As part of your commitment to Customer Astonishment (see essay #22 in the New American Prosperity book), let me invite you to apply the “A-C-T” principle, which is to minimize the tendency to say a blunt “no” to a customer or to say “yes” right away where this might represent over commitment. The world-class problem solver’s approach is to ACT…

A – Acknowledge: Genuinely thank the customer for calling on you. Listen carefully. Acknowledge the customer’s needs and concerns.

C – Circumstances: Discuss these. Listen and let the customer fully explain his or her circumstances. Also discuss those factors that will influence your response. Use phrases such as, “I understand that your situation is….  With this in mind, there are some other factors that we will also take into account in finding the solution you need.” Avoid phrases such as, “Our company policy requires that we handle the situation in this way.” Save the words “our company policy” for situations with serious legal implications.

T – Tell Them What You Can Do: Ask for time to check on the possibilities. Be creative in identifying new options. Where you can’t just say “yes,” present the customer with options for further consideration. Let the customer choose. 

Simply get in the habit of options, options, options. People like to have options.

Last night on NBC News, Brian Williams shared a report from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which concludes that there are far more “diagnoses of food allergies” than there are actual allergies. There are serious allergies, but there is also much needless worry. The report went on to address something that’s bothered me for years. The medical community is admitting that Americans are generally living longer and healthier than ever, but we are suffering from too many diagnoses. In other words, there’s a label for every otherwise normal ache or pain humans have. The report said, “If you can’t fall asleep in 30 minutes, you’re diagnosed as an insomniac. If you have to get up and walk around every so often, you’re diagnosed with ‘restless leg syndrome.’ Etc.” You get the picture. 

The message is that humans naturally twitch and itch, get gas, pull muscles, sniffle, worry about stuff, feel under the weather, and may get little red spots on their necks that soon go away. What it mostly means is we’re human. Thank goodness we Americans don’t have to worry about serious stuff like Malaria, Yellow Fever, and the Bubonic Plague. My heart goes out to those who still do.

Are there times when we watch the news of calamities and feel powerless? Yes. Should we let the feeling persist? No. Feeling powerless doesn’t mean we are. We are humbled by the forces of nature. We are bewildered by man-made accidents that occur. Our faith prompts us to pray for those who are in harm’s way. Catastrophes also teach us. These teach us to become better prepared for the similar challenges we will yet face. These help us to put our material ambitions in perspective. 

I recently saw a cartoon where a couple was watching and lamenting the news of the Gulf oil spill. They then turned off the TV and jumped in their SUV to drive two blocks to the local fast-food restaurant for dinner. It might have been a good night to take a neighborhood stroll to the nearby restaurant or to stay home and take stock of the items in their food pantry.

And what do we do about our environment? We have an unavoidable dependency on petroleum products of many kinds. Until we modify our lifestyles, we are compelled to drill. But change, we must. The Gulf oil spill will prompt new methodologies and greater precautions to protect the oceans and forests that sustain us in the most fundamental ways. With renewed commitment, we will pursue the energy alternatives that human ingenuity can unleash and re-align our priorities to make it so. We are not powerless.

I just couldn’t bring myself to title this blog “Happy Mother’s Day.” I wanted the title to be something more creative after all these years of buying Mother’s Day cards and wishing the moms in my life well. The truth is no group of people deserves our thanks more than our moms.

My mother has been a part of my life from the very moment I was born (and long before that). My mother paid more personal attention to me than anybody I’ve ever known. She paid attention to what I ate, drank, wore, read, said, saw, thought, spoke, and learned. She attended to details that only mothers have the patience to faithfully tend to. She was just plain there for me in every way the phrase “being there” can possibly imply. If ever there was any doubt about who loved me, I knew my mother did. Thanks, Mom.

My wife is the mother of my children. She’s been there for all seven of them when I couldn’t or didn’t have the patience to be. I’ve told my children often that the best thing I ever did for them was to choose Sharon to be their mother. Thank you my dear. 

Happy Mother’s Day, Moms of the World!

One of the trainings I do, which has been most meaningful for both my clients and for me, is entitled “Balancing Your Priorities for a Lifetime of Achievement.” There are four principles that precede other helpful goal-achieving methods.

1. Only goal setters who are goal writers are predictably goal achievers.  There is a comedic play entitled “Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Often we find that something funny happened on the way to our goals. The funny thing is “we didn’t write them down.”

2. First you set the goal and then you see.  It is human nature to think of obstacles to goal achievement. However, once you set the goal and commit it to paper, you begin see ways around the obstacles. You open your mind to possibilities that would otherwise be overlooked.

3. If you do not See-BIG (C-BIG), you will not see enough.  One of my mentors taught, “Set no small goals, for these have no ability to inspire the hearts of men and women.” I refer to C-BIG goals, which stands for Crazy/Courageous/Creative – Big Impact Goals. What do I mean by “crazy”?  Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, would set a goal and then share it with a banker. If the banker laughed at him, Sam knew his goal was truly a ground-breaking business idea.

4. So let it be written, so let it be done.  In the movie, “The Ten Commandments,” Moses gets much deserved credit for freeing the Children of Israel and parting the Red Sea. The Pharoah, on the other hand, is always the bad guy, but he was quite a pyramid builder and deserves credit for his architectural and project management know-how. I love it in the movie when he says, “So let it be written, so let it be done.” The result would be another pyramid. Where would the Egyptian tourism industry be today without the pyramids? This is how I feel about my goals: “So let it be written, so let it be done.”

This is a message of appreciation to those who originally subscribed to this blog. As you know, we have discontinued the formal subscription process, but the positive messages and practical insights are still here for your benefit. I also welcome your comments. Tell your friends there is a helpful dialogue going on about all that it means to be a smart and happy American in spite of the ups and downs of life that we all experience.  –Darby Checketts

Like most spring days, I arose at first light.
I opened the drapes and then the window.
A dusting of snow glistened on nearby mountains.
Above, mighty clouds billowed.
Below, delicate flowers bloomed.
The smell of evening rain still hung in the air.

I was unaware that it was Earth Day.

A busy day ahead, I shaved and showered.
The fresh, flowing water was always invigorating.
I quickly dressed.
My cotton shirt, woolen slacks, and leather loafers were the perfect combo.
I ate my breakfast.
Steamed oats, nuts, raisins and a side of fresh fruit tasted great.

I was unaware that it was Earth Day.

Cynicism is a special brand of negativism. It speaks of distrust and a lack of confidence that our problems can be solved. It results in angry finger pointing that is often a substitute for constructive participation in the process of bringing about needed change. The “talk show” hosts love to prod cynics to give the impression that these individuals speak for a majority of Americans.

Leadership, on the other hand, is often about trail blazing. It requires the faith and the willingness to change direction to discover new possibilities, often in the face of criticism. The positive breakthroughs that have come in our society have often come about because someone led with vision where others feared to go.

It is significant that the folks at Disney refer to their customers as “guests.” When we think of guests, the word “hospitality” comes to mind. We can examine how we treat honored guests in our own homes. We tidy things up around the house. We get out our best dinnerware. We put on some music they like. And, we are especially welcoming in all that we say and do. 

And, who do we consider to be among our honored guests? There are extended family members. There are friends who brighten our lives. There are important people with whom we hope to make a good impression. So where do customers fit in? 

We know that customers are important people who give us the opportunity to apply our skills and talents to serve them. Then, we have a livelihood and the means to provide for our families and to meet our goals. What our customers ask of us is often not easy. Nevertheless, we want to create a good impression with them. As we do, their confidence builds and they work more openly with us to solve whatever problems there may be. Our initial interactions with customers are so important. How we handle these Moments of Truth makes a lasting impression.

Let me invite you to read pages 41-44 in my book, Customer Astonishment: 10 Secrets to World-Class Customer Care. You will discover specific opportunities to smooth the way for your honored guests.

Is it not a legendary fact that at some point nearly every grandmother tells her grandchildren to practice moderation in all things? If you watch the news, you might conclude that the preferred mode of thinking and acting for many Americans is “extremism.” The media too often pays attention to those with the loudest voices, the most alarming messages, and the most shocking behaviors. To be fair to the media, I am pleased to see more stories of community service and humanitarian outreach being included in their evening news programs. 

Here’s the problem with extremism. It polarizes. And, it is a loud voice from one side of an argument and thus a lopsided viewpoint. Extremists would probably say that moderation is boring and that it’s a cop out. To the contrary, the answers to most of life’s challenges do not lie in the extreme view of things. Take the huge controversy over global warming. The extreme environmentalists would tell us the world as we know it is about to end and that solar power and wind power are the answers. The other extreme promotes the virtues of coal. Most Americans are smart enough to know that the only answer is “all of the above.” We must diversify our energy resources to include solar, wind, ever cleaner methods for burning coal, and advanced nuclear technology. Why is it that the scientists and politicians are polarized? The answer is that they don’t get noticed when their thinking is conciliatory and eclectic. They must play to the noisy crowds to get noticed.    

Most of us resonate positively to the idea of finding the common ground in any debate. This requires that we make trade-offs and reach compromise on certain issues so that the debate doesn’t turn into gridlock and block all progress. We need some zealous voices for moderation. 

If you’re feeling disenfranchised and angry, then raising an extreme voice might be therapeutic venting, but it isn’t the answer to making things better. There was once an American Revolution. We’re past that. We need an American conversation. We need collaboration and problem solving. Save the loud voices for cheering on your favorite sports team. That’s healthy.