Don’t microwave the shrimp

There are best movie lists, best music lists etcetera. With my university and college-age kids home for the holidays, we decided to make a list of “good things” to know. Each of them lives away from home and we started talking about things that “would have been nice to know” when they moved away. Whether going away to school or moving out on your own, these were their thoughts.

Using Theatre to Train Your Team

Everyone joins an organization with varying levels of skills and experience.  The effective use of role-playing can generate incremental leaps in capabilities through fostering interactive learning between co-workers. 

Make your meetings count …

Good meetings don’t just happen. Preparation, Planning and Practice make good meetings. Good meeting techniques, like your organization, change and evolve. Some meetings will be better than others but your goal should be to have your people leave your meetings feeling like they understand what is going on, why something is happening, and be excited about moving forward.

… about issues at work

Sixteen-year-old students left to lock up, fourteen-year-old kids running meat cutting equipment, university or college students struggling to balance work/school demands, and more issues that are stressing students who work.

This post provides an introduction and links to help acquire the knowledge they need to know their rights in the workforce. Please share this post with students you know or with parents who have children working after-school and on weekends.

Inclement Weather and your People

The stress and anxiety that accompany severe inclement weather events are very real for organizations and their associates. In extreme weather events, it is difficult for organizations to mitigate those emotions; however, it is still possible to have processes in place for “normal” severe weather events.

Turning the sock inside out …

Managers and supervisors do not earn their money when everything is running smoothly. Managers and supervisors earn their money when everything is going to shit.

With apologies to Rudyard Kipling, “If you can keep your head while all those about you are losing their minds, then you are truly blessed.”

Solving issues is a learned skill, a process combined with an open perspective will give you a key competitive edge.

SIMPLE TRUTHS

I have realized that many times I have contributed to my setbacks and defeats as much as I have benefited from the successes that I have had. In that journey friends, co-workers, and competitors have tried to teach me lessons that many times I stubbornly refused to acknowledge and appreciate …until recently.

Give me five minutes, and perhaps you might be able to apply their lessons for yourself on your journey.

If you let them … instead help them with tools, training, and a process that works.

Nothing about difficult situations and angry people is ever simple.

Rarely is there one trigger and one solution. Nuance, exceptions, and the lack of anything resembling black and white all are factors in finding solutions to their problems. There is never just one or two sides to a story, there are usually forty-two sides!

This post is about a process, the tools, and the training required to anticipate, avoid, and ultimately how to deal with these situations when they occur.

Customer Service is not a Profit Center

Customer service is not a profit center. Ironically, quality customer service has more in common with advertising and marketing than most organizations realize.

Today’s post is about giving the people who dedicate their careers to solving problems for our clients and customers, the tools and support they need.