“The success of your organisation doesn’t depend on your understanding of economics and organisational development or marketing. It depends, quite simply, on your understanding of psychology: how each individual employee connects with your company; how each individual employee connects with your customers” (The Gallup Organisation) Most employees are amazingly resilient and capable of coping with…
A friend of mine had the unfortunate experience of having a heart attack. He told me that it was like having an elephant sitting on his chest – the pain, the helplessness, the debilitation. Upon recovery, the doctor who had been attending him spoke of the new diet he would have to follow. Up to…
I sometimes get frustrated by poor customer service – no, I get frustrated all the time when it is bad, especially when I am treated with disdain. In situations like the aforementioned, I attempt to keep my cool and offer a different perspective, but not always successfully. It would seem that many shop floor staff…
The gesture of showing appreciation seems to be a lost art. A simple “thank you” may go some way to add warmth to any relationship, but in reality just represents common courtesy. Authentically-demonstrated appreciation, however, develops the emotional connection in relationships and solidifies the customer’s patronage. Smart businesses know that showing customers how much they…
Having to travel frequently for my consulting and workshop facilitation activities and having to subsequently endure the sometimes arduous processes within international airports (transfer, check-in, security, customs and immigration), especially within Africa, I have found that my primary goal in the embarkation procedure is to get to the business lounge as unscathed as possible. The…
Brand reputation and corresponding trust are critical for the ongoing growth and sustainable development of a company. Ram Charan, author of What the CEO wants you to know, noted: “Without customer’s trust, the rest doesn’t matter”. In fact, Hank Paulson, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, emphasised the need for growing trust in his statement: “Our…
“To Do” lists are created as helpful reminders of what needs to be done, the stuff that is still outstanding and the activities that need our attention. They find their way on to refrigerator doors, pieces of paper that clutter our desks or on to digital and other electronic devices as “prompts” demanding our attention….
As a frequent traveller, visiting different countries, staying in many different hotels and eating in many different restaurants, I occasionally get spoilt with fine service or product offerings that “blow me away” and leave me smiling: A warm wet towel upon arrival at a restaurant to mop brow and hands A pair of swans (made…
During the past year or so, I have been working with a number of companies on enhancing performance, and subsequently results, through refocusing these business entities on employee engagement and quality leadership processes. Creativity and strategic thinking has not just been left to senior management as their responsibility, but the need for thinking strategically has…
Having family and friends around over New Year is always special, giving one a chance to catch up with the progress of each other’s lives. We currently have friends from Huntsville, Texas, staying with us for a month. Huntsville is a small city of 38 500 inhabitants, has Sam Houston State University (with 18 000 students) and is…
I do a considerable amount of travelling within Africa and sometimes get the opportunity of working in North and West Africa – an area hosting millions of people, all creating a vibrant mix of energy and opportunity for those who are willing to become involved in the business processes of the respective cultures. On one…
