The latest Old Spice commercials are brilliant:
Paul Omerod gives a fascinating perspective on organizations in his book Why Most Things Fail. He says that when businesses in the U.S. were given “personhood status” the age of the faceless corporation began. In the early 20th century, LLCs (limited liability corporations) could be formed and operated as something completely separate from the person(s) who incorporated them. It’s why a business can claim bankruptcy and leave the owner relatively unscathed. Businesses became faceless.
A friend once told me:
If a company and an employee cannot come to an agreement on terms (salary, benefits, etc.), it is on the company if the employee walks away.
I like that.
I like thinking that a company or organization has a role in retaining their employees. It’s not simply, “Hey, worker bee, this is what we’re offering you. Take it or leave it.” It is the organization taking initiative in seeing the value of their people.
Of course, not every employee brings value to an organization. But those who do (Seth Godin calls them a “linchpin“) need to have that value acknowledged. Part of that value comes in negotiations.
Unfortunately, most of companies would prefer to remain faceless and treat employees as replaceable. Most organizations would prefer to hide behind a long-standing rule or employee handbook. Most companies would prefer to blame “the organization” rather than treating their employees like human beings.
Here’s the thing: Most businesses are set up to be faceless. At the root of it is a desire to pass the buck. Financially and relationally. In the end, no one wants to be accountable.
I just read this in a newsletter from Chris Brogan. I think there’s wisdom in it, so I pass it on to you:
If you’re not shipping/executing/delivering, you’re not doing. If you’re not doing, you’re just thinking. The truth is, you’ve gotta DO. That’s what fixes everything.
* How I got to be a top-shelf speak: speeches every 3 days.
* How I got to be a NYT bestselling author: write every day.
* How I got anything I’ve ever received in this life: did something.
Right? You’re on that. So, let’s ship. And if you need help, screw the muses: find the shippers.
Is there anything you’re sitting on–an idea, a business proposal, a book, a blog post, a speech, a poem, a cake–that is just hanging out? Do something about it.
Seth Godin calls it shipping.
Tom Peters calls it executing.
Chris Brogan says “just DO something.”
I agree with them.
Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?
I’m a Gary Vaynerchuck fan.
If nothing else, his insistence on bringing all of who you are to what you do is commendable. He’s also, I believe, a Renaissance Man for the customer service revolution that’s taking place in the North American business world.
“CARE!“, as he so eloquently put it once in a tweet.
Below is a quick video he did for Seth Godin‘s new movement called “Linchpins“. Godin asks the question, “Are you indispensable?”
Unfortunately, many of us aren’t. We’re cogs in the wheel. Godin wants to change that–and he’s doing a pretty good job of it according to early reviews of the book.
So view the vid and ask yourself, “Where’s my sweet spot? What can I do better than anyone else on the planet?” Then go do it.
From an interview with Kayak.com’s co-founder, Paul English. He’s talking about having real people in your company answer real problems from customers. I think his philosophy is brilliant: If you put the complaints in the face of the people who can make the complaints go away, things get fixed quicker.
Customers are a big source of my e-mails. Anytime anyone contacts us with a question, whether it’s by e-mail or telephone, they get a personal reply. The engineers and I handle customer support. When I tell people that, they look at me like I’m smoking crack. They say, “Why would you pay an engineer $150,000 to answer phones when you could pay someone in Arizona $8 an hour?” If you make the engineers answer e-mails and phone calls from the customers, the second or third time they get the same question, they’ll actually stop what they’re doing and fix the code. Then we don’t have those questions anymore.
From Seth Godin to Gary Vaynerchuck to Paul English, it seems as though customer satisfaction is the new trend.
“Amen to that”, I say! What companies have treated you well recently? Not so well?
