Issue #28
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In this issue:
Word to the Whys
"The best way to find something is to find where it is not!"
~ From the 1990 Cartoon Video - "The Cat in the Hat"
He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
~ Anonymous
"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent."
~ Norman R. Augsutine, President and CEO, Martin Marrietta
"We cannot suspend our values through the workday and think that we will have them when we get home."
~ Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Founders, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
"Good business leaders create a vision, articulate a vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion."
~ Jack Welch, CEO, General Electric
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Employing Generation Why by Eric Chester is being called the quintessential guide to recruiting, hiring, training, motivating and retaining the emerging workforce.
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January 2004
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Amber Alert
It's A Good Thing to Spot the Bad
I'm not proud to admit it, but I spend more time in airports than the average Joe. This is a great place to spot diversity - and not the kind that just popped into your mind. I'm talking about the diversity of customer service one can expect from the folks that work on the front lines of the beleaguered travel industry.
Recently, I chose to take a low fare carrier from Denver to Tampa. I proceeded to the counter where Amber, a young counter agent, checked me in for my flight. If I she hadn't looked so young (early twenties) I would have mistaken her for someone much older based upon the quality of service she provided. After all, isn't customer service a skill that is developed over time, meaning that the best providers of service should naturally be the oldest and most experienced?
Amber was not only incredibly competent at her job - helping me make several last minute complex changes to my itinerary - she was also one of the warmest and friendliest airline employees I have ever encountered. No request of mine seemed to rattle her. Even though the lines were long with anxious holiday travelers, Amber's delightful and charming demeanor was a constant. The other agents for this particular airline all seemed to share Amber's zeal, appearing happy and eager to serve.
Shocked by this strange phenomenon, I had to investigate further. Drawing upon my vast experience, laser wit and keen mind, I hit Amber with an intense question designed to open her up and reveal the mystery of her surprising attitude and expertise. "Amber," I pried with the intensity of Johnny Cochran, "Why are you so dang cheerful and helpful today?"
She appeared unscathed by my driving, relentless pursuit of the truth. "It's simple," Amber replied. "As a part of our training, they make us go over to the counters of the big three air carriers and watch those agents for an hour or two. It's easy to see how miserable most of them are and how they pass on their misery to their customers. Then they make us promise that we'll never ever become like those guys."
I walked away enlightened like a monk in an orchard. "It's not just about training people to do the right things, it's about showing them the result of doing the wrong things," I reasoned.
This Christmas, while the holiday lines are long and people are pushed to the very limits of civility, give your Gen Whys an hour of paid leave with instructions that they are to go observe as the cashiers, salespeople, and even the managers of your competitors snub the very people who pay their salaries, and have them report back the results at your next employee meeting. (They'll share horror stories that you'd never be able to create on your own!) Then suggest that they keep those ugly pictures foremost in their mind as they come to work each day and interact with you, each other, and your customers. Remind them that the way to keep employed beyond the busy holiday season is to surprise the customer with a brand of service they aren't getting anywhere else.
You already know that Gen Why has an inherent need to be uniquely different. So this year, give them a target to shoot for.
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According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Dasher to Rudolph, had to be female. This should come as no surprise. Who else could drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all over the world in one night without getting lost?
Depends on the meaning of the word "it"
A study by Northern Kentucky University finds teen sex abstinence pledges don't work. Their survey of 600 teens who took such a pledge found that 61 percent had broken them within the first year -- and half of the rest we found to have redefined what "sex" means to get around their pledge, arguing "they can maintain their pledge and still have oral sex," said NKU researcher Angela Lipsitz. (Lexington Herald-Leader) ... And thus Bill Clinton learns his true legacy.
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~ Laurie Sobel, COO, Business Integration Group
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