So there's this guy at the airport . . .

And he keeps smiling at everyone who passes by. He seems to be talking more to airport employees rather than passengers. But he's not wearing a badge. It doesn't appear that he works here.

He keeps asking people if they are having to work during the holiday. All of the conversations end the same. "Well, have a great Thanksgiving."

Why is he doing this? What is motivating him to be this friendly ambassador? I wonder who he works for?

Wait a minute. There's something on his shirt. It's a logo or design on his pocket. Maybe I can get a picture if I get close enough.

Now I get it! I recognize that logo. I wonder if he works for them? Here he comes. I'll ask him.

It all makes sense now. It's something he believes in. He's actually a retail manager. But he believes that no matter where he is, it's his job to help spread a little magic to those he meets. He also believes that everyone he comes in contact with is a potential customer.

What if we all had the same attitude? Instead of talking about this guy at the airport, we could be talking about him at the restaurant, or bookstore, or sporting event, or grocery store, or . . . anywhere.

"People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care."

Results May Vary

On the heels of yesterday's post (Some Restrictions May Apply) is today's post, Results May Vary.

You can't use the same approach for each customer because no two customers are alike. The same can be said of your employees. No two employees are alike so you have to use different ways to communicate with each of them.

If you don't, the results may vary. And they may not be the results you or your customers are looking for. Getting to know your customers will have you on the right road of placing your team members in the right positions.

Disney is famous for their guestology. That's Disney-speak for knowing and understanding their guests (customers) through qualitative and quantitative market research. Throughout their research and implementation processes, they realize that not every decision will have the same affect on every guest. They have implemented new strategies, new designs, new procedures . . . . and some have failed. But they have learned from those failures and they have incorporated that knowledge into the next decision.

Knowing that your customers and team members are unique gives you the power to fine tune your processes.

If your business is stagnant because your processes are stagnant, maybe it's time to shake things up.

The results may vary. And that could lead to more business.

Let's be careful out there

Wow! I was going through my old posts and saw that this one was still labeled as "draft" and not published. Not to worry. I want to offer some of the lessons learned from the Disney Institute's Quality Service program I attended in April 2010 and there is plenty to share.

This program looked at the four basic quality standards: Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency. We studied how these were used in the different delivery systems: Cast (employees), Setting and Process.

Most of us think that safety issues are something you worry about if you are on a construction site or work in a warehouse. Nothing could be further from the truth.

One particular Fortune 100 company has received a patent for a new safety design. Safety is their non-negotiating factor. It overrides everything they do. While they may have thousands of employees devoted to safety, it is the responsibility of every employee to account for safety in their area.

Do you take safety into account for every decision you make in your business?

TOMA

T.O.M.A.

No. Not TOGA. This isn't a college frat party!

T.O.M.A. = Top Of Mind Awareness

A fellow blogger and Disney Institute alum recently commented that in her business, a bulk-mail operation in Indiana, she has clients calling her before they call the post office because they know that she will answer their questions in a way they can understand. When they think of mail, she wants them to think of her! Way to go Donna!

Another term that describes this type of awareness is brand loyalty. What do your customers think of when they hear your company name?

One such company that enjoys this type of brand loyalty, this top of mind awareness, is the Disney family of companies. From ESPN, ABC, the Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, to movies, TV shows, websites and professional learning, the Disney company is ranked as the 8th Best Global Brand according to BusinessWeek.

Now you may be thinking that you're company may never get to the level of a Disney or IBM or Coca Cola. But those companies didn't become an overnight success. They took time, doing the same thing day after day until they achieved a level of respect as a leader.

Everyone in your organization plays a key role in developing customer loyalty and brand recognition. If you are one product in a sea of products, it is your brand you want them to notice. You'll be surprised at the relationship between loyalty and the health and future of your business.

Continuous Improvement Process

Speaking of Disney, our visit to Textile Services as part of Disney's Approach to Leadership Excellence included a 30-minute Q & A session with a supervisor who went over their Continuous Improvement Process (CIP). The emphasis was on continuous. This wasn't a one time process to fix a problem. This is an ongoing effort to not be satisfied with the status quo.

They narrowed their process down to 6 points:

1. Listen and Learn
2. Measure
3. Act
4. Re-Measure
5. Recognize and Celebrate
6. Share insights

1. Listen and Learn - This implies that you have to be communicating with your team. You may know the jobs your fellow team members complete because you do some of the same things. But do you know how they go about their day? Do they do something better than anybody else? Is there a process that is hindering the success of their job? Listen to what your co-workers are saying and learn from their experience.

2. Measure - Track what you've learned from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Most employees are capable of finding solutions and determining what works best for them. When written down, you can communicate what you've measured in a more efficient way.

3. Act - Put in motion some of the proposed solutions. It's the last part of Walt's Dream, Believe, Dare, DO credo. You'll never know how something works if you don't act.

4. Re-measure - Did the new process in this process work? Did it fail? Did it bring a new insight?

5. Recognize and Celebrate - When it works, recognize it. Celebrate it! Do you have a wall of fame in your organization? If you have kids you probably have one at home. Why not bring that into your workplace? It doesn't have to be out front so customers can see it. But put it where employees can see it every day and you may find a way to motivate your team members.

6. Share Insights - How often do you get together as a team? And your team can be defined by those that work in your store/organization, management team or senior leadership.

Do you have a process in place for improvement? Is it within you or do you depend on someone else for improvement?

What happens if you don't improve? Do you hear that? That sound you hear is footsteps. If you don't improve you can be guaranteed that your competition will be.

How do you want to be recognized?

As part of their continuous improvement process, Disney's Textile Services (a.k.a. Laundry) recently polled their employees as to how they wished to be recognized. The top three things were 3) Movie tickets; 2) Feed me; 1) Recognition.

3) Movie tickets - Pretty simple reward huh? It's more than just someone covering the cost of theater admission. It might be a great time for the family to take in a movie together. The time together as a family in today's dollar is still priceless.

2) Feed me - A celebratory lunch, restaurant gift card or a potluck dinner didn't matter. Employees wanted their recognition in the form of food. This can be done as a group to celebrate accomplishments or as simple as buying lunch for your star employee.

1) Recognition - Everyone likes to be recognized and validated for the work they have done. Whether it be a pat on the back, a special award like employee of the month, or a personal letter from the CEO, we all enjoy our job more if there is a practice of being rewarded for doing an outstanding job.

How do you want to be recognized? What motivates you to do your best? Is it the reward that pushes you or is it your own will and determination?

So, to get some feedback on this, tell me how you want to be recognized.