The Changing Face of Work
In December of last year I caught this article on creativity. Specifically, how creativity is viewed in the work place. I found it rather ironic because of the changing face of work today. In a work world where so much is being turned upside-down, you’d think the creative would be more valued. I carry a bias toward the creative. I belong to that tribe, with great energy and vibe.
Between coaching clients, conversations with decision makers (small and large companies) and the written word, I get a strong sense of how work is changing. The following is not based in theory, and gives a sense of what is here and what’s to come:
- Employees will soon (1-3 years for the individual and the mid-market) be buying their own health insurance. The employer will contribute an annual dollar amount, but the buying part will be up to you
- Engagement in the work place will continue to drop until workers feel they have an equal say in what’s going to happen in their specific work function. The millennials are the catalyst here
- Fear will be a driver of innovation
- Knowledge transfer is a bigger deal than many think
- People who are looking for a job should pay attention to disruptive technology. It will either eliminate your job or create a new one. This is good advice for the employed as well
- For obvious reasons people will need, and maybe forced, to truly manage their lives with an “on-purpose” approach
The bullets above are sobering. Don’t lose you soul navigating the waters.
Recognizing Talent.
The below video clip was shot a couple of years ago. The relevance continues, especially in these upside-down times we find ourselves in. We're in a place where recognizing talent is essential. And by the way, it starts with your soul and the art of searching people.
I could write further on this, but check-out the video clip for more.
Are You Ready?
These days many young leaders are promoted to greater positions of power quicker than ever. It is not unusual for someone in their early forties to hold a senior leadership post in a major organization. I've often wondered can they truly be ready for so much power. Though some are, sadly many are not. Why? More than likely they've never had a constellation of advisers/mentors, and/or they've never had someone whose walked a few miles teach them about power, ethics and courage.
As I've evaluated my own path, I've tried to remember that you must handle the small before you can handle the big. In my past I once had an HR representative declare that they would teach a series of leadership classes (more management than anything). I found that somewhat ironic since she couldn't handle returning phone calls in a timely manner.
And so it goes, we crave power and all the trimmings, but we forget about the span and the impact.
How Social Media Can Save Customer Service Training
Was doing some research for a friend/client on customer service training materials this week. I decided to use Twitter (my top choice for social media portals) as a tool to do some research on the matter. A simple search on the term "customer service training" is all it took to create a hmmm moment. And though my research was not very scientific, it did reveal some things I knew instinctively.
First, customer service is a very popular discipline for a number of companies/consultants. Must mean that bad customer service is more the norm than the exception. I agree with that on its face.
Second, I don't think the customers (organizations) of the customer service training product are fully aware of what's going on inside their own walls.
Here's what brought me to the above conclusions:
- My typed search "customer service training" revealed that for every two consultants offering training, there were an equal number of employees who were referring to customer service training as a boring event, a cure for insomnia, or a pain in the rear. Again, this wasn't a scientific result, but it seems that many employees are nodding yes, but thinking and feeling no.
- Employees, especially those in larger entities, feel like their targets for cost cutting and lay-offs. Creates a jaded, if not callused view of things. Wonder how these folks treat customers who have legitimate needs/issues?
- Why the disconnect? Leadership. Some managers may think they're leading well, but have yet to look behind them to find no one following.
- Fixing conclusion #3 creates a bridge for change.
- Employers are missing out on the power of social media. See this article for more on that. But I'm speaking of finding out what's REALLY going on with the employee base. Might save them some money and go a long way in reinventing how they serve-employees and customers.