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September 25, 2007

If This Was Your Last Lecture, What Would You Say?

If this was your last lecture, what would you say? Watch this inspiring lecture by Randy Pausch, a 46-year-old Carnegie Mellon professor who is dying of pancreatic cancer, who has only weeks or months to live.  Thank you to the blog – 37 Days which clearly summarizes the key messages:

  • "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things."
  • "Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you." Sometimes, he said, "it might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting."
  • After showing photos of his childhood bedroom, decorated with mathematical notations he'd drawn on the walls, he said: "If your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let 'em do it." Don't worry about resale values, he said.
  • This is for my kids, he said at the end of his lecture. His wife and children, he said  "mean everything to me. They give a purpose to life and a depth of joy that no job [and I've had some of the most awesome jobs in the world] can begin to provide. I hope my wife is able to remarry down the line. And I hope they will remember me as a man who loved them, and did everything he could for them."
Thank you to 37 Days for writing this!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 01:50 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 24, 2007

Firing Employees via E-mail

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Can you imagine your boss sending you an e-mail telling you that you are fired? It's true read the Globe and Mail article. How cowardly, disgraceful and a shocking display of really bad manners.

 

OK. Here are some stats cited:

 

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  • 10% of US employees said that their company had used e-mail to fire employees. Unfathomable!
  • 17% said their boss had sent an e-mail to avoid having to sit down and have “difficult face-to-face conversations”. Oh my!
  • 5% said they had received a humiliating e-mail that had been copied and sent to other recipients. And, I’d like to repeat this point – not only was the e-mail humiliating which is bad enough of itself but it was copied. Really! (*752 employees were surveyed by Harris Interactive for Marlin Co.)

 

Is my faith in the goodness of the human spirit too naïve? I thought that we understood e-mail etiquette or at least followed corporate policy vis-à-vis the e-mail message. Am I being too Pollyanna?

 

There is so much written about e-mail policy. A quick Google search will give you enough material to peruse until your scroll and click finger cramps up.

 

We have written about e-mail etiquette before – on many occasions. Our most recent missive was a few short weeks ago and pertained to e-mail security and violating corporate e-mail policy.

 

Today, we’d like to give a few e-mail pointers to the managers out there who are having e-mail issues. These tips will help you to communicate with your employees and colleagues in a humane, decent and civilized manner.

 

1.       If you can’t say it to someone’s face, don’t write it in an e-mail.

2.       Never forward an e-mail unless you have read every line of data in that message. Scroll down to the bottom. There could be something written there that is not intended for the eyes of the recipient.

3.       Don’t copy e-mails unless absolutely necessary. Try not to use blind carbon copy. What’s the point?

4.       If in doubt, don’t send it. Trust your gut instincts.

 

Let us know your thoughts.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:10 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 21, 2007

Shutterfly Understands Customer Service!

nvlogo.gif  Ever heard of Shutterfly? Well, if you haven’t – you should! What is it? In a snapshot, Shutterfly makes it fun and easy to be thoughtful and creative with your memories.  "Sure, we deliver award-winning prints from your digital camera right to your door. But delivering prints is just one thing we do. From start to finish, we make it easy to enhance, share and store your digital photos. We also make memory-keeping and gift-giving easy with our personalized photo books, greeting cards, and dozens of other photo gifts suitable for any occasion."

Well, I have been using Shutterfly and recently created an order for over $307.00. Shortly after I confirmed my order – I received information that it had been shipped and that I would receive it no later than September 19th. September 19th went by…..

So on September 20th, I sent a message asking that they check on my order. Here is the response from Chad….
 

Hello Judy,

Since your order has been missing for more than 10 days, we are considering your order to be lost in the mail. We will reprint your order and send it to you again (at no additional cost to you). You may get an email confirming shipment; please note that the dollar total will be zero.

Sincerely,

Chad S.
Shutterfly Customer Service
customerservice@cs.shutterfly.com
 

Wouldn’t it be nice if all companies had this philosophy around customer service? Imagine a world where a company just deals with what has happened and does the right thing for the customer! Shutterfly you have now created an evangelist!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 09:36 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 18, 2007

Where Have All The Workers Gone?

You hear it again and again: beware of the coming labour shortage.

Well, of course, it’s actually here. According to the latest C-Suite survey, 150 Canadian executives agree that their number 1 challenge is the shortage of skilled labour.

Here’s one of the stats:
  • 84% are finding it difficult to find available, qualified employees.

And it’s across the board in terms of sectors with the service sector being the hardest hit.

So the question is:  Are you prepared?

What are you doing to retain your current employees? 

Read the Globe and Mail's full article here.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 06:37 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 17, 2007

Blueprint for Brand Loyalty

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An article came our way from InsideCRM that highlights how a company has successfully created customers who are loyal and, dare I say, fanatically so?

You know which company I am talking about - the great Apple. Think iPhone, iPod, Macintosh, Macheads, hip and cool advertising. But, most of all you should be thinking brand.  The title “12 Effective Strategies Apple Uses to Create Loyal Customers” - are right on the money and clearly show us how Apple became Apple.

To summarize:

  • Create an environment that promotes your products and creates an emotional attachment between customer and brand.
  • Create sexy, well-designed products that meet the needs of the market and, more importantly, create a need that the market never knew it had or wanted.
  • Create an advertising and marketing campaign that appeals to the young and cool in this world. Others, the un-cool, will want what they have.
  • Create that “I-can’t-live-without-this-product” feeling. This undying devotion allows you to put out newer generations of products and peripherals with a guaranteed market year after year.
  • Use cool colours. Did you notice the colourful Dell laptops available now? Apple Facts
    • 1,000,0000 iPhones sold as of September 9, 2007. That’s one million iPhones sold in 74 days. Apple’s goal is to sell 10 million phones by the end of 2008.
    • Apple stock 52-week range: US$72.58 - $148.92
    • 183 Apple Stores in the United States. 
    • Apple has 20,000 employees worldwide.
    • Original iPod came out in 2001.
    • Macintosh computers hit the market in the 1980s.
    • In 1976, Apple 1 sells on the market.

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

Posted by Judy McLeish at 08:17 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 14, 2007

Thought of the Day

"The two words that increase tips by 12 per cent when frequently used by waiters and waitresses is ‘for you.’ Rather than saying to a customer,” Would you like some coffee,” the savvy waitress would say, “I brought over more coffee for you.” Source: Influence With Ease newsletter”

 

Posted by Judy McLeish at 07:16 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 12, 2007

Corporate Rockstar

According to Maggie, the name of this blog is a bit of tongue in cheek but the concept is truly that we can enjoy Corporate America / Cube Land while still being engaged, lively and passionate about what do. Rock on! Click here to view.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 06:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Founder of Body Shop Dies

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Speaking of giving back…

Let’s tip our hats to a businesswoman who blazed the trail of eco-friendly, green products and environmentally conscience corporate policies - Anita Roddick. Roddick passed away on Monday. She was the founder of The Body Shop – a global chain of cosmetics stores with neatly displayed cosmetic pots, fruity soap bars, body butters and balms. Remember the no-animal testing policy? As the Globe and Mail wrote in today’s obit, she was “a pioneer for a CEO who had a conscience while doing business, rather than guilt in retirement…”

Posted by Judy McLeish at 07:19 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 11, 2007

Are You Managing Your Most Important Asset?

stockxpertcom_id474686_size1.jpgWe understand the importance of engaging employees. It's our passion and it’s the first step to engaging customers. 
So how does a company become nurturing and fully engaging internally?

The short answer is through understanding and building. You make sincere efforts to understand your employees, their struggles, their frustrations and their needs. Then, you build an environment that every employee will be proud to call their own. Click here to view - Are You Effectively Managing Your Most Important Asset?

Once you watch the video, ask yourself whether or not your company is doing enough to understand and engage its employees...

‘The employee experience is a set of beliefs that your employees have about your company – and make no mistake, it’s those beliefs that make employees show up in the morning.’

Posted by Judy McLeish at 01:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 10, 2007

What is Your Company Doing to Give Back?

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Check out the Sept. 10, 2007 Time Magazine. Cover story is “The Case for National Service.”

 

The Charlie Rose Show brought this to my attention as I was watching one of his recent conversations. Great show. Watch it here.

 

What struck me from the conversation is the “rising consciousness about service” -  as Mr. Rose put it. Public service is in – as I put it and I’m glad.

 

It was Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Time Contributor, who said that activism and volunteerism is rising tremendously on student campuses across the land.

 

And he added – and I paraphrase here – that business leaders have told him that over the past few years they can’t even recruit unless their companies are doing something for the greater good.

 

Which brings me around to the employee experience and that is what we talk about here.

 

As more and more employees are looking to work for companies that are doing some good in this world, what is your company going to do to appeal to future employees?

Posted by Judy McLeish at 01:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 07, 2007

Are You Doing Something "Taboo" at Work?

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We covered office e-mail and Internet policy and today we read an article in The Globe and Mail which caught our eye - Naughty, naughty: taboo behaviour on the job.

 

How does your company feel about sleeping at work? Or drinking on the job?

 

Here are some stats from a CareerBuilder.com survey called “Workplace Taboos”:

45% of workers surveyed admit to falling asleep at work

39% admit to kissing a co-worker

22% admit to stealing from the office

22% admit to spreading rumours about a co-worker

21% admit to drinking something alcoholic at work

18% admit to snooping around the office after hours

 

I just can’t figure out how you can get away with an office nap. Blinds that shut and doors that close I guess. But what about the cubicle?

 

Falling asleep at work is obviously symptomatic of just how busy we have all become. Job stress, longer hours and family responsibilities must be keeping us awake at night.

 

And on a creepy note – what is with the snooping? Lock up your drawers folks! Prying eyes are checking out your hidden shoe collection and your stockpile of plastic utensils.

 

Is this happening in your environment? And if so, what are you doing about it?

Posted by Judy McLeish at 01:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 06, 2007

To ban or not to ban?

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Yesterday, it was e-mail. Today, it’s time to peruse your company’s Internet policy.

Take a look at this BBC Breakfast video-clip about banning social networking sites at the office.

It appears that Facebook, just to name one such site, and worker productivity do not go hand in hand.

If you are the employee who is checking out your friends or editing your status updates for 4 hours a day – stop it now! It’s employees like you who ruin it for the rest of us. Now, let’s be honest. Just how much time do you spend on Facebook? Are you an addict? And, more importantly, shouldn’t you be working?

Ah, there’s the rub. For at the office you should be working. But, can’t we be both productive and social at work?

Well, the Trades Union Congress(TUC) in Great Britain thinks an overall ban is excessive; that workers should be able to check out these sites during the appropriate times in the day - like our lunch breaks, for example.

Back home, the Government of Ontario and City Hall have banned access to Facebook. We like Facebook in Canada. A lot. Almost 15 per cent of the population of Canada is a Facebook devotee. (See July 17, 2007 interview with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook at www.time.com).

What do you think is the right answer – should we trust employees to use the Internet wisely? We certainly believe that you should trust your employees to use their time wisely. Let us know your thoughts…

Posted by Judy McLeish at 01:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 05, 2007

Did You Know Your Boss is Watching?

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Thank you Zane Safrit for finding Keith Shaw’s DEMOLetter about e-mail security and corporate concerns of proprietary information leakage via e-mail, blog or message board. Great title: Your Boss is Probably Reading Your Blog.

I presumed it was plain-vanilla common sense to be prudent about what you write and share in an e-mail. You never can be sure just how many eyes will be reading your message. Not so, as it turns out. And, as a result, those who sign our pay cheques feel the need to police our techno-missives.Here are some stats which should keep you awake at night:
  • 33 % of companies with1,000 or more employees hire staff to read outbound e-mail.
  • 21 % of those companies surveyed have investigated the exposure of sensitive information via a blog or message board post.
  • 19 % of these companies have disciplined an employee.
  • 9 % have terminated an employee for such infractions.
  • 27 % have fired an employee for violating e-mail policies in the past 12 months.*


*Statistics from the fourth-annual content security survey from Proofpoint (DEMO 2004) as cited in article.

Fired for violating company e-mail policy – who would have thought? We must not forget that e-mail is a powerful tool. So, be careful what you write, follow company e-mail policy, and think twice before you hit Send.

Adopt these tips to keep you on the e-mail straight and narrow.

Don't use e-mail to:

1.   Send confidential information. It’s easy for the content of your e-mail to be read by others without your knowledge. Be smart and don’t write anything that you wouldn’t write on the back of a postcard or on company letterhead.

2.   Send a private or a personal message. No explanation necessary.

3.   Deliver unpleasant news. Although you may want to, resist the urge. Never reprimand or fire someone in an e-mail.

4.  Send an emotional message. Compose yourself before you compose your message. Don’t take the chance of sending an e-mail written in a moment of upset or anger. The ripples will go on and on.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 01:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 04, 2007

Can Your Boss Make Decisions?

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I like reading the perfectly concise IN BRIEFs from The Globe and Mail Careers section. It’s always full of interesting research and tidbits. This one I adored as it had employees rate their bosses’ decision-making abilities. And, the bosses don’t do that well. According to the survey “nearly half of British employees – 46 per cent – consider their bosses poor decision makers…” Reasons cited: “incompetence and lack of confidence.” Imagine that! And the kicker is that 82 per cent of these bosses have given good decision-making ratings to their managers. Why the gap? I think it shows the lack of communication between boss and employee. We need to understand each other to get along.

 

For more insight into the repercussions of the boss who can’t make decisions  read the article.

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