Ownership

How does the idiom go…, “Possession is nine tenths of the law ”?

What does that say to the leader in you?

Recently I visited a local retail behemoth to purchase some dress shoes for my son. My wife and I went to the boys shoe section- picked out a nice pair of dress shoes, and preceded to the checkout line. What I did not tell you was that all of the boys dress shoes were marked 50% off, including the ones that we had chosen.

Once we arrived at the checkout counter, the gentleman that was checking us out stated the price. This was the price that was marked on the box; the original price. We avowed to him that they were marked on-sale, and he called the shoe department without luck. My wife and I were distraught about the lack of service that we were receiving, so we thought that we would return to the shoes department, and show the supervisor the 50% sale card in front of the shoes. To our dismay, when we returned to the shoe department (approximately five minutes later) all of the sale cards were missing. I summoned the attention of one of the shoe salesmen, and stated that the shoes that I was holding had a sales tag in front of not only them, but also in front of all of the boys dress shoes. He shook his head in agreement, and stated, “Yes there was, but they really were not on sale, so I removed the sign”.

Ignorance is bliss my friend. What this gentleman, the supervisor, the store clerk, and possibly the retail behemoth failed to realize is that their lack of action in service cost them a customer for life. Not only that, but the siren sound informs us that I am going to notify others that may want to frequent the store.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have managed individuals for years. Some people unfortunately are blind to the impact that they could cause in lacking adequate service. For example, many times in my career I have witnessed- service employed individuals schedule their lunch times during the busiest times in the office. This tells me that they are either uninformed about their role, or their lack of consideration about what their role is truly about.

How do you serve to lead others around the situation that my wife and I experienced in the shoe department? Are your employees educated, and empowered to make sound decisions that are not only good for the customers, but good for business? Let your team members possess the tool of decision making through proper education- then they will own one of the keys to success!

Go out and serve somebody today!

JFH

Mentoring

How did you get to where you are? Did you “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”? If so, fantastic- but I think that there may have been other factors aiding in your climb through the ranks.

I know that with myself, there have been a handful of individuals that have mentored me through education, rebuke, and emulation of best practices. I am confident that I owe a certain amount of my success to their efforts and care in myself.

So, I guess the question is… 1) Who has facilitated growth in your life? 2) Who could you benefit by being an adviser to? 3) Every organization could benefit by instituting an effective mentorship program.

Today, take someone under your wing, and help them the same way that you were helped!

JFH