Several months ago, I decided to get fitted for a new set of golf clubs. My golf coach, Bryana, suggested that it was time to look at some new clubs for myself, as the technology of clubs has improved dramatically since I bought my set 5 years ago.
So, Bryana arranged to join me for a fitting day at my golf club.
After an hour of trying different clubs, we put together an order for a new set. I wasn’t given any paperwork nor any details for when they would ship to me, etc.
But I thought, it must be me.
I’m usually a stickler for details, but since it was my first time having clubs custom-fitted, I assumed (incorrectly) that everything was taken care of.
The following week, I started wondering about when I would get my clubs. No one seemed to know! My golf coach had moved to another location, so I spent quite a few phone calls and emails with the staff at my golf club trying to locate them. Frankly, it was disorganized and the manufacturer ended up shipping me the wrong clubs. I finally got all my correct clubs, about 6 weeks later.
About that time, I met up with Bryana for a golf lesson. I told her about my experience. Then she mentioned to me that the same guy who handled my fitting (poorly), was fitting another one of her clients earlier that week, and she had a bad experience, too! It wasn’t the same type of issue as I had, but nevertheless, Bryana’s golf client was not happy.
Today, I went for another golf lesson with Bryana, and the first thing she mentioned to me was: Remember that guy who helped fit you for golf clubs? Well, I just learned he got fired!
I looked at her and said, “how you do anything is how you do everything.” I am guessing that the poor experience I had, along with that of her other client, were not isolated instances. Poor customer service is not usually a one-time event.
I asked her, “didn’t you know, deep inside, that the guy we worked with was a problem?” And she admitted yes.
But like most of us, when we have a poor customer service experience, especially with our own employees or associates, we try to rationalize that “they are just having a bad day.”
But, based on my experience, if someone is good in customer service and is having a bad day, they mask any issues they are having and put the customer experience first.
How many times have you had an attitude or performance issue with someone, and you avoid confronting them about it. You rationalize that they must have something going on, or worse yet, you just don’t want to deal with it (them).
When you don’t deal with the REAL issue right away, it will fester and grow and the person with the performance problem will assume that their poor performance or attitude is acceptable, because you continue to tolerate it.
It’s not easy or pleasant to confront these kinds of issues. People’s issues often are kicked down the road. I can still recall those people in my produce company who were a performance or attitude problem, and I avoided confronting them, for a long time (if ever at all). And what ends up happening?
Other coworkers will leave the company, because they do not want to work with your performance problem. I recall that I had an entire team resign and leave my company one at a time, over the course of 6 months. Each person who left gave a unique excuse for leaving. It wasn’t until I started to consider the WHOLE picture that I realized the cause of all the resignations was because I tolerated someone who was really the problem.
Do you have any performance or attitude problems in your organization? Have you been ignoring the issue and hesitating to confront them, for fear that “they will quit”? So, what is worse – that they quit….or that the rest of your team quits in disgust and frustration.
Remember to listen to your gut. Oftentimes, you know deep in your gut when someone is a performance or cultural problem. Instead of kicking that can down the road, why not confront it?
How you do anything, is how you do everything!
Onward and upward,
Executive Coaching and Consulting for business CEOs, Owners and Presidents
If you are looking to grow your business or amplify your personal leadership skills, I would love to have a conversation with you. You can email me at [email protected] for a no obligation conversation.
