What should you say about a customer who appears to be doing something wrong?  Are they still right?  

If you tell them so, is that improper?  Is it a disservice?  Are you the one that is wrong? 

If you don't tell them it's wrong,  are you then the one who is right? Or wrong?

This is all so confusing.  But it doesn't need to be.

The customer isn't always right

If you are there to serve the customer, then providing them information or products that are not right for them is doing a disservice.  If you agree with them when it can harm them, cost them money or result in other negative consequences to them, then you are doing them a disservice.  When you agree with them when they are demonstrably wrong, you are doing them a disservice.

Serving the customer isn't always about agreeing with them.

Serving the customer isn't always easy.

Serving the customer doesn't always keep them as a customer.

But in the long run, serving the customer honestly and faithfully will result in a customer base of loyal individuals who understand that you truly do look out for their best interest by providing them with the best service or product you can ... even when you have to disagree with them. 

Your Best Customers Trust You

A customer base that trusts you through agreement and disagreement is one that will serve you best in the long run.  They won't be shopping around just to find someon...

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, rate the employee for the following:   

• Attendance
• Attitude
• Skillset
• Getting along with others
• Kissing Butt
• Other topics you can only guess their skill level

Rating Other Peoples Performance

I don't know who hates employee evaluations more.  The person getting the evaluation or the person doing the evaluation.

If you are like I am, I absolutely hate doing performance evaluations.  Typically I know how the person functions in general, but to have to do a performance evaluation for them is often semi-guessing.  I think this is why it's one of the tasks I hate the most.  Evaluations are a two-edged sword for me.  If I overrate someone, there is a lost opportunity to help them improve.  If I underrate them, they are either upset or ticked off at me.  It's rare when either of these outcomes doesn't occur.

An Alternative To Evaluating Employees

Over decades of having to do these evaluations (and trying my hardest to avoid them), I have come up with an alternative that works.  It avoids nearly all of the downfalls of this process and it removes most of the work from me.  It's having the employees do ...

The Self Evaluation System

The secret to this system is simple.  It's the instructions to the employee.  Here they are:

• Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each element.   
       1=Wost   10=Impossibl
...

A tapestry is the weaving of many threads into a beautiful work of art that represents a lot of hard work.  Our life is a lot like a tapestry.  Each action in our past representing a thread of that tapestry. It's our history.

But sometimes our world "unravels".  All of the threads are pulled apart. And what results is a pile of threads where a beautiful tapestry once was.

It's Nearly Impossible To Re-Weave A Tapestry

If your business or life is pulled apart, it's nearly impossible to put it back together as it once was.  In fact, it is totally impossible when you consider the time dimension of your work.  What was in the past remains there, unchanged.  You will never get it to look exactly like it was before.

Perhaps Weaving Is Better Than Reweaving

If you have a pile of threads (i.e. resources) isn't it better to see what you can make from those threads?  Isn't it better to look at the future potential of those threads can be, rather than just looking back at what they were?

I suggest that it's easier to weave a new tapestry with your old threads, utilizing the best of the resources you have available to you while bringing in new resources that can complement your current weaving.  It's also a great time to remove and discard those threads which provided no additional beauty or strength to your current tapestry. With that approach, you won't be spending time trying to re...

Large or Small Steps

What's easier to take?  

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

If you are just learning to walk, what do you take? 

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

If you are on a rough and slippery path, what do you take?

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

If you know you have to climb stairs without a railing, what do you take?

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

If you want to be surer of your footing and progress, what do you take?

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

Your Product Or Service

If that's the case, then when you are teaching others, providing them with new information or helping them make a transformation, what do you give them?

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

Which do you think would provide better potential for success?

Large Steps?  Or Small Steps?

Big Shoes To Fill

We all hear about people who have "big shoes to fill", when they leave a position.

But what does that really mean? 

Is it that the successor isn't capable of doing the job?

Is it that the successor isn't worthy of the position?

Is it that the successor doesn't have the support of the team?

Or...

Could it mean that the person wearing the shoes didn't prepare the successor?

Rather than a failure of the successor, perhaps in SOME cases, it represents a failure of the person whose shoes we are talking about. They simply didn't prepare their successor adequately. 

Do YOU have big shoes?

If YOU think you have big shoes to fill, perhaps it's your ego that is too big to fill.

Isn't it a better legacy to help someone else fill those shoes, rather than set them up for failure?

I agree.

Two simple words.

Two words that can start building the bridge between opposing parties. Between opposite viewpoints.  Between adversaries.

If I remember correctly, those words were used a lot  ... many years ago.  But it seems that lately the words "I agree" have come to signal a position of weakness. Of giving in.  Of acquiesence. 

But it wasn't always that way.  I don't know what happened, but it seems that every position lately has been "for" or "against" something or someone.  Forget the middle ground.  Forget compromise.  Forget about what is right.  Just dig in your heels and never admit that you agree.

But let's face it.  Most of the time, regardless of how much we dislike a position, a person, an ideology, there are often some aspects of the opposing viewpoint that we can agree with.  That doesn't mean we are giving in.  It doesn't mean that we are "on their side". It doesn't mean that our position on other elements isn't as strong.

But what it does mean is this:

We agree on SOME things...so let's spend our efforts on working out those elements that we don't agree on...

Think about it.  If we only have so much time, energy and stamina, then why spend it on arguing over things we already agree on.  It's not just stupid ... it's insanity.  

Common Ground

How often have you fought against a position that you agreed with, just because it was first stated...

In life you play many roles. And on a daily basis, you play them in concert with other people - who just happen to be playing their roles also.

Kind of sounds like a symphony.  A symphony of life.  It's the symphony that you play which influences the outcome of your efforts.

Just like in a real symphony, it's important to coordinate your part with others.  You can't be playing Mahler, while someone else is playing Bach.  In a small band, it's unlikely that Baroque will mix with Rock & Roll.

You have to make choices ... in the band you play, as well as life.  You have some choices, but they are often limited by what the needs are of the band that you are joining.

What band are you going to play with?

What instrument are you going to play?

Who will be the conductor?

Who will be the players?

Who will be the composer?

If you want to make the future optimal for yourself and make it one that takes you toward your goals and objectives... isn't it time for you to ...

Pick the players in your band?

Conduct those players in your band?

And most importantly ... compose what your band will be playing?