President Obama’s Call to Service: Setting us up for Success
We were in upstate New York at a retreat center -- without television. Somebody set up a computer so we could watch the Inauguration. In between classes, we had time to watch THE speech and not much else. You know how a great presenter can deliver the same message...
Customer Service with Heart: Key to Organizational Health
Last week, I visited a beautiful spa in Mexico. That's another reason why I like spas: they offer staff huge opportunities to excel in customer service. Think about it: When people go to a spa they're open -- they're after a positive experience. If you meet that...
Elton John at Caesars: Rock & Roll, Life Purpose and Service
I'm not likely to ever forget what happened last night. As we walked back to our room after dinner, two Caesars Palace employees asked if we wanted to see Elton John and handed us two tickets to sit on the upper deck. They said "You gotta go now," which meant just as...
Customer Service, Empathy & Resetting the Clock
Last week I had a chance to reset my clock. I spent time with a group in upstate New York, training, learning, sharing, walking out in nature, sitting by the fire ... yes, in the snow and below-zero weather. It was fantastic! In my training work with customer service...
Business, Life, Nature: Finding the Inspiration
Artists, entrepreneurs, bloggers, business owners, writers get their inspiration in all sorts of ways: in the shower, meditating, running, walking the dog, swimming, reading, from teachers, mentors, movies. I'm sure I've missed some; feel free to remind me. More and...
Activating Wishes, Visions, Success
So true: It doesn't happen right away. Have you ever looked back at your life and noticed that so many of the wishes and dreams you once had have come true? They didn't come true when you were really actively wanting, did they? No. Wishes, visions and success are...
Today I am celebrating You!
Thanksgiving is a very special time, filled with reminders of everything we have ... and it is so very much! It is a celebration of the bounty and generosity of the Earth, of our planet, of our lives. Today, I am celebrating you: friends, family, readers, fellow...
Being Productive When Things Get Quiet
Creating, delivering, innovating are all processes with peaks and valleys; not linear, not flat. What do you think? Is it less productive to spend time mulling a new development or researching a new idea? How about courting the muses for inspiration? Do you feel...
Planning for Success: Transform your work environment
Are you in your work space right now? Look around you. What do you see? Are the objects, images and reminders that surround you uplifting? Do you love every thing you see? Do you have a sense of well-being when you enter your work area, or does it make you cringe? If...
Understanding Empathy in Customer Service
We dined out this weekend. Great food; "blah" service. Our server was polite, but everything she said came out as if scripted, inauthentic. She greeted all our comments with one word: "fantastic". I finally figured out why this bothered me -- she had no empathy. At...
Great Spa Customer Service: What could it look, feel like?
Imagine. It's your free afternoon. You are going to the spa. The receptionist calls you two hours ahead of your appointment and says they look forward to seeing you. She tells you to call as you are getting there if you have trouble finding them. She asks what you...
Service and Success: A powerful Link
Each of us comes into our life with a set of skills, gifts and qualities unique and specific to us. All of us want to be successful. As I finished posting my recent article on success, I thought again about what it feels for me to be truly successful. And for me, that...
Women, Success, Creativity: “Who Does She think She is?”
Being all things to all people ... except perhaps your true Self to you. It's part of every woman's dilemma, and even more so now with so many choices, such an accelerated pace of life, so many expectations and opportunities. We hear our calling, the call of our...
Abundance and Poverty: Blog Action Day 2008
Today is Blog Action Day. A day to give back. Bloggers were asked to dedicate our articles to the issue of poverty. So instead of writing about customer service, training or success, today I'm doing my part to bring attention to this world-wide challenge. We are all...
So you want to be successful. But what do you really want?
Generally when we have an image of our success we think about money, paying bills easily, prestige, travel, maybe acquiring something we've wanted a long time. But in reality when we think about success and about these things we are after a feeling. That feeling is...
Think the sky is falling? Be grateful.
Tim Ferris' recent blog entry got my interest. His statement "The Sky is Falling" captures our current economic environment and makes me think about being grateful. Strange? Not really. An attitude of gratitude is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves...
Nine Tiger Woods Success Secrets to help you get closer to your dream
As a trainer and motivator, I'm fascinated by the impact people have on their work environment, their peers, on those closest to them. This weekend I watched a bit of The Players Golf Championship. Beautiful day, great players but, frankly it was a bit ... dare I say...
Ask for what you Want, Need, Dream of
It had been a while since I had spoken to my friend. He feels called to embark on a new learning and discovery journey. Everything's pointing him in that direction but it is a big step and he is cautiously concerned. In talking with him, it was obvious to me...
3 Powerful Staff Motivation Questions
When we're in the zone, enthused and energized we can feel like Leo DiCaprio in Titanic "I'm the ... King of the World!" We feel we can help our people, motivate them to be better at what they do. We want to share, make a positive difference in their attitude. But...
Looking for Great Customer Service in a Spa
What is it we are searching for when we visit a spa? Isn't it some sort of "experience"? Relaxation, upliftment, solace, the big exhale! A qualitative something. I love the spa experience and the possibilities for transformation such environments hold. But contrary...
Good to Great Customer Service! What does it take?
We asked a group of customer service reps to choose what training area they needed help with to take their work from good to great. Was it Stress Management? Communication Skills? Time Management? Most CSRs chose "Handling Upset Customers" as their top training need....
