Richman Resources » Advice for Employers

Loyalty on the Front Line

Joyce Richman — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:17:32 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago that business hired receptionists and clerical staff to answer phones, set appointments, do some billing and, generally speaking, manage the public. They wanted these folks to be warm, friendly, helpful, and have a good work ethic. Now those jobs are called “front line” and they come with a warning: “be careful out there”.

Companies still want their employees to meet, greet, and serve the public in ways that are inviting and encouraging. It’s just that front line employees are having a hard time dealing with an impatient, frustrated, understandably irritable, sleep deprived public that is unnerved by the considerable unknowns of recession and terrorism. This new breed of customer (client, patient, patron) wants what they want when they want it and will not tolerate anything short of complete and immediate submission and compliance. Although understandable, it’s not possible nor advisable.

Call them support or samurai, this isn’t the job they thought they were getting (at minimum or near minimum wages), and they aren’t going to keep taking it unless they’re supported and encouraged by the team they’re hired to protect and defend. Employers, already burdened by high costs and low profits can’t afford to pay more yet know they need to do more.

Here’s what they can afford to do:

Include these staffers as part of your team. Keep them in the loop regarding business developments and growth opportunities. Offer them ways to enhance their education with workshops and seminars; upgrade their skills with tutorials and classes; help them increase their ability to make a difference to you, the company they serve. And let them know that you appreciate their efforts.

People want to make a difference where they work, no matter what their job or level of perceived importance. Companies that do an excellent job of retaining their workforce, treat everyone as a valued employee. If customer service is #1, they treat their employees as they would their customers. They grow their own talent, promoting from within whenever feasible, and hiring from outside when they cannot; making sure that new hires are respectful of a culture built on a foundation of mutual regard and respect, without exception.

They encourage employees to maximize their talent and minimize their weaknesses, not the reverse. They delegate authority along with responsibility so that employees who demonstrate an ability to make good decisions are given the opportunity to do just that.

They cross train because it’s good for the employee and it’s good for the business. Employees want to learn new skills. Yes, it makes them more marketable and if you’ve created a place where they like to work, you’ll reap the benefits of what you’ve taught, because they’ll stay.

That takes us to the subject of loyalty, a subject that companies and employees alike ruefully describe as a remnant of the past. Is it gone or have we forgotten what it represents?

Let’s remember: Loyalty is a shared experience. It begins with our understanding and agreeing with the other’s mindset or vision. It takes root when we see the role the other can play in moving that vision from ideology to outcome. It flourishes when all participants play their part, when the mutual effort is successful, and when all involved reap the benefits of that success. Individual loyalty survives setbacks when there is mutual trust, when we’re honest with each other and share our information frequently and consistently. It survives misunderstandings by confronting problems and each other with candor, consideration, and objectivity.

If you assume that you buy loyalty with a paycheck or the acceptance of one, you will all be disappointed and grow increasingly cynical. Loyalty must be practiced, as you would practice any skill worth having. To take it for granted is to give it up.

Front line employees, from ground troops to mail carriers, medical receptionists to customer service reps, deserve our recognition that with or without title, designation, certification, or degree, they step up and do the job for each of us, everyday, because they believe it’s worth doing. It’s up to each of us to demonstrate our appreciation through simple acts of courtesy, consideration, and respect.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

What do Employees Want

Joyce Richman — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:55:24 +0000

What do employees want? It depends on the person you ask. Managers and supervisors want their direct reports to become more responsible and accountable for their work and their behavior. They grow weary of the constant refrain of “you’re doin’ it to me”. Employees complain that they’re not recognized for their hard work. Supervisors come back with a “you call that hard work?” Back and forth it goes, with the subordinate wanting more money, more time and more reassurance. Their bosses shoot back with give me more, show me more, and maybe, just maybe I’ll listen to you.

What’s the outcome? Stalemate. No one feels satisfied, understood, or reinforced for his or her position in this see saw battle for who’s right.

As in any back and forth conflict, each side resists giving in, fearing further loss of territory, control, or competency in the eyes of their bosses. Yet, as is usually the case, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Last year employees could be selective about where they wanted to work. Today, that’s not the case. Unemployment numbers are still low (that’s good) but employee confidence has diminished (that’s not good). The market continues to fluctuate from bearish to bearing up-ish. Jobs that once looked dependable are going away with no ready replacements in sight. Health care specialists tell us what we guessed in the middle of the night: people are sleeping less because they’re more stressed. So, for the moment at least, that puts the best cards in the hands of employers: ante up, or you could possibly lose your job. Shortsighted response, sure, but a response all the same.

Here’s what employers want:

Get to work on time, earlier is preferable.
Get the job done without my having to spoon-feed you along the way.
I’ll assume you know what you’re doing unless you tell me that you don’t.
Don’t tell me when I’m in the middle of putting out 10 fires.
Blindside co-workers or me and you’re courting disaster. Ask what you need, tell me when you don’t know, and tell me if a train is coming.
You don’t have to like any of us, but treat all of us with respect.
When you’re here, be fully here. That means that you’re focused on your work and not on arranging or repairing your social life.
Leave when the job is done. Hopefully, for you, that will coincide with the end of the day.

What do their employees want?

Lead us, don’t push us.
Treat us with respect.
Tell us what you want when you want it. Don’t assume that we can read your mind or your time schedule.
If your boss is bearing down on you, deal with it, and don’t push it down on us. If it’s about something we did, tell us at the time we did it, not after its too late to do something about it.
Balance is a big issue for all of us. Like you, we have lives outside work that are important to us. We have personal as well as professional obligations. From time to time we make or take personal calls, or take aging parents or young children to doctors and dentists. We do that when no one else can. We take our responsibilities seriously, all of them.
Breathing down our necks just makes us tense. We know what we need to do and we’ll ask if we don’t.
We do our jobs differently from you because we have different perspectives. Forcing us into your box is de-motivating. We’re not the problem. Give us a chance to be part of the solution.
Let us know when we’re doing a good job. A little praise goes a long way.
Train us to do more, not more of the same thing. We want to get ahead. Giving us opportunities to learn makes us feel good about this company. We don’t want to leave. We don’t want to get into a tight market. But like you, we’ll do what we have to do.

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Lessons Learned……

Joyce Richman — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:07:23 +0000

Harold did it again. He hired the wrong person and is in a world of hurt.

Harold’s a businessman who describes himself as street smart, strategy savvy, and a sap when it comes to hiring.

First it was his financial advisor. Harold was ecstatic, he couldn’t believe his luck. He found a creative accountant who doubled as a visionary. At last, someone who agreed with his spending habits and encouraged him to spend even more. This financial wizard could see the importance of building for the future. Together they drew the blueprints of a business that could go global in the time it took to write the checks.

Harold didn’t buy luxury cars or condos on exotic shores just to be frivolous. These were first class expenses and Harold was a first class guy. Harold wasn’t sure where the money was coming from, but his financial advisor said, “Don’t worry, leave it to me. ” So, he did.

When the creditors started calling, Harold told them, “I don’t handle that, my numbers man does”. And referred them straight-away. But the creditors didn’t go away.

When the IRS came calling and Harold said, “I don’t handle that, my numbers man does”, the financial advisor went away. In the middle of the night, with what remained of petty cash and a pair of new wing-tipped shoes. Justifiably worn only on business occasions.

Harold recovered. Ever honest, he paid the creditors and got square with the government and took his hard learned lesson to heart: Don’t hire a financial advisor who agrees with everything you say and goes you one better. Harold took a course in accounting, learned how to read profit and loss statements, and hired a CPA with a sharp pencil who knew how to say “no”.

Harold, rebounding and reinvigorated, realized that his time management was out of balance, and sought the assistance of administrative support. He hired a sweet young thing who was anxious to learn from such an astute businessman. He taught her everything he knew, from the best brands of coffee to the best brains in the business. The more she learned, the smarter she got, the more she could handle, the more he gave to her. They had no secrets. He trusted her absolutely. And why wouldn’t he? Everything she was she owed to him. Right up to the day that she joined his arch rival along with his client list and business plans for the next five years.

Harold was debilitated, demoralized, devastated. His faith was shaken, his confidence destroyed.

Ever resolute, that scrappy Harold was back a few days later and hired a temp. “I’ve learned my lesson”, he proclaimed. “I trusted too quickly and assumed too much. From now on, I’ll watch my back and protect my flanks. I’ll go to work like I’d go to war.” The temp took notes, parked her gum and left for lunch.

Harold was ready for the last hire he’d need. He wanted an office manager to handle the business, the books, and the temp, so Harold could do what he does best: set the strategy, find the clients and make the money. He interviewed from far and wide. He knew to avoid reamers, dreamers, and schemers. But what to look for? He needed someone who would listen and learn and take charge.

Harold hired Hank. Hank was a strapping fellow, a nice enough guy, who took orders like a soldier and saluted Harold like he was Old Glory. Harold thought Hank was the greatest. “At last, someone who is honest and true. Someone who will do as he’s told and nothing more.” It was the “nothing more” part that was the tip off.

Hank was great at taking orders but didn’t know what to do after he got them. He’d dash off to a job, only to return moments later not sure what the job was. He was earnest and good but couldn’t find his way from one end of the office to the other.

Harold, you’ve done it again.

Your insistence on seeing the forest from your tree is driving your small business into the ground.

Lesson #1: You aren’t supposed to have all the answers. Your job is to find the people who do.

Lesson #2: Hire people whose skills and strengths are complementary to yours. You’ll get more done that way.

Lesson #3: Hire staff that can assume authority and responsibility, relieving you of the day to day.

Lesson #4: Grow your business in equal parts: if you are all front end, no one is backing you up, delivering product, providing service.

Lesson #5: Hire by asking questions and listening to the answers. Probe for deliverables based on their history, not your fantasy.

Lesson #6: Check out their track record. If they weren’t part of the solution, they are going to be a big part of your problem.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Both Sides of the Same Coin

Joyce Richman — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:09:45 +0000

A recent reprint of an archived Ann Landers column from 2000 is just as relevant today as it was when it was first printed. It was practically on fire with letters from customers who were fed up with the attitude of retail clerks.

I was struck by the irony of what these letter writers were saying:

“If you don’t like people and consider them an interruption or a nuisance, go find another job.”

“Within driving distance of your store, there are five stores that carry the same items. If I am treated well, I’ll be back to see you. If you want me to come back, you will thank me for coming in and make me feel welcome.”

What’s the irony? The words they chose are almost identical to those I hear unhappy retail associates use to describe their bosses:

“If they don’t like to manage employees, and consider them an interruption or a nuisance, they shouldn’t be doing that job.”

“If they’d treat me well, if they made me feel welcome, and showed a little appreciation once in a while I’d want to work for them.”

And then there are the customers. Most are likeable and agreeable, just like most managers and associates, while others are ready to do battle over just about anything.

Some customers are somewhere in the middle. They just want to make a purchase and go home, unscathed from the experience.

Suit up, kids, we’re going shopping. Fly cover for me when I go into the department store and I’ll protect you on the ground at the toy store.

Yes, we know. People are stressed out and sleep deprived and that’s why they’re irritable. But is that reason enough to justify incivility or are they just excuses for uncivilized behavior?

Rude bosses, customers, and employees are so busy jabbing fingers at each other, someone’s bound to get stuck in the eye. Each group is competing for “most ugly” and it’s a toss up as to who’s going to win.

Before we rush to judgment, let’s put this into perspective. The Pareto Principle states that A small number of causes is responsible for a large percentage of the effect… usually a 20 percent to 80 percent ratio.

With that in mind, let’s address 20% of the managers who are creating 80% of this mess.

Managers: Some people are relationship managers, and others are not. It sounds like you’re part of the “not” population. You can learn how to do it right but it takes more than one training class and reading one book. It takes a commitment to doing the right thing for people, every day.

If you don’t have the energy or desire to manage with courtesy and consideration, please stand down.

Sales associates: Same song. Second verse. You’re in the relationship business, not the jewelry, men’s wear, or grocery selling business. If you take the time to understand your products and meet the needs of your customers, in a respectful manner that encourages them to return to do business with you and your company, you’ve done your job. If you don’t and you won’t, you’re in the wrong line of work. Your negative attitude shows and its generating much of the negative response you’re getting.

Customers: No matter the size of your purchasing power, that power alone does not justify your rude or arrogant behavior. No matter the rush you are in or your position in the community, the office, or your home, it doesn’t justify your push to the front or brusqueness from the rear.

Twenty percent. That’s all it takes to create chaos and hostility among the eighty percent on the receiving end of your bluster.

Eighty percent. Good for you. As managers, associates, and customers you do us proud. Keep it up and encourage the rest to step up or step out of line. All that shoving and poking is giving the rest of us a collective black eye.

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I Didn’t Tell You Because I Thought You Knew

Joyce Richman — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:14:01 +0000

A recent letter writer suggested that employees, the newly hired and the barely there, would benefit from understanding that employers have some very basic expectations of them.

I heartily agree.

In fact, here’s one boss’s secret copy of Here’s What I Didn’t Tell You Because I Thought You Knew.

This place is called “Work”
Get to work earlier than on time (and that’s based on my watch, not yours).
Get to work earlier than on time every day (based on my calendar, not yours.)
Get to work prepared to do our work (which doesn’t include doing your personal bookkeeping; shopping; and arranging of your social calendar).
Make and receive personal telephone calls at a place not called “Work”.
If you’re the first one out the door at the end of the day, you’re leaving here too early. If you’re the second one out the door, you’re still leaving too early. If you keep it up, don’t let the door hit you on your way out.
Wear clean, closely woven, free of slogan clothing not so baggy as to hide large animals nor so brief as to reveal more than any of us need to know about you.
Do the job I hired you to do.
Leave people alone to do the jobs I hired them to do.
If you take something, put it back (here, not where you live).
If you ask for something, say please.
If you are lucky enough to get it, say thank you.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you make a mistake, take care of it.
I’ll give you a raise if you follow through, follow the rules, follow me and you’ll get it when I say so.
I’ll give you a promotion if you do everything on this list, get along with everybody especially me and you’ll get it when I say so.

This couldn’t be your boss? Well, check out another boss’s misplaced version of Here’s What I Didn’t Tell You Because I Thought You Knew.

I don’t care what time you get here or what time you leave, just get the job done, on time and accurately.
The job has more to it than I told you, because I forgot to tell you at the time. So watch out, I’m going to critique you for what you didn’t do because I didn’t tell you. And, don’t go there. I’m not going to change.
Anticipate. That’s what I want from you. Think ahead. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong unless you have a plan to make it right.
Come to me with solutions. I’m not paying you for problems. I get them for free.
I’m not going to say you’re doing a good job. I expect you to do a good job.
I’ll tell you when you’re doing a bad job. I’ll only tell you once. So listen.
Don’t ask me for pay increases or promotions. You’ll just put me in a bad mood. I’ll give you what I think you deserve. Just get the job done.
I am moody. It doesn’t (usually) have anything to do with you. Don’t worry about it. I worry enough for both of us.

I haven’t tagged your boss yet? Well, I rummaged around and guess what I found. Yet another undisclosed version of Here’s What I Didn’t Tell You Because I Thought You Knew.

Play nice.
If you have a problem with someone, talk to them about it. I don’t want to know.
If you have a problem with me, talk to someone else about it. I don’t want to know.
You may have guessed by now, I don’t like problems.
So, please, play nice.

The bottom line is this: There are as many expectations of employees as there are different managing and leadership styles. You don’t get to choose. You work with what you get. If you are equal parts observant, clairvoyant, savvy and responsive to the culture where you work and have as much substance as you have style, you’re going to make it.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

A 360 Degree View

Joyce Richman — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:15:57 +0000

The trend toward 360 degree performance appraisals can be more of a jolt than the faint of heart can handle.

Back in the old days, which can be as recent as a few minutes ago, high ranking employees could stay in their jobs, earn substantial bucks, and be as good or as bad as they always had been. That was when an annual review came around as often as a bicentennial event.It’s not that employees haven’t wanted to know where they stand, and how long they were going to stand there. The problem was no one wanted to be the messenger, particularly if the news was bad. Few employers were providing any feedback that was timely, substantive, and constructive.

Enter the advent of 360 degree performance appraisals. Employers learned that they could deliver feedback from the perspective of many, instead of a few, and that leavened the dread of giving it. Because of that, increasing numbers of companies signed on to the concept. Employees, many for the first time, were finding out what their colleagues thought of them. The results were certainly revealing, sometimes surprising, and depending upon your perspective, pleasing, awful or something in between.

Helen, not from here but could be, was a physician who chose to leave private practice to join a large pharmaceutical company. She said she wanted to make a difference in more people’s lives than the relative few that she could minister to in her daily work. She believed that her choice had been a good one. She enjoyed her work, her company, and her colleagues. She just found out that they didn’t enjoy her. Her 360 degree feedback told her so. Helen’s feedback report came from her boss, several peers, and direct reports. The largely anonymous (she knew who her boss was) and aggregated information described her as an explosive bully. Her abrasive and arrogant behaviors caused her employees to feel inadequate and devalued.

Helen saw herself as a standard bearer in her field, a take charge person; gutsy and tenacious. She knew she was arrogant even if others hadn’t reminded her of that fact. She knew that she was impatient with those who didn’t get it (and very few did). But she cared about her work and the impact that it had. She thought that was enough. Helen’s career was running off the rails. Should she try to hang on or leave before they fired her? If she stayed, she would have to convince everyone that she was worth salvaging. She would have to make the changes that she needed, and make them stick. If she hesitated too long, the choice wouldn’t be hers to make. She knew she had to take quick action but couldn’t get past her anger and humiliation. She felt blind sided, primarily by her boss. ”I had asked him, more than a few times, what he thought of my performance. He gave no indication that he was displeased. In fact, the only negative he mentioned was that I should consider working harder on my people skills.”

John P. Kotter, author of Leading Change, (Harvard Business School Press) describes his view of the “Organization of the Future.” He envisions “a day when big egos and snakes are eliminated from promotion lists, no matter how smart, clever, hard working, or well educated they are. Such people kill teamwork. They create problems today, but in a more rapidly changing future world, the consequences of their actions might well become completely unacceptable.” Sometimes you have to confront snakes and big egos. Sometimes it’s incompetence or disorderly conduct. Whatever that nasty thing is, confront it. Do it quickly, specifically, directly,accurately, and fairly. Confront it while there’s still time to turn it around. If 360 degree performance appraisals can make that a more palatable process, climb aboard. If you combine ongoing personal feedback with collaborative and aggregated feedback, you can touch all the bases. Delivering the message is only the beginning. The true challenge comes in reasoning through what it means, and what the impact of ”doing it differently” can be.

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Telling the Talent Truth

Joyce Richman — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:26:53 +0000

Last week I meet with four very talented and very disagreeable employees whose careers were on the chopping block. They had one universal complaint: No one told them they were going to get fired until it was too late to do anything about it.

Were they told in advance and did they have sufficient time and support to turn themselves around?

The employees’ case: They received significant promotions and salary increases that indicated they were recognized as high performers. Three of the four employees did not receive formal reviews. One employee had infrequent written reviews with evaluation ratings of “outstanding” and “superior”.

All four were told, informally, that they were aggressive and hard to work with. The one individual who received written evaluations said that there was commentary that referred to her “aggressive style” and need to “tone it down”. None perceived the comments as warnings but merely as descriptions of how others felt about their behavior.

The employers’ case: The four employees were considered “essential to the ongoing profitability” of their respective companies. Each of the employees under discussion had bosses who had “flown cover” for them, over the sometimes strenuous objections of peers, and in two cases, vendors. Three of the four had experienced turnover in their departments, which, although high, was positioned as proportionate to the industry. There was general agreement that although the individuals described were reminded of their “developmental needs” they were not warned that changes were immediately warranted and that consequences for not responding would result in termination.

In all four cases, the Human Resources representatives accepted responsibility for not having been more clear and resolute in follow up, while saying that without having a clear directive from the top, they felt powerless to move to a “warning” or “disciplinary action” that would have resulted in termination.

If you are in a position to lead or manage others, here are some ways to do it better:

As much as think you communicate, communicate more. As many questions as you ask, ask more. If you think people are confused, they are.

If you know you’re avoiding what needs attending, attend to it. Then get back to basics:

Define the culture of your company. What do you stand for, believe in, care about, value most? Commit to it. Communicate it. Get the word out in every way possible. Tell your clients, customers, vendors, and above all, your employees. Live it and live up to it, from the top down.

Define the mission of your company. For what purpose does your company exist? What sets you apart? Why do customers/clients select your product, process or service over your competitor’s? What are your strategies for communicating a value-added difference to those who impact your success?

Target the competition that exists outside your company, not within it. Who are they? Where are they? What do you need to do better than they? How will you do it? What’s your winning strategy and how will you coalesce your team behind it?

Get to know the employees who work for you. The more you understand their work style, strengths, and skill sets, the better you can match them to positions that enable them to succeed. Learn what employees need to be successful. Provide them training and resources that make it happen.

Set clear expectations and desired outcomes and describe what both should look like. Motivate employees by focusing on their individual strengths and achievements. Stay focused on the right fit. Give them the education and development they need to achieve.

Provide on-going and timely feedback that is both formal and informal. Institute multi-rater feedback loops within your company that enable peers, direct reports, and supervisor/managers to share constructive insights about each other. Identify what isn’t working and why, not to place blame but to find the cause. Separate the person from the problem. Fix the problem.

To ignore bad behavior is to condone it. To condone it is to tolerate it. If you tolerate it, it will continue. If it continues, the negative results are predictable.

Ignorance isn’t an answer, it’s an excuse. Bosses who know their job and their employees, know what to address, with whom, and when. The challenge is in the space between knowing and doing. Are you up to the challenge?

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Questions: The Customer is Always…?

Joyce Richman — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:52:53 +0000

Q: How does a retailer, operating a very legitimate business, protect his/her company from misguided customers who are very clearly inappropriate in their demands and yet threaten all types of exposure and legal measures to get their way? Seems to me that this is a form of extortion… the customer isn’t always right!

A: I asked several local retailers their take on the subject and received a variety of responses from them. Here’s a sampling:

“It’s important that the store establish clear return policies, that all sales associates are aware of those policies and that all customers are treated equally. Management has to have back bone and not roll over when dealing with particularly difficult customers.”

Another storeowner suggests that you “find out what the customer really wants, which can be different from what they first tell you. There’s usually room to negotiate. When there’s not, you have to assess your risk. If what you’ll lose is greater than what you’ll gain, fold.”

A reaction that got my attention was the store manager who said, “if I’ve done all that is reasonable and acceptable and the customer begins to threaten me, I call over a sales associate to witnesses and document the encounter. I ask the customer to review the report and sign it as a fair and accurate representation of what has been said, which I then turn over to our company attorney. When the customer sees that strong-arm tactics don’t intimidate me, he or she usually backs off. We have a loyal following of customers who do repeat business with us, so what I’m describing is a highly unusual occurrence. But when it does happen, we’re ready.”

Here are a few responses that take us in a totally different direction:

“If sales and service associates and their managers were to handle the situation better at the outset it wouldn’t escalate to the point that the store owner would have to enter the fray.”

And this from a sales person: “We follow the rules that we’ve been given and don’t give in to customers whose requests are totally out of line. What typically happens is that the customer gets angry and wants to talk to the manager. The manager comes over and gives in. That makes us look bad in the eyes of the customer. No wonder they pitch a fit; they know some higher up is going to give in to them.”

The majority indicated that there has to be give and take on the part of both the retailer and the customer so that each can feel whole, or at least not harmed, as a result of a difficult exchange.

As anyone who works with the public knows, there are a wide variety of customers to serve. Most are pleasant, honest people who treat others with respect and want the same in return. Some are not so pleasant or honest, and that’s how it goes. If retail sales and service is the job you’ve signed on to do, it’s up to you to figure out how to deal appropriately with all your customers, not just the ones you like.

In all likelihood, you’ll receive training on the basics of the product you sell. If you need more help, ask for it. It’s less likely you’ll be taught the rules of good customer and quality service. Your boss will probably assume you have the good manners and good sense to relate to all customers in ways that are responsible and appropriate.

You’re paid to determine your customer’s needs, to match your product to that need, and to follow through with service that encourages the customer to buy again and often, and to bring friends with money.

Your effectiveness and success is based upon more than product and pricing knowledge. It’s determined by your ability to connect emotionally and intelligently with the customer. To do it all, takes attention and desire. In other words, you’ve got to care. If you don’t, the consuming public would rather you do something else with your professional life.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Interviewers: Ace the Interview

Joyce Richman — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:41:24 +0000

Interviewers who see themselves in the driver’s seat, need to check their side view mirrors. Their would be passengers can afford to be selective about where and with whom they climb aboard.

Job applicants can get mighty frustrated when they arrive at their interviews and are told ”we’re busy, come back tomorrow.” Most of them are currently employed and find it challenging to arrange time off without neglecting their ongoing responsibilities, and nerve wracking to explain their mysterious disappearances.

And there’s the other side. Interviewers have more to do than just, well, interview. Like the rest of us, they are multi tasking their way through days that require a quick response to many masters. They are doing the best they can. Unfortunately, juggling too many eggs at one time results in dropping a few along the way. When what goes splat are their applicants, the damage can be hard to estimate and the mess can be hard to clean up.

If you need a few examples from the annals of aggravated applicants, these might help:

“I was ready to jump in my car and head to my third and final interview when the phone rang. It was the employer’s secretary telling me that her boss was out of town and would reschedule my interview as soon as possible. When they didn’t call back, I called them. Their response? ”Didn’t anyone tell you? We aren’t hiring for that job anymore.”

“My husband accepted a job offer, passed the physical, resigned from his old job, and called his new boss to confirm a start date. The boss said that something had come up. He’d call right back. He never did.”

“I got to my interview with plenty of time to spare and wasn’t seen by anyone for two hours. No one could tell me what the hold up was or how much longer I should expect to wait. Finally, some guy said they were really busy; that I should come back another day.”

Recent calls and e-mails report more cases of applicant-neglect than I have space to print. I’m not the first person who will hear their story and I’ll not be the last. Bad news spreads quickly.

Why? People are more apt to talk about bad experiences when they believe that they have been dealt with badly. Maybe they’re trying to move past it and feel that talking about it will help. Maybe they want someone to say, ”You’re right. You were done wrong and that company shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

Is it fair, this one sided story telling? No, it’s not. But that’s the only side anyone who is willing to listen is going to hear.

You’ve all heard stories about companies with poor customer service and places that treat their employees badly. You know because the offended individuals tell you and everyone else they can find. You also know that unless companies change their ways, their turnover and related costs increase, and their customer base erodes.

Whether public or private, service related or product driven, companies are known for the way they treat people. Interviewing for a job is intimidating stuff. Rejection is a bummer. That’s life. There is no acceptable reason for companies to make the process more difficult or dehumanizing than it has to be.

And so, for those interviewers, and the rest of us, who sometimes lose sight of what’s really important, here are a few reminders:

Keep your word.

Say what you mean.

Be courageous.

Be courteous.

And tell the truth.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Conventional Wisdom Won’t Keep Your Employees from Leaving

Joyce Richman — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:20:33 +0000

“How can I stop my employees from leaving when I can’t afford to compete with the salaries and benefits the other folks are offering?”

That’s the question many employers are asking. The problem is, they’re listening to Conventional Wisdom for the answers. CW suggests that people join companies and stay with them for salary and benefits; that employees have no loyalty; if they can get better down the street, that’s where they’re going to go.

In years past, employers attracted employees with unspoken promises of security, competitive salaries and benefits. What they asked in return was uncompromising loyalty. They got it.

Companies grew and acquired other companies. Their mergers turned into downsizings and the silent promises they made were as bankable as smoke. If you were lucky, your hard work and loyalty got you a pass until the next layoff was announced.

Once burned twice savvy employees (and their soon to be employed children) learned that loyalty meant “take care of yourself because no one else is going to do it for you.” They changed the game by writing their own rules: Stay with a company that treats you right. Leave a company that doesn’t. They knew precisely what that meant even though they didn’t tell anyone and no one took the time to ask. Until recently.

First, Break All the Rules, What the World’s Greatest Managers do Differently,by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, is based upon the Gallup Organization’s comprehensive employee opinion survey and in-depth interviews of over 80,000 managers in over 400 companies. It is, according to Gallup, “the largest study of its kind ever undertaken.”

In essence, it says that despite the best efforts of pay, benefits, promotions and training, it’s the employee’s manager who most strongly influences whether employees stay or leave. How’s that? The more that managers become involved and invested in their employees’ development and career success, the greater the likelihood that employees are more productive, companies makes more money, customers are better served, and yes, employees stay where they are.

When highly respected polling organizations take the time to ask the right questions, in as comprehensive a manner as the Gallup Organization has, it pays to take notice of their findings.

Employees leave or stay because of their managers, not because pay or benefits are more or less than what the folks get next door. Employees stay with managers who match strengths to challenges; delegate decision making authority, and demonstrate a real interest in individual development. They stay with managers who enable them to accomplish something worthwhile and affirm them when doing so.

So rant and rave all you want about the folks next door stealing your employees. If you treat them right, they’ll stay. If you don’t, they won’t.

“But what if your employees don’t want to be motivated? They don’t want to be challenged, they don’t want to be developed, they just want to get a paycheck. If you demand more than they’re willing to give, they’re out the door. What then?”

Look at your hiring practices. The most critical mistake any employer makes is to hire someone without clarifying expectations. Consult with a professional who can help assess your needs and your environment (which are often different than you might think), and design an interview process that is targeted to both.

Provide new employees the training and equipment they need to get the job done. Give them specific and timely feedback; when they are performing the job well and when they need to improve and how. Motivate them by reinforcing their strengths instead of emphasizing their weaknesses. Ask them for feedback and listen to what they say: Do you have what you need? Give us your ideas about how to do this job better. What are some ways we can improve our processes?

Take an interest in employees as people. The more you bring out their best, the more likely they are to stay. Those are employees you want to keep.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.