You can’t fake sincerity, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to do what I love for a living and help other people. I am free to be my authentic self because I love what I do!
As we continue to unfold the character and qualities of amazing people - and in our case ERP administrators - the fifth habit in Shep Hyken’s book, “Be Amazing or Go Home” stands out as a crucial moment in the book and in life to me. I feel it is a good place for us to pause and reflect on who we are and what we are doing. Do we love what we do, and are we embracing and helping others to know our ERP’s, train them to be successful, look for opportunities to make it run better, faster, be more productive, and implement automation. In other words, do we love what we do? Are we able to show up each day and be sincere and authentic in our positions? Amazing people and administrators are. They say what they mean and mean what they say.
Now here is the tough love - if you can’t show up and be your authentic, sincere self and say you love your job and serving others, then go home. This probably isn’t the job for you. Go find your place in the world where you can be authentic.
If you are still with me, let’s talk about some of the tips Shep Hyken gives us in the book; again, an abbreviated version and my interpretation. I still recommend you get the book and read it for yourself, with your team, department, or your whole company.
- Empathy – I am a fixer, so my reaction to a problem is to jump in and fix it. One of the greatest skills I have acquired is to pause and listen. Taking a few moments to hear the feelings and concerns of the other person goes a long way. So, give them their moment, show you hear and understand their pain and struggle. Then, present your solution and get busy fixing things. People want their problems solved, their issues resolved and what is broken fixed, but first they want to be heard and acknowledged.
- Respect – I am not talking about mutual respect here, though it is nice when respect goes both directions. I am talking about the mindset of being a respecter of persons no matter what the situation is, and no matter how the other person responds or acts. This takes dedication and a decision on your part that no matter what happens today I choose to be a respecter of persons, to be kind and courteous, to be an active listener to the other party and not dismiss them or their opinions and be aware of your own words and body language.
I do want to talk about body language with you. Today, many of us work remote either part time or full time and you may think no one sees your body language, well I am here to say otherwise. Your body language reflects your thoughts, feelings, attitudes and when you roll your eyes at me, I may not see it, but I will certainly hear it in the inflection of your voice. Many years ago, when I was just starting out in the business world my boss would say, “Answer the phone with a smile, they will hear it on the other side.” Who knew he was so wise! So, keep your body in check along with your words and your mindset.
- Personalize it – we have some great tools for keeping records and notes about our business relationships and I encourage you to use them. Some of my favorites are Microsoft Teams and One Note (I was a Franklin Planner gal back in the day) and even Outlook has its own notes section for each contact. Use these tools to keep track of the important information about your authentic relationship to that person, department and company. Get to know who you are in a business relationship with.
An exercise my team does periodically is to research a client. Everyone is assigned a client they have not worked with recently to research and report back to the team on. We have learned some really cool stuff about our clients, the companies and the history behind them. It certainly helps us to understand and serve them better.
Just this past week we had been doing this exercise and Desiree found recipes on the client’s site she was assigned to. So we all decided to make a dish with one of their recipes and their products and share how it turned out with the group. Just taking some personal time to get to know our business partners better!
Take time to build a relationship and really know the people who you are serving.
- The Personal Touch – Always leave things better than you found them, is something my father would say and so does Shep. (I knew I liked him.) Make it better, Make it personal.
As we close today, think about how you will put your personal touch or mark on an opportunity, an email, a phone call. As you think about this, consider how that personal touch will invoke joy and share your gratitude with the other person.
My favorite tag is, “Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve You and Your Company! ~ Holly”
Until next time!
Please consider joining us in reading this amazing book!
Be Amazing or Go Home:
Seven Customer Service Habits
That Create Confidence with Everyone
Author: Shep Hyken | ISBN: 978-0963782076
