Blog

Steve

Where theory and application meet

The term job purpose permeates my writing. It’s not lost on me that some readers will be asking, “What’s the point of articulating a job role’s purpose? Isn’t this just a theoretical exercise with little or no application or benefit inside the real world of work?” That’s a question that,

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Steve

Misguided purpose (Part 3)

In this 3-part blog series, I will attempt to demystify popular misconceptions related to fostering a purpose-driven workforce. The first post in the series examined the fallacy that organizational purpose is equivalent to environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and other noble causes. In the second installment, I revealed the difference

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Steve

The presence of purpose – Part 2

I was talking with my daughter about a friend of hers who had applied to work at the reception desk of a local health club. Her friend anxiously rehearsed the organization’s mission statement in order to recall it during her job interview. She got the job and later shared that,

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Steve

The presence of purpose – Part 1

I routinely ask groups of managers, by a show of hands, how many would consider themselves to be a purpose-driven leader at work. I see a lot of hands. Next, I ask how many would consider themselves to a values-driven leader at work. Sensing a trap, audience members are more

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Steve

Happy Accidents

Can your customers count on superior product and service quality regardless of the employee involved? Or is the quality of their experience reliant on the employee they happen to get? Most employees view their total job role in terms of the requisite job knowledge and job skills needed to reliably

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Steve

Three Truths of Exceptional Customer Service

Most people don’t choose to deliver poor customer service; they just don’t choose to deliver exceptional customer service. Most are content to simply occupy a customer service role and execute their job functions, blissfully unaware of the opportunities they forfeit daily to demonstrate exceptional customer service behaviors. Awareness is key.

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Steve

Communicate On Purpose

Employees will only be aware of job purpose (as a relevant and credible dimension of their job role) if leadership and, in particular, their immediate supervisor, reinforces it by communicating it daily—in words and deeds. Most employees are unaware of their purpose—their highest priority—at work. If you were to ask,

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Steve

Being Capable Is Not Enough

Last fall I traveled to Philadelphia to meet up with several colleagues at a downtown hotel. At check-in, I received a room key emblazoned with the image of a specialty cocktail. After pocketing the key, I grabbed my bag, and headed toward the elevators. In the elevator lobby I noticed

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The cure for ignorance is awareness

My customer service philosophy is predicated on the truth that exceptional customer service is always voluntary. Employees don’t have to deliver it, and most don’t. But what do employees have to do? They have to execute mandatory, assigned job functions (duties and tasks associate with their job roles). Employees must

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