Pay Attention

Details, shmetails. Nitpicking. Demanding. Overcritical. Hypercritical. Choose whatever word you want to describe it. Paying attention to even the smallest detail can result in huge rewards. You don't do the details to showcase them in the end. The details, nitpicking and criticism early on in a process usually produce the final product that is worthy of the effort.

Where does the term nitpicking come from? Nitpicking is the process of removing the eggs of head lice (nits) from individual hairs. Years ago, the only options to remove lice were either to shave the hair totally off or to pick them off one by one, examining each individual hair. This is a painstaking, laborious process. But before modern chemicals were found to treat lice, most people only had these choices.

Out of this practice came the term nitpicking which has a negative connotation. The practice is described as meticulous, fastidious, and painstaking. Some people see it as a pastime that only looks for mistakes and inconsistencies. Well, DUH?!?! If we are not paying attention to the details in the work we do (i.e. nitpicking), we are putting out an inferior product or service. Unless you shop at a second-hand store or a scratch and dent outlet, don't you expect a certain level of quality in the goods and services you receive?


If you've never wondered "Where's Waldo?" you can click on the picture above. A new window should appear so you can search the details of the picture to find Waldo. It's a tedious process!

Walt Disney was the master in paying attention to the details. In the Magic Kingdom alone there are seven themed lands; Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown Fair and Tomorrowland. As you move from one land to another, everything transforms to fit the "land" around you. Music playing in the background, they type of pavement under your feet, the costumes of the cast members, the signage, the color of the lighting and the food that is offered are just a few areas where every detail has been addressed.

Pay attention to the details of your job. Let your manager know if you are not able to focus on the details because something is in the way. Do you need to pay more attention to the details? Is there an area at which you excel? Is there an area you are passionate about? Giving the proper focus, time and dedication to the details will bring big rewards!

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

I put it in quotes for a reason. It's a quote from Walt Disney.

I recently participated in the Disney Approach to Leadership Excellence program at the Walt Disney World's Beach Club Resort. One of the facilitators of the program had a pin with this quote on it. The pin features a picture of a young Walt Disney with Tinkerbell attached to the front of the pin.

Mary Flynn, one of the program facilitators, relates the story of the pin as follows:

The pin has a rather simple story. It was designed by a teammate of Jeff's and mine...Mark Matheis. Mark created a Disney Institute tour entitled, "Inspiration - Through Walt's Eyes."
As part of that design work, Mark went ahead and submitted a design for an original pin, exclusive to that program. The pin I gave you is that pin..."It's fun to do the impossible."

The story I told that was related to it was that one day after delivering that program, Mark was walking through Epcot...and he was wearing that pin. A Guest noticed it and got very excited about it and wanted to know how to get one. Mark explained that it was not for sale anywhere.

Several days later, one of Mark's friends called him to let him know "they're talking about you" on a particular website or chat room. Mark "tuned in" and observed a tremendous flurry of enthusiastic pin collectors and traders all talking about this Disney Cast Member named Mark and the special pin he was wearing.



I proudly wear the pin every day I am working. It is already a great conversation piece. But it is also a reminder of the program and the level of excellence that is interwoven into every aspect of one of the most recognizable brands in the world of business.

Cannot vs. Can-DO

A few months ago I had the urge to put some of my thoughts on paper. This came about after returning from a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida. Sure, I enjoyed the rides, and the music, and the food, and the shows. But it was something that a Cast Member said that really stuck with me. At the last moment, we decided we wanted to go out for dinner so I headed off to the concierge desk to check on available dining locations.

When I approached the desk, the Cast Member (CM) motioned me over to his station. I told him that we didn't have any plans for dinner and being late in the afternoon, I asked if he could help me with some last-minute reservations. He said, "Of course!" That's it. That's all he said that impressed me. He went on and found us an available seating at Chefs de France. But it was the attitude the CM had that struck me the most. It was an attitude of why-of-course-I-can-help-you-why-wouldn't-you-think-I-couldn't-help-you. Although he never said it, that was the message conveyed. At no time during the experience did I ever think the word "No" was going to come out of his mouth.

This got me thinking about customer service in general. Working in retail, we often come across people who make up elaborate stories in order to get their way. Sometimes customers who need to return a product will fabricate a wild story instead of just telling the truth. For whatever reason, they seem to be afraid to tell the truth. Why is that? Other than the obvious moral implications, have we in retail created an environment where customers expect an attitude of "cannot" rather than "can-do"? I believe we have. Customers are compelled to lie and cheat in order to get what they want.

So, what can we do?

We CAN offer customers a clean, inviting store neatly arranged as to provide a pleasant shopping experience.

We CAN turn a customer's unpleasant experience at another store into a delightful experience at our store so that customers will go out of their way to shop with us!

We CAN go out of our way to find the answer to a customer's question.

We CAN go out of our way to fill a customer's request at the best price in the shortest amount of time.

Because of mediocre (at best) service that is a common characteristic of most businesses, customers often expect a negative response when a customer service issue arises. I say, not any more. Not on my watch. We can DO it!