A few days ago my manager sent out Seth Greens blog about Procrastination
I found it amuzing at best then I found the real dirt on the subject and of course favorite quotes!
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. ~Don Marquis
Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. ~Author Unknown
Every duty which is bidden to wait returns with seven fresh duties at its back. ~Charles Kingsley
The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up. ~Author Unknown
If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done. ~Author Unknown
Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. ~Robert Benchley
There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back. ~Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in. ~Earl of Chesterfield
The two rules of procrastination: 1) Do it today. 2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. ~Author Unknown
One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow. ~Vincent T. Foss
You may delay, but time will not. ~Benjamin Franklin
Someday is not a day of the week. ~Author Unknown
To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing. ~Eva Young
Don't fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. ~C. Northcote Parkinson, 1958
Procrastination is opportunity's assassin. ~Victor Kiam
If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. ~Olin Miller
What may be done at any time will be done at no time. ~Scottish Proverb
There's nothing to match curling up with a good book when there's a repair job to be done around the house. ~Joe Ryan
Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow. ~Gerald Vaughan
The best way to get something done is to begin. ~Author Unknown
You know you are getting old when it takes too much effort to procrastinate. ~Author Unknown
I do my work at the same time each day - the last minute. ~Author Unknown
Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. ~Spanish Proverb
The time to begin most things is ten years ago. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966
Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible. ~George Claude Lorimer
Tomorrow is the day when idlers work, and fools reform. ~Edward Young
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. ~Mark Twain
Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man. ~Jimmy Lyons
A year from now you may wish you had started today. ~Karen Lamb
Procrastination is like masturbation. At first it feels good, but in the end you're only screwing yourself. ~Author unknown, possibly from Monty Python?
One of these days is none of these days. ~Attributed to both Henri Tubach and H.G. Bohn
Procrastination is the thief of time. ~Edward Young
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Customer Service and The Pursuit of Happiness
from The customer service Reader
Does happiness at work matter? Most of your life is spent going to work, being at work, going from work, thinking about work, and talking about work after work. If you work in customer service, and are not happy with your job, you have the wrong job. You should find the calling that makes you happy. When you are happy at work, you’ll never have to work another day.
Most people don’t expect to find happiness, working a customer service job. But customer service, by its very nature, presents unique opportunities for the pursuit of happiness, not only for individuals, but for society as a whole.
Researchers in the field of Subjective Well-being (happiness) have found that there are certain characteristics that happy people have in common. Happy people:
Have self-control
Are grateful
Have good social relationships, supportive friends and family
Have an adequate income
Have respectable jobs, and
Have a philosophy that provides meaning to their lives.
Using this framework, can we, as providers, find happiness through customer service?
Self-control
The consistent practice of outstanding customer service behaviors requires an extraordinary amount of self-control. It starts with the realization that YOU are in control.
You choose your attitude
You choose your response
You choose to set aside your personal problems
You choose to give others a better day
When we take control, we refuse to be victims of circumstance, or of our own personal weaknesses. We take charge of our lives and of the situations that we face. This is a principal requirement of a life in service and, as it turns out, a principal requirement for a happy life.
Gratitude
"Thank you" is perhaps that the second most important customer service phrase. We use it (or ought to use it) dozens of times a day (thank you for calling, thank you for bringing that to my attention, thank-you-come-again). When we use these phrases authentically - i.e. when we mean what we say - we develop a habit of thankfulness. In Akumal III, Dr Bob Emmons reported research which showed that "people high in gratitude are more satisfied with life, have more vitality, more happiness, more optimism, hope, positive affect, lower psychological symptoms, more prosocial behaviors, and are higher on empathy".
Good social relationships
When you consistently practice customer service values and skills, such as kindness, listening, empathy, gratitude, responsibility, and persuasion, you develop habits that will stay with you for the rest of your life, and that can be applied to all other aspects of your life. You'll be able to make friends more easily, and will be better skilled at strengthening your relationships with your friends and family. They in turn will tend to reciprocate. People who are happy have strong relationships with friends and family. This is both a characteristic of happy people, and a consequence of their behavior.
Adequate income
There is a premium in the labor market for outstanding customer service providers. More important, we have the opportunity to constantly increase both our short-term and long-term income by applying our customer service skills. As Henry Ford once said, one who is “absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.”
Respectable jobs
This has two components. There’s the respect that you get for how you do your job, and there’s the respect you get for having that job. It’s not easy to provide outstanding customer service to every customer, on every transaction, every minute of the day. If you can do that, that’s something you can truly be proud of, and it’s certainly deserving of respect. Chances are you already stand out, and are duly rewarded.
The second component, respect for the job itself, depends less on the individual, and more on the team as a whole. When everyone in your organization or location provides outstanding service, people tend to talk about you, and you're likely to be known and respected for the service that you provide. It's a source of pride just to be part of such a team. The hard part is that it does depend on everyone. All it takes is one bad player to ruin the whole game.
A philosophy that provides meaning to their lives
The principles at the root of outstanding customer service are simple enough to say:
Our lives have more meaning when we serve others
Customer service is, first and foremost, a form of service
To serve each other and each customer is to serve humanity
As customer service providers, we touch millions of people each year. Each contact is an opportunity to make each life we touch a little better each day. And when we make people happy, they tend to pay it forward. Through the phenomenon psychologists call the “emotional contagion”, we can be carriers of an epidemic of kindness. We can be weapons of mass construction.
I'll end with some thoughts from some people who are a lot smarter than me:
Everyone can be great because everyone can serve. Martin Luther King Jr
Joy can be real only if people look on their life as a service. Leo Tolstoy
The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. Only a life lived for others is a life worth living. Albert Einstein
Every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large. Mohandas K Gandhi
Thanks to the Customer service reader: http://customerservicereader.typepad.com/
Permissions Pending
Does happiness at work matter? Most of your life is spent going to work, being at work, going from work, thinking about work, and talking about work after work. If you work in customer service, and are not happy with your job, you have the wrong job. You should find the calling that makes you happy. When you are happy at work, you’ll never have to work another day.
Most people don’t expect to find happiness, working a customer service job. But customer service, by its very nature, presents unique opportunities for the pursuit of happiness, not only for individuals, but for society as a whole.
Researchers in the field of Subjective Well-being (happiness) have found that there are certain characteristics that happy people have in common. Happy people:
Have self-control
Are grateful
Have good social relationships, supportive friends and family
Have an adequate income
Have respectable jobs, and
Have a philosophy that provides meaning to their lives.
Using this framework, can we, as providers, find happiness through customer service?
Self-control
The consistent practice of outstanding customer service behaviors requires an extraordinary amount of self-control. It starts with the realization that YOU are in control.
You choose your attitude
You choose your response
You choose to set aside your personal problems
You choose to give others a better day
When we take control, we refuse to be victims of circumstance, or of our own personal weaknesses. We take charge of our lives and of the situations that we face. This is a principal requirement of a life in service and, as it turns out, a principal requirement for a happy life.
Gratitude
"Thank you" is perhaps that the second most important customer service phrase. We use it (or ought to use it) dozens of times a day (thank you for calling, thank you for bringing that to my attention, thank-you-come-again). When we use these phrases authentically - i.e. when we mean what we say - we develop a habit of thankfulness. In Akumal III, Dr Bob Emmons reported research which showed that "people high in gratitude are more satisfied with life, have more vitality, more happiness, more optimism, hope, positive affect, lower psychological symptoms, more prosocial behaviors, and are higher on empathy".
Good social relationships
When you consistently practice customer service values and skills, such as kindness, listening, empathy, gratitude, responsibility, and persuasion, you develop habits that will stay with you for the rest of your life, and that can be applied to all other aspects of your life. You'll be able to make friends more easily, and will be better skilled at strengthening your relationships with your friends and family. They in turn will tend to reciprocate. People who are happy have strong relationships with friends and family. This is both a characteristic of happy people, and a consequence of their behavior.
Adequate income
There is a premium in the labor market for outstanding customer service providers. More important, we have the opportunity to constantly increase both our short-term and long-term income by applying our customer service skills. As Henry Ford once said, one who is “absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.”
Respectable jobs
This has two components. There’s the respect that you get for how you do your job, and there’s the respect you get for having that job. It’s not easy to provide outstanding customer service to every customer, on every transaction, every minute of the day. If you can do that, that’s something you can truly be proud of, and it’s certainly deserving of respect. Chances are you already stand out, and are duly rewarded.
The second component, respect for the job itself, depends less on the individual, and more on the team as a whole. When everyone in your organization or location provides outstanding service, people tend to talk about you, and you're likely to be known and respected for the service that you provide. It's a source of pride just to be part of such a team. The hard part is that it does depend on everyone. All it takes is one bad player to ruin the whole game.
A philosophy that provides meaning to their lives
The principles at the root of outstanding customer service are simple enough to say:
Our lives have more meaning when we serve others
Customer service is, first and foremost, a form of service
To serve each other and each customer is to serve humanity
As customer service providers, we touch millions of people each year. Each contact is an opportunity to make each life we touch a little better each day. And when we make people happy, they tend to pay it forward. Through the phenomenon psychologists call the “emotional contagion”, we can be carriers of an epidemic of kindness. We can be weapons of mass construction.
I'll end with some thoughts from some people who are a lot smarter than me:
Everyone can be great because everyone can serve. Martin Luther King Jr
Joy can be real only if people look on their life as a service. Leo Tolstoy
The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. Only a life lived for others is a life worth living. Albert Einstein
Every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large. Mohandas K Gandhi
Thanks to the Customer service reader: http://customerservicereader.typepad.com/
Permissions Pending
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Another Year Gone Bye
Well it has been an eventful year, We had the fire and the minor success of getting the yard and Garage back in order. We took relationships to the brink and brought them back again. Truly a year full of UP’s and Down’s And this year we leave it on a bright note. A Blue moon starts or new decade and that is special.
We have Made friends and left some behind. We have been re-organized and shook up the dust in all areas.
We can look back and see where we have been and where we are about to go as a company and as a team.
I want to thank the powers that be, for all they have done to make this year better than the last in the company
I wish to thank my wife for everything, you are why I am here and why I keep doing what I do the best.
I promise that this blog will be more success orientated soon. We need to hear of more success and how to turn a sour customer into a happy one and keep them that way.
We have Made friends and left some behind. We have been re-organized and shook up the dust in all areas.
We can look back and see where we have been and where we are about to go as a company and as a team.
I want to thank the powers that be, for all they have done to make this year better than the last in the company
I wish to thank my wife for everything, you are why I am here and why I keep doing what I do the best.
I promise that this blog will be more success orientated soon. We need to hear of more success and how to turn a sour customer into a happy one and keep them that way.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Happy Birthday ParentLink
A lot can happen in 20 years,
Happy Birthday ParentLink!
20 Years ago I today I was promoted from an auto detailer to lubrication mechanic, a move that changed the course of my life.
My childeren were 4 and 6, I weighed 135 lbs.
While I worked at Morris Motors my wife, Dianna worked at The Utah State Hospital. Our rent was $225.00 amonth I made 6.75 an hour, life was good then and now.
here is what else happened.
1989 In Technology the 486 series of microprocessor is released by Intel opening the way for the next generation of much more powerful PC's and Microsoft releases it's Office Suite including Spreadsheet, Word Processor, Database and Presentation Software which today still dominates in office applications. Following Massive protests against the Berlin Wall bringing about the collapse of The Berlin Wall and the East German Government both are dismantled which leads after many years to the reunification of East and West Germany. In China Pro democracy protestors clash with Chinese Security Forces in Tiananmen Square and the pictures of a man taking on a tank are seen on TV news throughout the world.
Parlant Technology makes its first sale.
Cost Of Living 1989
How Much things cost in 1989
Yearly Inflation Rate U.S.A. 4.83%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 2753
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 10.50%
Average Cost of new house $120,000.00
Average Income per year $27,450.00
Average Monthly Rent $420.00
Average Price for new car $15,3500.00
1 gallon of gas 97 cents
US Postage Stamp 25 cents
In the News
The Phillips 66 Chemical Complex in Houston, Texas has a series of explosions and fires killing 23 employees.
Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida's electric chair
In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (11 million gallons) of oil after running aground
Leona Helmsley the billionaire hotel operator is convicted on Tax Fraud Charges ( Hooray!)
The Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, strikes San Francisco Bay Area in California, killing 63
Technology
Parlant Technology rates #1 in sales of School to Home communications
The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
Nintendo begin selling the Game Boy in Japan
Voyager II passes the planet Neptune and its moon Triton and sends pictures back to earth.
The 486 series of microprocessor introduced by Intel.
Scientists pronounce 1989 as the warmest on record possibly a sign of the greenhouse effect
Florida and Virginia allow use of DNA genetic fingerprinting evidence as admissible
First release of Microsoft Office. which was a bundle of Microsoft's office applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel , Dependent on the Version you purchased would depend on which applications were included
Popular Culture 1989
The first episodes of the Simpsons are shown
Popular Films
Batman
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Lethal Weapon 2
Twins
Back to the Future Part II
Ghostbusters II
The Little Mermaid
Driving Miss Daisy
Parenthood
Dead Poets Society
Licence to Kill
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
My Left Foot
When Harry Met Sally. Popular Musicians
Popular Musicians
Duran Duran
Paul McCartney
Phil Collins
Prince
Madonna
Erasure
The Bangles
Major World Political Leaders 1989
Australia Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Brazil President José Sarney
Canada Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Yang Shangkun
France President François Mitterrand
Germany Chancellor Helmut Kohl
India Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Till 2 December
India Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh From 2 December
Italy Prime Minister Ciriaco de Mita Till 22 July
Italy Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti From 22 July
Japan Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita Till 3 June
Japan Prime Minister Sosuke Uno From 3 June
Japan Prime Minister Sosuke Uno Till 10 August
Japan Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu From 10 August
Mexico President Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Russia / Soviet Union
General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev
South Africa State President Pieter Willem Botha Till 15 August
South Africa State President Frederik Willem de Klerk From 20 September
United States President Ronald Reagan Till January 20,
United States President George H. W. Bush From January 20,
United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Happy Birthday ParentLink!
20 Years ago I today I was promoted from an auto detailer to lubrication mechanic, a move that changed the course of my life.
My childeren were 4 and 6, I weighed 135 lbs.
While I worked at Morris Motors my wife, Dianna worked at The Utah State Hospital. Our rent was $225.00 amonth I made 6.75 an hour, life was good then and now.
here is what else happened.
1989 In Technology the 486 series of microprocessor is released by Intel opening the way for the next generation of much more powerful PC's and Microsoft releases it's Office Suite including Spreadsheet, Word Processor, Database and Presentation Software which today still dominates in office applications. Following Massive protests against the Berlin Wall bringing about the collapse of The Berlin Wall and the East German Government both are dismantled which leads after many years to the reunification of East and West Germany. In China Pro democracy protestors clash with Chinese Security Forces in Tiananmen Square and the pictures of a man taking on a tank are seen on TV news throughout the world.
Parlant Technology makes its first sale.
Cost Of Living 1989
How Much things cost in 1989
Yearly Inflation Rate U.S.A. 4.83%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 2753
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 10.50%
Average Cost of new house $120,000.00
Average Income per year $27,450.00
Average Monthly Rent $420.00
Average Price for new car $15,3500.00
1 gallon of gas 97 cents
US Postage Stamp 25 cents
In the News
The Phillips 66 Chemical Complex in Houston, Texas has a series of explosions and fires killing 23 employees.
Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida's electric chair
In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (11 million gallons) of oil after running aground
Leona Helmsley the billionaire hotel operator is convicted on Tax Fraud Charges ( Hooray!)
The Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, strikes San Francisco Bay Area in California, killing 63
Technology
Parlant Technology rates #1 in sales of School to Home communications
The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
Nintendo begin selling the Game Boy in Japan
Voyager II passes the planet Neptune and its moon Triton and sends pictures back to earth.
The 486 series of microprocessor introduced by Intel.
Scientists pronounce 1989 as the warmest on record possibly a sign of the greenhouse effect
Florida and Virginia allow use of DNA genetic fingerprinting evidence as admissible
First release of Microsoft Office. which was a bundle of Microsoft's office applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel , Dependent on the Version you purchased would depend on which applications were included
Popular Culture 1989
The first episodes of the Simpsons are shown
Popular Films
Batman
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Lethal Weapon 2
Twins
Back to the Future Part II
Ghostbusters II
The Little Mermaid
Driving Miss Daisy
Parenthood
Dead Poets Society
Licence to Kill
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
My Left Foot
When Harry Met Sally. Popular Musicians
Popular Musicians
Duran Duran
Paul McCartney
Phil Collins
Prince
Madonna
Erasure
The Bangles
Major World Political Leaders 1989
Australia Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Brazil President José Sarney
Canada Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Yang Shangkun
France President François Mitterrand
Germany Chancellor Helmut Kohl
India Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Till 2 December
India Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh From 2 December
Italy Prime Minister Ciriaco de Mita Till 22 July
Italy Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti From 22 July
Japan Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita Till 3 June
Japan Prime Minister Sosuke Uno From 3 June
Japan Prime Minister Sosuke Uno Till 10 August
Japan Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu From 10 August
Mexico President Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Russia / Soviet Union
General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev
South Africa State President Pieter Willem Botha Till 15 August
South Africa State President Frederik Willem de Klerk From 20 September
United States President Ronald Reagan Till January 20,
United States President George H. W. Bush From January 20,
United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving 2009
From the WIKI:
Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a holiday celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. The traditional "first Thanksgiving" is the celebration that occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. The Plymouth celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States. The celebration became an important part of the American myth by the 1800s.[citation needed] This Thanksgiving, modeled after celebrations that were commonplace in contemporary Europe, is generally regarded as America's first. Elementary school teacher Robyn Gioia has argued that the earliest attested "thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.[1][2] Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.
Celebrating Thanksgiving is a mixed bag, I am thankful for my wife, life, family, friends and colleagues
For the Job I have and the home it helps to provide.
I know things are not always the way you wish them to be and things do go wrong and though it may sound weird for this too I am thankful. That said, I must explain. When the things in my life go the way they have these little blessings in disguise have a way of making things right in the end. If you are lucky (and, I am) then things wind up better than ever. I am truly thankful!
This day is (to me) not so much as a day of "Thanks and Praise" to a higher authority but a day of reflection for me, taking stock of how things went (so far) this year and what is to come of it. My hopes are risen my resolve to do better renewed, I have a great meal and I have a more positive outlook on a full stomach and triptophan overdose. Give thanks and Praise!!
!
Festivus is soon upon us! But that is yet another day.
Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a holiday celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. The traditional "first Thanksgiving" is the celebration that occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. The Plymouth celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States. The celebration became an important part of the American myth by the 1800s.[citation needed] This Thanksgiving, modeled after celebrations that were commonplace in contemporary Europe, is generally regarded as America's first. Elementary school teacher Robyn Gioia has argued that the earliest attested "thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.[1][2] Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.
Celebrating Thanksgiving is a mixed bag, I am thankful for my wife, life, family, friends and colleagues
For the Job I have and the home it helps to provide.
I know things are not always the way you wish them to be and things do go wrong and though it may sound weird for this too I am thankful. That said, I must explain. When the things in my life go the way they have these little blessings in disguise have a way of making things right in the end. If you are lucky (and, I am) then things wind up better than ever. I am truly thankful!
This day is (to me) not so much as a day of "Thanks and Praise" to a higher authority but a day of reflection for me, taking stock of how things went (so far) this year and what is to come of it. My hopes are risen my resolve to do better renewed, I have a great meal and I have a more positive outlook on a full stomach and triptophan overdose. Give thanks and Praise!!
!
Festivus is soon upon us! But that is yet another day.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Rules of Failure ( a little Humor)
We all know we have goals and rules to follow.
and soon be trained on what not to do
here are some more (place toung in cheek)
George Santanya said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." If we continue in practicing the failure rules something much worse could happen. The rules are:
Resist learning anything new that could lead to more responsibility–
Don’t share what you know with others–
Be a jerk!–
Always look out for Number One–
It’s all about the money–
Promise things you have no intention of doing–
It’s always someone else’s fault–
Truth is in the mind of the beholder–
Do the least that’s necessary for success–
The customer is someone you have to put up with–
I have done all of these at one time or another and have learned much along the way.
Please do remember these rules are so true and if avoided then success is at hand
and soon be trained on what not to do
here are some more (place toung in cheek)
George Santanya said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." If we continue in practicing the failure rules something much worse could happen. The rules are:
Resist learning anything new that could lead to more responsibility–
Don’t share what you know with others–
Be a jerk!–
Always look out for Number One–
It’s all about the money–
Promise things you have no intention of doing–
It’s always someone else’s fault–
Truth is in the mind of the beholder–
Do the least that’s necessary for success–
The customer is someone you have to put up with–
I have done all of these at one time or another and have learned much along the way.
Please do remember these rules are so true and if avoided then success is at hand
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tilting Towards Windmills!
"The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads."
John Cleveland
Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, and thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."
"What giants?" asked Sancho Panza.
"Those you see over there," replied his master, "with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length."
"Take care, sir," cried Sancho. "Those over there are not giants but windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone."
Cervantes' Don Quixote
In this “automated world” There are some things that have to be done by hand. I like things that are hand crafted not matter if it is new or old as I know it has that Human touch. With all of its beauty and “Craftsmanship” there are things, flaws and imperfections that make it that way.
Take a task I must run each day. I understand that it is supposed to be scheduled and run automatically but things being what they are, I must do this one myself.
If I can I run it from home (on my way out the door) and off to work I go! Some times this cannot be done and is the first thing I do each day.
The Customer, Jorge (not his name) sends an e-mail upset that the “temporary fix just does not work and we are not doing anything about it!” HAHAHA! I am the fix for now (can I go home since I do not work?)
I work! I am getting e-mails now after I run the task, saying it doesn’t work and I send Jorge the e-mail telling him to check the process.
Oh how I want to send this instead.
Hey how is it you , you missed me running this thing? Go look it is there! So calls us and be rude again, I really like it when you attempt to have each of us feel small and cheap. But being a professional I don’t
Dealing with rudeness is difficult at best. But once something goes wrong or not done right on time (Stuff happens) This, they do not want to hear.
I had a Death in my family not too long ago. I missed some time from work and a project I was working on was left to sit for 3 days. I was the owner of the ticket and management would not allow the job to someone else.
I got back to work and contacted my customer (a man much like Jorge) and explained the situation. He did not acknowledge why I was not right on the task, just that the task was not completed. This taught me not to go fishing for empathy and makes for akwardness when haveing to dispence some when needed.
We get calls from clients that have the same situation and Empathy flows like water. We train on it we practice it. We do our level best to identify with our customer so they feel better about the product and us as technicians ( note that I did not say individuals).
We do it because it is the Human thing to do! It helps to alleviate stress on the caller’s part. Helps them learn to look at a situation before calling it a problem. We feel better in the process.
Then there is Jorge! We all have one. That one customer devoid of empathy, or any concept of understanding.
The problem is "The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads." By Hollering at technology Created by Humans yelling at machines doing things for Humans that get yelled at by humans for being Humans.
I love irony!
John Cleveland
Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, and thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."
"What giants?" asked Sancho Panza.
"Those you see over there," replied his master, "with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length."
"Take care, sir," cried Sancho. "Those over there are not giants but windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone."
Cervantes' Don Quixote
In this “automated world” There are some things that have to be done by hand. I like things that are hand crafted not matter if it is new or old as I know it has that Human touch. With all of its beauty and “Craftsmanship” there are things, flaws and imperfections that make it that way.
Take a task I must run each day. I understand that it is supposed to be scheduled and run automatically but things being what they are, I must do this one myself.
If I can I run it from home (on my way out the door) and off to work I go! Some times this cannot be done and is the first thing I do each day.
The Customer, Jorge (not his name) sends an e-mail upset that the “temporary fix just does not work and we are not doing anything about it!” HAHAHA! I am the fix for now (can I go home since I do not work?)
I work! I am getting e-mails now after I run the task, saying it doesn’t work and I send Jorge the e-mail telling him to check the process.
Oh how I want to send this instead.
Hey how is it you , you missed me running this thing? Go look it is there! So calls us and be rude again, I really like it when you attempt to have each of us feel small and cheap. But being a professional I don’t
Dealing with rudeness is difficult at best. But once something goes wrong or not done right on time (Stuff happens) This, they do not want to hear.
I had a Death in my family not too long ago. I missed some time from work and a project I was working on was left to sit for 3 days. I was the owner of the ticket and management would not allow the job to someone else.
I got back to work and contacted my customer (a man much like Jorge) and explained the situation. He did not acknowledge why I was not right on the task, just that the task was not completed. This taught me not to go fishing for empathy and makes for akwardness when haveing to dispence some when needed.
We get calls from clients that have the same situation and Empathy flows like water. We train on it we practice it. We do our level best to identify with our customer so they feel better about the product and us as technicians ( note that I did not say individuals).
We do it because it is the Human thing to do! It helps to alleviate stress on the caller’s part. Helps them learn to look at a situation before calling it a problem. We feel better in the process.
Then there is Jorge! We all have one. That one customer devoid of empathy, or any concept of understanding.
The problem is "The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads." By Hollering at technology Created by Humans yelling at machines doing things for Humans that get yelled at by humans for being Humans.
I love irony!
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