Just got my daily fix from Seth Godin’s blog, today’s installment is entitled Speechless and its awesome. In his usual straightforward and laser focused manner, Seth has once again cut through the complexity of the issue and identified the singular issues that drives customers, employees, just about anyone to be unhappy.

I’ve preached for years that frustration is a function of expectations. In the ideal case, the provider (company, service provider, government, employer, etc) will manage/set expectations. If they fail to do so, then the recipient will establish expectations, often far above what the provider intends to deliver. ( The iPad does X, why doesn’t this device do that? )

Managing outcomes, whether they be in a retail environment, dealings with bureaucracy, or at work… is VERY important. Failing to do so will lead to frustration and, as Seth points out this morning, frustration is a soul killer. It sucks the very life and motivation out of anyone unfortunate enough to encounter it.

Take Aways

In your dealings with others set expectations, don’t allow them to be set for you. That way you are both operating from the same page and there won’t be surprises in the end. For example, if you run an oil change business and a customer bring their car to you, tell them how long it will take. Instead of, “We’ll get to it as soon as possible.” try, “We’ll get to it as soon as possible, that looks like 30 minutes. Is that ok?”

If you are on the receiving end of an exchange and the other party doesn’t set expectations for you, try setting them yourself. Same example…

Mechanic: We’ll get to it as soon as possible.
Customer: So within the next 30 minutes?

See, now everyone knows what to expect and no one’s soul is drained from their body!

So have you ever thought to yourself, “I could start a business doing {insert dream job here} and TOTALLY love it!”

If you have, did you do it? If you did, how did it work out? If you didn’t, why not?

I’m looking for feedback, questions, comments, success stories, whatever… around individuals who have taken the plunge and started a business and people who have thought about it and are not quite ready to pull the trigger yet. Read the rest of this entry

Leadership is a funny thing. We all “know” what it is… but have a hard time explaining it. We expect it from our boss… but it’s probably not in their job description and almost certainly not in their job title. So what IS leadership, who shows us how to do it, and why is it such a hard concept to wrap our heads around?

I suppose the precepts of leadership were first impressed upon me during my stint in the army, and as any good veteran can tell you, the first place to look is to the regulation…

The Army defines leadership as influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.

Army Regulation 600-100

For the non-military types out there, lets look at the complete compendum of human knowledge for a definition…

the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”

Wikipedia.org

Read the rest of this entry