Two managers, each leads a large team of professionals who deliver services to customers, and each with a parallel story at the moment.
"I've been so busy lately, I haven't been in direct contact with my customer service teams. I talk with their managers but I've not seen the front-line service employees in a long time. I need to reconnect!"
It's a common enough situation. As each of them told me the story of how they connected with their extended staff, I was struck by the similarities of what works and their recognition of what doesn't work. None of these tips, individually or in combination, are surprising, but they sure can make a difference.
1. Be present. Human contact matters. One of managers was surprised to get hugs from people who hadn't seen him in a while. Not something he could have experienced over the telephone or via videoconference!
2. Suspend and balance your own agenda. Sure he had a broader set of business issues on his mind when visiting, but his first priority was to suspend his agenda and really focus on reconnecting. One company I know of has implemented the idea of "10/10 connect meetings": 10 minutes for you and 10 minutes for me. When it's my 10 minutes I can direct the conversation however I choose; when it's your 10 minutes I will follow your direction. It's truly a mutual commitment to allow each person's own agenda to get space and time.
3. Ask for a story. One manager I know presses to hear the customer-related story that has had the most impact during the past month (or since last connecting). She probes, summarizes and really makes sure she captures the essence of the situation and what made a difference. After all, people who work with challenging customer situations appreciate that someone, especially their boss' boss, really cares how hard they work to delight the customer.
4. Tell someone else's story. Once you have heard someone else's story, not just the words but also the intentions, the challenges that were overcome and the pride of success, you have a great story to share. These managers make heroes of their staff to others, and in doing so they reinforce the values that should matter to everyone in their business. It also sends a message that they listen to what happens across the business.
5. Ask for one suggestion. Not everyone will be comfortable telling the boss or the boss' boss what needs to be improved. These managers are proactive, and ask "To what have we not given enough attention?" or "What one change could make a big difference to our customers' experience?" They probe the input, make sure they understand the potential impact, and they commit to give it more thought.
6. Close the loop. Often when visiting these managers are requested to offer advice on some pressing situation. If they made a suggestion, they find the time to follow up and see if it has helped. One referred to putting themselves on a two-day clock: "I give myself two days to send an email or leave a quick voice message asking, 'How did that suggestion work for you?' It tells the employee that I took our conversation seriously enough to still be thinking about it and that I'm also interested in knowing what works."
I'm sure this all seems obvious to you, the reader. Easy to plan to do, but harder to carry out consistently. I also asked these managers, what mistakes have they seen that most often get in the way of connecting with your staff? Here are two traps to watch out for:
1. Don't just go through the motions. It's easy to spot managers connecting as a choreographed exercise that they want to dispense with quickly. Remember the last time someone asked you how you are and you knew they didn't really care? Don't be that person.
2. Don't give anything less than your full attention. I've written about the topic of Executive Attention Deficit Disorder before. Nothing undermines the impact of a visit to reconnect than someone giving priority to his or her incoming messages on blackberry instead of the story you are trying to tell them. If you are a addicted to your Smartphone for email messages then you probably don't realize how often you multi-task. Choose to shut out the external distractions, especially when you want someone to feel special.
It's great that you want to connect with your extended team. Remember it's not how often you do this; it's how well you do this that counts. Do it well and your customer service professionals will be talking about your visit long after you have left the building!
A question for you:
When you choose to connect with your extended staff, what do you do to ensure the experience is Meaningful, Motivating, and Memorable?
