As organisations grow, they seem to fall in love with order and consistency. Management practices are developed to minimise risk  and prevent someone messing up. Organisational values externally shout about innovation and passion but internal every day practices demonstrate the pre-requisite for strucutre and order. This conflict goes some way to explain the frustrations that many workers feel today and the limited application of disretionary effort.

However, the pace of change in business today demands that we rapidly enhance the personal skills of all staff so that they can respond, analyse, challenge and improve.

We don’t need to rupture all the rules and order but we do need to rethink the way we encourage people to make a contribution.

It can often feel that advoates from each camp are in conflict. But this isn’t the choice leaders of today are facing. It’s not a choice between order and irrationality. The more important choice is between an approach of domination and control and one of participation and interaction. The question is whether the goal is an order that is subtle and dynamic, based on interactive engagement with others, or an order that is based on sterile following of the rules and on traditional command and control.

20th Century thinking focused organisations to consider these options as either/or. In the 21st Century, we need “both-and” thinking. We need both order and innovation.

What can you do today to challenge thinking and encourage a greater participation by members of staff at all levels?

It was incredibly simple but portrayed a depth of understanding and feeling that would have taken a huge number of words. Watch this 1 minute video for inspiration and then draw your representation of engagement in your organisation. Ask others in your company to do the same and use it as an opportunity to compare ideas and thoughts. You may be surprised by some of the thinking that comes out. I'd love to hear (or see) what you think.

So what can we learn from this programme (did I say you simply must watch it). Two things:

1. Lessons from Perry – Dr Doofenschmurtz is so obsessed with showing off to his nemesis Agent P (Perry) that he never manages to fulfil his evil intentions. How much time, money, and resource do you and/or your organisation spend looking at your competition and trying to outdo them? What could you more fruitfully achieve if you spent that time creatively asking and listening to your customers instead? I hear the constant obsession by some organisations with enticing customers from competitors through early deals and seductive promises that we forget the thousands/ millions of customers with whom we already have a relationship. Research shows that businesses are doing everything in their power to make it as easy as possible to switch but are they deploying the same amount of resources on helping customers to stay? Which leads me nicely to the second learning from Phineas and Ferb
2. Each day they invent the impossible. Each episode starts with “Hey Ferb, I know what we are going to do today!” With conviction, passion and enthusiasm their inventiveness has rubbed off on the most unusual bunch of children who gather to help. If you started each day with that same mantra with the same energy and conviction, what new ideas do you think you and your team could have to help your customers stay. Often the boys create inventions to thrill their friends and has nothing to do with their own motives. They get their kicks simply by helping or creating something for others. So why not spend the next week just talking to your customers, delving a little deeper and showing that you really care.  Ask your staff too also. You never know what you mind find out to help them stay loyal to you.

In the news this week, it was reported that in Yorkshire people resorted to crawling across roads to avoid falls on the ice and in Oxford the inner child came out as we saw police officers sledging on riot shields. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8458000/8458645.stm (couldnt resist posting the bbc link!)

Both of these stories struck a chord with me for different reasons.

Firstly, how capable and tenacious we all can be in the face of adversity. Whether adversity is physical conditions like the weather or increasing pressure at work, if we focus on a solution rather than hooking into the problem, then we can make progress. Pedestrians in Yorkshire simply had enough of falling when taking the usual steps to cross a road so decided to go on all fours and crossed safely without injury.

So how can we apply this lessons at work? Ask yourself these questions:

1. What am I doing that is just not making progress i need/expect? (analyse)
2. What do I want to achieve? (check in the desired outcome)
3. How else can I make progress? (challenge if there are alternative methods.. knwo that there is ALWAYS a different way to make progress)

As we all know, the quality of our solution can often depend on the quality of our questions and it is easy to get hooked into the ‘usual practice’. Take this time to focus on your outcome and try a different way.

More on questioning on our website www.leaps-bounds.co.uk/insights/freereport/

The second story interested me because many people were appalled that police officers were taking time out whilst on duty and using police gear to get them down the slope. On one level I completely understand that judgement but also let’s face it, wouldn’t most of us take a moment to enjoy the play if given the chance? How many people didn’t go into work during the snowy days even when they possibly could have? Let’s watch who and what we judge and checkour own actions before cricising others. We all make choices and decisions that have a knock on effect . For example, in our locality, very few primary schools in our area kept open during the snow. One of them that did was our children’s school (they were gutted ) The reason is because the Head teacher understands her responsibility to the community and that if the children couldn’t go to school, many parents couldn’t get to work and many carers couldn’t get to care for the vulnerable people in the community who need their support. Her teachers come from far and wide and those that could came in. Some parents also mucked in to help. Paths were cleared and salted before the children arrived to make sure they were as safe as possible. They opened and the children had great fun. Just for the record, this school is www.bromptonwestbrook.medway.sch.uk/ These people know that for every action and choice they make there is alwasy a consequence and it is important to think through these consequences befroe taking action.

So maybe we could all challenge ourselves more about what is the right thing before we criticise others. Let them play! I bet these police officers do a great and very valued job when they are off the slopes.

Make this year the year when you think through alternatives when things don;t go quite right or question the consequences of your actions on others and if all of us did a little bit what a great place it would be.  Remember ti is oftne the little things that make the most difference. Take a look at http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/ to help steer your everyday actions. Enjoy

This has been one of our most commented on threads and its been great to see the development of the topic.

I was then sent a link to a video of Dan Pink speaking about the Surprising Science of Motivation – by our ‘online guru’ Carl Jeffrey and it has inspired me this morning to STOP WHAT I’M DOING AND SPREAD THIS MESSAGE FURTHER!

Dan Pink now proves the conflict that there is a mismatch between what Sciences Knows and What Businesses Do when it comes to motivating staff.

No longer can we continue to use external motivators to boost our team members performance, we must develop the internal motivators so they want, need and boost their performance for themselves.

The new model talks about encouraging three things:

1. Autonomy

2. Mastery

3. Purpose

I encourage all of you to watch Dan Pinks very engaging talk about the scientific proof that building internal motivators is the best way forward for our businesses to increase and enhance productivity (it will take you about 20 minutes to watch and digest so get yourself a cuppa). Please pass this link on to anybody you feel would benefit!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y[/youtube]

I’m a customer who has experienced World Class Service from a call centre advisor who’s got the internal motivators to do the best they can and it makes a massive difference! So help me spread the word and encourage managers to use the new model!!

Enjoy!

p.s. Thanks to Carl for passing this on!

Carly

Last week I delivered one of our Quick Wins Workshops ‘The Feel Good Fete’ where people create ideas to help them feel great at the end of each working day rather than wanting to slump on the sofa as soon as they walk through the door.

It was a great session full of very creative people so I thought I’d share some of their ideas with you:

1. Vary my routines – breaking your normal routine pattern can stimulate new thoughts and energise you! Why not break a daily routine you have and notice the impact it has!

2. Celebrate my successes more – reward yourself for your great achievements… those of you who know me, will know that my rewards are normally in shoe or chocolate form!!!

3. Yoga Once a Week – Yoga or any exercise will help you raise your energy levels… be sure to choose the right exercise for you though (doing something you enjoy will boost your vitality, pressuring yourself to do something you don’t enjoy will increase your anxiety and stress levels… so think about what you enjoy doing and do it at least once a week.

4. Leave the office at Lunch for 10 minutes – so many of us get chained to our desks for the day and we eat our lunch whilst checking emails or doing some form of work… STOP! This is not good for you… not only do you not enjoy your food, you are also removing an opportunity to refresh those brain cells, so be sure to go out, get some fresh air and have a proper break!

5. Focus on the Positive – try to limit the time you spend thinking about the things you can’t change, and instead focus on the things you can influence. This change in mindset will without doubt make you feel better about things!

6. Desk Exercises – try out some desk exercises to get moving and grooving at your desk http://www.tellmehowto.net/healthandfitness/desk_exercises_194

Have fun giving these a try, and please let us know how they work for you!

Enjoy!

Carly

]]> http://www.leaps-bounds.co.uk/learning/boosting-your-vitality-at-work/feed/ 1 http://www.leaps-bounds.co.uk/ideas-for-learning-design/customer-service/you-can-find-inspiration-in-everything/ http://www.leaps-bounds.co.uk/ideas-for-learning-design/customer-service/you-can-find-inspiration-in-everything/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:48:55 +0000 Caroline http://blog.leaps-bounds.co.uk/?p=170 This is the title of a book written by Paul Smith, the great British Designer and it is absolutely the approach to business that we need to guide us to enhance the customer service we offer.

In the sheer busyiness of our days we replicate/ copy - it is human nature after all. We are programmed to access and build on the familiar but if the familiar got us where we are today, then surely it is time to branch out and seek inspiration from things outside our normal frame of reference? So, take a walk outside at lunchtime. Notice what you notice and think what can I apply from this? Whether it be a double decker bus, a bus stop. a taxi or a train, a shop, someone walking a dog, a flower or a bee. Stop and consider how can I apply this to what I do? Now mor ethan ever we need to take risks, to be bold. So, to start you off take that trip outside and see what you can see and if you want further confirmation order the book!
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1900828294/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Learning comes in many forms and so I’d like to share a personal learning experience that I had recently.

We’ve been developing our suite of 90 minute ‘quick win’ sessions for some time and while we’ve been enormously proud of the content we just couldn’t get the message and marketing material right.  So we finally decided to seek some external help from our friends at marketing experts onefishtwofish and we thank Cat for a really enlightening session.

I’d have to say I had more ‘doh’ moments in two hours than I’d had for some time… including

• We’d lost sight of the purpose (we always say focus on the outcome)
• By adding more detail we made it so complicated (keep things simple is a key L&B principle)
• We we’re being nice not honest with each other about our sperate contributions (honesty is one of our values)
• The project had begun to feel like a chore (fun is another value …and we know how it helps creativity)
• We we’re thinking about what we wanted to say rather than what our customers needed to hear (going against everything we believe in offering world class service!)

I could go on but will stop right there! It’s a bit like the doctor who doesn’t take his own medicine, the teacher with unruly kids of their own …the learning specialist not heeding the words of wisdom she shares with people every day.

So, having reminded myself of some of those words of wisdom here are 3 top tips:

1. Take time to reflect. It’s only when you stand back that you can catch sight of the bigger picture rather than getting bogged in the detail
2. Listen (really listen) to those you serve: your customers, your team, your family. If you are getting frustrated by always being asked the same questions then stop and ask what you’re not saying clearly enough in the first place.
3. Know when to ask for expert help. In the current climate many people are taking on extra responsibilities so be clear about those you can handle with confidence and those when a couple of hours spent with an expert could save days in the end.

I’d love to hear yours

Happy learning

Gill

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is  wet?

Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up every two hours?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the  ground?

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but  don’t point to  their bottom when they ask where the loo  is?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Stop singing and read on……. Yes, it caught us too!

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

What a wonderful World this is!

And just for fun extreme knitting

And the Friday night Knitting Club