How To Get Others To Take Responsibility

I was reading Moments of Truth by Jan Carlzon. When I came to the following quote I paused and thought about it for several minutes.

"An individual without information cannot take responsibility; an individual who is given information cannot help but take responsibility."
—Jan Carlzon

Upon reflection, I have found this to be true in my life and in the lives of others. I have also noticed that most are not particularly motivated to excel when this is the case.

It would be good for each of us to reflect and remember this lesson as we work with others. Especially if it is our goal to get the most out of our people.

My favorite quote is: "Inspire, not require" It says to me that if I work hard hard enough those around me will catch my vision and be inspired to work equally as hard.

Give it a try, it will make you better as well as those around you!

How to get more customers to buy from you!

Strategies to build customer loyalty

Whether you are a retail shop, a cataloger, or an online business the following tips are great ways to set yourself apart from your competition. It is more important than ever to be distinctive! In fact, if you are not outrageous you are nothing. There is just too much competition out there—you have to do something to make yourself stand out.

Strategy 1: Talk About Your Brands
What is a brand? In her book CUSTOMERS FOR KEEPS, Lois Geller explains a brand as follows: “A brand is the impression it makes on its customers.” It can loosely be described as the first impression a consumer has with your company or the experience a consumer has with your business. Most importantly it is an educational vehicle. Use your brand to teach your customers why you and your brand are important to them. A brand must stand for something meaningful. Smart branding companies identify what customers truly care about in relation to the brand itself. Successful companies use valuable space to brag about their brand. They show what their brand means and they show its benefits. They provide an experience of what the brand is and means. They tell their customers what it means to be a part of their brand. Capitalize on this. Incorporate an experience into your brand.

“There is no real tangible “brand” that you can hold in your hands and use. It’s all in the customer’s mind. A brand is like a promise, and it’s just as fragile.”
—Lois Geller, Customers for Keeps, p. 96

“People will tout a product they like, but they will shout from the rooftops about a product that also is an experience. Experience sells.”
—Kristine Kirby Webster, Principal of The Canterbury Group

We all resonate with the values of one brand or another. Which ones do you believe in? Buy regularly? Talk about? Is it your brand? It should be.

Examples of Talking About Your Brand
Nike is a perfect example of the successful brand experience. Each contact they make is a scripted experience. They have created a persona that people want to become part of. “Just Do It” reinforces what you know to be true. “I don’t have time to get out and do it”—Just do it, make the time, they persuade you. Nike set out to own the spirit and passion of being an athlete. They own it with “Just Do It.” It says nothing about shoes…. The reason why most Americans buy their shoes from Nike is to participate in their brand experience.

More tips in following posts

10 Tips To Improve Your Leadership Skills

Leadership! or is it Followership?
With or without the title of "leader" you must master the traits of a follower to become an effective leader.

Central are the mastery of the five communication skills—reading, writing, speaking, listening, and non-verbal communication.

Of these, listening is the least taught and most underrated skill. Yet it is the most utilized skill by our most accomplished leaders today. It is a pity that this is so.

Why Is It So?
It is my opinion, that it is something that is just expected, thus ignored. But to the fault of all those who expect your listening skill to be advanced (public schools, your spouse, your bosses) understandably, yet they ignorantly don't even consider that nowhere in our society is it taught.

If you want to improve your leadership skills work on your communication skills but pay particular attention to your listening skills. A great follower learns how to become a great leader by improving his/her skills.

Things to be aware of that hinder our listening are:
• paying more attention to the mannerisms of the speaker than to what is being said
• allowing your mind to wander off on a tangent
• allowing distractions to divert your attention
• overreacting to certain words and phrases
• allowing lack of interest or enthusiasm to prevent you from listening

Some skills needed to be a better listener are:
• Tell yourself to listen intently to the speaker
• Discover what the ideas being conveyed are
• Take notes
• Review your notes
• Discuss with someone that you heard and what you thought about it

Assignment:
Practice your communication skills. Pay paticular attention to your listening skills. Go to a lecture or find one online. Train yourself to become a better listener by applying the above mentioned skills. Then you will be ready to become the leader you want to be when your chance comes.

Remember: "You're not learning anything when your speaking."


Image found here

High Concept and High Touch

Hight concept is "the capacity to detect patterns and opportunities, to create artistic and emotional beauty, to craft a satisfying narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into something new. "

High touch is "the ability to emphasize with others, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one's self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch the quotidian in pursuit of purpose and meaning."

Do you value these qualities in an employee? More and more people are. I'd advise that you consider these when you are looking for new employees. You'll be glad you did especially if you've read any of my post on the circle of marketing.

You can read all about it in Daniel H. Pink's book A Whole New Mind. I highly recommend that you do.