Читать книгу The 7 Minute Leadership Handbook - Paul Falavolito - Страница 8

For those that know me personally, they know I am a die-hard Apple guy. I have iMacs everywhere, every iPhone that has ever been made, and the same with the iPad. I used to be obsessed with watching Steve Jobs deliver his keynotes. I studied everything about them. They were natural, polished, and very effective. I also took an interest in their product videos. They are short, sweet, and perfectly to the point. I wanted to apply that same concept and visualization to everything that I do and create as a leader. I was inspired by Apple. I am also inspired by other non-tech business models as well.

When I coach my employees and volunteers on how to be good at interacting with the public – because let's face it, if you know any first responder type of people, they are very rigid, stern, and might not be the best at being polished for dealing with the public in a fluffy way – most of them don't subscribe to the customer is always right concept. There is no training on customer service in EMT or paramedic school. My approach in correcting that was easy.

I tell all of them to think of the last time they ate at McDonalds and how their customer service experience was and have them compare it to the last time they ate at Chick-fil-A and what that customer service experience was like. All of them tell me that the experience at the chicken place was far better than the burger place. The point of this is to not bash McDonalds. I love McDonalds and spend way more money at McDonalds each year than I do at Chick-fil-A, but there is a difference in the way customers are treated. There is a difference in the overall appearance and attitude of a Chick-fil-A employee versus a McDonalds employee. I would love to know the secret that Chick-fil-A uses to create such an amazing customer service experience for their customers. One of the constant questions I have in my mind is, How do I get my staff to treat the public like Chick-fil-A does?

It is kind of ironic when you go into a business and just sit there with a cup of coffee and take notes of what you see. I do it all the time. I study everything from the branding, to the color scheme, the flow of the employees, and the reaction of the customers. Did you ever go into or walk past an Apple store? They are slammed busy no matter what time of day it is. Having spent hundreds of hours in them myself, I can honestly say I have never seen an irate customer or someone mad that they have to wait. Let's be honest – their stores are boring. It's certainly not Target where there are dozens of aisles to walk up and down to kill time. It is a simplistic concept that makes Apple work. Another question that I will never be able to answer is, I own everything that Apple has made. Why do I find myself playing with the products I already own when I am in their store?

One of the other companies that inspires me is Disney. You either love them or hate them, and I happen to consider myself a full-blown Disney junkie. Did you know they teach a leadership class? You can find snippets of it on YouTube. It's called In Search of Excellence. One of the behind-the-scenes things that fascinates me lies deep within the famous cast tunnel. This would be the long tunnel under the park that the costumed cast members walk to get out into the park without being seen by the guests. In the middle of this tunnel is a thick red line that is painted across the floor and up both sides of the walls. The rule is simple. When a costumed cast member leaves the locker room, they are allowed to walk the way they normally walk, scratch themselves, cough out loud, or whatever they need to do, but when they cross that red line, they must be in character. In fact, there are security cameras aimed at that red line with security guards that get paid to sit there and watch those cameras and report anyone that isn't in character after they cross that line. I think it is brilliant, and I often reference this story to my employees. I wish I could paint a thick red line across the doorway of the ambulance base. When they cross that threshold, I need them to be in character, a uniformed professional medical care provider – the same way you need your staff to be high-performance employees when they cross your threshold.

Whether you hate them or love them, Apple and Disney are obviously doing something right. Go out and study a business that inspires you. Take notes, write down questions, find things you love that they do, and figure out how to incorporate some of those things into your own business.