To Rant or Not to Rant...

... that is the question.

I try to live with a grateful spirit, but lately it seems like I just have one thing after another that really irritates me.

On the customer service front, a light on my street is out. This is a problem for me because I walk my dogs at night, in the dark. Of course, I notice it at 8:30 in the evening, when I cannot do anything about it. Then, just this week, I received the quarterly bill from the county for street light and sewage service (I'm not sure how they service the sewage, but we pay for it). There was a phone number on the bill, so I called it. After wading through the audio response interface, I reached a human voice who told me I had called the wrong number -- and gave me another number to call, which I did. The person who answered that phone was so rude that I think I would have preferred a computer interface -- but I digress. The county does not change the street light bulbs, the electric company does, and she did not have their number. Who knew? My payment goes to the county. Could we not have that information on the bill? Or am I just ignorant in the ways of the world?

Continuing with being ignorant, I am continually challenged by Apple's design paradigm. I should mention that I worked for IBM when they introduced the first PC, and have been a Windows/Intel user ever since. However, I switched to an Apple computer at the office a few months ago (long story). And I received an iPhone for Christmas. So, I love the capabilities of the technology, but it makes me nuts how nothing in the Apple world comes with decent instructions. For example, I added an external hard drive to my iMac. The little pamphlet explained how to plug it in (that I could I figure out). When I plugged it in, a window popped up and I happily formatted the drive. Then I opened the electronic "user's manual," only to find out that it told me how to plug in the drive (a bit of a Catch-22). Nothing about how to run a backup. So I harkened back to my IBM days and thought, "Hmm... it's probably in Utilities." No. Do I drag my files to the drive icon? No. It is in "Time Machine." How intuitive (not)! And my son's iMac is broken, displaying only the "grey pinwheel of death." What about -- just a thought -- an error message? I don't get it.

What really got me started on this rant trajectory, though, was a magazine I picked up. I don't normally read Self, but I grabbed it from the magazine rack where I exercise, to read a feature about someone whom I admire. I could not believe how much of the rest of the issue was dedicated to telling women how incredibly inadequate we are: overweight, haggard, old, unsexy, forgetful, toxic, etc. No wonder so many of the young women I see in the classroom have low self-esteem! I'm pretty sure that the guys don't get those sort of messages. Why do women buy these publications and buy into the ads? I don't get it.

OK, so, trying to restore my grateful spirit, let me say that I am thankful my street light is going to be repaired and that our neighborhood has streetlights. Thinking about Haiti, I should be thankful for electricity and a safe home. I am thankful that I have such great access to technology and that my travails are so insignificant. I am thankful that I am raising a young man with healthy self-esteem.

Whew. No rants next week, I promise.

The Spectrum of Customer Service

Is there anyone that thinks that customer service is not important? There are certainly people and organizations that do not treat customer service as important. Customer service is integral to financial performance, reputation, referrals, and of course, repeat sales.

I have had a range of experiences of customer service this week, ranging from far exceeding expectations to mediocre and beyond.

On the outstanding end, is Nordstrom's. Now, they generally have a great reputation for customer service -- but let me tell you MY story. I bought a pair of Brighton slip-on loafers at Nordstrom's some time (i.e., several years) ago. I don't wear them frequently, but they are fantastic for cold, wet weather because of the rubber sole and chunky heel. Recently, I put them on and noticed that the microfiber fabric that covered part of the shoe was fraying. I no longer live in a town with a Nordstrom's (much to my chagrin and my husband's relief), so I packed up the shoes in the box (with the Nordstrom sticker, but no receipt) and a letter and sent them to the nearest store. In the letter, I asked for replacements or store credit. You could see the rest of the shoes were in great condition, but that the fabric was irreparable.

Well, let me tell you, I received a call within the week. It was a voicemail, asking me to call. I girded myself for a conflict, only to find out that they were crediting MY CREDIT CARD for the FULL AMOUNT. Do you think that makes me a loyal customer? You bet! In fact, I drove all the way to that store location and spent an equivalent amount at the store, just because I was so grateful.

On the other end of the spectrum, I needed a halogen light bulb for my desk lamp. I visited several stores, but none of them stocked the particular size I needed. I ended up going to a distributor in town who caters to contractors. I ordered the part, paid for it, and was going to get a call when it was in next week. That was last November. After several visits and calls on my part, I have asked for a refund. Oh, by the way, it was Lowe Electronic Supply Company.

I have a measure for the spectrum of customer service, based on the glass half full/half empty premise. If you think about having a glass of water in a restaurant, on one end you have someone topping off your water within seconds of you having a sip. On the other end, you can't find the waiter to ask to refill your empty glass.

So, instead of stars, I rate customer service from full glass, half full, half empty, or empty.

Bottoms up!

To Resolve or Not To Resolve -- That is the Question

It's the second week of 2010, and if the accounts I've read are accurate, most New Year's resolutions have already been broken.

That sounds like a process failure to me.

A "resolution," is a firm commitment to a course of action. If you already know that you're not going to keep the commitment -- then don't call it a resolution, call it a "wish." But assuming that you are truly intent on keeping your resolution, you need to have a specific idea of the course of action. Think of it as a process of change. If a process is unclear, or vague, it cannot be followed consistently.

So, if you are resolving to do something differently (e.g., lose weight, eat better, network more, etc.), I suggest that you define the process you are going to follow. What should the definition specify? Target behaviors, undesirable behaviors, environmental supports and distractors, and specifically when you are going to do the target behavior. I also like to build in rewards for good behavior!

Let's say that you want to eat more healthfully. To eat more healthfully, you are going to have to make time to go to the grocery store. Block that time in your calendar every week. It is time consuming to plan, purchase, and prepare healthful foods. Set yourself up so that it is convenient to reach into the refrigerator and munch on some sliced vegetables. (That would be an environmental support.) If you're hungry, are you going to take the time to cut up the broccoli, or are you going to reach into the pantry for a handful of...?

You are also going to have to avoid environmental cues that encourage you to eat poorly. That may mean: packing your lunch for work, avoiding movie theaters because you can't go to the theater without eating popcorn, avoiding television at night, and cleaning out the pantry of foods you cannot resist. It also helps if you plan ahead so that you can make good choices. If you are going out to eat, pick a place that does not serve your favorite fried chicken!

Build in rewards. It is better if the reward is not the undesirable behavior, as in the case of, "I've eaten so well all week, I'm going out for a double scoop of ice cream." Reward yourself at specific, measurable points.

Be fanatical for the first three weeks. I believe it takes generally about twenty days to engrain a new habit or behavior.

I used food as an example, because that is something we can all relate to. Perhaps your resolution is to stop using profanity. I have one friend who suggests that you "pay the pig" for each transgression (e.g., cr#p might cost a quarter, but the f-bomb is two dollars). Perhaps you will need to avoid people or movies that use a lot of profanity, to help you break the habit.

I have resolved to blog weekly and have blocked time on Wednesday mornings to do so. To make a supportive environment, I have my blog as my home page when I open my browser. And if I blog thirteen weeks in a row, I get a new car as a reward (just kidding, honey!).

If you are going to have resolutions, then be resolute with scheduled commitment, clear action, supportive environment, and rewarded milestones. Let me know how it works for you.

Another hard thing

Last time, I mentioned how hard it is to stop something when you've been doing it for a while. Well, it's also hard to start something, when you've stopped it for a while. Newton's Law about inertia (an object in motion will stay in motion, while an object at rest will stay at rest -- in the absence of other forces) seems to apply to human behavior as well as the realm of physics.

So, even though I don't have a specific topic in mind for this blog, I wanted to get moving and start the year off better than I ended the last one. I had tried to blog every Tuesday, more or less, and let a panoply of obstacles distract me. I can do better, and will do better, this year.

As I reflect on last year, I am thankful for many blessings -- one of which is a more grateful spirit. In fact, it has become a bit of a mental exercise for me, when I'm inclined to complain about something, to figure out how to be grateful for that very thing. For example, as a regular migraine sufferer, I get tired of being laid up with these painful and nauseating episodes. I have learned, however, to be grateful for the rest they provide. When my husband and I walk our dogs, and he complains about how the grass becomes yellow as it goes dormant in the cold weather, I am grateful that it is not snow that we are seeing on the ground. When I am hitting eight and my ball isn't even on the green, I'm thankful to be outdoors and have the opportunity (if not the ability) to play golf. When I think about our teenage son breaking away, little by little, I am grateful for the time we have had together, and for how special he is. Being grateful for moving into a new season of life has been difficult (calling it an "empty nest" does not help), but having a grateful heart does keep me mindful of how small our troubles are.

In the new year, I have many goals. Largely, they center around embracing this new season in my life and being truly grateful for it: polishing my classes until they shine, finishing my book to my publisher's and my satisfaction, being more connected to my social network and resuming my consulting practice. On the personal side, I plan on savoring each moment with my family, playing team tennis with gusto, improving my golf game with patience, and investing in community service with passion.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for very purpose under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, American Standard Version.

Best wishes to all for 2010!