Month: July 2015 Page 1 of 2

Given it is the time in the UK when many people take a summer holiday, this week’s blog links the seaside with stretching targets and overcoming procrastination.

When you have stretching targets to meet, a big project or task to complete it is very easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to begin. You can begin to doubt you have the capability to complete the task and become anxious and procrastinate.

I was once asked to coach a manager that had been appointed to run a unit which had very stretching annual financial targets to meet.

He has previously been a sales person who had met his personal targets and this was his first management job. His success as a salesperson had led to his promotion.

He now had to lead, motivate and inspire a team of sales people and it required a different set of skills, abilities and mindset than he had become accustomed to.

When we first met, he told me how he felt overwhelmed at all the tasks he had to perform and had a massive sense of responsibility for the team he was now leading. He was telling himself he made a mistake in accepting the job as he was not properly equipped to do it. He felt anxious that the team were not hitting the unit targets.

He said he felt overworked, he was trying hard and although not hitting unit target, when we reviewed it, the results were better than the same period in the previous year and this piece of clarity helped him to feel a little better.

He told me that he knew if he performed certain tasks and disciplines, it would improve performance but his mind was scrambled and he could not see the wood for the trees some days. He admitted that he was procrastinating on certain things and we explored the reasons why this may be the case.

It transpired that he was looking at some tasks as mountains to climb. He was looking at the whole rather than focusing on manageable chunks.

As a result the tasks seemed too big and it was preventing him from even starting to tackle them.

He had got into the mindset of thinking that any effort he applied would not make a difference. I convinced him that if he never started a project he would be sure to not succeed!

I relayed to him a story that I was told once by a friend on holiday when we were on a beach and came across a starfish.

The story is about a man who was walking on a beach when he noticed a young boy picking something off the sand and throwing it into the sea. As the man got closer to the boy he saw that the objects were starfish and the beach was covered in them.

“Why in the world are you throwing starfish into the water?” He asked the boy as he approached.

“If these starfish are on the beach tomorrow morning when the tide goes out they will die” replied the boy, continuing with his work.

“But that’s ridiculous!” cried the man. “Look around you, there is a massive area of beach and thousands of starfish. How can you believe that what you are doing could possibly make a difference?”

The young boy picked up another starfish, paused thoughtfully and remarked as he tossed it into the waves, “it makes a difference to this one.”

The moral of the story is that what is not attempted will never be accomplished: even the smallest efforts defeat apathy.

After relaying the story to my client, we set about devising action steps and plans for the projects that he was putting off.

He told me he would give it his best shot and we met monthly for the next six months to review progress and to ensure there was an accountability mechanism in place.

He never looked back from that moment of clarity. He regained confidence in his ability; he put things into better perspective. He got more energised and overcome his procrastination.

He maintained his disciplined, deliberate approach to tasks and it stood him in good stead. He also had better engagement with his team, inspiring them to better results and to unlocking their potential.

The result was that he stayed in his job, the team met their targets and the unit experienced their best year ever in performance terms. How thankful he was that he persevered with the job and did not quit as he was contemplating doing when we first met.

This week, why not take a few moments to think about a task or project (professionally or personally) that you are procrastinating on. What action could you take to get things moving?

Alternatively, do you need to let it go and focus on other things?

Quote for the week:

“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.” W. Clement Stone.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

I have had some great customer service experiences recently.

I have been impressed by some of the suppliers and service providers who have been pro-active, timely and efficient in the way they have delivered their service.

Sadly, I have also seen some examples of poor customer service and how to not manage a customer relationship.

One such example happened to me earlier in the year:

Our security alarm system was due for its annual check and service. So I booked a slot for this to happen and requested a first call, so as not to disrupt the working day too much. This was scheduled for 8am and envisaged it would take just 15 minutes.

I waited in for the engineer. At 9.30, I am wondering what is happening and if they have forgotten. I called the customer service centre to find out when the engineer might arrive. I had appointments of my own lined up for later that morning that I would soon need to travel to or seek to reschedule.

They told me they would need to contact the engineer and come back to me. About 45 minutes passed by and another customer service representative phoned me to deliver the bad news.

Apparently, the engineer in question had been off sick all week and would not be attending. Their work schedule had not been updated and as such they had not been in touch with customers to let them know or to rearrange. They thanked me for bringing the engineers absence to their attention!

Fortunately, I discovered this in the nick of time to avoid having to rearrange or modify my own commitments but it did not make me feel like a valued customer and caused me to consider a change of supplier.

If they had contacted me before the day to say that they needed to rearrange the appointment, whilst it may have been a little frustrating, I would have understood. It would have meant that I had clarity rather than being in the dark and would not have felt like our business was not important to them!

Here are a few of the tips that I pass onto to teams and businesses when I am asked to help them develop their relationship management skills which I hope that you find useful:-

• Be pro-active. If things go wrong or a mistake is made, which means that you are not able to deliver what has been previously agreed be pro-active and contact the customer. Be honest about what has happened and importantly what is being done to put things right. Keep them informed and in the picture. Most fair minded people will understand and value the honesty.
• Check that your customer is happy with the service you are providing. Regularly undertake service reviews to ensure they are happy with the service levels. Ask if there is anything you can do better or differently.
• Hone and develop listening skills. Listen to customers more as it helps to understand their needs and possible concerns. It helps them to feel valued and important. The best influencers are great listeners.
• Be flexible. Develop the ability to step into the shoes of the customer whilst maintaining a focus on the needs of your company. Seeing things from the customer’s perspective helps to develop understanding, mutual respect and deepens the relationship.
• Ensure that you are providing all the service and products that you could be. Regular contact and dialogue ensures that you understand the customer’s business better and if there are other services/products you can supply to meet their requirements and grow your relationship and income levels.

This week, why not take a few moments to think about customer service. As a customer, are you getting the service levels that you would like from your regular suppliers?

Take some time to notice the service levels at shops and restaurants. Do you feel valued?

If you run a business or a team, are there any steps or actions you need to take to improve service levels and show customers that they matter?

Quote for the week:

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity” Douglas Adams.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

I was in Cornwall recently and whilst there, managed to squeeze in a visit to the Minack Theatre.

This is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea. It is situated at Porthcurno which is 4 miles from Land’s End. It is inspiring and has breath-taking views.

Many visitors arrive at the Minack imagining it was built by invading Romans but the truth is the theatre was the brainchild of Rowena Cade. Miss Cade had moved to Cornwall after the First World War and built a house for herself and her mother on land at Minack Point for £100.

The history to the theatre (according to the theatre’s website) is that in 1929, a local village group of players had staged Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a nearby meadow at Crean, repeating the production the next year.

They decided that their next production would be The Tempest. While Rowena Cade did think of offering her garden to stage “The Tempest”, there really was nowhere to seat an audience.

Always resourceful she prospected alternatives, one of which was on the opposite side of the bay. Then, looking into the gully above the Minack rock she said “I wonder if we could make a stage here?” With the benefit of decades of hindsight and with her remarkable theatre spread out below, the answer was clearly “Yes!”

Over the course of six months and during a harsh winter, Miss Cade and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, made a terrace and rough seating, hauling materials down from the house or up via the winding path from the beach below.

In 1932, The Tempest was performed with the sea as a dramatic backdrop, to great success. Miss Cade resolved to improve the theatre, working over the course of the winter months each year throughout her life (with the help of Billy Rawlings and Charles Angove) so that others might perform each summer.

Over the next seven years there were many improvements and extensions. Then, with the coming of World War II, it seemed as though all the back-breaking work might have been wasted. When peace returned, Rowena looked out over a ravaged theatre. It had been reduced back to what it had been in 1932. However, with great determination Rowena slowly brought the Minack magic back to life, working on improving and developing the theatre for over 50 years.

Looking at pictures now, it is remarkable what she and her two helpers achieved. Apparently she worked each winter in all weathers until she was in her mid-eighties. When she died, just short of her ninetieth birthday, she was still thinking of the future. She left elaborate sketches suggesting how the Theatre might be covered on the days when it rains.

A few things occurred to me after visiting the theatre about personal vision and goal setting which I share below:-

• When you set a goal or have a personal vision, you have no comprehension of the potential positive impact it can have on hundreds of thousands of people. In Rowena Cade’s case, she would not have known the full extent of the pleasure her dream has brought to people who visit the theatre each year. She would not have been able to fully foresee the positive legacy she has created.

• It is incredible what a few committed individuals with a common purpose (working without machinery) can achieve. Truly remarkable and inspiring.

• Actions applied consistently over time lead to massive results

• When you have a goal/vision you require lots of determination and perseverance to help you overcome obstacles and set-backs that you encounter along the way.

• Your commitment and resolve will be tested but when you meet and conquer the adversity you emerge stronger and wiser for the experience.

If you find yourself in Cornwall and have a spare few hours, I highly recommend a trip to the Minack Theatre.

This week, why not take a few moments to think about a goal or dream that you have but have not taken any action recently. What step could you take this week to re-ignite the goal?

Quote for the week:

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” Colin Powell.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk