Be Different or be dead

June 24, 2010

14 important roles that define an epic frontline leader

Source: Unsplash

14 important roles that define an epic frontline leader.

The frontline leader position is THE most important position given the critical strategic role it plays carying out the business plan of the organization.

Most organizations aspire to provide exemplary customer service, but they need amazing frontline leaders to pull it off.

This is the job description for the position.

▪️Barrier basher — eliminates the grunge in the workplace;

▪️Roadblock destroyer — removes impediments to getting the job done;

▪️Execution maniac — has only one focus; act quickly with purpose;

▪️One-and-only people server — understands that if their team isn’t served well, nothing happens;

▪️Dumb-it-down fanatic — knows that simple gets done;‘complex doesn’t;

▪️Ultimate cheerleader — keeps the energy up for the team;

▪️Praise lavisher — looks for opportunities to recognize and reward team mates;

▪️Celebration host — loves celebrations of team performance; takes personal responsibility to make them happen;

▪️Recognizer and rewarder of dazzling moments of service — looks for examples of people dazzling customers; makes a big issue of it;

▪️Chief custodian of the customer moment — puts their personal fingerprints on how customers are to be treated;

▪️Relentless advocate of the frontline on the inside — protects and advocates for their team to others in the organization; fights for what they need;

▪️Customer “secret” gatherer — is addicted to discovering the hidden desires of customers and using the knowledge to serve them better;

▪️Service recovery addict — turns the organization upside down to fix a problem when there is a service failure. Has personal contact with the customer at all times;

▪️Get-me-the-results — extremely results focused; creates a sense of urgency for the team to deliver.

Recruit individuals who have the ability to perform these responsibilities consistently.

Hold them accountable to perform these 14 roles in a superlative manner.

Pay them for doing this stuff.

The result?

Customer moments that will create fans and advocates for your business for life.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 6.24.10 at 01:00 pm by Roy Osing
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January 22, 2010

How to empower employees and serve customers in an amazing way

Source: Pexels

How to empower employees and serve customers in an amazing way.

Let me be clear: when I speak of empowerment I am referring to it as it applies to customers, and how to use it to serve a strategic purpose.

Many organizations unfortunately fear the notion of empowering people.

A common myth is that if you allow people to do what they believe is necessary they will ‘give away the farm’; they will break the rules; they will disrupt the rhythm of the organization and create needless stress and strain.

Nonsense. These beliefs come from a misunderstanding of what empowerment really is.

Empowerment is the provision of specific degrees of freedom to employees consistent with the strategy of the organization.

What it is and what it’s not

▪️it is bending the rules of the organization in specific circumstances for specific customers; it is not allowing rule bending for all circumstances and for any customer.

Rule bending is a critical component of the Service Strategy of an organization and results in dazzled customers with deep loyalty to the firm. It must be allowed but only under controlled circumstances.

▪️it is a planned course of action with its own set of rules in terms of the process an employee is to follow and the options available to them; it is not doing whatever an employee thinks is right at the time.

▪️it is being a few things to selected customers; it is not being anything to all customers.

▪️the actions allowed are defined directly from the strategy of the organization; they are not invented on the run.

▪️ the effectiveness of empowerment is measured against the desired outcomes; it is not ‘winging it’ and let the chips fall where they may.

▪️it is a proactive set of activities; it is not an unplanned reactive event.

▪️empowerment is contained within a ‘box’ with rigidly defined parameters and behaviors expected of an employee; it is not unfettered activity with no boundaries.

Critically examine your business plan and define the critical operations areas where empowering employees would be helpful to achieving the results expected.

Create an empowerment plan: which customers are to be included; what operations activities are ‘empowerable’ (like service recovery, service sign-up etc.); what measurable outcomes are expected and what behaviors must an employee exhibit - i.e. what is the empowerment process to be followed.

Honour your empowerment champions.

Tell stories of what they did to paint a picture of what success looks like.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 1.22.10 at 03:48 pm by Roy Osing
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