Customer service – or the lack of it. The airlines have been giving me lots to talk about lately. First, there was the incident on the United Flight that I wrote about in my last blog posting where Dr. David Dao was unceremoniously dragged off his flight because he refused to give up his seat… Read More >>
Unintended Lesson In Empowerment From United
Empowerment of employees: how can it save you money? Well…by now, you’ve probably seen the disturbing video of Dr. David Dao being dragged off a United Airlines flight to make room for crew members who were traveling to another airport to staff another flight. The incident has created outrage in social media, sparked harsh criticism… Read More >>
Leaders Practice Accountability-It Pays In Spades
A couple of weeks ago, I had myself video taped doing a presentation of my new program, “Cultivating Employee Accountability.” I needed a clip to put on my website so potential clients can get a taste of what they would get if they book me to speak or provide training for them. Since I live in… Read More >>
A Culture of Trust Is Good Business
If you’ve ever returned something to Costco, Home Depot, Target, or Nordstrom Department Stores you know that the norm in retailing these days is a “no or few questions asked return policy.” The idea is to make the customer WANT to do business with you by making it as easy as possible to return purchased… Read More >>
Disneyland Uses Service Hero Stories To Maintain The Magic
While I was working with Disneyland Resort Hotels one summer, I learned about Eric, a maintenance specialist who demonstrated why Disney has such a great reputation for creating magical moments for its guests. Eric was installing a generator into the ground in front of the hotel when a family approached him and asked directions to… Read More >>
Honesty and Integrity Make a Great Holiday Gift
I got a nice surprise this holiday season which reminded me that there are decent people out there who will strive to do the right thing, even when it requires time and energy above and beyond their “job description.” Earlier this week, our marketing manager, Kathie Pillard got a call from Michelle Hopp, an employee… Read More >>
Treat Them Right and They’ll Treat You Right – Happy Employees = Great Chili and Loyal Customers
I recently conducted a leadership retreat for a client in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of my favorite towns. As usual, I made a bee line to Tia Sophia , which has been my favorite purveyor of Northern New Mexican food since I first visited there 15 years ago. (Northern New Mexican is quite different… Read More >>
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE REAL HEROES OF HEALTHCARE
by Larry Johnson While President Obama and the congress debate healthcare reform, not much has been said about the dedicated people who work in healthcare and the incredible differences they can make in the lives of their customers. During a bicycling vacation through Napa Valley in 2003, CJ, my wife of 34 years was involved… Read More >>