold on our lives. We will seek balance. We will unplug. Do you need help finding the balance? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/