One of the most underrated skills a leader must have is the ability to listen. Even if it is one of the five senses, it takes intentionality and cultivation to make it a skill. How you listen, as a leader can make or break your team.
It is easy to mistake planning how to replay with actively listening. The difference is remaining present. Take time to prepare yourself and actively listen. Put your phone away. Remove distractions. Sit near the individual you are listening to. Take notes and let them get it all out before you craft an answer. Taking notes will help you know how to follow up and how you follow-up builds your credibility.
Listening is one of the best ways to build trust. Whether you are a leader or a parent, taking the time to listen to the small things paves the way to being trusted with the large ones. How we listen to people communicates how we value them. Not to mention failing to listen fully can lead you to make a wrong or ill-informed decision.
If you want to work with a team that will listen to your preferences, concerns, and excitements to help you plan the best vacation, check out Magical Vacation Planners. You can reach them at 407-442-2694.
Catie Harris, the founder of Nursepreneurs, joins Creating Disney Magic to talk about nurses and healthcare.
Hospitals can be a tough environment for nurses. Many nurses prefer to take a holistic approach to patient care, but it doesn't always work that way in a hospital. Often, this leads to nurses getting out of healthcare.
Nursepreneurs helps nurses start their own businesses, so they can still care for patients. Many nurses don't believe they can start their own business since most healthcare careers are tied to hospitals.
Catie offers insight into why nurses feel burnout and why some hospitals are struggling to keep enough on staff.
The problems with culture in hospitals and turnover are the same many organizations are dealing with. When staff is stressed out, it is hard to maintain a vibrant culture.
Today, Louie Gravance, author of Service is a Superpower, is joining me on my final podcast recording in Colorado.
As many people are currently encountering, dependability in service industries is struggling. From airlines to restaurants to Harry Potter World, the service industry is running on a bare-bones crew who has grown rusty in their craft.
Louie unpacks the importance of everyone wanting and needing to be heard. Those in service may not be able to guarantee a flight, but they can go out of their way to make sure those enduring inconveniences are heard and taken care of. Louie said it best – to deliver a wow moment, aim for the heart, not the head. When you give, you gain strength. When you give, you will have more.
Attitude surpasses technical skills, and when you can exceed a customer's expectations, it rivals a standing ovation any day. You have to ask yourself, are you going to make it better or worse for other people? This is a time when going above and beyond can be the difference-maker in someone’s experience. Taking the time to serve people can be the differentiator of someone calling a company to complain or to make sure you get the praise you deserve.
If you want to work with a team that will go out of their way to make sure you have a great experience, check out Magical Vacation Planners. You can reach them at 407-442-2694.
Resources
Louie Gravance Instagram
Executive Speaker Bureau
Service is a Superpower: Lessons Learned in a Magic Kingdom by Louie Gravance
As I wrap up my last week in Colorado, Jody and I want to tackle a unique listener question from an anonymous listener. If you have a diverse staff, how do you handle it when some of your staff speak their native language? Especially if another staff member is concerned that they are being talked about?
Honestly, I have been guilty of this myself. When I worked in France, I didn’t speak French, and I spoke English to anyone on my staff who understood it. I was not using my native language to talk about any of the French-speaking staff. It was a matter of ability and comfort.
It is probably not something that needs to be a concern. People feel comfortable speaking in their native language. If a team member is worried, you can mention it to the party in question and confirm with both parties what was discussed. The goal is not to worry. As English speakers, we must understand we live in a multi-cultural world. We would not want to have to speak every language of every country to do business there. It isn’t realistic to expect others to forgo their language and only speak English.
Sometimes, it is an issue of comfort. Sometimes, it is an issue of efficiency. The real issue behind this question is to ensure we are creating an atmosphere where all of our staff feel welcome, even if they don’t speak the dominant language. Often, individuals cling to their language out of embarrassment and insecurity – I know this from experience.
We need to understand that it is difficult for individuals to operate in something other than their native language. But we can still communicate positively; by paying attention to everyone, regardless of their language or even their personality. Go out of your way to acknowledge people and show them you care. A smile can go a long way.
You can create a good relationship and working environment without speaking the same language. Greet people with a smile. Be friendly. Shake hands and go out of your way to interact. Laughter has no accent, and when you make it your goal to make all staff feel welcome, these “barriers” become non-issues.
If you want to work with a team that will go out of their way to make sure you have a great experience, check out Magical Vacation Planners. You can reach them at 407-442-2694.
I recently mentioned the importance of going out and getting feedback from your customers. It is key to setting yourself apart in most industries. Your customers and your employees know everything you need to know, you just need to ask. How do you ask for feedback? Very simply.
My two favorite questions to use are 1) Would you recommend us to your loved ones? Why or why not? 2) What can we do better? Simple. You don’t need a huge survey. That can turn people off. If it takes too long, your customer may lose interest or stop investing in their answers. Keep it simple and make it personal. People are busy and they don’t have time to run your business for them. Once you have their answers, thank them. If you need to make something right, make it right.
Once you have the information, you need to be ready to take action. How do you know what to take action on? Where do you see a trend or hear a comment more than usual? Don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper, and ask around your organization to find if others are hearing the same feedback. Consistency is key, even in feedback.
Make sure you also pay attention to positive comments and the trends there. Share positive comments with your team; it is a great training tool. Make sure to appreciate what you have and not just zero in on what you are missing. There is value in what you do well. Be so good that guests want to tell you how good you are.
People evaluate based on expectations. Before you can excel in customer service, you have to meet the baseline expectation with a quality product. Service isn’t about being nice, it’s that your product worked.
If you want to work with a team that has a great product and they are nice, make sure to check out Magical Vacation Planners. You can reach them at 407-442-2694.
If you are enjoying this podcast, make sure to check out the Cockerell Academy at cockerellacademy.com. You don’t want to miss it when we put out a new course.