And Now, a Poem...
A little boosting now and then
Is relished by most of men!
No matter what your job may be
If cutting hay or serving tea.
From drafting laws to making shot-
A little boost may mean a lot.
J. Bateman
So I'm spending a couple of hours at a non-profit agency I work with an hour or so outside of Pittsbugh, having been asked to do a training session for their administrative/support staff and customer service reps (CSRs). I don't know these CSRs. My work with this agency has been with the Development Staff.
I walk around the room before the seminar, talking occasionally to the group's supervisor. And I kind of get this feeling I had a long time ago when, as an 8-year-old I "helped" my Dad in his store by proudly taking a hunting knife out of a case and showing it to a customer. He liked it but wasn't sure, so I promptly responded by saying "My Uncle Joe has a store just up the street and he has even cooler hunting knives...let me take you up to his store."
And I did.
And he bought one there.
By the time I got back to my Dad's store, his expression told me that he already knew about his "lost sale." I realized what I had done and waited for the scolding.
What I received, however, was PRAISE! Praise for being honest and did I ever feel good. (About three years later he began giving me sales lessons, which did not include escorting someone to your competitor.)
Now, back to that "feeling."
As I am putting this training session together, after spending some time there, my instincts tell me that these CSRs don't need to be trained as much as they need to be appreciated or to feel valued. They know what to do and how to do it by now, but they need an incentive, other than the easily spent dollar, to get them to do it. I change the agenda to focus on their positive contribution to the past campaign, their part in bringing in the increase and their value to the agency's mission.
As the session begins with this focus, I see immediately that they are energized, that they are on board and ready to engage with me and accept what I have to give them: encouragement and training. And they did.
SELF PRAISE IS NO RECOMMENDATION
Ding, the well-known cartoonist once remarked after someone said to him; "You must get a great deal of praise from all sides."
"No more than I need".
Which reminds me of someone very close to me who after practicing for months to render individually a very important part of a religious service in front of the congregation, felt he "nailed it"...only to be told by someone as he sat down, "you've got a lot of work to do".
So struck by that "review," it took him 34 years to try again.
When I work with managers, supervisors, business owners on staff issues: training, motivation, performance, goals, productivity etc...I begin with these types of questions:
Mr. Ready actually remains behind when he and his wife go to the movies to watch and read the credits. They are always the only ones left, most having left before the credits even started. He says that "even though he does not applaud as he watches those movie credits, at least he is taking the time to recognize and pay his respects in a very small way to those talented and hardworking people...behind the camera who have given him his two hours of movie enjoyment."
YOU ARE WONDERFUL
A true story. It happened several years ago in the Paris opera house:
A famous singer had been contracted to sing, and the night of his concert found the house sold out. The feeling of excitement and anticipation was in the air as the house manager took the stage and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your enthusiastic support. I regret to tell you that due to illness the man you came to hear will not be performing tonight. However, we have found a suitable substitute we hope will provide you with comparable entertainment." The crowd groaned in disappointment and failed to hear the stand-in's name. The environment turned from excitement to frustration.
The stand in gave the performance everything he had. When he finished there was nothing but uncomfortable silence...no applause. Suddenly from the balcony, a little boy stood and shouted, "Daddy, I think you are wonderful." The crowd broke into thunderous applause.
A little boosting now and then
Is relished by most of men!
No matter what your job may be
If cutting hay or serving tea.
From drafting laws to making shot-
A little boost may mean a lot.
J. Bateman
So I'm spending a couple of hours at a non-profit agency I work with an hour or so outside of Pittsbugh, having been asked to do a training session for their administrative/support staff and customer service reps (CSRs). I don't know these CSRs. My work with this agency has been with the Development Staff.
I walk around the room before the seminar, talking occasionally to the group's supervisor. And I kind of get this feeling I had a long time ago when, as an 8-year-old I "helped" my Dad in his store by proudly taking a hunting knife out of a case and showing it to a customer. He liked it but wasn't sure, so I promptly responded by saying "My Uncle Joe has a store just up the street and he has even cooler hunting knives...let me take you up to his store."
And I did.
And he bought one there.
By the time I got back to my Dad's store, his expression told me that he already knew about his "lost sale." I realized what I had done and waited for the scolding.
What I received, however, was PRAISE! Praise for being honest and did I ever feel good. (About three years later he began giving me sales lessons, which did not include escorting someone to your competitor.)
Now, back to that "feeling."
As I am putting this training session together, after spending some time there, my instincts tell me that these CSRs don't need to be trained as much as they need to be appreciated or to feel valued. They know what to do and how to do it by now, but they need an incentive, other than the easily spent dollar, to get them to do it. I change the agenda to focus on their positive contribution to the past campaign, their part in bringing in the increase and their value to the agency's mission.
As the session begins with this focus, I see immediately that they are energized, that they are on board and ready to engage with me and accept what I have to give them: encouragement and training. And they did.
SELF PRAISE IS NO RECOMMENDATION
Ding, the well-known cartoonist once remarked after someone said to him; "You must get a great deal of praise from all sides."
"No more than I need".
Which reminds me of someone very close to me who after practicing for months to render individually a very important part of a religious service in front of the congregation, felt he "nailed it"...only to be told by someone as he sat down, "you've got a lot of work to do".
So struck by that "review," it took him 34 years to try again.
When I work with managers, supervisors, business owners on staff issues: training, motivation, performance, goals, productivity etc...I begin with these types of questions:
- What is your team doing well?
- What positive skills are they demonstrating?
- Are you acknowledging, reinforcing or rewarding on a constant basis good performance?
- Are you creating an environment where they feel valued and part of the mission and success?
- Then we move on.
Mr. Ready actually remains behind when he and his wife go to the movies to watch and read the credits. They are always the only ones left, most having left before the credits even started. He says that "even though he does not applaud as he watches those movie credits, at least he is taking the time to recognize and pay his respects in a very small way to those talented and hardworking people...behind the camera who have given him his two hours of movie enjoyment."
YOU ARE WONDERFUL
A true story. It happened several years ago in the Paris opera house:
A famous singer had been contracted to sing, and the night of his concert found the house sold out. The feeling of excitement and anticipation was in the air as the house manager took the stage and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your enthusiastic support. I regret to tell you that due to illness the man you came to hear will not be performing tonight. However, we have found a suitable substitute we hope will provide you with comparable entertainment." The crowd groaned in disappointment and failed to hear the stand-in's name. The environment turned from excitement to frustration.
The stand in gave the performance everything he had. When he finished there was nothing but uncomfortable silence...no applause. Suddenly from the balcony, a little boy stood and shouted, "Daddy, I think you are wonderful." The crowd broke into thunderous applause.
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