Customer Service During Weakened Economy

“Every company’s greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company,” 

During our recent weakened economy, many businesses have seen declining revenues. Declining revenues lead to reduced staff levels and diminished services. To me, this does not make sense. I believe that it is during the down times, when service should be at the forefront and retention of loyal customers even more of a focus.
When price wars fail to drive revenues, businesses often look to service to give them a competitive advantage. Many big business marketers are returning to a “service sells” mentality, however, many sell great customer service and few deliver. The problem is that few marketers have ever truly served a customer.
Throughout my years in business, I have had the opportunity to interact and develop a customer service philosophy. It is inherent that when you are in a service-based business, there will be times when your customer is compelled to offer you their feedback. It is what you do with this feedback that will shape the future and their impression of your business.
Upon reflection, most all of my interactions with displeased customers were not the result of a poor product, but rather a disappointing customer experience. Why is that?
Because, product is not personal, customer service is. Briefly, I would like to share with you eight critical steps to establish a customer service culture.
1. Customers are the reason for work, not an interruption of workThis sounds really obvious doesn’t it? How many times have you gone into a business only to wait while someone is on the telephone or busy doing some “non-service” task? Employees often lose sight of the importance of the customer and get consumed in lesser day to day tasks. Sure, there are tasks that need to be accomplished, but you cannot afford to sacrifice service to get them done. Good customer service must be a priority for you and your team. Without your customers, you have no company!
2. Train, train, and continue to train.Cross train your entire staff to be able to assist a customer regardless of their department. When a customer becomes upset they want their problem solved not to be shuffled between employees that are not empowered or enable to assist them.  Offer continuous customer service training for your staff and once they are providing good service, continue to train them. Utilize role play situations to assist your staff in recognizing and experiencing both easy and difficult service opportunities. If an employee has a level of comfort with a difficult situation, they will be able to better handle it.

3. Empower your staff to serveEstablish a system of resources for your staff to serve the customer. Allow them space to take the necessary action to provide exceptional service and resolve any issues should a customer become disgruntled. Create a structured system to allow your staff to serve customers.

Establish a discretionary budget that an employee may access to recover a customer before you lose them. I recently learned that a major hotel chain has a monetary fund available per year and per employee enabling them to go above and beyond to ensure exceptional service. This empowers the employee the right to create a “memorable” customer experience. I am not advocating large sums of money, but with regards to customer service, a small gesture can go a long way.

Ask your staff what tools would enable them to provide better service. You would not send a fireman into a burning building without the proper equipment. Failing to empower and enable your staff with the necessary tools to serve you customer leaves you with few options other than poor service.

4. Make service personalGreet repeat customers by name, if possible. Offer a handshake and introduce yourself. Creating service that is personal will not only retain customers, but help diffuse difficult situations should they arise.
Thank your customers for their patronage. It really does make a difference.

5. It is ok to say “Yes”, even when you should say “No”Support your staff when they make customer service decisions. In my business, it is my company’s policy that an employee can act without concern for repercussion, as long as they are meeting a customer’s need. I have found this creates a greater willingness to serve the customer.  Often times you could say “no” to a customer, however, “no” can have huge implications on your business. Ask yourself, “Am I willing to potentially lose 10 customers as result of this interaction?”

6. Offer a solutionShift from the problem to the process for resolution. Offer a choice between several options. Put yourself in their place. Involve the customer in determining the solution. Clearly explain any limitations that exist.

7. Recognize your staff members for outstanding serviceImplement a customer service awards program that recognizes employees for exceptional customer service. Take the time to acknowledge employees at staff meetings. People want to leave their mark and feel that they matter. Taking the time to recognize them in front of their peers can make a real difference.

8. Ask your customers what they think of your serviceThe best way to find out if you are satisfying customers is to ask them. Formal efforts could include customer surveys, questionnaires, interviews or comment/suggestion cards. Informally, get out and talk with your customers and your staff. Ask them how they feel about service you are providing. Ideally, use a combination of both methods.

You may be thinking, “Why should I go ask for trouble? Who knows what I might hear if I ask?” That is the point. As you will see in the statistics below, most customers will not voice their disappointment with your service levels. They will simply leave and never return. If you do not ask about the quality of your service, you might make the wrong assumptions and feel that you can reduce service levels because you get few complaints and lead your organization into areas that turn off your customers or cause problems that you never intended.
On the other hand, asking your customers about their satisfaction sends a message to them that you care about your business and about them. While you might hear some criticisms, you might also learn what you are doing right and see what you should modify. In addition to the information, you will benefit from the interaction. Every interaction is a customer service opportunity. Make the most of each and every one.
Most of us continue doing business with people and businesses who give good service. We might not say anything, but we reward good service providers by continuing to do business with them. If the service is outstanding, we will probably tell our friends and colleagues about it. Likewise, when we receive poor service most of us vote, not with our voice, but with our feet—we just leave.

Get shocked to read the following facts about un-happy customers:
96% of dissatisfied customers do not complain directly.
90% will not return.
One unhappy customer will tell nine others.
13% will tell at least 20 other people

It’s all up to us.

Republished from my earlier blog series in July 2008

Diagnosing Your Client’s Needs

When people think about making a purchase, they aren’t likely to compare talking with you to going to the doctor, but you should make that comparison when preparing to talk with clients. People trust doctors. They usually accept the diagnosis and prescription for wellness with few questions asked. That’s because they recognize doctors as experts in their fields.

Your goal is to have your clients see you the same way. When they have an ache or pain related to your type of product, they should immediately think of calling you. That’s because they’ll be confident you have the right prescription for their ills.

To earn this level of respect and trust, you need to start every relationship with the right skills. These skills include a caring manner, a confident air, and your diagnostic tools.

The tools you use in diagnosing the needs of your clients may be as simple as a pad of paper, measuring tape or calculator. They may include your past client experiences, personal experiences or memories. Diagnosing clients’ needs can require a computer, specialized software or even involve engineering or customized schematics.

The most powerful diagnostic tools used by all people in sales are questions. Like a doctor, your use of questions begins with general areas of need. Then, based on the answers you are given, you narrow your questions down to where you can readily determine the right cure or solution for the clients’ needs.

Average salespeople have this fantasy in which they think they should be able to simply present the wonderful features of their product and the customer, seeing the value, pulls out their checkbook or credit card and says, “I’ll take it.” If customers made buying decisions based on features alone that might work, but it’s a rare occasion when it does.

The reality of it is that most buying decisions are based on past experiences, the experiences of others the client trusts, advertising, gut feelings and hundreds of other factors that you can’t do much about.

So, you have to start with questions to get them talking about their needs, wants and perceptions of your product or service. These answers will help you put yourself in their shoes. Once you’re there, you’ll see what steps you need to help them take to make a good buying decision.

Be sure to ask “what past experience do you have with our type of service?” It could be that they’re very well-versed on the service, even used it in the past, and are seeking a new supplier. If they know little or nothing about your service, you’ll have to invest a bit more time in educating them as to what your offer entails and what they can expect.

Ask very specifically what they hope to accomplish with an investment in your services. It could be that one of your key benefits is sought after by most clients. However, that feature does nothing for this client. You won’t want to turn them off by talking about something that doesn’t matter to them.

I like to use the analogy of a torpedo when talking about this subject. A torpedo leaves a ship in the general direction of its intended target. It bounces a signal off in the target direction. If the signal doesn’t come back, it corrects its direction to get back on course.
That’s what questioning does for you. You take off in a certain direction with your questions. The answers you receive either tell you that you’re on target or that you need to take another tack. Rarely will you take a direct course from initial contact to the sale. More often than not, you’ll find yourself zig-zagging but all the while heading in the general direction of the sale until you find just the right answer for each and every client.

Take a moment to think about all the tools you use with clients and evaluate how fluent you are with them. If you are weak with any of them, commit time improve by rehearsals and practice!!


Republished from my earlier blog series in July 2008

Handling Price Objections

You are talking to a customer and after you present your product, service or solution, s/he asks, "What discount can I get?" or "What can you do about the price?"

Think before you speak otherwise this innocent-sounding question will cost you money right off your bottom line. While it’s tempting to offer a discount or better price resist the desire to do so. Here’s why.

First, just because someone asks you for a better price, does not mean they expect to get it. Some people ask for a discount because they have been told to. They are often uncomfortable doing this and will seldom press the issue. However, professional buyers and key decision-makers know that many sellers will drop their price at the first sign of resistance so they ask everyone for a discount-and they can be aggressive in their approach. Plus, experienced negotiators lose respect for people who drop their price too quickly. Standing your ground and refusing to cave in right away is also a show of strength and executives respect this type of behaviour.

Second, when you drop your price too quickly, you teach your customer to repeat that behaviour in future transactions. Remember, everything you do now affects your customer’s behaviour toward you in the future. When I first started my sales career, I gave a client a discount on a package of services. The next time he contacted, he demanded that same discount which put me in a somewhat precarious position-did I give the same discount or risk losing the sale? A business executive once told me that she knew which of her suppliers she could browbeat into giving her a better price and she always took advantage of that perceived weakness.

 

So, what is the best way to respond to a request for a discount or better price?

Professional negotiators will tell you to flinch. A flinch is a visible reaction to a request or demand and goes something like this, "You want a discount!?! Even though you know our services are exclusive and will help you get better results you still want a discount?" When coupled with the right facial expressions and body language, this technique is extremely effective. However, I have found that most people are extremely uncomfortable using this approach and even I find it difficult to apply on a consistent basis.

An effective way to respond to a request for a better price is to ask, "What did you have in mind?" or "What were you looking for?" When you ask one of these questions, you get the other person to tell you how much of a discount they want. In many cases, their expectation will be less than you are prepared to give which means you will increase the size of the sale and save money at the same time-a double win. One word of caution here-an experienced negotiator will say, "Well, I want a better price than this" which means you need to be prepared to ask the question a couple of times.

This also applies to email correspondence. Many people will ask their sales person for a discount via email or telephone which makes it next to impossible to use some of the standard negotiating techniques. Before you respond by offering a better price, take the time to properly craft your email or telephonic script. Here is what you can say, "We might be able to do something for you. What did you have in mind?" The key is to give the indication that you have flexibility without committing to something you might regret later.

This sounds like an easy technique to use but it’s not. You have to train yourself to listen for your customer’s question and be prepared to respond with your own. I hate to admit it but I have fallen for this question because I wasn’t expecting it. In one situation, an existing client asked me for a package price on some bundled services. Instead of responding by asking what price he was looking for, I automatically offered a small discount. I kicked myself afterwards because I felt that I should know better.

It is essential to listen carefully to what your prospect says and to think before you speak. It is also critical to practice asking your question until it becomes second- nature so you can respond quickly when a prospect asks for a discount or better price.


Republished from my earlier blog series in May 2008

Employee Empowerment

For many, the animated series, ‘He-man and the Master of the Universe’ was just a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. The popular show, many say even had an underlying message, that rings very true in today’s corporate scenario. He-man always followed a strategy that enabled him to make decisions pertaining to his actions. He was bestowed upon with the responsibility to own his work and take full accountability for the results. And above all, he was given the “power” to make change happen. You may not be a He-man at the workplace, but do you feel empowered enough? Employee empowerment, organizations say is the key to motivating employees.

So what does it take, for an employee, to perform his/her very best? Is it the project or the reward? While these are the factors that enable employee to work towards his/her goal, experts of India Inc. say that giving employees the liberty to perform their role to the best of their abilities is what drives them. Sheeresh Misra, head-operations, Orchid City Center Mall, a Future Group Initiative, explains that by giving employees the paradigm to make decisions pertaining to their team, the work environment and their customers who visit the mall, will help them execute their role better.

G A Krishna, assistant retail manager, Indus League Clothing Limited explains how he was empowered by his company, “Thanks to the management, I have been given a free hand to operate and take independent decisions in the interest of the company and its employees. This helps me work better in an environment that requires me to be on my feet and serve my customers and my employers better.”

Jayesh Kini, who works for the human capital department of Development Credit Bank (DCB) says, “These initiatives bring ownership while performing the task thus resulting in quick delivery. Clarity in role and objectives makes us more goal oriented and focused. Continuous feedback and customer centric approach help us in assuring 100 per cent accuracy resulting into job satisfaction and confidence building.”

However, there is always room for more. And these employees feel that there is a need for organizations to implement more such empowerment initiatives. The reason, they say, is that it helps them in being prepared for the future. Kini says that DCB helps him perform better at his job through skill development and upgradation, as he can learn newer modules of work and perform in more than one vertical.

From an organization’s perspective, employee empowerment adds to their productivity. B Venkataprasad, Head – HR, Indus League Clothing Limited explains, “An employee will be motivated by rewards, both monetary and emotional (read: recognition and appreciation) and with the practice of better methods provided in training, it will provide role clarity and help to channelize the energy in the right direction.”

 “In many organizations which do not empower their staff, employees often feel micro-managed; it is a proven fact that that two out of five employees feel that they don’t have the decision-making authority, that they need to do their jobs well. This leads to a slow-moving workforce that is minimally productive, lacks self-motivation and is unable to take prudent business risks or make innovative changes,” explains Romil Ratrageneral manager, InterContinental.

 So, if you ever feel disengaged or demotivated, remember, you have the power to make change happen and influence your own actions at the workplace. All you need to do is use it!

Republished from my earlier blog series in May 2008

Training Approach within Training Functions.

You are asked to provide change management training for 150 employees, and resources are tight, restricting the training to a single half-day session for the lowest cost possible.

Your employees complain and nothing changes after slide-review “training” of standard operating procedures.
Two divisions are at war; morale is low. Quick! Deliver a team-building session.

What is the return on investment for these training activities? Will learning even happen? Are the training objectives actually linked to organizational goals? Emergency “just-in-time” training solutions rarely form the basis for a plan designed to meet business goals, increase productivity, or maximize return on investment. In the best case, a dynamic trainer may receive good ratings on a post-session evaluation form. Knowledge, behaviors and attitudes, however, are unlikely to change with these quick fixes; training dollars will be wasted.

Organizations today, stressed by enormous competitive pressures, often jump into action before stepping back and analyzing exactly what to do. This translates into programs and human resource systems designed and delivered by "crisis" management, often without integration with other organizational initiatives. Organizations, regardless of size or industry, cannot afford an unplanned approach to education and training.

The Alternative

Successful organizations plan strategically for training just as they do for the rest of their business. They look long-term and develop a training curriculum to meet current and future needs and escape the reactive environment of training to meet “emergency” requests or to use the latest training fad.

When organizations look at training as a strategy, rather than using ad hoc, one-time departmental solutions, they

• assess needs and priorities for technical and non-technical skills.
• identify learning requirements for each audience, from new employees to experienced senior managers.
• translate skills needed into appropriate development activities and training.
• build a blueprint of programs that aligns training goals with business goals and objectives.
• have processes to measure return on training investments, fine-tune offerings, and update needs.

The Process

Developing a training plan requires assessing current and future training requirements which are consistent with the business goals of the organization. By creating and using a training plan, the organization has a place to begin, a place to move toward, and measurable points in between.

The First Stage

Effective planning begins by reviewing business objectives and assessing the skills needed to meet those goals. For what does the organization want to be known? What will it take to be distinguished from its competitors? What specific skills, knowledge, and abilities will employees need in order to attain their goals now and in the future? The best training plans are tightly linked to both organizational and individual development and should include relationship skills, technical skills, and business skills.

Consider the example of a mid-size, international company whose strategy for achieving its business goals included improved succession planning. The executive leadership team identified key mid-level managers with potential to eventually fill senior management slots. Based on their analysis of the skills and behaviors necessary for leadership success in the company, we worked with them to design a curriculum. To create a baseline, each trainee participated in a 360-degree feedback assessment on the specific skills and behaviors identified. Areas of strength from which they could build and key development opportunities provided the basis for individual development planning. A group summary of all the feedback became a guide for designing course content. Evaluation of the leadership series by participants, the executive team, and our facilitators ensured fine-tuning and continued relevance for the next wave of managers. Annual individual development plans were available to those responsible for training strategy, so that training could be updated and implemented in the future based on changing organizational needs.

The Second Stage

After laying the foundation, the next stage is to collect data on current education and training activities and suggestions for the future. A needs assessment is a cost-effective approach to minimize the likelihood of misspent resources and of inappropriate solutions. It also tends to expand the number of techniques used to gather information and reduce dependence on one or two favorite strategies. It is essential to use a variety of diagnostic tools for assessing organizational development or training and development needs. Approaches include:

• analyzing employee development plans
• one-on-one interviews with senior managers
• focus groups to assess current and future skills needed in each department, division, or team
• questionnaires completed by employees in each target group to provide their perceptions of needs, interests, and delivery options

A variety of quantitative methods are generally used in data collection and analysis. For example, data can be rank-ordered in terms of priority, interest, etc. so the responses of participating groups (such as departments or divisions) can be compared. In determining organizational priorities, there are generally areas of common need as well as areas of disparate need, even within a single division.

This stage can also include analyses of performance problems, such as issues related to communication or team problems, customer complaints, process problems, and other measures of role or organization dysfunction. Getting behind assumptions and analyzing why these problems are occurring reveals whether training is the appropriate approach or if there are better, non-training, solutions.

How did one large, global organization begin its formation of a corporate university? The process started with the realization that employee recruitment, retention, and performance each benefited from ongoing development opportunities. Key leadership skills for employees, from administrative staff and individual contributors to senior executives, were identified. Core values and desired behaviors were considered and the decision was made to fund and establish a corporate university. The resulting curriculum served 22,000 global employees and was directly tied to business and employee needs. Processes ensured ongoing refinement and evaluation. Employees themselves served informally in development and implementation roles; buy-in was indicated by a no-show rate of less than two percent at training programs.

Third Stage

The data-gathering process generates an enormous amount of information which is synthesized and prioritized by function or project area and developed into one, two and five-year plans. The third stage creates a report of training recommendations. Included in the analysis may be recommendations on the many training delivery methods available.

Often, recommendations coming out of a needs analysis process form the basis of both short-term and long-term plans. The data is analyzed to prioritize needs and create an implementation plan. Generally, this prioritization occurs in several steps:
Rank ordering data by importance, desirability, frequency selected, etc. 
Presentation of ranked data and preliminary conclusions to one or more representative groups able to weigh all the information, assess relative importance and priority, and come to consensus. This process is a fine-tuning of the results and leads to step three.

Incorporating recommended modifications and revisions.

For example, In order to develop training and development priorities out to five years, a large amount of information was collected to assess the skills and training needed for the R&D and manufacturing divisions of a large organization. The information analyzed came from

• one-on-one interviews with directors.
• half-day meetings with representatives from each department to analyze needed present and future skills.
• developing surveys to collect input from all employees.
• data collection and collation.
• meetings with representatives from each department to discuss survey results, fine- tune conclusions, and discuss implementation plans.

The results were a final report with an implementation plan and curricula based on both role and job level.

The Delivery

Whether via a small training function or a corporate university, companies today have many development tools and approaches available, for example, instructor-led and computer-based instruction, multi-media and self-paced modules, mentoring and on-the-job coaching, outsourcing and partnering with external suppliers, off-site conferences and professional meetings, affiliations with local and electronic universities and colleges, and tuition reimbursement programs. Offering a variety of resources and options helps appeal to the myriad types of learners in organizations. Many of these resources tend to be “generic” rather than designed for technical specialists such as those found in the technology-based pharmaceutical industry. Customizing training for technical professionals is essential, and there are several critical success factors for such training:

Credibility of the instructor(s)

Do they personally have the training and experience to align with technical professionals? Have they demonstrated their own technical and managerial competence? Do they communicate that background effectively?

Relevance of the material

Are the examples and exercises used in the training clearly pertinent to the participant’s environment or must they be interpolated? It is not enough to articulate the needs and differences of technical specialists and then use generic situations in training programs.

Discussions and exercises targeted to the experience and needs of the participants

Individuals from drug discovery, chemical process, clinical development, manufacturing, information science, technical sales and marketing, and other groups face specific challenges. The training designed and delivered needs to consider on these specifics.

Trainer’s facilitation skills

Do subject matter experts inherit the role of trainer? Many times, employees who possess product or process knowledge also design and facilitate the training. Do their facilitation and instructional design skills match their technical expertise? If not, subject matter experts can collaborate with trained designers and facilitators to create better learning experiences.

The Design

The design of all programs in the strategic learning plan should be built around the ways we learn best. People need both “heads-on” and “hands-on” experience; either alone is insufficient.

Do we learn by listening to experts?

Our assumption is that if an expert talks and we don’t learn that we weren’t listening. But we listen with filters and hear what we want to hear, not necessarily what is said. Many tests show that people are generally unable to apply information to which they simply listen. So…

Does experience lead to learning?

How many pennies have you seen, spent or lost in your lifetime? By the age of thirty, most of us have had “experience” with about 20,000 pennies. Even with all that experience, could you accurately draw both faces of a penny? If you attach a small mirror to a wall, would you move closer or further away to see more of yourself? Most of us look into a mirror daily and would say we should move further away. Yet the answer is that mirror size, not distance, impacts what we can see. In neither example does extensive experience lead to learning. So…

Does hands-on learning work best?

One would expect that a group of Harvard and MIT graduates could use a bulb, wire and a battery to light the bulb. When asked, all indicated they could. Yet few were actually successful. Science students (after hands-on use of a socket, battery and wire to light a bulb) were unable to take the battery and wire alone to light the bulb. Researchers concluded that none of these individuals had learned or understood the principle of electricity, despite their hands-on experience.

The most effective designs include small-group opportunities to experience, discuss and apply concepts. Innovative games and simulations designed around business content and processes have proven to be ideal learning tools.

The Impact

When an organization approaches a comprehensive training plan as strategically as it does the rest of its business, the results are measurable.

• A strategic training plan supports your business goals and enhances productivity
• Training dollars have greater impact.
• A process which provides ongoing data means you can refine and update the plan as organizational demands change.

Some argue they can’t afford to plan for or provide training. I suggest they can’t afford not to.


Republished from my earlier blog series in February 2010

Sir its 12 o’clock!

I was standing at Dadar Station (New Delhi) when my attention went towards a Sikh youth standing near me wearing a Black turban having a long beard and wearing a kirpan over his shirt looking similar to a Terrorist. After a while one local train arrived, which was totally packed. The Sikh youth tried to alight the train but failed to do so. Just then a voice was heard from back coach ‘Sardarji Barah Baj gaye’ (Sir its 12 o’clock!)

The Sikh youth looked over at that voice maker who was a young mischievous type of person and instead of showing any anger made a smile towards him. The smile made was so enigmatic that it seemed some type of truth lies behind it. Not able to resist my temptation I walked towards him and asked why did he smile at that person who teased him. The Sikh replied ‘he was not teasing me but was asking for my Help’. I was surprised with these words and he told me that there was a big history behind that which one should know. I was eager to know the History and the Sikh youth narrated:

During 17th Century when Hindustan was ruled by Mughals all the people were humiliated and were treated like animal. Mughals treated the Hindu women as there own property and were forcing all Hindus to accept Islam and even used to kill the people if they were refusing to accept.

That time our Ninth Guru Sri Guru Teg Bhadarji who came forward, in request of some Kashmir Pandits to fight against all these cruel activities. Guruji told the Mughal emperor if he could succeed in converting him to Islam all the Hindus would accept the same but if he failed, he should stop all those activities . The Mughal emperor happily agreed to that but even after lots of torture to Guruji and his fellow members he failed to convert him to Islam and Guruji along with his other four fellow members who were also tortured for the same sacrificed their lives in Chandni Chowk. Since the Mughals were unable to convert them to Islam they were assassinated.  Thus Guruji sacrificed his life for Protection of Hindu religion. Can anybody lay his life that too for protection of some other religion. This is the reason he is still remembered has Hind Ki Chaddar . For sake of whom he had sacrificed his life, none of the them came forward to lift his body with a fear that they would also be assassinated .

Seeing this incident our 10th Guruji, Sri Guru Gobind Singhji (Son of Guru Teg Bahadarji) made a resolution that he would make such a human who would not be able to hide himself and could be easily located in thousands, THE SIKH. 

At the start Sikhs were very less in numbers even though they were fighting against the Mughals emperors. At that time Nadir Shah raided Delhi in the year 1739 and looted Hindustan and was carrying lot of Hindustan treasures and nearly 2200 Hindu women along with him. The news spread like a fire and was heard by Sardar Jassa Singh who was the Commander of the Sikh army at that time . He decided to attack Nadir Shah’s Khafila on the same midnight. He did so and rescued all the Hindu women and they were safely sent to their homes. It didn’t happen only once but thereafter whenever any Abdaalis or Iranis had looted Hindustan and were trying to carry out treasures and Hindu women along with them for selling them in Abdal markets, the Sikh army quite few in numbers but were brave hearted attacked them in the midnight,12 O’clock and rescued women.

After that time when there occurred a similar incidence people started to contact the Sikh army for their help and Sikhs used to attack the raider’s at Midnight, 12 O’clock. It continued and became a fame that at midnight nearly at 12 O’clock it is very difficult to fight against Sikhs as the Sikhs get some Extra Power to save Religion, Nation and Humanity. Nobody can fight and win against them at midnight, this continues till now. Nowadays these smart people and some Sikh enemies who are afraid of Sikhs, have spread these words that at 12 O’clock the Sikhs go out of their sense.

This historic fact was the reason which made me smile over that person as I thought that his Mother or Sister would be in trouble and wants my help which he was unable to provide and may be he was reminding me by saying off ‘Sardarji Barah Baj Gaye’

As he was narrating the incident I was feeling ashamed of myself as I used to click and enjoy the jokes on Sikhs and too made fun of them.  But now I have got the truth that these Sikhs are born for others and they are real patriotic to Humanity and Religion. What are we all doing to these great Saints and Soldiers ???? instead of thanking them we all are making fun.

Earlier the Sikh youth appeared as a Terrorist but now I could see the reflection of real Patriotic person in him.

This story was passed to me via email.  It originated with the name, Vineeta Deshpande.  And printed in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa.


Republished from my earlier blog series in February 2010

My Boss My Coach, Not a Good Idea!!

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Whenever I write about line managers being crucially important to effective L&D (which I do, often) I fall into the trap of describing the role I want them to take as being a coach. A few recent experiences have caused me to question this terminology.

To understand my disquiet, I need to let you know what I mean by a coach. I'm not talking about someone who demonstrates what they want you to do and then supervises your first few efforts. Nothing wrong with 'Sitting by Hari' as it used to be called, but when about half the top selling training books on Amazon have the word coaching in the title, I'm guessing that all those pages are devoted to something other than simple functional coaching.

I'm also not talking about the kind of coaching that gets done by the well suited external consultant in a black turtle neck. Whether they call themselves executive coaches, life coaches or personal facilitators, their therapy-lite role as cheer leader and spiritual guide is not quite what I'm on about either.

"Line managers have an absolute duty to support the development of their team members. But are they the right people to provide coaching?"

The type of coaching I'm talking about is the sort that uses one of the many coaching models designed to get an individual to look at their performance and aspirations and recognize what needs to happen to the former to enable the latter to be achieved.

Line managers have an absolute duty to support the development of their team members. But are they the right people to provide coaching? A couple of organizations that I have been associated to in the past have a so-called coaching culture and the default coach for each individual is their line manager. To have someone else involved, a team member would need to be brave enough to effectively sack their team leader as coach. Brave, bordering on foolhardy.

This hints at my first challenge. To work in the classic coaching models requires a degree of openness which we shouldn't necessarily assume is always the case when talking to our boss. In many organizations, development discussions are tied up with performance appraisal and a whole other level of being economical with the actualité comes into play. In the performance appraisal/annual bonus discussion, will I really discuss my weaknesses openly and the difficulties that I've had during the year? Unlikely.

Another issue: What if the aspirations you want to discuss are about moving to another team, being promoted, perhaps replacing the current team leader or even going elsewhere for a broader range of experiences? I am sure that there are managers who think only of the good which the organization can gain from realizing the full potential of each of their team members before they inevitably move on and - if they're any good – will assist them to grow within the business as a testament to their leadership and selfless devotion to duty. I'm sure there are others as well. In fact, I have numerous anecdotal accounts from those whose coach actually thwarted their advancement because they were too valuable in their current role to the team, and the team leader's performance statistics.

One disgruntled coachee (alternative vocabulary welcome) told me that when she eventually left the organization, the HR team let slip that they had been told by her line manager not to promote her because he didn't have the time to train her replacement. She was regularly coached by that same individual and she said he was good at developing the skills needed to do the current job, but whenever discussion turned to aspirations beyond her current role, the conversation was cut short and her confidence actively undermined through comments about ambition outstripping ability. 

Then there are the 'lead from the front' team leaders. The sort who think they are great people developers because they 'show them how it should be done'. With these characters, discussion tends to focus on 'why can't you be like me?' When the one-to-one conversation takes place it is often limited to delegating tasks and pointing out your shortcomings.

I had a boss like that once. His standard phrase used at all times when he made a 'helpful' pronouncement was "I'm surrounded by idiots!" Did I go to him to discuss areas of concern that, with guidance, I wanted to work through and improve upon? What do you think?

So line managers may not make the best coaches but do they still have a role in supporting L&D? Yes they do, and we should be expecting them to discuss development options with individuals. We should hold them to account for their team members taking up training programs and using resources to develop their performance. We should expect them to follow up after training programs – creating opportunities for the application of what has been learned.

Maybe the quality conversations which make up the effective coaching relationship should be delegated elsewhere to support an objective focus solely on the individual's aspirations. 

"I think the answer to my question "should line managers coach?" is no. But somebody else should."

Two examples of good practice spring to mind. In the contact center industry, it is not uncommon for teams to have an experienced and seasoned member in the role of coach. They have scheduled time away from the phones specifically to support individuals in improving their performance but they are not the team leader. Appraisals and staff management are not part of their brief. This seems a good approach where staff need day-to-day help to do their job.

The second example comes from education. In some universities and colleges, those staff who are currently in front line teaching roles, but have been identified as potential faculty heads and managers in the future have access to senior personnel on a monthly basis to discuss non-functional development. Many other organizations use a similar approach, occasionally described as mentoring rather than coaching. But the models used – discussing where the individual wants to get to, where they are now, discussing options for how they can bridge the gap and setting goals for both formal and informal development – are applied alongside an exposure to management thinking from a different department. This objective exposure to the wider enterprise seems to embody a number of advantages which may be lost if the only coaching option rests with the line manager. Similarly, the senior member of staff learns valuable lessons about life at the sharp end.

I think the answer to my question "should line managers coach?" is no. But somebody else should.