rather break even or lose money in a situation like this than shortchange the people who flew or drove in to be here. Would you be willing to lose money on an event, customer, product, or service to make it right for the customer? I’m a big believer that actions speak way louder than words, but many entrepreneurs’ actions contradict their words. You hear companies all the time say, “We’re the best! We’ve been in business for 57 years!” (Personally, I could care less. That even turns me off if you’re really small.) Next thing you know, a customer service situation happens, and all of a sudden, they aren’t the best. They don’t care — the apathy that has set in over 57 years rears its ugly head, and the customer is left holding the bag. Have you ever experienced that with another company?
Pro. Every single month, we make mistakes. Every month, I lose money because someone messed up, and we have to fix the mistake for the customer in some way, shape, or form. It happens; no one is perfect.
that the mistake never would have happened in the first place.
I’ve found that if things go badly and it is everyone else’s fault, that leaves me powerless to fix anything and ultimately makes me the victim. Once I find out where I’ve fallen short, I can then look at who else fell short. Did an employee mess up? Did a system break? Did the customer make a mistake and we compounded it? At the end of the day, every problem in your company is a leadership problem, which means the assessment needs to start with you. The truth of the matter is this is also true for your personal life. Got into a fight with your spouse? There is blame to go around. Having issues with your kids? Guess what? You need to first look in the mirror at how you parent. Circling back around to business and customers, there are times when the customer is wrong. I’ve had people over the years turn the smallest of issues into reasons to be upset. I recently Continued on page 6 ...
The good news is that most customers forgive mistakes if they are honest mistakes.
hard. “You get started with motivation. You get results with additional, more effective tools,” says Hittler. He points out that having purpose, courage, habits, inspiration, systems, and processes is much more effective for encouraging a team to bring their best every day. Hittler delves into definitions of each tool, unpacking them and using real-world examples to bring each to life. Of the takeaways of “The Motivation Trap,” one of the many that sticks with you is the idea that traditional motivation is forceful and relies on external forces to work. Hittler calls on leaders to empower team members instead of coercing them into productivity. As a leader, it’s not your responsibility to keep your team motivated. It’s your responsibility to lay a foundation that allows each one to find their own motivation, purpose, and inspiration within your company. For CEOs, managers, parents, and anyone who wants to help their team perform at their best, there’s a lot to be learned from “The Motivation Trap.” Check it out to discover key strategies for sustained success. The funny part about making mistakes is that if you follow the mistake up with good customer service, you can actually turn the customer from being negative and upset into a raving fan. That, however, is an article for another time. Of course, we want to minimize mistakes as much as possible. Let me share with you how I do that both personally and professionally. It all starts with you doing an honest assessment of what went wrong and how you were at fault. I feel that one of the secrets to my success in business has been my ability to be introspective. When everything goes sideways, after I’ve fixed the problem, one of my rituals is to sit down and spend some time figuring out what I could have done better or differently so
Be honest — does your company do that sometimes?
Since we’re being honest here, I’ll give you some inside baseball about The Newsletter
about it: How many times have you woken up feeling fully motivated and ready to take on the day, but by 10 a.m., the caffeine has worn off and you still have a day’s worth of work ahead of you?
Have You Heard the Good News?
Motivation is just a spark. It’s not the long- burning fuel that keeps teams working
Philippians 3:13–14 — ”One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 — ”Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” John 16:33 — ”I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Ephesians 4:32 — “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
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