(Time to read this Blog is about 3 minutes)
Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:
- My Biz Quote of the week:
“It’s difficult to get your staff to ‘think big’ if you constantly make them feel small! Ask them, listen to them, encourage them, acknowledge them, uplift and energize them!”
…Donald Cooper.
- Quick Biz Tip:
A simple thought to become a better manager or leader…one action at a time.
We should all be working on becoming better leaders or managers…and better human beings. Here’s a simple thought on how to do that.
Every time you make a decision, handle a problem or opportunity, or deal with a Team member, ask yourself this question, “How would the leader / manager that I’m committed to become, handle this situation?” And, then, one action at a time, you will become the leader / manager that you commit to be.
- Fun Fact: Beef is big business in Canada, contributing $34 billion to the economy and supporting about 350,000 jobs.
- Loads of love! Sunshine Coin Laundries, with 8 locations in South Florida, regularly holds free laundry events, called ‘Loads of Love’, for those in need throughout their community.
A few years ago, when speaking to a group of Heating & Air Conditioning Contractors (HVAC), I suggested that they could take on the project of ensuring that the HVAC systems for their local Women’s Shelter were always in 1st class operating order…no charge.
What could you do to bring help and love to your customers and your community? What a great subject for your next Team meeting.
- What’s preventing you from delivering extraordinary customer experiences? Businesses spend a lot of time and money trying to fix ‘Service Problems’. But what we really need to fix is the real issues that are causing those ‘Service Problems’. That starts with identifying what those ‘real issues’ are.
A great way to start, no charge, is to download my Biz Tool #A-2, ‘The Service Challenge Audit Sheet’. Click Here to access it. If you’d like to chat about how to create and deliver world-class customer experiences, I’m easy to find at donald@donaldcooper.com.
- AI Update: AI-powered robots, developed by Carbon Robotics, identify and destroy weeds with high-precision lasers. This technology eliminates weeds without the use of chemical herbicides, reducing dependency on manual labor, lowering operational costs for farmers while reducing their environmental impact.
Now, to this week’s important topic:
What or whom are you hiding from in your business?
Many business owners and managers are hiding from something. In fact, I guess we’re all hiding from something in one way or another.
- Some are hiding from ‘bad news’ by not paying attention to their financial statements. If you don’t understand your numbers…you don’t understand your business. Others are hiding from ‘bad news’ by not listening to their team and not encouraging ‘respectful debate’.
- Some are hiding from reality like their mediocre value proposition, new competitors, their obsolete business model, declining markets, ineffective systems and processes, or their own toxic culture. They’re hiding from reality, they’re in denial…and it will kill them. The beginning of wisdom is the recognition of reality.
- Some are hiding from customers, either because they’re shy, or they don’t want to hear any negative feedback…or because they don’t give a damn.
A very clever friend and former client of mine, a manufacturer and distributor selling to independent retailers, devotes 50% of his time to visiting customers to listen, to learn, to ‘thank’ them and to honor them. He has appointed himself to be the ‘Chief Listening Officer’ in his business. Who is the ‘Chief Listening Officer’ in your business?
- Some are hiding from their employees by hiding in their office all day. They’re what I call ‘the invisible boss’. If you’re not ‘seen’, your team assumes you don’t care. That’s just how it works. A big part of your job is to be seen, to be available, to listen, to coach, to clarify, encourage and inspire…and you can’t do any of that by hiding.
- Some people use the business to hide from their family, or from the world in general. The business has become their ‘neat fort’ where they feel safe, comfortable and in control. This is a terrible mistake. We have customers at home too!
When we listen to our customers, staff, suppliers, and our family, two wonderful things happen. First, we learn from them and then, second, we honor them. When we do not listen, we do not learn from them and we dishonor them.
So, what or whom might you hiding from…how will you address that and when will you get started?
That’s it for this week…
Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!
Donald Cooper
Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability. He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.
