Service Intelligence

I think I expect too much when I'm exchanging money for service. A greeting, some gestures and gratitude are the basics I would think necessary to call yourself a 'service provider'  however I find that when these three acts occur in one service event I feel compelled to be overly thankful.

Sadly, I believe we're being conditioned to not expect too much from our service encounters!

Recently, whilst I was speed shopping, a young staff member approached me in an aisle and offered me a basket - it was very evident that my quick shop for two things had turned into 12 items which I was juggling in my arms; I felt overwhelmed with this proactive service.

The thing is ... should I? 

Service isn't too challenging - or is it?

I wonder if it's us painful customers who make it difficult with our differing expectations, quirky personalities and selfish requests. But ... if you serve so many folk in one day, repeated over a week and let's say over a whole month you would gather enough BIG DATA about us crazy consumer cashed up customers to know what we expect.


Observing people is the role of the 'service' provider person. Taking three seconds to interpret my facial expressions, hand gestures, tone of voice, body stance, all magnify messages to the DATA control centre (your brain) and tell you: if I am in a rush, not wishing to be interrupted or that I have forgotten something after waiting in the five minute queue.

So, is the prospect of SERVICE INTELLIGENCE challenging your business and your leadership?

How would you and your people rate against this SERVICE INTELLIGENCE model?

1.Self-Awareness - knowing your own motives, what drives you, enabling a better understanding of what drives you to be customer focused. 

2.Emotional Intelligence - being aware of others' emotions during service delivery.

3.Responsibility - taking personal responsibility aka accountability - it's up to you to serve.

4.Value Focused - offering more value than the price paid.

5.Impact - understanding that your choice of behaviour has a predictable consequence.

6.Change - being prepared to adapt to keep relevant and ahead of your customers' needs.

7.Evaluate - mindfully reflect, review and improve self performance and the customer experience.

Customer Service has changed. People expect more. I definitely expect more. There's no excuse when Service Intelligence is available to be learnt.

What about you? Do you expect awesome or average service?

When your people are transacting a product or service ... including government and no-fee exchanges, it's paramount that they see you role-modelling these skills, actions and behaviours. You must take the lead.

The only way to increase the performance of your service team is to increase your leadership performance.

Let's connect to explore my SERVICE INTELLIGENCE model.



What's in your worry box?

What's in your Worry Box?

If you're confused or want to answer "Worry Beads" then I suspect you're like many and need a reminder or an introduction to Immunity to Change.

The book is a great introduction to the Immunity Map which will uncover what prevents you from changing.


We all carry a Worry Box around with us; it's in our mind and it hasn't been opened for some time. When we do, it's generally to add an additional worry!

Whilst I make light of this debilitating unconscious system in our body and persona it is the perfect metaphor to create  awareness to the number of worries which we have about our performance.

At a professional development session which I attended this week, Michelle Sales reconnected us with the valuable insights of Lisa Laskow Lahey and Robert Kegan from their book (their life's work),  Immunity to Change. We all know that we need to change or help others in the process of change however what we don't know well enough is what prevents us changing.

During our session we created our personal 'Immunity Map' following the process which I had read about, completed 80% of a MOOC on with the authors and within minutes of this session, it finally clicked into place! (I'm not sure if I am a slow learner or it's a challenging concept!)

The map template is very simple in construction and it's the process of questions which uncover the complexity which we store away in the worry box. So, it's very effective is you take the opportunity to work through this model with an experienced coach or practitioner. 

For me, I have a neat set of questions and an additional model to add to my repertoire to challenge and probe my clients when I coach, mentor and work with them and their teams. (Immunity to Change is very useful for team goals too.)

I highly recommend you explore Immunity to Change and welcome your inquiry to understand why you're still not achieving the leadership performance goal which you've set yourself or which has been set for you.




Stress: Do you cause it or change it?

We all suffer periods of stress and some people experience continuous stress. Some will admit this, some ignore it (denial) and some don't even know it - it's become the norm feeling and behaviour in their life.

As I sip on my chamomile tea, I try and determine if I'm feeling stressed. It's school holidays, the kids are still in bed and I need to pack to venture off for a couple of days. No! I'm in control - at the moment.

What I am more intrigued about is the impact I have on others - do I cause them stress?  Is it a positive amount of stress e.g. Embarking on a new project or a negative quantity of stress e.g. Continuously not meeting project deadlines (which would not happen!)

Do you cause stress in others' lives? Is your behaviour causing anxiety?  

I believe we can be great leaders by creating a work environment which is mindful of peoples' lives and what's important to them. Whilst the workplace isn't the number one cause of stress (it's #6) according to the Australian Psychological Society's 2014 Australian Wellbeing Survey - if we know what causes stress we can educate, discuss and act on preventing the negative stress.

The greatest lesson I've learnt about stress is that it's all about 'change'. If we're experiencing stress - something has to change. If others are feeling anxious - something has changed to create that feeling which requires an intervention of understanding the change and having more control of the change.

Don't be guilty of causing stress: get planning, get talking and minimise the stress. And this isn't restricted to the workplace. Women stress most about money according to the survey (more than family) so let's alleviate this by creating opportunities for money to be better understood, access to financial education etc. If we can influence the stress factors, people will perform better in their roles. 




Be Bold & Strong - Adopt a Change

Be Bold - Adopt a Change

It's that dirty word - CHANGE!

If you attempt to just throw the word into the wash, things will get dirty - even ugly.

We're change weary as we still haven't worked how best to approach change - either being the giver or the receiver of the change.

Being Bold may require you to adopt a change first, role-modelling the change or consequence of the change. Being Strong is being honest with your feedback and thoughts about the change rather than reading the company script.

Being Bold means volunteering to adopt the change amongst your colleagues or friends/family. Being Strong is giving it a good crack - enough time for the change to take affect and speak with authority.

The Change may be small or large scale and if no-one follows or joins in it will never get the chance to be tested.

Imagine life without your handheld device, driving without SIRI, a machine which washes your dishes and one which washes your clothes and running clothes which absorb your perspiration!

Change is great. Be Bold & Strong and adopt a change today!





Understanding Why We're Doing It!

A big take-out during a group discussion yesterday on the subject of CHANGE was the need to understand and communicate 'the Why'. Too often we are the messengers and we don't devour the Why to enable us to regurgitate the Why to those involved.

My kids are getting excited about Halloween. We're planning our outfits, deciding which lollies to buy and what decorations to make and put on the front door. It took my daughter, who's seven, to ask "Mum, why do we celebrate Halloween? (I didn't need to google the answer!) Whilst this was out of curiosity, it did put things into perspective for my smart little girl!

Selling the Why is critical, crucial and criminal if not done successfully. Whether the Why is around developmental, transitional or transformational CHANGE ( it is always about some type of CHANGE), answering the Why is your first role and goal. People need to understand why we're doing it.

A story, facts, benefits, admitting the unknown future positively are all techniques to approach the Why. It's important to consider who's listening to your Why. A story for some, the excitment of the unknown for others.

I do like to show and share Simon Sinek's The Golden Circle, a super 'Why' model which makes sense to everyone who watches the TED talk.

So, what's the Why around your current piece of work, change, behaviour etc? How effective are you in explaining and articulating your Why