I heard you do free executive team communication assessments. Is it really free? What’s the catch?
Yes, it really is free. In the course of our assessment, we hope to discover at least one or two helpful tips that you can use immediately to increase efficiency and effectiveness. We would like to earn your business if it’s a good fit and if you believe our services can add value for you. No one solution is right for every situation, or every company. The assessment is one way for us to determine fit and value.
Because people are what run business, and Next Element is in the people-business, more often than not, we discover workplace inefficiencies stemming from relationship and communication problems. One of our goals is to advance the success of the businesses in our community. When you succeed, our whole community succeeds.
Here’s the only catch. We will travel up to 3 hours from Wichita to do the assessment. If it’s further than that? We can discuss options that address travel and lodging costs.
Switch – Chapter 6, Going Small Gets You BIG!
The gates of large goals are lined with small accomplishments. In this chapter of “Switch, How to Change When Change is Hard,” the authors Chip & Dan Heath propose that the only way to get to your larger goals is to accomplish smaller goals first, and build momentum. They call this “Shrink the Change.” It is a fascinating concept and one that I tend to believe in. They provide numerous examples including businesses, financial and sports success.
Here is one example of how it works: Two car wash companies offered a promotional deal. The first company’s offer was to give you a stamp when you bought a car wash. Get eight stamps, get a free car wash. The second company’s offer was a free car wash after ten stamps. The difference…the second company gave the customer two stamps to begin with.
Both offers are the same. Buy eight car washes and get one free. However with the second company the consumers’ perceptions, feelings and beliefs led them to think they were 20 percent on their way to their goal. A few months after this promotion, the second company had a 34 percent market share versus 19 percent for the first company.
This story is intended to illustrate that the further along you are to your goal the more you will work towards your goal. When we are overwhelmed with a task, it is often because we have had no success on that task. However when we have some success, it is easier for us to build on that success, and keep going.
The authors recommend lowering the bar first, and then raise it after you have had some accomplishments. When you set the bar high from the beginning, you may become overwhelmed. This contributes to individuals, and even teams, to give up before they even get started.
When I was in high school I was a high jumper, I cleared 6′6″, which is not great and not too bad for a 6′2″ country kid. When we would begin a high jump contest, often times the good jumpers would not jump at the lower heights. I always did, because I wanted to stay warm and loose. It is clear to me now why I won so many contests, I was experiencing small success that then led to winning the competition.
Bill Parcels said that his goal was never to win a Super Bowl, rather, it was to have a great practice today. Because the success of that practice will lead to players believing that they can win a Super Bowl.
2010 July E-News
“As a facilitator and advisor to nonprofits, my clients rely on my communications skills daily to move their organizations forward. The training I received through Next Element has taken those skills to a new level! The time spent with Next Element has been invaluable.”
- Ranlyn Tilley Hill, JD, President
Benevolent Vision, Counsel to Nonprofits, Los Angeles, CA
PCM NUGGET
“I use the (PCM) tools daily. I had a 30-minute conversation with my 25-yr old son by using complimentary gestures, tones and body language and being attentive to his – the longest talk we’ve had in years!” (click here to read the rest of the story.)
NE CORNER
We invite you to read Jamie’s latest blog post on Chapter 5 of Daniel Pink’s book, “DRIVE.” We think you’ll get a kick out of it. Some of you may even resonate with her pain! And on your next coffee break, check-out this fun, and educational video by RSA Animate on Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Our friend, Judy Young, founder of Laughter Links , shares her review of “DELIVERING Happiness, A Path To Profits, Passion and Purpose,” by Tony Hsieh. Hot off the press, just published 30 days ago, and already on the New York Times Bestseller List! An easy quick read, with a simple message offering great results. (Click here to read Judy’s complete review on our website.)
WHITE PAPER
In the theme of employee motivation and engagement, we invite you to read Nate’s White Paper titled, “The Five Drivers of Employee Engagement.”
FREE IS GOOD
One of our free services is called an Executive Leadership Team Assessment. An NE trainer will visit your workplace to observe one of your team meetings and administer two short surveys to your staff. Then, we offer you an accurate assessment of your strengths and liabilities along with simple recommendations for improvement. NO CHARGE, and NO STRINGS ATTACHED, honest. Why free? Because knowing our customers needs and building relationships always come first. Call or e-mail us for details. We look forward to meeting your team!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Process Facilitation Seminar – July 19 – 21, in Lincolnshire, IL (Greater Chicago area)
Advanced PCM® Conflict Resolution Seminar – August 11 – 12, in Frankenmuth, MI
PCM® Core Competency Training – October 11 – 13, in Newton, KS
Advanced PCM® Conflict Resolution Seminar – October 14 – 15, in Newton, KS
Process Facilitation Seminar – November 8 – 10, in Newton, KS
Facilitating Self-Efficacy – November 11 – 12, in Newton, KS
PCM® Trainer Certification – November 15 – 19, in Newton, KS
HOT WING UPDATE
No hot wings this month. However, I was able to taste a scorpion at the Typhoon Restaurant in the Santa Monica Airport, during a training in the LA area. I’d give them a 5 out of 5 for uniqueness. Not much taste, lots of crunch, definitely original. And, prior to the scorpions, I ate a plate of crickets – equally unique. – JK
WHERE WE’LL BE
Jamie will be in the Chicago, IL area in July for an open-enrollment seminar. Jeff will be providing an open-enrollment advanced PCM training in Frankenmuth, MI in August. Jeff and Nate will also be training in Malibu, CA in August. We hope you’re having as much fun this summer as we are!
A book review of “DELIVERING Happiness…”
“JUMP for JOY . . . The company you now work for . . . has been sold.
Employees at most of the companies I know, when receiving the above news would arrive at work depressed and scared, if they bothered to show up at all. But not the folks at Zappos; they arrived with an air of excitement and even brought along beach balls to create an instant buzz. And they really did jump for joy because they knew their culture would be preserved, and their jobs were absolutely secure.”
Hot off the press, just published 30 days ago, and already on the New York Times Bestseller List! An easy quick read, with a simple message offering great results. DELIVERING Happiness A Path To Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.
In 1999, at the age of 24, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an advisor and investor, and eventually became CEO, where he helped the on-line shoe retailer grow from almost no sales to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune magazines’ annual Best Companies to Work For List. In November 2009, Zappos.com Inc. was acquired by Amazon.com in a deal valued at $1.2 billion on the day of closing. Hsieh prefers to call it a marriage between Zappos and Amazon, which gives you a bit of insight to his management philosophy.
I found this book to stand head and shoulders above the crowd, punctuating how to grow really happy customers. To some, Zappos will seem far too weird a place to get any work done. But, as my grandmother would say, “the proof is in the pudding,” and they truly have created a place were people like to come to work.
Want a primer on how to build a brand of great customer service?
Here is what Zappos did:
- Find and hire people who are already passionate about customer service and whose core values match those of your organization.
- Build engagement and trust among staff by letting them use their own judgment when dealing with customers and give them the authority to make the customer happy.
- Strive to eliminate any kind of cynicism and negative interactions and be respectful of EVERYONE.
- Surprise your most loyal customers with free shipping or a bouquet of flowers.
- Perform random acts of kindness for co-workers.
- Demonstrate true transparency in ALL communications.
- Teach your employees how not to fear change but rather to welcome change.
- Empower your direct reports to drive change.
- Remember people function best when they can be themselves.
The book offers many innovative examples of creativity, one is the “Face Game.” When a Zappos employee clocks-in on their computer, a randomly picked photo of another employee pops up on their screen. They are given multiple choices to help identify the employee. It builds loyalty and expands the philosophy that individuals make-up a family unit.
The following is a quote direct from the book and worth repeating to yourself everyday: “No matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future.”
(Author Unknown)
This review is by Judy L. Young, you may reach her at www.laughterlinks.com
