questions, answers, thoughts, theories, observations, speculations, and assorted bits of information.
I am old enough to remember watching a black and white television as a kid. No, I am not talking about black and white movies on a color television, I am referring to a television with no color. When I grew up, color television was not groundbreaking, but it was still an upgrade from the technology of black and white sets. Color was optional. This was really a buzz kill when watching The Wizard of …read more
First – the time change is stupid. Can’t we just move it 1/2 hour and stop the madness? And now… the rest of the story. The time change in Spring generally makes everyone really tired for a few days – particularly those of us who have to wake up early. It typically takes me about three or four days for me to bounce back from the big spring forward. Being tired is a problem, and …read more
After the Superbowl I spent an hour watching the new CBS program Undercover Boss. The show featured the CEO of the company Waste Management posing as a new hire for the company in numerous front line service jobs. He picked up litter on a hillside, helped manage traffic at a landfill, cleaned portable toilets, and rode on a trash collection route – learning about his company and his people all along the way. The show …read more
When you hear that bang on the door of life, it is important to check it out. Sure there are a fair share of times when you pull the door open to find nobody on the porch, but every now and again something special is waiting on the other side of the door. Why am I talking about doors? Well that is my not so subtle way of announcing that I am making a career …read more
I heard a great story by Jeff Brady on NPR while on the way home yesterday. It was about the work of two researchers from Dartmouth who found it odd that ski resorts seemed to report more snowfall than surrounding areas and and steeper increases in snow amounts on weekends. They also found that resorts close to major population centers exaggerated figures even more. These scientists were skeptical about this “weekend snow” effect, and started …read more
Suppose your business sells something to a customer. Following the sale, you gather no information about them. Instead you send the customer out the door and off into the universe, hoping they will come back again someday. In the time that follows, you make no direct or indirect attempt to determine if the customer is happy with the level of service provided, feels good about the purchase, would be inclined to come back or will …read more
With Halloween just one day away, Trick or Treat is definitely on the brain. So in the spirit of the season ask yourself this question. Metaphorically speaking, what are you giving your customers these days? Tricks or Treats? If you are offering treats, are they like those old, stale, home-made popcorn balls or are they delicious, sugary surprises. Do you know who is allergic to what? Do you know who likes chocolate and who likes …read more
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