How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m not a pessimist…I’m a realist?  Maybe you have said it yourself.  Here’s another one.  “I don’t deal in fantasy, I deal in reality.”   Allow me to let you in on a little secret…there is no reality; we are all living in a fantasy world, a fantasy world of our own making and our own choosing, brought about by the model of the world that we have been sold, much like a bill of goods – brought about by our own choices, values, reference points and perceptions – brought about by the DEAL that we made with life long ago. 

You may be asking yourself, “What is this deal?”  “I don’t remember making a deal.”  Well whether you remember it our not, you made a deal.  Some of us made better deals than others.  A select few made great deals, most made average deals, and an awful lot made terrible deals.  For the few who made great deals, you don’t need to read the rest of this post, as there is nothing here that you need.   The same goes for the people who have already broken their deals and demanded a new drastically better deal for themselves – and got it.   As for the rest of you, please read on.   

The DEAL that I am referring to is directly related to the quality of your life – every aspect of your life, your relationships, your finances, your physical well being, and  your emotional and/or spiritual well being.   When I allude to the select few who made great deals, I’m not necessarily talking about the rich and famous.   There are far too many examples of people who “had it all” and proceeded to self destruct.  Some of the most notable names that come to mind are: John Belushi, Freddy Prinze, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Kobain, River Pheonix…the list is endless.   Nor am I referring to the poverty stricken and those who live under what society would describe as tragic circumstances when I speak about the ones who made terrible deals.  There are also numerous examples of people who went through unspeakable tragedy and extremely difficult situations only to come out of the ordeal better, stronger and happier than ever.  The difference between the two is their DEAL.

What is the DEAL?   The DEAL is an agreement we made with life.   The DEAL is an acronym for:

DEFINITIONS, ENVIRONMENT, AMBIGUITY, and LIMITATIONS 

If you are one of the select few who made great deals with life, you’ll know it.  Your life is one of happiness and abundance.  You wake up in the morning and can’t wait to start your day.  Anyone that comes into contact with you, benefits from the exchange.  Your relationships are rewarding and supportive for all involved.  Your outlook is one of extreme optimism. 

To be specific the select few that made great deals in life have four things in common, the four clauses of the DEAL.

Definitions:

They do not buy into other peoples or societies definitions. They define life on their own terms.

Environment:

They do not allow their environment to dictate their development and accomplishments.   They master their environment and utilize it to their benefit.

Ambiguity:

They do not sleep walk through life.  Their days have purpose, clarity and meaning.

Limitations:

They do not accept the limitations that life tries to attach to them.  Their beliefs empower them and give them unlimited potential.

The people that have anything less then the life they truly want, at some point in there existence, agreed to accept it.  The moment they accepted and internalized all four clauses, the deal was made.  

The second they bought into what other people define as reality, whether it came from family, friends, glamour magazines or their need to be accepted and perceived as worthy by someone other than themselves… they began to entertain the deal.  The exact moment they allowed your environment to dictate what they would, should, or could achieve or become… they began to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.  The specific hour they began to live life as though they were asleep and just going through the motions almost as if they were just trying to get it over with… they were reaching for your pen.  The day they accepted that their potential was maxed out, that they were incapable of anything more,  that they were limited in their abilities, intellect, strength, will power, imagination or any other resource necessary to achieve their ideal life… they put their name on the dotted line…the deal was done.  

Having unconsciously made the deal, the tendency is to spend the majority of your life trying to live up to that deal.  Why?  Because everyone knows that in life you have to honor the deals that you make.  In society, there is an extremely negative perception put on anyone that enters a deal only to break it early on in the process.  There’s nothing we hate more than the athlete who signs a contract…has a good year…then expects the team to renegotiate his contract for considerably more money.   I happen to be one of those people who think that contracts should be honoured.  The difference is this, the athlete new the in’s and out’s of the deal before he/she signed it.  They weren’t tricked into it.  They had lawyers and agents acting on their behalf.  Most importantly, they received something of value in exchange for their signature.  

So what’s your DEAL? If your life isn’t exceeding all your expectations of what life should be…break the deal.  If you have unfulfilled dreams….break the deal.  If you have un-utilized talents…break the deal.  If you aren’t living your best life…break the deal.  If the deal that you made isn’t working for you NOW…BREAK THE DEAL!!

For more information on the revolutionary and innovative new “Breaking The D.E.A.L.” System and Methodology for personal transformation or to order a copy of the upcoming Ebook, “Breaking the DEAL, How to Negotiate a Better DEAL With Life”, email info@curasolutions.ca.

How do you define success?  Or put another way, how will you know when you’re successful?  Interesting questions, the second one is a bit of a trick question.  Before we get to far into this topic, do me a favor take a pen and piece of paper and write down your definition of success and how you will know when you get there.   Do that now.

Anywhere on that piece of paper, do you have written, “I’m breathing therefore I am successful?”  If not, then you need to gain some perspective.  No matter how bad your life seems, odds are that you have more than 90% of the world’s population.  Think about this for a second.  If you are reading this article, you must have a computer, odds are if you have a computer…you have somewhere to plug it in…a home, that in and of itself means that you are in the top 10% of the world’s population in terms of lifestyle.   No matter how down on your luck you are, or think you are, you are better off than most of the people in the world simply because of the standard of living which most of us take for granted.   To take that even further, if you look at your situation objectively I’m sure that you can find many examples of people who are considerably less fortunate than you even in the city, neighborhood, or block that you live in.  

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that to feel good about ourselves or to feel successful, we need to or should compare ourselves to people less fortunate than us, but it does tend to give us some perspective on things.  Sometimes it’s enough to stifle the need we have for self pity and come to the realization that we don’t have it so bad; in fact we have it pretty good.   

If you want to take it a step further, a great way to feel better about ourselves is to help those less fortunate.  Volunteer at a shelter or hospital, bring blankets to a homeless person, do something to help your community, your city and your world.  You will reap huge rewards.  Nothing gives you a sense of satisfaction and purpose like helping someone else and seeing yourself as connected to a greater good and is an integral part to your overall perception of success. 

The point here is that you are already successful…be grateful!  Strive to better yourself and make incremental improvements in areas that you believe will add value to your life, but make no mistake about it…things don’t make you successful.  It’s a matter of perspective.   Focus on the good in your life and you will realize that you are already a success.

Let’s talk about definitions.  A definition is something that gives meaning…a meaning to a word, a phrase, a situation, an ideal and so on.  When we are looking for the meaning of a word we often look in the dictionary.  That seems simple enough.  Let’s look at a word like “success,” depending on which dictionary you are referring to, the definition of success is, an achievement of something intended or desired; attained wealth, fame and prosperity.  Let’s break this down.  Does this mean that if we do not have wealth, fame or prosperity, we are not successful?  Conversely, if we have one or all of the three does that mean that we are successful?  Let’s break it down a bit further. What’s the definition of wealth, fame and prosperity?  The dictionary’s definition of wealth is an abundance of valuable possessions or property.  OK…how do we define abundance?   Let’s once again look in our trusty dictionary.  Abundance is defined as, an ample supply, plenty, more than enough.   That leads us to our next question.  (It seems that these definitions lead to more questions than answers.)  What is an ample supply?  One person might say that a million dollars is an abundance of money and would be more than an ample supply for their needs; others would say a million dollars would be a nice start and would make them comfortable, but would hardly be an abundance, and there are some that would laugh at the idea that a million dollars in an ample supply of money, they spent more than a million dollars on there last shopping trip to Europe.  Do you think that Donald Trump or Bill Gates would consider a million dollars an ample supply of money?  

The word “fame” is a bit more straight forward…or is it?  The word famous is defined as being well known, renowned, esteemed, and notorious.  So remembering that the definition of success was, an achievement of something intended or desired; attained wealth, fame and prosperity.  We could conclude that the attainment of fame would be an indication of success.  Let me throw some names out at you and see if this rings true, Charles Manson, John Hinkley, John Wilkes Booth.  Are they famous?  Do you know who they are although you’ve never come into physical contact with them?  Of course you do…they’re very famous.  The fact of the matter is that it isn’t difficult to be famous.  Andy Warhol once said that everyone will experience 15 minutes of fame.   The question is, are they a success?  Not in my books.  Do you consider them successful?  Is that how you define success?  If it is…then this book won’t help you, you have bigger issues to deal with.

Let’s move on to the word prosperity.  When do you attain prosperity?  According to the dictionary you are prosperous when you achieve success.  Oh-oh, here we go again, right back to the beginning. 

All these definitions, which are meant to clarify, do anything but clarify.  They are subjective at best.  They mean different things to different people.  That’s the funny thing about words.  Although we have definitions for every word known to man, these definitions are anything but concrete in their meaning.  Try this, next time you are in a social environment and are with five or more people.  Pick a word like success, love, education, abundance or fulfillment and ask each person to write down 10 words that describe what that one word means to them.  My guess is that you will be surprised at the result.  There may be a few common words that people will list, but for the most part there will be glaring differences in the words used to describe the word in question.  Seemingly straight forward words that we use on a daily basis mean different things to different people.  That’s part of the reason why communication is so faulty.  Think about that the next time you have given someone instructions to carry out and find that they have done something completely different than you instructed.   What does this say about the way we communicate?  How much of our communication is faulty simply because the meaning that we attach to certain words, events, instructions are drastically different to us compared to the people receiving our communication. 

The point I am trying to make here is that established definitions of these types of words, words like, success, reality, and happiness are subjective.  The important thing is what they mean to you. 

“There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”  Christopher Morley

So don’t fall into the trap of defining life using other peoples or societies definitions…Make your own!

This post is most definitely about quality not quantity.  It is my shortest post to date, but potentially the most valuable if followed to a tee.  It is simply this…

A wish is not a goal.  The fact that few people seem to realize is that we can achieve anything we desire.  Not simply by wishing, but by deciding and by acting.   The wish to be a millionaire will not make it so.  The wish to be a millionaire accompanied by a plan of action and the enthusiasm and resolve required to keep you committed to that plan will make it so.  If there were a formula for the attainment of your wishes it would look something like this:

(focused, visualized and emotion filled outcome + enthusiasm + a plan of action + flexibility) x resolve² – (doubt + fear) / The number of days required to achieve the goal (The Time frame) = Your dreams

Go to it!

Organizations (and managers) tend to make things much more difficult than they should, or need to be.  This is especially true when it comes to managing the performance of employees.   

The best way to deal with Performance Management effectively is to drastically change the way you think about it.   Performance Management is about achieving results…it’s that simple.   It’s not about effort.   “I did my best” is an overused expression by people who believe that effort is somehow the next best thing to achievement.   This is simply not the case. 

Performance should be measured based on performance standards… how someone has performed in relation to a specific and measurable objective which has been predetermined and agreed to by both the employee and the supervisor/manager.   In absence of performance standards, the evaluation of employees will be based on opinion and fallible criteria such as observation.   This is what causes performance reviews to turn into battles and creates bad feelings and mistrust on the part of the employee. 

An effective performance management system must contain many elements to be successful.  Simply doing an annual performance review just won’t cut it.   

• Clear and Continuous Communication: Clearly communicated expectations are key to starting off on the right foot.  Unclear expectations will lead to misunderstanding, disappointment, lack of trust and failure to achieve outcomes.   We create many negative situations by assuming that our expectations are understood.  Assume nothing.  Clarify!
• Setting Performance Standards:    Setting performance standards is a must for accurately assessing performance.   It’s impossible to score a goal if you don’t know where your goals posts are.   Simply put, performance standards let your employees know where they should be focusing and what they need to do to be successful.   Without them it’s a case of READY, FIRE, AIM.  It just doesn’t work.
• Honest and Timely Feedback:   Evaluating performance and giving feedback should be done on an ongoing basis.  A good manager does not wait for the annual performance review to let the employee know how they are doing.   Feedback must be both timely and honest.   In order to be effective both positive and negative feedback is required.
• Regular and Frequent Coaching:   There is a reason why the best athletes in the world have coaches.  Regular coaching sessions will help your employees achieve their results.   Having regularly scheduled one-on –one meeting with your people demonstrates that you are interested and invested in their success.  Most importantly, it builds trust and credibility which are essential to a positive employee/employer relationship. 
• Corrective Action:  One of the most important jobs for a manager is dealing with performance problems and taking disciplinary action when required.  All too often mangers avoid dealing with such problems until they become too big to ignore.  Leaving problems uncorrected sends a message that the conduct is acceptable and leads to increased performance problems.  What would have been a fairly simple fix early on becomes a huge problem if allowed to fester.   
• Formal Performance Review:   If all of the previous elements were put in place and followed diligently, the performance review should be just that…a review.  There shouldn’t be any surprises.    Very little time should be needed to asses past performance.  The bulk of the conversation should be forward looking and devoted to how the employee can be successful in the year to come by establishing new performance standards and discussing the employee’s goals in terms of career advancement.
• Celebrate:  Don’t forget the positive reinforcement.  Enjoy and celebrate the small wins on the way to the big wins.

An organization’s success is directly related to the performance of its employees. As such, the greatest determinant of organizational success or failure lies in the skills and abilities of its front line supervisors and middle management to efficiently and effectively manage the performance of their people. 

From an organizational perspective, there is no more beneficial skill for a manager than to be able to effectively manage the performance of your team and to consistently achieve results.

I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve heard that question.   The answer is something that everyone has to work out for themselves.  The unfortunate part is that by asking the question in the manner stated, the answer will be less than it could or should be.  It is absolutely true that the quality of our life is directly related to the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.  

Instead of asking ourselves why we need a coach we should be asking ourselves what can a coach give me that I would find difficult to get for my self?  In this example, The answer is…an edge!   That little something extra to put you over the top.

Life is constantly evolving and forcing us to evolve with it.  Change is inevitable and resisting change is an exercise in frustration.   If history has taught us anything it’s that in order to survive you must evolve, the alternative is extinction.  It can be argued that the differentiating factor between success and failure is the speed and ease in which we can evolve and change.  The problem lies in the fact that sometimes we are too close to the situation to see the need or the inevitability of the change.  That’s where an external set of eyes becomes invaluable. 

As the saying goes, “sometimes we can’t see the forest through the trees”.  A coach is someone who can point out the forest and ensure you make it through the rough patches to the other side by offering alternative routes that you may not have thought of taking.   A coach will help you achieve your desired quality of life by providing an unbiased view of your situation and honest feedback without judgement. 

There’s a reason why the very best athletes in the world have coaches even though their skills and talents far exceed those of their coaches.   Coaching takes you to places that you would not even have attempted to go on your own. 

A coach can be the difference between being a winner or an also ran.

In the last week, I have been running around like a chicken with his head cut off.  During busy times like these it is easy to loose track of what really maters…family, health, friendship, etc.   We get so caught up in life that sometimes we begin to take it for granted and loose sight of the fact that no matter how busy we are or how bad things seem, we still have it pretty good.   In those times remember that happiness is in the journey not in the destination.  Live life in a state of constant gratitude and realize that you do not need to delay happiness until you attain your lofty goals.  If you cannot be happy now, then you won’t be happy then.  Start each day by giving thanks for your many blessings and take pleasure in the little things that you have come to take for granted, the sun that warms your skin, the rain that allow things to grow, the people who love you, the bed that you sleep on, the roof over your head, the heart that allows life to continue, the eyes that allow you to see the beauty in the world, the mind that gives you unlimited opportunity, the smile of a child, the touch of a loved one.  That is where you will find your happiness.  Happiness is inside us, not in our circumstances.  It is not a destination, or a future event.  The place to be happy is here.  The time to be happy is now.  The reason to be happy is because.

 There is a story told about a cat who discovered

that happiness was in his tail.  He kept trying over

and over to get it, but all he could do was run around in

circles.  Exhausted and frustrated, with this endless pursuit,

he eventually stopped.  And then, he discovered that if he’d

 just go on about his life then it would

follow him wherever he went.

“Our people are our greatest asset.”   I wish I had a dime every time I heard a company espouse this overused expression.  

Don’t get me wrong…it’s not that I disagree with the statement.  It’s just that, for the most part, I believe that organizations (not all…some do) don’t act in congruence with the statement.  All too often, it is used as catch phrases or a nice sound bite, but in reality very few organizations put their money where their mouth is when it comes to people.

This becomes all too apparent in times of economic turmoil.  When the going gets rough, the rough start cutting people and perks.  It’s easy to value your people when things are going well and the company is making buckets of money, but as soon as things get tight the first things to be cut are Training initiatives, staff perks, team building events…and so on.   Although this seems to make common sense, it is in-congruent with the belief that “people are an organizations greatest asset.” 

In this day and age, its just easier to cut all the non-essential people related initiatives than to actually put some thought behind the long term effects that will follow.  It becomes about stopping the bleeding instead of curing the wound.   In actual fact, all it does it create an infection that may facilitate an amputation down the road.   It becomes a self fullfilling prophecy that dooms organizations to continued hardships and turmoil. 

It’s time for organizations to start walking the talk and really treat their people as if they truly are their greatest asset and not just another cost to cut.  In the long run it will more than payoff in loyalty, productivity and profit.  Take care of your people and they will take care of you.

There may still be times when, despite your best efforts,  these types of initiatives need to be cut, but they should be the last things to go, not the first as is often the case.    After all, it’s how you treat your people during the tough times that differentiates your organization  from the rest of the pack.   Its easy to be a good employer during the fat times, it’s during the slim times that you define your corporate character and culture.  Treat your crew well during the storm and they will see you through the rough waters and ensure you get to smooth seas. 

After all – It’s all about people!

This post was written specifically with parents in mind but it is just as applicable to singles and couples as well.  Balance is something that everyone can benefit from.

We all know that the life of a parent is one of sacrifice.  We sacrifice our time, our sleep, our energy, our health and at times our sanity.  All this sacrifice is of course for a great cause…our children and family.

Having said that, there is no reason why we cannot provide everything that our children and families need while at the same time maintaining or even enhancing our own personal well being…physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Here are 10 tips to help you achieve a better balance in your life.

1. Rise early.  I know this sounds crazy, after all sleep is the first thing to go when you become a parent, but hear me out.   Rising an hour before the rest of your household will give you much needed alone time.  This time should be spent on you (not on cleaning the house).   Read a good book, meditate, write in a journal, go for a walk, or simply sit with a good cup of coffee or tea and think about all the blessings in your life.  Note: this strategy should only be attempted if you get sufficient sleep (between 7 or 8 hours a night).  The theory behind this tip is, “start your day of right and the rest of your day will follow”.
2. Exercise you body.  Exercising will not only ensure that you stay healthier it will give you more energy and vitality so that you can keep up with the hectic pace of life and have some gas left over in the tank for yourself.  Spend at least thirty minutes a day on strenuous but enjoyable physical exercise.   This could be done during the extra hour you gained by waking early or it can be done during the course of the day.  You can even split it into two fifteen minute sessions.  Remember, you don’t have to go to the gym to exercise.  There are a variety of exercises you can do in or around your home. 
3.  Exercise your mind.  Human beings need to challenge themselves and grow on a regular basis or before long they will experience a sense of lacking.  Make a commitment to do at least one thing everyday to expand your mind.  The trick is to make it a challenge and keep it interesting.  Learn to speak a foreign language,  or play a musical instrument, take a pottery course or a creative writing course, or simply read inspiring books on subjects that interest you.
4. Ask for help.  I have never met a person who doesn’t have some sort of network at their disposal.  Whether it be friends or family or a combination.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  People would be more than happy to take your child or children for a short while so that you can run errands or take some time for yourself.  The trick here is reciprocation…you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.  If you do for others, others will do for you.   
5. Release your guilt.  Everyone experiences feelings of guilt; this is not exclusive to parents.   The problem with guilt is that it is a useless emotion with no redeeming factors or benefits for the future.  Guilt paralyses your ability to deal effectively with situations, instead creating feelings of depression and anxiety which stem from a lack of self acceptance.   We are all human beings and as such, we occasionally make mistakes.  Stop looking at mistakes as failures and see them for what they are…learning opportunities.    
6. Get clear on what you want.  Take some time to clarify your goals.  The reason a lot of people never seem to make any headway and stay stagnant in the status quo is that they haven’t taken the time to really get clear on what it is that they want out of life.   Identify what is important to you as a mother, a wife, a human being and establish goals and strategies that will create a pathway to your desires.  The first step is always getting a clear picture of where you want to go.  After all, if you can’t see the finish line, how are you going to get there?
7. De-clutter you life.  Simplify, simplify, simplify!  If you don’t need something, get rid of it…give it to a friend, donate it to a worthy cause, sell it, recycle it, just get rid of it.  If your space is cluttered then your life is cluttered.  An uncluttered house erases unnecessary distractions and helps keep your mind on the tasks at hand.  Organize your space and in turn you will help organize your life, giving you more time to concentrate on the important things as identified in step number six.
8. Limit the activities.   We all want to raise well rounded and talented children, as a result we have a tendency to over extend ourselves and our children with too many activities.   This not only puts undue hardship on the parents, it also puts a lot of pressure on the kids.  Some kids are involved in so many things that they have little or no time to just goof around and be kids, and as parents we have become little more than glorified chauffeurs.  Limit the activities to things that your child shows enthusiasm and aptitude for.   Don’t forget that both parents and children need down time.
9. Prioritize your day, ahead of time.  Work out your day in advance.  Make sure that you schedule all the essential elements of your day including time for you.  A great time to do this is after the kids go to sleep.   List your must do’s, and your like to do’s and don’t forget that you may need help to accomplish your schedule, so make sure you identify and use all the resources available to you. And lastly…
10. Enjoy every minute.   I am often reminded, usually by people whose children are grown and out of the house, to appreciate my children while they are young.  More often then not, I get the sense that they are coming from a place of regret for not having done so.   We all love our children but do we really appreciate and extract the joy out of every minute spent with them.   Every day that passes, our children rely on us less and less. One day, we will send our children out in to the world to live their lives.    I assure you that at that time we will look back at every runny nose, every sleepless night, every busy day, every perceived catastrophe and every dilemma with great fondness.   So my question is… “Why wait?”  Enjoy every minute you have with your children NOW.

I don’t usually use this blog to rant, but today I am going to make an exception.

Is it my imagination or has customer service really taken a beating lately?   It seems that, on an almost daily basis, we experience less than adequate customer service.  Conversely, we could go ages before experiencing extraordinary customer service.  Have businesses lost sight of what made them successful in the first place?  It seems so.  Here’s an example of something that happened to me last week.

On the weekend I was hosting a rather large get together at my house.  Approximately 30 people or so were coming at noon on Saturday for a Barbecue.   As I usually do, I  did the shopping for the event the night before at about 9:30 pm.  I go to a large National Grocery Store chain (which shall remain nameless) that is opened until midnight.   It’s just easier for me to do my grocery shopping at night.   Anyway, I proceed to work my way through the store picking things up here and there.  At about 9:50 or so I end up at the deli counter.  There was a young lady there wiping the counters.  She looked up at me and gave me a head nod to acknowledge me and continued to wipe the counter.  I assumed that she would put down her cloth and attend to me (the customer), but I was incorrect in my assumption.  (That was my first clue that this was not going to go well) She continued to wipe the counter until she had finished. (STRIKE 1) At that point she came over to me and asked “what can I do for you?”  I asked her to slice several cold cuts and for the next few minutes had to listen to her complaining to a coworker about her job, other employees and her private life.  At one point even commenting on how she was going to go apply for a job at another business because she didn’t like working there.  I’m sorry but I don’t feel that, as a customer, I should have to listen to people complaining about their lives while I am being served. (STRIKE 2)

At that point her coworker went on a break and left her alone.  That’s when things got worse.  The employee asked me if I needed anything else, to which I replied, “yes, may I please have some Provolone cheese?”  She said they were out.  I pointed out that there was a huge brick of Provolone cheese in the display case, to which she answered, “but it’s not sliced.”  That left me somewhat confused as it did not sound to me as though this was an insurmountable obstacle (silly me).  I very naively asked, “can’t you just slice some?”  Well you’d think I just asked her to make me cheese from scratch.  Her response was unforgivable from a customer service standpoint.  She told me that she would not slice more cheese as she had already cleaned the cheese slicer and she was off at 10 pm and didn’t want to have to reclean the machine.  Even more confused, (knowing that the store closed at midnight and it was not yet even 10 pm) I asked if the deli counter closed early.  She informed me that it did not.  Which led me to my next silly question, “if the deli counter is opened for another 2 hours, why can’t I get my cheese?  She repeated that she was off at 10 pm and stated outright that she was not going to slice the cheese. (STRIKE 3, YOUR OUT!) 

I am not one that normally complains to the manager, when unsatisfied with service, I simply just don’t return.  I protest by withdrawing my business (as I believe alot of people do).  But in this case I had a party to get ready for in the morning and didn’t have time to go shopping for cheese somewhere else the next day.  So I really wanted that cheese!  I asked to speak to a manager.  I explained the situation to the manager and to make a long story short, I got my cheese.  Too little…to late.  The damage had already been done.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that buying cheese should be that much of an ordeal.  This store and other businesses like it need to wise up. 

Now you could argue that I just got a bad employee and that it wasn’t the organizations fault, but I strongly disagree.  In this instance it is painfully obvious that the organization had dropped the ball and needs to look at their systems and procedures.  Somewhere along the line, this employee was under the impression that it was OK to refuse a customer service in order to make her life a little easier.  She was so sure of that fact that even though she new that the manager was being called, she was still adamant that she didn’t have to slice the cheese. 

In my opinion, this organization failed on many levels.  It obviously failed to instill a culture of customer service.  It failed to communicate any sort of expectation of superior service to this particular employee and it absolutely failed in its employee selection process.   More importantly, I would wager that somewhere in their policies and procedures manual, there is a procedure that says, “pre-slice and package sufficient amount of cheese to last until the end of the night. clean machine by 10 pm.”  I would also venture to guess that it does not state what to do if they sell out of the pre-packaged cheese and then get a request for more cheese.  Again to me it’s a no brainer…you slice more cheese and then clean the machine again.  The overriding policy should always be, “do whatever is necessary to please the customer.”  It wasn’t that apparent to this particular employee and as a result, I will take my grocery shopping needs elsewhere. 

Let’s work this out in terms of what it is going to cost the business.  I spend on average about a thousand dollars a month in groceries (probably more, but I want to be conservative), times 12 months a year, times 20 years of shopping (my lifetime value to the store)…this store just lost $240,000  in revenue because an employee didn’t want to take a few minutes to clean a machine.  Not to mention the hit it’s going to take in bad word of mouth and negative PR when I retell my less than stellar customer service story to anyone who will listen. 

You organizations out there need to wise up…remember why your in business…to build profits through superior guest service.  In this day and age the only competitive advantage you have over your competitors is the extent to which you can create Raving Fans out of your customers.   Select the right employees, ones with a customer service mindset, a good attitude (you can train for skill, you can’t train for attitude) and common sense.  Outline your expectations clearly (do whatever is necessary to please the customer).  Give your employees the proper training and tools to do their jobs and design your systems, policies and procedures in a way that makes the customer the priority.  Oh yeah…you managers out there…walk the floor.  Make sure that your people are fulfilling your promise of superior customer service, evaluate them, give them regular feedback, deal with poor performers and consistently instill a customer service culture.

PS. 

In case you haven’t already guessed it…this was not about the cheese, it was about the principle.  As an organizational consultant, my message to my clients is simple…if you want to achieve lasting success, your main focus and the central theme of all your employee and organizational policies and procedures must be to, “Exceed customer expectations and create Raving Fans.”  Unfortunately it seems, the opposite is true in most organizations. 

At the very least your employees should know to , “JUST SLICE THE @#&%$#ING CHEESE!”