The Customer is Always Right. One of my Executives mentioned that to me the other day when I was speaking with them about an Irate Customer. The Customer is Always Right. That phrase has haunted me for over 15 years in software implementation. And another ten years in various service industries. That line, however, is Bullshit. The Customer is NOT always Right. In fact, customers are often wrong, and in many cases, they have a financial incentive to ignore data…
Unable to find any work as a teacher or academic, Albert Einstein took a job as a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office. He found the lack of intellectual challenge perfect for his side hustle. To Albert Einstein, the patent office was “that worldly cloister where I hatched my most beautiful ideas.” Having a clear understanding of your hustle (the job that pays your bills and feeds your stomach) and side hustle (the work that feeds your soul) can make all the…
Jon Acuff hates brussel sprouts! He also writes incredibly insightful and thought-provoking books. In his last book, “Finish: Give yourself the Gift of Done,” Jon brings up countless stories to help others successfully define and cross the finish line in whatever it is they may want to achieve. Jon points to perfectionism as the enemy to getting anything done. In other words, our fear of being anything less than perfect prevents us from accomplishing so much in our lives. I…
If you are ever overwhelmed with the amount of work or the number of people coming your way and just feel that you can’t help them all – I’m hoping that the below Parable will help. Adapted from The Star Thrower: Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking…
My toughest interactions play out a lot like this. I’m a fixer. I want to get in and just do it (or if I can’t, I want to figure out how to motivate others to do it). As a result, this video called to me for two reasons: 1) It’s a reminder that we need to Listen More – sometimes the conclusion that we draw is not shared. Consequently, Empathy is best when we are not trying to insert our…
Satisficing – (verb) Pursuing the minimum acceptable results or outcome because that decision is familiar, hassle-free, and requires the least investigation. Herbert Simon first coined the term in 1956. The difference between satisficing and iterating is the idea of permanence. When you satisfice, you’ve accepted an end-state that is far less than ideal. When iterating, you accept a beginning state that is less than ideal but with plans to improve continually beyond the beginning state. Iterating implies growth. Satisficing implies…