{"id":1221,"date":"2016-03-14T14:42:50","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T04:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customercentriccoach.com\/?p=1221"},"modified":"2017-06-04T12:29:52","modified_gmt":"2017-06-04T02:29:52","slug":"confident-staff-projecting-values-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customercentriccoach.com\/confident-staff-projecting-values-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Confident Your Staff Are Projecting The Values Of Your Business?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I see and hear it all the time, particularly in retail and hospitality environments. Recently, I observed employees who were serving customers but also having conversations with their colleagues sighing about the number of hours they had to left for the day. Within earshot of multiple customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When I think about the owner of that business, I imagine they\u2019d <\/span>cringe<\/span><\/i> at the thought of three people openly talking about wishing they were going home in front of the people they were serving. As owners, it\u2019s impossible to monitor our staff at all times. What we <\/span>can<\/span><\/i> do is endeavour to turn the volume down on the negative talk while turning the volume up on the positive. And, by bringing focus to the values attached to the work we do.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The countdown until the end of the workday is a common conversation. So is complaining about another team member or whining about a task they\u2019d prefer not to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A negative mindset is also apparent in non-verbal cues. As we know, body language can hold equal weight to words. Chances are, like me, you\u2019ve been on the receiving end of service that looks like a dull-eyed reply, a monotone voice or even the old perky voice with dead-eyes response (the \u2018I\u2019m here, but I\u2019m not really <\/span>here<\/span><\/i>\u2019 conversation).<\/span><\/p>\n

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So, Why Is It Happening?<\/b><\/p>\n

For a whole myriad of reasons. It may be the result of people not identifying that it\u2019s time for them to move on. There could be a single person bringing down the team. We\u2019ve all worked somewhere with a person who can significantly change the climate of a workplace by influencing the moods or attitudes of others. Unfortunately for us, these people are not always the easiest to identify.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It could also be that our staff are getting a bit too comfortable.<\/span> After we\u2019ve spent more hours in the workplace than at home, it\u2019s <\/span>going to<\/span><\/i> feel comfortable and familiar. We all know what it feels like to \u2018be part of the furniture\u2019, and that can become danger territory in the attitude department for some. As staff develop friendships over time they\u2019re naturally more inclined to reveal more of themselves, extending through to consciously or unconsciously infusing negative undertones into conversations. Getting overly \u2018comfy\u2019 with customers is another under this banner. Friendliness and familiarity is great with our frequent customers, but talking about other staff members, customers or management or the business itself, is a no-go zone. Obviously. Or is it…? <\/span><\/p>\n

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If you have a manager or supervisor, observe their behaviours. If they regularly incorporate negative talk into their conversations particularly in front of other staff members, it\u2019s a sure-fire way to open up the floodgates to this being a perfectly acceptable practice in your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We also need to take a good look at <\/span>ourselves<\/span><\/i> as business owners. Are we whining about difficult customers after they leave? Are we modelling the reaction we\u2019d like everyone else to have? Are we demonstrating that \u2018this is just part of business and we get on with things\u2019, or are we making it apparent that problem solving is achieved by vocalising our frustration first? <\/span><\/p>\n

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What Can Be Done About It?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Hire Happy<\/b><\/p>\n

The easiest way to have a helpful and mindful team is to hire effectively. Not too long ago I interviewed productivity expert Cholena Orr who has spent a large part of her career in recruitment. She says the key to productivity is for staff to be already happy. Ideally, we should hire people who are <\/span>innately<\/span><\/i> happy. People who demonstrate optimism, a \u2018can-do\u2019 or problem solving attitude. It can be done. \u00a0But, we know that people lie and put their best foot forward in interviews so this is not always easily achieved. We also know that, over time, people can become unhappy in the workplace. <\/span><\/p>\n

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What can we do if we\u2019ve inadvertently hired unhappy people? What if they <\/span>were<\/span><\/i> perfectly happy people who are progressively allowing more of a negative mindset into their workday? <\/span><\/p>\n

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Sometimes we all need a reminder to find happiness in our everyday.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Start The Conversation<\/b><\/p>\n

Start by having a meeting that is open and collaborative. Ask your staff to talk about their experiences of poor or bad service, of inattentive people on the job and examples of unhelpful service. Encourage paired chat about what those experiences looked like, sounded like and and how it felt as a customer and then share with the group. Talk about other stories they\u2019ve heard from family or friends. Ask: <\/span><\/p>\n

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How do you know about their story? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Were they so frustrated with the experience that they needed to mention it to others?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Talk about the impact that experience their family member or friend must have been to share the story with someone else. Also discuss what gets someone to the point they feel they need to vent.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then discuss how this affects their buying decisions. Perhaps they were so annoyed it means they will go there less often. Perhaps so disappointed they\u2019ll never return. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Reflect on a variety of scenarios varying in severity brought forward by your team. They may include situations where a staff member speaks abruptly to a customer when under pressure, overhearing other staff members talking poorly to or of, another staffer. Introduce scenarios that you know are happening in your workplace and take the individuals out of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Role play and talk about the thoughts of a typical customer in these situations. Talk about the subtle impacts that happen when people aren\u2019t positive or present while they work.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Talk about the likely impact on that business. Talk about the likely impact on the customer. What if it happened to ten customers? Or more? How could it impact the business? How then, would it impact staff?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Discuss what happens when one person says they can\u2019t wait to go home. Most people wouldn\u2019t have said this in their first few months of work. What changed? When did this become okay? \u00a0Does it feel like the time\u2019s going faster or are you more alert to it being so far away? Does complaining <\/span>do <\/span><\/i>anything about the situation? Is there a better approach?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Make Positivity A Priority<\/b><\/p>\n

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Spend more time asking your team to discuss the benefits of being optimistic, positive and <\/span>present<\/span><\/i>. Share what great, productive days look and sound like for different people. Focus on the positive outcomes and positive conversation that forms part of a great day. <\/span>That being engaged in what we do brings positive outcomes too<\/span><\/i>. We all need to work – why not make the time we have there enjoyable? You get where I\u2019m going with this…<\/span><\/p>\n

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Finish by revisiting (or sharing if you haven\u2019t already) your business values. Turn the learnings from this exercise into positive goals that when achieved, will have benefits for the customer, the business and for the staff themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Next, use this information to create some clear key performance indicators (KPI\u2019s) going forward. To support these, place visual reminders around the workspace that evoke your collaborative goal to focus on the positive in their workday. Use phrases created by your team so it resonates with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s also a good idea to track the \u2018happiness\u2019 level of the workplace. Prior to this conversation, you may ask people to complete an anonymous survey to rate their happiness in the workplace, their interest in increasing the happiness level, comparing the results and finally, revisiting the topic as part of your staff meeting agenda. <\/span><\/p>\n

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How you frame this discussion is key to it\u2019s success. Treat this as a reflective opportunity rather than a finger-pointing exercise and communicate this from the outset. This is designed to encourage your people to feel safe, be open and collaborative so they can become more mindful and aware of their actions in the workplace. Make it a fun and enjoyable process and you\u2019ll be setting the tone for a present, productive and happy team environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve read this far, I\u2019d love your input\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

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Have you experienced this in your workplace? <\/span><\/p>\n

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What worked for you in removing negative talk? <\/span><\/p>\n

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Do you have any other suggestions or feedback?<\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts. Mel<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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