On 28th February, the Indian Hockey Team started it's "FIH World Cup 2010" campaign in spectacular fashion by decimating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-1. As is the wont when these two nations take on each other in any sporting event, the hundreds of millions of fans on either side of the simmering border consider a victory over the neighbour to be bigger than winning the tournament itself, be it a World Cup or a school-level competition. This time was no different - infact, the win was sweeter than what the Indians have tasted in a long, long time because it was not only our first win in a World Cup match over Pakistan in 35 years, but the margin of victory was also our biggest over Pakistan in World Cup competition!
A billion people erupted in celebration and accolades poured in from all quarters for the "champion" team. This was followed by announcements of cash incentives for the team by Hockey India and various state governments and corporate houses. The money showered on the players was more than welcome considering that these guys who represent India in its "national game" are grossly underpaid. However, there was one thing about the incentives which was jarring - apart from a fixed amount for the entire team, most government and corporate bodies also offered additional cash bonuses for individual goal scorers!
Now this, i thought, was a classic case of "Kerr's Folly" where "...the types of behavior rewarded are those which the
rewarder is trying to discourage". In this case, individual efforts were being rewarded in a team sport! The incentive scheme encouraged players to be selfish and retain the ball with themselves and attempt to score goals individually rather than pass it on to team mates and further the team's cause. So was this not a flawed and counter-productive reward system?
Well, after the win against Pakistan, India lost their third straight game of the tournament last evening... and slipped out of contention for a semi-final berth. Is this the effect of the "Kerr's Folly" committed by our sport/political/corporate leaders or is it just that the team was beaten by better opponents? I guess, we will never know...
Last week i was one of the millions of victims of the dreaded New Delhi fog. When my early morning flight to Jabalpur got cancelled (not surprised), i hurriedly booked myself on the afternoon train. As luck would have it, the train too got cancelled (surprised and shocked!). Refusing to get cowed down by Mother Nature, i decided to make the 900+ kilometer journey in a cab (everybody except me was surprised and shocked!!!).
Considering the fact that i had to be on the road for 15-18 hours, the first thing i asked the cabbie was if he had a mobile charger in his car. As expected, he didn't. Actually, i've asked this question to dozens of cabbies in India and am yet to get an answer in the affirmative from any of them. Fortunately, i was carrying my mobile charger via USB port so i could plug it to my laptop and charge my phone along the journey, which by the way, took 29 hours!!!
As a customer, i believe that a mobile charger in a cab would add tremendous value to me irrespective of the fact whether i travel in it for 29 minutes or 29 hours. Moreover, the investment the cabbie would have to make in a universal charger would be quite insignificant in comparison to the satisfaction it would offer me, the customer. So how is it that the cabbie is missing out on such an obvious opportunity of delighting a customer?
Well, let me assure you, the cabbie is not alone in this situation. Most of us are sailing in the same boat (or should i say, driving in the same car). Recognising what our customers want NOW is important, but anticipating what they will need NEXT and offering that to them in advance is what will ultimately keep us ahead of the pack!
Since assuming office in May 2009, Shashi Tharoorhas been more in the news for his tweetsrather than his work as the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs. Is Tharoor right in criticizing his own Government’s policies on a public forum like Twitter? Or are his colleagues in Parliament devoid of a sense of humour? Well, let’s leave that debate for another day. For now, let’s take lessons from Tharoor’s “tweet-in-mouth” troubles and draw out some basic guidelines for employees who use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, etc. to publish content related to their work.
Look before you leap: Before putting up any content on the internet, please remember that you are on a public forum. So do not publish anything that you wouldn’t want to be viewed by your family, friends, colleagues, clients, business associates or the general public.
Identify yourself: If you are writing on topics related to your work, then identify yourself, your company and if necessary, your role in the company. Do not work anonymously or use pseudonyms.
Use a disclaimer: Make it very clear that the views and opinions expressed are your own and not those of your company.
Follow the law: Be aware of and comply with laws governing copyright, fair use and financial disclosure.
Protect confidential/proprietary information: Do not disclose confidential/proprietary information of your company or similar information shared by third parties with your company. Also, avoid posting pictures or details of a private conversation without seeking permission from the concerned person(s).
Exercise discretion: Never identify colleagues, clients or business associates without their approval. Similarly, avoid discussing internal policies or commenting upon sensitive and confidential details of client engagements.
Be safe rather than sorry: Be respectful of your company, colleagues, clients, business associates, competitors and the general public. Remember that content on a public domain will be accessible to the entire world for a long period of time. So do not publish something that will come back to haunt you later.
Follow the above guidelines and you could save yourself from some embarrassment!
On
Christmas eve, the Indian cricket team scripted one of the most fascinating victories
in One Day International (ODI) history to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in its
series against Sri Lanka.
The
cool manner in which two young turks of the Indian team went about the run
chase was both clinical as well as entertaining. But the standout moment for me
was what happened after the game… at the post match presentation ceremony!
Declared “Man of the Match” for his heroic 150 not out, Gautam Gambhir magnanimously
handed over the award to his young partner, Virat Kohli, who cracked his maiden
ODI century and shared in a record 224-run stand with him. Truly inspirational
stuff!
Have
you ever noticed that members of a winning team, be it in sport or corporate,
always share and celebrate each others’ success? This means, the members:
Demonstrate
no sense of insecurity, jealousy or one-upmanship towards each other.
Give
precedence to team goals over individual goals.
Are
willing to “do or die” for the team’s cause.
Remain
positive and united!
No
wonder the Indian cricket team is currently ranked # 1 in Tests and # 2
in ODIs.
A couple of days back we celebrated my son’s birthday. It seemed not too long ago when my wife and I were picking up a pram to welcome our newborn home… and here we were now buying a 6-gear bicycle for his sixth birthday! Amazing how time had flown by in a jiffy!
As my wife was checking off items on the to-do list for his birthday party, my thoughts went back to the day we were making the shopping list for the soon-to-be-born baby. We had meticulously broken down the items into various categories – stuff required for the baby’s clothing, feeding, bath, nursery, transportation, etc. We wanted to be completely prepared to receive the new member in the family and ensure that the baby was comfortable right from the moment it stepped into our lives.
Is this situation not uncannily similar to a new employee joining our organization? So are we always as well prepared to receive a new employee and ensure that the new entrant feels comfortable right from day one?
Here are five simple things that an organization of any size could do to help make its new employee feel welcome on his/her first day at work:
1. Ensure existing staff are aware of the new employee coming onboard so that the new person doesn't feel like a stranger on arrival.
2. Have the new employee's workspace ready - including furniture, computer hardware/software, phone, email, business cards, office supplies, login id, access key/card to office, etc.
3. Assign a person to introduce the new employee to co-workers and give a brief tour of the department/office (washroom, pantry/kitchen, vending machine, meeting room, etc).
4. Identify a coach/mentor to help the new employee with work-related processes and procedures.
5. Arrange a welcome lunch for the new employee.
A new employee is like a new member of our family. And as leaders, it is our duty to go the extra mile to make the person feel that s/he belongs!
I used to take the public transport bus to school from Classes 3 to 5. As I stood waiting for my bus number 11D every morning, my eyes would frequently be drawn to the slogan/tagline of the quaint little shop beside the bus stop. It was a dyeing and darning shop and the tagline was “We dye for you!”
More than three decades later, it still remains my favourite corporate tagline. Well, you could accuse me of having a soft corner for it because it was the first tagline that I fell in love with (what’s that they say about first love?) and was therefore an integral part of my growing up years. Though valid, these are not the only reasons for these four innocuous words to have stayed closest to my heart. “We dye for you” has all the elements that make for an effective corporate tagline:
a. It is short, catchy and easy to remember. b. It gives an insight into the company’s values, attitude and service offerings. c. It reflects the brand position and brand personality. d. It is specific, not generic. e. It connects.
Though every successful tagline may not necessarily satisfy the first four criteria listed above, one can safely say that all iconic taglines certainly manage to “connect” with their audiences… big time!
How many times has the “Think Different” phrase on our Apple computers inspired us to think out-of-the-box when faced with a unique problem? How many times have we pumped our fists and recited Nike’s “Just Do It” mantra in our minds before venturing into uncharted territory? Well, that’s the kind of “connect” good taglines have with our hearts and psyches. Over time, they attain legendary status and become part of the society lexicon.
Here are some of my other all time favourites:
De Beers – A Diamond Is Forever Nokia – Connecting People GE – Imagination at Work Adidas – Impossible is Nothing Budweiser – This Bud’s For You AOL – Where The World Meets Online
Now go ahead and recall the taglines that tug at your heart. Believe me, it’s fun!
Diwali season is not the greatest of times to go shopping in India if you are as finicky about your personal space as I am. For years I have religiously avoided stepping into malls and shops during festival periods. But last weekend, a surprise birthday party invitation from my son’s classmate sent me scurrying to a retail store in the hunt for a suitable gift.
The store, one of the largest in the city, was bursting at the seams with human beings… obviously someone had forgotten to tell these guys that the world was experiencing it’s worst recession in history! After a nerve-wracking 45-minute pursuit, I was delighted to find the “right” gift for the six-year old and dashed across to the billing counter.
As luck would have it, I chose the wrong counter! While people in the other queues were completing their billing process and disappearing before one could say “diwali shopping”, my queue just wouldn’t move! The young lady in-charge of the counter was clearly a newbie and very obviously lacked adequate training on the billing application. She was punching one key every 32 seconds! To make matters worse, each of the four customers ahead of me seemed to be under the impression that shopping was going out of fashion and had picked up cartloads of stuff. And here I was… waiting not-so-patiently for my turn to bill one little box of magic tricks. Hmmm, at that point of time it was I who desperately needed a magic potion to keep my cool. And then it happened…
The guy standing behind me lost it completely! He stormed the counter and made his displeasure felt to… well, the entire store!!! I was about to join in and support “our” cause when without warning the guy unleashed a barrage of expletives at the stunned girl. The tantrum worked. Within seconds the floor manager appeared and started apologizing profusely to the irate customer. The manager then promptly arranged for another team member to take charge of the billing counter just as the humiliated girl vanished in thin air right in front of dozens of piercing eyes. The drama ended as abruptly as it had begun and life was thankfully back to being mundane again.
The floor manager was obviously a proponent of “The Customer Is Always Right” philosophy. But was it the right approach in handling this particular customer? I don't think so.
“The Customer Is Always Right” phrase was originally coined by Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of the Selfridges department store in London in 1909. Though this adage has now deservedly assumed iconic status and is probably the most recited mantra among businesses across the globe, I feel it is not relevant across all situations… certainly not against abusive customers.
It is justified when a customer loses his/her temper when the service received is not up to the individual’s expectations. Though unpleasant, it is also understandable when a customer under duress screams his/her guts out at the service provider. But even the most unacceptable level of service does not give a customer the right to hurl personal abuses at employees.
A management not standing up for its employees against an abusive customer actually adds insult to the employees’ injury. Because apart from being disgraced by the customer, the employees feel betrayed by their own management, thereby leading them to believe that the management does not value or respect them enough. Thisadversely affects their morale and could finally lead to worse customer service. Hence following “the customer is always right” policy blindly can actually turn out be counter-productive!
So what do you think? Is the customer always right? Or, like you and me, can s/he be sometimes wrong?
Getting
an organization to embrace e-learning as a medium to train its workforce, albeit
very challenging, is only half the battle! The other (and often more difficult)
half, is to get learners to start using the e-learning modules once the online
infrastructure and course library are in place.
One
of the more popular practices adopted by corporates to increase e-learning usage
among employees is to offer incentives and promotions through “reward programs”
to those who complete a stipulated number of online courses. However, if not
carefully designed, such reward programs can go completely awry as the
following story will testify.
A
friend of mine employed with a leading technology company in the US recently
shared his organization’s experiment with one such reward program. A couple of
years ago, this organization launched it’s e-learning initiative amidst much
pomp and fanfare. But even 6-7 months after the launch, the management was
struggling to motivate it’s employees to sign up for the online courses. To add
to the woes, the drop-out rate was extraordinarily high even among the abysmally
few who did manage to enroll for the courses. Finally, the management devised
an incentive program wherein employees could notch up reward points for courses
completed and certifications achieved. At the end of each quarter, these reward
points could be redeemed for goodies ranging from iPods and mobile phones to
digital cameras and laptops.
What
followed next was pandemonium! The minute the reward program was
announced, every single employee signed up for every single course that he/she
was eligible to take. Moreover, from that day onwards almost all employees
spent a large percentage of their time in office diligently going through one
e-learning course after another. Not surprisingly, discussions during lunch and
coffee breaks hovered only around one topic… who ranked where on the rewards
points table! The buzz that the management had hoped to create about the
e-learning initiative had finally arrived, and how!!!
By
the end of the third month, an overwhelming majority of employees had completed the maximum number of courses
and certifications he/she was eligible to take in that quarter. More
importantly, each of them also took home a cartload of dream gadgets. The
reward program was a HUMUNGOUS success!!!
But... wait a minute! Was the program really a success???
In
1975, Professor Steven Kerr’s widely circulated article “On the folly of rewarding
A, while hoping for B” appeared in the Academy of Management
Journal. Professor Kerr observed, “Whether
dealing with monkeys, rats, or human beings, it is hardly controversial to
state that most organisms seek information concerning what activities are
rewarded, and then seek to do (or at least pretend to do) those things, often
to the virtual exclusion of activities not rewarded.”
This
is exactly what happened in the above case. The reward program got the
employees to focus all their energies and efforts towards the activity for
which they were being rewarded… which was to complete the e-learning courses. In
the bargain, they paid little or no attention to their other tasks and
responsibilities. As a result, productivity of the organization suffered and
the management was forced to hastily withdraw the reward program at the end of
the first quarter itself.
Professor Kerr added, “Numerous examples exist of reward systems
that are fouled up in that the types of behavior rewarded are those which the
rewarder is trying to discourage, while the behavior desired is not being
rewarded at all.”
Does that ring a bell? Ofcourse it does! Haven’t we come across
managements talking about nurturing teamwork but actually rewarding best
individual performers? Proclaiming commitment to quality but rewarding quantity?
Stressing on developing attitudinal skills while rewarding technical accomplishments?
Only goes to show that more than three decades after it was first published, this paradox now known as "Kerr's Folly", is very much alive and kicking in today's organizations!
“After an hour spent navigating the traffic of a swarming, dusty grey city, there's probably little else you want to do besides tumble into a 10,000-sq.ft turquoise swimming pool. Even more tempting, when you can get to the said pool by simply leaning off your balcony.”
These were the opening lines of a newspaper article I read late last month… and they most certainly did the trick! I HAD to get to the resort… and SOON… before my enthusiastic city mates discovered the “turquoise heaven” and swamped it!!!
So last weekend I was off with my family to drown all my “recession induced” stress and pressure in a 10,000 sq.ft. watery grave! We started early on Saturday morning in the dreamiest weather Chennai had experienced in months. We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to our jaunt… but there was a sense of apprehension andanxiety within me about the kind of facilities and service awaiting us at our destination. Working on my mind was the fact that the resort was barely a couple of weeks old… moreover, it was not part of any popular national/international hotel chain. Having done more than my share of traveling, I had braced myself to face the inevitable teething problems at the brand new property… but how bad these would be was the million dollar question. Would our dream turn out to be a nightmare? Hmm… only time would reveal.
Saravanan, the Front Desk Executive I had called to book the cottage, welcomed us with a warm smile. As I handed over the filled-in guest information form, he requested for the advance payment to be made in cash. Wait a second… CASH??? Did I hear that right? Yes, I did! And no, the nightmare couldn’t have begun so soon!!!
I was informed that the resort’s credit card payment facility would be functional in another week’s time… until then they could only deal in cash. But hey, I didn’t have enough cash on me (does anybody walk around with wads of currency in their pockets anymore???)… and more importantly, I wasn’t informed about the mode of payment when I called to make the booking! We were in the middle of nowhere (or was it heaven?)… so where the hell would I find an ATM machine? The calm and unfazed Saravanan acknowledged his mistake of not informing me about their “cash only” policy while taking my booking. But he also graciously enlightened me that there was an ATM approximately 6-km down the highway. Excuse me? Was he expecting me to drive 12-kms to bring him the cash before entering water world? Now, I was beginning to lose it… completely! And things weren’t looking too good for friendly and mild-mannered Saravanan.
But just before the volcano could erupt, the Operations Managerhappened topass by and immediately came up to investigate the issue. He heard out my problem patiently, empathized with my situation and apologized for the inconvenience. He then asked me to forget about the advance payment and just check-in and enjoy the stay. What’s more, he said I needn’t worry about the payment even at the time of check-out… he’d send somebody on a mobike when we drove back home… I could withdraw cash at the ATM on the way and hand over the money to the staff. WOW!!! I was floored!!!
The room was beautiful and cozy. And the pool, simply spectacular… like nothing we had ever seen before! We were also offered a DVD player in the room at no extra cost… but we weren’t here for blockbuster movies… we were here for a blockbuster holiday. And a blockbuster holiday it sure turned out to be!
We spent most of our 24-hour stay at the resort in the sparkling blue pool. The food was delectable… the waiters at the restaurant were vigilant and helpful without ever being intrusive… the room service and housekeeping staff were prompt and efficient. The attitude and demeanor of every single staff we encountered were exemplary.
As we checked out at noon the next day, Saravanan volunteered to accompany us on his mobike to collect the payment. After a 5-km drive, we had to take a 1-km diversion off the highway to reach the ATM… this meant that we had to pass a toll gate and pay the requisite fee. On reaching the ATM, I withdrew the cash and was handing over the money to Saravanan when he asked me to deduct Rs.100/- from the bill amount towards the toll fee I had just paid. Man, was I impressed!!! This was not about the meager sum of Rs.100/-… this was about the attitude and care towards a customer. This to me was about “CUSTOMER DELIGHT”… at its best!!!
The staff at the resort was faced with an angry customer and a situation that was fast spiraling out of control. But they not only managed to salvage the scene but also won over the customer. So what did they do right?
The Executive immediately acknowledged his mistake of not informing me about the payment mode.
Though I was beginning to lose my temper, the Executive remained calm and unfazed.
The Manager recognized the problem, empathized with my situation and worked out a solution.
The Executive reimbursing the toll fee meant that he was not only given responsibilities but also empowered to take decisions.
Last but not the least, the resort had great facilities, well-trained staff and outstanding service.
No wonder I was not only satisfied but DELIGHTED!!!
Seth Godin’s blog post on July 27th had four interesting videos from his Amex Open session with Tom Peters. One of them (provided below) has Seth’s take on “Social Networking for Business”… his views, as usual, are precise, unambiguous and thought provoking.
“Networking…” says Seth, “…is always important when it’s real and it’s always a useless distraction when it’s fake.”
This got me pondering over my own limited experience with social networking and the impact it’s had on my business. I term my experience “limited” because I have a presence only on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter… and even on these sites, I am by no stretch of imagination a “compulsive” networker.
I’ve been on Facebook since mid-2008, but have hardly ever done anything on it… I have 55 friends, uploaded 15 pictures (none of them of human beings!) and posted less than 10 comments. If the guys at Facebook read this, they’ll probably cancel my account!!!
I jumped onto the Twitter bandwagon in Feb 2009… though a late entrant, I was very clear from day one that I was not going to get trapped in the “followers” and “following” game. As I write this post, I have 96 followers and am following 64 on Twitter… modest numbers they may seem, but the important fact is that they are not mere “numbers”… these are relationships I’d like to nurture carefully and build into worthwhile and mutually beneficial associations.
Finally coming to LinkedIn… well, I’ve been “linked in” since 2006 and I must confess that this is the only site where I’ve actually invested some serious time networking… and the results, though not spectacular, have been directly proportional to my efforts. Now let’s see the ways in which the network has helped in my business.
Staying in Touch
LinkedIn is a great place to stay in touch with friends, colleagues (past and present), associates and industry peers. It helps me keep abreast of my connections’ career moves, projects they are working on, books they are reading, events they are attending, as well as their travel plans, blog posts, etc. And believe me, there’s no greater joy than sending a short congratulatory note to someone (especially somebody one hasn’t met in a while) on a promotion, new project, or book launch.
Making Connections
The Groups and Discussion Boards on LinkedIn have provided me with the perfect platform to network, share knowledge, exchange views and connect with like-minded professionals and industry experts from across the globe. Suffice to say that some of the connections I’ve made through LinkedIn are priceless and invaluable.
Scheduling Meetings
There have been several instances where I’ve had business meetings fixed based on the travel plans posted by my connections or me on LinkedIn. Without the “My Travel” application, it would’ve been highly unlikely for us to have known about each other’s presence in the same city at the same time.
Finding Experts
Though there have been a number of occasions where LinkedIn has helped me find experts in various domains, one particular experience stands out as my quintessential moment in social networking. A US-based organization was desperately looking for a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in OSHA… despite being on the hunt for well over 3 months, they just couldn’t find someone with the credentials to match their selection criteria. When we were approached to help out, I posted the requirement on LinkedIn’s discussion boards. Lo and behold, I received four responses within 12 hours… and after a couple of quick email exchanges and telephone calls, one of the SMEs was signed up for the project within 48 hours of putting up the post! Sitting in India, it took me 2 days to find and finalize an expert in the US… while the US-based client couldn’t find one in 3 months. That’s the power of social networking!!!
Finding Partners
NetDimenions, Trivantis, and Epignosis – we, at C2 Workshop, are proud to be a partner with these three world-renowned organizations for reselling their award winning products and solutions in the Knowledge/Learning/Performance Management space. And guess what? I met the representatives of each of these organizations on LinkedIn before negotiating and finalizing the partnership deals. Need I say more???
Building Business
Though I am yet to strike any multi-million dollar deal that’ll help me feature on LinkedIn’s Success Stories page, I must admit that LinkedIn has helped me win business deals of moderate sizes over the years. Leads from one’s direct connections as well as responses to opportunities on the discussion boards are the most obvious ways for generating business on the network. However, one must not overlook or underestimate the equally important and effective role that referrals (both direct and indirect) play in doing the same. Just last week I finalized a deal to develop e-learning courses for the banking and financial services industry… this customer in India was referred to me by someone in Singapore who in turn was originally referred to me by my LinkedIn connection in Greece!
Brand Building
Any presence on the webosphere does help build one’s corporate as well as personal brand image. At this point, I’m unable to either quantify or measure the impact LinkedIn has had on the same… hopefully, it is positive even if it is limited.
To summarize, I’d like to repeat what I said earlier… the results of social networking on my business may not be spectacular, but they are directly proportional to my efforts. I know I have not done too badly… but I also know that there’s a lot more I could do. Importantly, I’ve kept it “real” rather than “fake”… hope Seth Godin is listening! :-)
RAVI PRATAP SINGH
I am Co-Founder & Director at C2 Workshop. I have sold learning products, services and solutions in over 35 countries in the past two decades. My experience spans marketing, strategy, management, operations, brand building and channel development.
