Attitude by Maxwell

Attitude...
It is the "advance man" of our true selves.
Its roots are inward but its fruit is outward.
It is our best friend or our worst enemy.
It is more honest and more consistent than our words.
It is an outward look based on past experiences.
It is a thing which draws people to us or repels them.
It is never content until it is expressed.
It is the librarian of our past.
It is the speaker of our present.
It is the prophet of our future.
- John C. Maxwell

Let your attitude guide you to a better life.

Keeping The Brave Face

When times get tough within a company, the rhetoric about the importance of customer service heats up. Companies know that their business depends upon keeping their customers from fleeing to others. It is with that in mind that the buzz words and articles that company officials will start trumpeting to anyone that will listen.

This becomes a tough situation for both employers and employees to work through. When times are good, companies will do what they can to keep customer service a top priority. But it is during those times with expanding labor rolls that not everyone has the same level of commitment to customer service.

So whether business is good or in a down period, you as an employee have to work at keeping your attitude positive. Employers have to keep an atmosphere that enables personnel to excel at this. As humans we tend to put off doing so until it becomes much too late in the game. It is now that you need to take action.

Times are bad at your company...what do you do? Put on the brave face and keep plugging along, keeping your head low hoping to make it through the next round of cuts. That's it, blend in and hope no one takes notice. And the employers...speak loudly about the importance of customer service and how customers are number one. Things will quietly spin in an ever downward spiral until a buyout or shutdown occurs.

Take a bold step, do something different and be the one to stand up. Work to bring customer service to reality, be vocal to others around you. Don't be another of the water cooler complainers whining about how the boss isn't doing enough for you. Be a part of the solution and lift others around you. As an employer, if you state customer service is important then you should be providing your employees the ability to provide that level of service. Don't just state the importance and demand it of emloyees.

What I'm getting at is that all parties involved (employees and employers) have a stake in this. Whether business is good or declining, it takes more then saying the words. It takes stepping out boldly and doing something. Lifting yourself, others around you - your customers will notice the difference between a positive attitude and 'putting on a brave face'.

On The Road Home

Well - I'm traveling home over today and tomorrow so I'll miss an article or two. Coming home is always a great thing but what makes the travel easier to bare is good customer service. Surprisingly it does not take a whole lot to make it easier either.

A hotel employee remembering your name, the airport ticket counter being quick and friendly and an airport lounge to relax in making the stress of travel easier. I've had those times where a ticket counter employee just couldn't seem to be pleasant at all. It is those times when you have to convince yourself to be the bigger person and smile. Getting angry just doesn't solve anything, raises tension in yourself, the other person and those around you.

But when I encounter the good customer service, the quick customer service and the 'doing just a bit more for you' customer service...then those people have made a difference. Airlines are having a tough thing going right now and it will be interesting to see if customer service is effected.

In one particular airline magazine for a major airline based out of Atlanta that recently entered bankruptcy - no names but you probably know - they are talking now two months running about how important customer service is. This tells me they are concerned that it could become an issue and their employees are going to be struggling to maintain a positive attitude.

It will take a lot of hard work and convincing by this company to keep the employees in a good frame of mind. But each of the individual employees have to take on the task as well. As an individual, you need to assume the responsibility of maintaining your own attitude. As an employer, you need to foster an environment in which individuals can achieve that attitude.

I hope the best for this company and more so for the employees of that company. I went through a situation of downsizing at a company before being bought out. People that I knew lost their job...but those that were able to remain, including myself had to work through the negative feelings and keep a good attitude. Not only for customers, but for our families, friends and ourselves.

Work through it folks as only you can. Keep up the the great attitude and I'll pass it along as well when I pass through the airports in my travels. See you in a couple of days.

Moving Yourself To Do Something

Just to prove that I do possess a sense of humor - when considering everything I'm talking about, you have to keep it in perspective. Many times I refer to making a change or getting up and just starting. But people do procrastinate and I'm one to do it as well. But before talking on why we procrastinate I thought I'd share the above with you. It comes from one of my favorite sites where motivation can actually be accomplished by demotivating humorously. Reminds me of the 'reverse psychology' each of us has tried on our kids! (www.despair.com)

So why do we procrastinate then? In Paul McGee's book S.U.M.O - he offers up five reasons for doing so. Those reasons are;

1. Avoiding Discomfort - if it doesn't feel good, don't do it.

2. Emotional Barriers - when you remain a prisoner to your emotions, you may never know the freedom of success.

3. Fear of Failure - failure isn't fatal until you stop trying.

4. Complacency - wake up and smell the coffee, life at its longest is still fairly short.

5. Action Illusion - when all is said and done, more is said than done.

He also offers a way to conquer procrastination and this is going to sound earth shattering - "...just start it. That's right, just do something. Do not worry about completing the task or how much time it will take to finish - just start it."

In my own personal life, this is how I battle it as well. I just get up and start doing something. We expend so much energy on convincing ourselves why not to do it. Simply turn that energy into doing something, anything and you'll start a change in your life. Go ahead and don't "despair", enjoy the road of accomplishment...but you first have to get up, point yourself down a road and start moving.