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December 2007 Archives
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December 21, 2007
Sprint Debacle: Round 2
Posted by Shawn Stewart | Filed under: Experience
OK, so I wrote a quick entry a few weeks ago about my experience at a Sprint store. Someone commented that they saw a very similar thing happen at an AT&T store. That got me thinking about why things like this happen to businesses in the first place. There are of course lots of potential reasons, but I think there are two primary ones and they have to do with human behavior:
1) It's always hard to manage people especially when you're as big as Sprint or AT&T. It can be done, but it takes an internal culture that understands itself and doesn’t seek to create robots, but fans. For a great perspective on this check out Alex Frankel’s article about frontline employees from November’s Fast Company.
2) We as people are quick to cover our own backside (if you know what I mean). The problem is when an employee "passes the buck" by suggesting the company's policies have tied their hands or that it was someone else’s fault--it's always a direct reflection on the company. If you’re in a Sprint store talking to a Sprint employee and they say that another Sprint employee shouldn’t have told you that, it doesn’t matter to you. Sprint told you, not Jimmy the rogue employee.
Consumers don't distinguish from the individual representing the organization and the organization itself. Remember, organizations are like people, they have a personality. Sometimes, unfortunately, it’s a split personality.
But it doesn’t have to be.
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December 18, 2007
Profile Workshop Huge Success
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Personality News
Over the weekend, we led one of our clients through a three-hour Personality Profile™ Workshop with 80 of their staff and representatives. It was the first time the company had brought everyone together in the same room for a long time (half of their team are field-based). To say that the workshop was a success would be a gross understatement. Several people approached us afterward and shared--with deep emotion--their renewed sense of purpose and commitment to the company they've worked at for so many years. It was a humbling experience for me, Brett and Shawn to be a part of!
The Personality Profile™ Workshop is the perfect follow up to the Personality Profile™. It takes the 21 powerful Personality frames and brings them to life for participants. Each person goes away with a clear and simple way to approach their job both individually and as a team, all the while bringing a renewed sense of clarity and direction for why the company exists in the first place.
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December 17, 2007
Christmas Party 2007
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Personality News
Last night was the Personality™ Christmas party with staff and spouses. We started the evening with dinner at Nick & Stef's and then walked a few blocks to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the Handel's Messiah Sing-Along. With the exception of our absent waiter, it was a great evening in downtown Los Angeles!
We also invited Brian Zopf to join us so we could give him a final goodbye. Brian started working at Personality™ in May of 2005 and recently took a position with Russ Reid. Brian was a big part of our 2007 so we just had to have him back one last time. Thanks Brian!
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December 12, 2007
Put the Person in Personality
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Experience
We're always saying that every organization has a personality. Unfortunately some have the personality of a robot, and that's not a very good way to do business.
A while back I gave up on stamps and the U.S. postal service for paying my bills. I started paying them online through my bank. It works great and I save (what do stamps cost nowadays?) 43 cents for every bill I pay online.
Except my mortgage company has the personality of a robot. And apparently the internal systems of a robot. Every time I pay my mortgage online I get a letter in the mail from my mortgage company explaining that my payment came by overnight express and I could save money by signing up for their auto-pay system (for only $11 per month!). Apparently my bank is making the payment to my mortgage company by overnight express. But I could care less. It doesn't cost me anything. Yet my mortgage company insists on offering a "better" solution. Even better, I get the same letter every month, going on six months now.
Continue reading "Put the Person in Personality"
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December 4, 2007
Homecoming Pain, Business Lesson
Posted by Shawn Stewart | Filed under: E-mail Newsletter
This originally appeared in our e-mail newsletter. If you're not getting it, you can sign up today.
It was a cold Ohio night in the early 1990s. I was a nervous high school junior on my way to a romantic dinner and then on to my first homecoming with the girl of my dreams, Saunnie Kenny.
It was the first time I'd been out with Saunnie (pronounced Saw-nee). She was the new girl in school, she had long soft brown hair, a glowing complexion and haunting blue eyes. And I couldn't believe she said ‘yes' to be my date. The night was going to be amazing! I had a well-tailored suit, a beautiful date, and was going to a candle lit, white linen tablecloth dinner at the fanciest restaurant I could find--which was about 40 minutes away from where I lived. (That's right, I grew up in the sticks!)
My mind was racing with anticipation. In my mind I could see the date as clear as day. It was perfect--we were going to have the most romantic, fun-filled homecoming any two high school juniors ever had.
Continue reading "Homecoming Pain, Business Lesson"
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