Skip to main content

Really, I am that good

So which is it, inquired pondering Pete, do you believe that I have the answer to your problem or do you simply have faith in me as a problem solver? Legendary Lee responded; I think the answer to that question has changed over time. Years ago when a variable speed drive failed you most likely had to call an expert to repair that piece of electronic equipment. Yet today if I am electrically inclined, it is possible a search of the Internet may reveal ideas which will assist me in solving the problem myself. Not too different from those game shows that allow you "a lifeline" to call a trusted friend for assistance. Today our lifeline is a digital platform and its seemingly boundless search data, whereas yesterday with limited communication, all of the expertise resided with analog-isolated individuals. 
  
Lee continued, so which is better the person that has all the answers or the person who can get all the answers? In some ways it boils down to your beliefs around education and the significance of building fundamental competencies.  If you consider for a moment that access to information in today's day and age is more important than, what other competencies are essential to deliver outstanding service? The attributes at the top of my list might be empathy, trust, curiosity, innate skill, attitude, and intelligence.  Unfortunately many of those attributes are difficult to train, however given the right environment can certainly be nurtured. Now Pete was completely confused, he was looking for a short answer to the complex question of "who is the best person to hire". 
  
Pete recalls a job applicant which he visited with just last week. "He just walked into my office full of attitude and proclaimed, yes it's hard to believe I really am that good!". At first Pete didn't know what to think, was this guy just an arrogant ass or was he so filled with confidence that he could find the answer to any problem put in front of him? Would his approach be welcomed or resented by our customers and teammates? Lee suggested maybe a little bit of both. The real trick is to measure folks and qualify them objectively. Answering the riddle of "I really am that good" must be achieved by monitoring performance across a period of time, aligned to conditions which positively impact the customer experience.  If your process is filled with subjective ranking scores such as yelp and or a net promoter style score then your results will always be controversial. However, when you and your team can agree upon objective points of measurement worked into an analysis system which is dynamic and relevant, your customers and employees with thank you.   
  
It seemed like Pete was starting to come around, you must have the core competencies, confidence and the proper culture to produce an all-star team.  When things are not firing on all cylinders you may get too much confidence and produce prima donnas or too little and end up with those who feel entitled.  Lee finished up with one final statement, Pete; achieving balance is key; competency, confidence, and culture.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

why transform?

Why do I want to change, who said anything was wrong with my stack of papers and sea of Excel files?   We solve problems, that is a key characteristic of any successful service organization, if it isn't broke why fix it?   Often, when discussing a transformation from paper or cobbled together systems to a cohesive digital approach, folks struggle with the gap between what they currently do and how digital tools can help.   You really need to look at where the pain points are in your organization and how these compare to your business objectives.   Consider writing down these points on the whiteboard in no particular order, spend a few days shuffling and consolidating into a prioritized list.   Once you have the "why" and the "what" identified, the old remaining step is "how".   Some of the most popular observations over the years have been; Slipping through the cracks :   you know, not the major muscle movements, instead those little i...
Post a Comment
Read more

expert at everything...not a problem

Well... I would say sometimes there certainly is a perceived notion that one person is an expert at everything. For the worker "everything" may be defined as the specific area in which you were hired or are constantly scheduled. Our opinions are frequently influenced off of past experience, or information we've received from their coworkers. Unfortunately this only gives us partial insight to that workers expertise and often is limited to their most recent history. Narrowly focused accounting is made of the skills that this individual possess. Come on, can't we figure out a way to leverage all of the skills of a particular worker? One of the challenges has always been that relationship between the activities which need to be accomplished and the myriad skills of individuals within your workforce. In addition, even if you could inventory and get a pretty good handle on the skill sets, they are constantly changing (with any luck) and thus the ineffective process of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

entusiastic about preventative maintenance

Why do I really care if my field technicians are enthusiastic or not? When you look at a person's work output, as directly related to workforce sciences, you come up with three primary ingredients required to achieve your desired results.   These ingredients are; attitudes, attributes, and capabilities and when mixed properly with enabling tools can yield unbelievable outputs. So what does any of this have to do with routine maintenance? If your maintenance routines actually become way too routine then pretty soon performance will be replaced with complacency. In order to keep any piece of equipment running as trouble-free as possible the maintenance performed, and the thoroughness of the inspection and tasks at hand, have a direct impact on the asset's life expectancy.   There are some strategies that help service organizations keep the enthusiasm at all-time highs. Switch techs from time to time :   One of the best ways to ensure maintenance is being performed...
Post a Comment
Read more