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Workplace Sanctuary: Are Your Workers Under Siege?
"Where did we learn the myth that we can get our way
more effectively with petulance or through aggression than with
love and truth? In our hearts, we know that we will achieve more
by serving others than by berating them." - Lance
Secretan
The president of a software company had asked me to help him fix
their broken customer service process. His customers were unhappy
with service levels and response times. The president (I'll call
him George) drove the effort relentlessly. Hoping to use a queueing
model for service, I asked one of his tech-support reps for the
service time to resolve a customer problem. The answer:
"A problem must be resolved within 45 minutes. Otherwise,
it is no longer a problem because George will interrupt with a new
problem. The original problem will be forgotten until the customer
calls again - and the cycle repeats."
Not only was George micro-managing, he was preventing his
employees from doing their jobs. Yes, processes and systems can assist with this situation, but
they may not correct the constant redirection from the top. Do you
provide direction or re-direction?
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