Want To Feel Appreciated?
I may have first heard this from Tom Peters. "No one appreciates what you do, unless what you do immediately benefits them." Sound a bit crude? Like I'm supposed to be concerned about benefitting others? Well, yeah.
Like it or not, we live in a service oriented world. In the course of a typical day, your attitude will be shaped largely by the quality of service you receive from others. Don't believe this? Then you haven't had to seek help desk assistance, order office supplies, obtain a loan, have your car serviced, or purchase fast food.
But these are what I would refer to as "large transactions," events of greater significance or duration, or perhaps more importantly, likely cost us money. How we are treated by the fast food drive-thru employee, especially if it is the last stop on the way home, can influence our personal disposition for the rest of the evening.
The transactions I am specifically referring to are the dozens, more subtle ones that occur all day, every working day. The phone calls asking for information. The morning meeting. The next "customer." Whatever it is you do, many other people need something you have--a part, a document, a drawing, knowledge, food, or some kind of service. And each time they reach out to you, in person, by email, in writing or by phone is the beginning of a transaction.
I say beginning of a transaction because it is at this point in the process that you now hold the power to greatly influence, when the transaction is completed, how the other person or people see you. They come to the transaction with a general expectation of the quality of service they'll receive. It's up to you to validate or exceed their expectations.
Exceed their expectations periodically and you'll probably keep your job awhile.
Work to exceed their expectations with every transaction and you'll be appreciated, maybe famous.
Like it or not, we live in a service oriented world. In the course of a typical day, your attitude will be shaped largely by the quality of service you receive from others. Don't believe this? Then you haven't had to seek help desk assistance, order office supplies, obtain a loan, have your car serviced, or purchase fast food.
But these are what I would refer to as "large transactions," events of greater significance or duration, or perhaps more importantly, likely cost us money. How we are treated by the fast food drive-thru employee, especially if it is the last stop on the way home, can influence our personal disposition for the rest of the evening.
The transactions I am specifically referring to are the dozens, more subtle ones that occur all day, every working day. The phone calls asking for information. The morning meeting. The next "customer." Whatever it is you do, many other people need something you have--a part, a document, a drawing, knowledge, food, or some kind of service. And each time they reach out to you, in person, by email, in writing or by phone is the beginning of a transaction.
I say beginning of a transaction because it is at this point in the process that you now hold the power to greatly influence, when the transaction is completed, how the other person or people see you. They come to the transaction with a general expectation of the quality of service they'll receive. It's up to you to validate or exceed their expectations.
Exceed their expectations periodically and you'll probably keep your job awhile.
Work to exceed their expectations with every transaction and you'll be appreciated, maybe famous.
posted by Duane Olcsvary at 6:44 PM
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