5 Communication Practices to Help You Earn the Respect of Your Team

5 Communication Practices to Help You Earn the Respect of Your Team5 Communication Practices to Help You Earn the Respect of Your TeamCommunication misfirescan lead to problematic and unhealthy situations within your work place. This can quickly lead to issues when dealing with customers or each other, reducing sales and overall success within your organization. Here are some lessons we can all learn from this all-too-common issue. Communication Best Practices to Employ with Your New Team 1. Start by asking yourself,At the end of my time leading this group, what will my gruppe members say that I did? This powerful and provocative question challenges you to think deeply about your roleand about the impact you desire to have in this group. Write down and share your thoughts with your new team. Ask them to hold you accountable for your description. Your willingness to state your intentions and commitment publicly will earn the respect of your team members. Be prepared to live up to your commitment. 2. Ask for input one person at a time. While you may not be able to avoid being introduced to your new team in a group setting, resist the urge to share your leadership manifesto in this setting. Instead, quickly move to set up one-on-one discussions with each team member. Use these initial sessions as an opportunity to ask questions. Try Whats Working? Whats Not? What do you need me to do to help? Take great notes, and remember that you own the follow-up from these sessions. 3. Harness the power of questions. Questions are your best friend when it comes to gaining credibility with your new team. When you ask someone for their opinion, you are showing that you value their experience and ideas, you are displaying a powerful form of respect. Be careful not to ask for opinions and then ignore the input, or the positive feelings will quickly turn sour. 4. Learn about the teams history and culture. Any group that has been together for any length of time has formed a distinct culturebased on shared history. Listen and learn and ask about the teams prior successes and heroic efforts. Strive to learn how everyone works together and what they view as their collective strengths and gaps. 5. Find a feedback buddy. This individual plays the corporate equivalent of what the Navy SEALs term a swim buddy. For the SEALs, everyone in their BUDS training program is assigned an individual who goes everywhere, does everything and provides help and has your back. The role of the feedback buddy is a bit less extreme but still essential. This supporting character offers you the frank feedback on your performance that most team members are afraid to give. The Bottom-Line for Now The Im here and arent you excited new manager is annoying to everyone involved. The point in time when you assume responsibility for a group that is new to you is filled with ample opportunities to misstep and misfire. Dont let your mouth zulauf ahead of your brain. Instead, ask questions, li sten carefully and tread softly before you share your opinions.

This much I know is true The greatest gift you can give is your time

This much I know is true The greatest toxikum you can give is your timeThis much I know is true The greatest gift you can give is your timeI welches drawing in my bedroom when my parents came in. Dad sat across from me and Mom stood inside the doorway.Johnny, while youre home from college this summer, we need your help taking Nana to the hospital for zu sich treatments, my father said.Sure, Dad. I welches happy to help.Nana was my paternal grandmother, and she was fighting cancer. She lived not far from us, in a rented room of a family home. She still drove, but the treatments left her too weak to get behind the wheel.I didnt ask how serious Nanas cancer was. I guess I didnt want to find out.She wasnt about to quitIt was awkward the first day I picked her up. She used to share an apartment with my other grandmother, Banner. When Banner passed away, Nana had to find more affordable accommodations.The family she rented a room from was nice enough, but it was weird walking through their house to Nanas bedroom. It felt foreign and out of place.I knocked on her bedroom door.Hey, Nana, its Johnny. Im here to take you to your appointment.She opened the door and smiled. The aroma of cigarettes hit me. Nana had smoked her whole life. She wasnt about to quit, not even with cancer.We drove to the hospital and Nana talked about the family she lived with. How she didnt like it there. How the food was bad, and the kids were noisy at night.She didnt ask how college was going for me. But then, when youre in your early twenties, its easy to think everything should revolve around you.I walked Nana up the stairs to the hospital entrance. There were several chickadees flitting about, chirping in an adjacent tree. I pointed them out and Nana smiled.Nana didnt smile often, and it felt good to see her uplifted. As we walked into the hospital, I started to get an idea.I want to take you somewhereI sat in the waiting room. The cool tile floors, clipboards, beige walls, reflective eleva tor doors, and buzzing fluorescent lights all felt sterile to me.I could only imagine what it was like for Nana. Having to endure weekly treatments, and then go back to that lonely bedroom. I wanted to take her away from it all, if only for a few hours.After the appointment, I escorted Nana back to the car, which was my Dads Buick Riviera.Hey Nana, do you have to get back right away?Why, no Johnny. Do you have some shopping to do? she asked.No, I want to take you somewhere. Its a surprise, but only if youre feeling up to it.That would be fine, Johnny, she answered.A short train rideWe drove for a bit and soon were back in Los Gatos, where I turned into the parking lot of Oak Meadow Park. I looked over at Nana.I remember taking you here when you were little, she said, gazing out the window at the lawns and playground.Dont worry, were not going to the swing sets or slides, I said.I helped her out of the car and she took my arm as we strolled down a long pathway.Where are we going, Joh nny? she asked.Youll see, Nana. Youll see.It was a beautiful afternoon. The scrub jays were darting above us in the tree canopy. Children were laughing on the playground. A warm breeze kissed our faces.We rounded the corner, and I watched Nanas eyes light up.Whats this, Johnny?They have a railroad and carousel here, Nana. Its called the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and W.E. Bill Mason Carousel. I thought, if you were feeling up to it, wed go for a short train ride. I smiled at Nana.She gazed at the small trains, filled with children and families. Then she looked back at me and smiled.The train carried us through the woods into a glorious clearing of rolling lawns. We journeyed further, circling Vasona lake, with its many ducks quacking and bobbing in the water.Nana smiled and giggled when I pointed out a line of baby ducks, trying to follow their mother along the shore.Of course, all good things come to an end. We returned to the train station, and the conductor let out one last whi stle before we stopped and disembarked.Nana was tired, but still smiling. I drove her back home and walked her through the house to the bedroom.I hope you had a good time, Nana.Thank you, Johnny, that was a lot of fun, she said. I hugged her and told her to get some rest.We waited to tell youThere were other trips to the hospital, and before I knew it my summer vacation was over and I was back at school. It was my senior year. There were late night study sessions, finals, and parties.My parents came up for the graduation ceremony. Afterward, they said they had something to show me. We walked behind my dorm building to the parking lot, and there sat a white Toyota Tercel, with a red bow attached to the roof.No way, you guys got me a car I screamed, happily.My parents laughed and said they were proud of me. We hugged and then went to check out the car. I was giddy with excitement. It was an amazing day. I had done well in school and graduated with distinction. I had a new car and plan s that evening to attend a party at a winery with my friends.Before my parents left, we returned to my dorm room.Johny, we waited to tell you this until after your finals were over. We didnt want you to be distracted or troubled at all, Dad said.I looked at him and my mother.Before Dad could continue I said, Nana passed away.Yes, Im afraid so. She ended up in the hospital and slipped into a coma.I sat down on the end of the bed. Mom sat down beside me and we talked a bit about her. We reminisced about Nana and Banner. I wished they could have lived to enjoy my graduation.Eventually, it was time for my parents to drive home. We hugged, and I thanked them for the unbelievable graduation gift, and for all their support.This much I know is trueI had some time to kill before the graduation party and enjoyed a few beers with friends in the dorms. The afternoon sunlight began to fade and dusk was settling around the college campus.I strolled out to one of my favorite places, the campus duc k pond. It had one of those curved bridges, much like the one Monet painted at Giverny.I walked halfway across the bridge and leaned on the railing. I thought of Nana and that day in the park. I remembered her smiles, the train whistles, the ducks and the joy we both felt together.I dont understand everything about life and loss, but this much I know is trueThe greatest gift you can give loved ones is your time.Unhurried time, and your complete attention. They are gifts you give them, but also yourself.That night on the duck pond bridge, I shed a few tears. Tears of mourning and loss. But others were tears of gratitude for the memories of that day on the railroad with Nana. That special time we shared together.There is a moral to this short storyMake time for the ones you love.Youll bring them joy and create memories that will sustain you the rest of your life.Before you goIm John P. Weiss. I paint landscapes, draw cartoons and write about life. Thanks for reading.This article first appeared on Medium.

How Front-Line Employees Build Customer Loyalty

How Front-Line Employees Build Customer LoyaltyHow Front-Line Employees Build Customer Loyaltyfruchtwein geschftslebenes spend more time and energy trying to find new customers than they spend retaining the customers that they have. The logic behind customer retention is simple- it costs far less money to keep current customers happy than to spend much more money to recruit new customers. Loyal customers tell their friends about yur business and will spend more money than new customers. Personal Touch I dread eating at airports. If you travel as much as I do, you are probably familiar with the 3 bs as they apply to airport fare schwimmbad food, bad attitudes, and bad timing. I had an early flight to catch at the Ontario, California airport recently. I found myself standing outside the closed and gated doorway to an Applebees restaurant ten minutes before they were scheduled to open. I just knew they would be late and expected to receive the usual grumpy service common at most air ports the world over. But, I was wrong. Bam The clock struck five, the lights popped on and this charming lady opened the doors. She greeted me with a smile, a warm hello and told me to sit anywhere I wanted. I had never seen such a positive attitude at 500 in the morning. For the next hour, I watched Felicia cheerfully greet customers, many of whom she called by name. They were the regulars she said. Felicia was the remarkable person who made that small restaurant pleasant and memorable. Next time I return to the Ontario Airport, I guarantee you this is the restaurant I am going to visit first. 7 Steps to Build Customer Loyalty Here are seven steps to building this kind of customer loyalty. 1. Select the right people. In the book, ?From Good to Great, Jim Collins said, People are not your most important asset, the RIGHT people are. Most businesses do a poor job of hiring people. They hire just anyone and place them on the front-line with customers. Spend more time recruiting an d hiring the right people with good personalities. Focus on those who are friendly and demonstrate an interest in and enthusiasm for the job. Consider using personality profiles as part of the hiring process. These profiles help identify the true personality characteristics of your applicants. Theyll help you find your next Felicia. 2. Improve your customers experience. Good service is not good enough- the customer experience should be sensational. A recent Gallup survey showed a customer who is emotionally connected to your place of business is likely to spend 46% more money than a customer who is merely satisfied but not emotionally bonded. 3. Set performance standards. Outline the behaviors you expect from your employees tell them your requirements for how employees should act, speak, and respond to customer needs and requests. One of our clients developed a list of twenty customer service commandments that outline actions he wanted his service people to demonstrate. Develop your own that fit your business. 4. Sustain on-going training. Good customer service skills are not natural for most people. Effective customer service training must be reinforced and taught on a recurring basis. For example, the Ritz-Carlton hotels provide a thorough customer service training program for all of its employees during their orientation. Then each supervisor conducts a daily line-up to review one of the commandments with his employees ten minutes before each shift. 5. Reward top performers. Specify incentives for demonstrated good customer service behavior. Yes, employees want to be paid well, but they also want to be treated with respect and shown appreciation. The front-line supervisor has the greatest impact on motivating and retaining employees. Reward those who exceed the standards and provide development for those who do not. 6. Find out what your customers want. Survey your customers and reduce your defection rate. On average, businesses lose 15-20% of their custome rs each year to their competition. All businesses encounter this defection rate, but few do much about it. To improve customer retention, one client sends out a customer service report card to its top customers every month. This requires the customer to make an evaluation based on four specific criteria. They tally the results and make sure employees see the scores. This motivates the employees to do a better job. 7. Take complaints seriously. For every complaint you receive from customers, there are at least ten other customers who visited your business who have the same criticism- they just didnt share theirs. A portion of those ten people just took their business to your competitors. Look at customer complaints as a golden opportunity for improvement.