Anticipation & Airplanes

Imagine that you're in an airport. You've just given your boarding pass to the gate agent and you enter the jetway. I've noticed that everyone then does the same thing: They walk really quickly to the airplane.

But a few feet later they find themselves stopped, standing in a line to get into the plane. They're slowed by the narrow aisle and people putting stuff in the overhead area.

No matter where I've been I've noticed the same thing. People stand in one line and then rush to stand in another. The only difference is that you usually can't see the second line after you've just passed through the first one. Perhaps, there's something about human nature that makes us react this way.

What's the downside? People don't like standing in line so they start to get a bit grumpy and complain a lot. If you have customers who need to spend time in multiple lines, make sure they're aware of the waiting process before they get started. People seem to deal better with waiting when they feel like they have some understanding or control over the process.

Uh-Oh Survey

A new study from employment consulting company, Right Management, has found that 31 per cent of employees are not able to adapt to changes at work. The polled senior human resource professionals say this lowers job effectiveness, engagement, and productivity. Companies find themselves with higher absenteeism rates, more turnover, and falling customers loyalty. Results were as follows:
 
31 per cent - No, employee engagement and productivity is a major risk
43 per cent - Somewhat, our workforce gets the job done, but morale suffers
26 per cent - Yes, our workforce is very agile and responds to new challenges
 
In this economy, workers are constantly challenged to do more with less. That's a change that's not going away anytime soon. But often employers neglect to explain the reason for the change and how it fits into the big picture. This communication is key to keeping a workforce focused on the goals of the organization. The unknown becomes a lot less frightening when it's understood.

 

A Lesson from the Laundromat

For many years, my life revolved around the weekly collection of quarters. The change was needed to feed laundry machines. Most of the time, a laundry room was just a few steps from my home. But at one stop, I had to wait a few weeks before a washing machine was installed in my unit. That sent me to a nearby laundromat.

The place was what you would expect. It was managed by an old guy who was always sitting in a well worn chair. Although I never saw him move from his seat, he must have been the one who updated the marker board which held the laundry tip of the day.

I'd always took a look at the tip while waiting for my clothes to dry. It's always good to learn from an expert. But after a few weeks, I made an important discovery: No matter what the laundry problem was, the solution always was, "Make a paste with Tide and water. Rub it into your clothes." If you'd seen the tip once, you'd gotten everything you ever would from it.

Some people may be experts in their field but that may not mean that their advice is worth much to you. True expertise makes you think differently about a problem and consider new solutions.

Buttons and Zippers

When it comes to communication, most people fall into two groups: buttons and zippers. Both of them do the same thing but accomplish it in a very different way. The problem is that buttons and zippers each think that their way of fastening (or communicating) is best. After all, you rarely see buttons and zippers in the same area on the same piece of clothing.

Buttons have a very close communication style. They like to talk directly to people.

Zippers believe that communication works best when it's at a distance. They love to send emails rather than talk in person.

Buttons like to talk a lot. If they have a thought, they're going to verbalize it.

Zippers tend to be more internal. They only speak after they've given their words careful consideration.

Buttons write long emails. They want to make sure all the facts are out on the table.

Zippers feel that emails should be direct and to the point. They feel information is on a need to know basis.

These are just some of the differences between buttons and zippers. The problem is that often one group doesn't know that the other exists. For example, a button is surprised when a zipper doesn't act like a button. This causes the two groups to frequently come in conflict with one another.

So are you a button or a zipper?

Flying Through the Air With the Door Open

At one TV station where I worked, I occasionally was able to report from the news helicopter. It was pretty cool having a chance to see an area from a bird's eye view. This was years before budget cuts hit the news business and the helicopter was seen as a way to make viewers fall in love with our station and literally drop their remotes. There was just one problem: I'm afraid of heights. Or more specifically, I'm afraid of falling to my death.

Over time I learned to get more comfortable in the air. I thought as my assignments as free helicopter rides where I had to do a little bit of reporting. After all, people pay big bucks to go up in the air. But one day my courage was put to the test and I learned a valuable lesson.

Helicopters vibrate a lot while flying and sometimes that does some strange things. Like vibrate open the door that I'm sitting next to, while we are in flight. Suddenly, despite the fact that I'm wearing a seatbelt, I no longer feel like I'm inside a protective cocoon. In my mind, I'm inches from falling to my death. The pilot noticed the open door and calmly told me to reach out and close it, like I would in a car... on the ground. So I'm trying to reach the door with as little movement as possible and am failing miserably.

Luckily, the news photographer, who was sitting behind me, had a bit more courage. He easily reached out and pulled the door shut. My nightmare was over.

Here's the point: We all have strengths and weaknesses. It's very likely that someone else can help us with our imperfections. The trick is to swallow your pride and not be afraid to ask for help.

"Quitting Is Not An Option"

I often talk to audiences about having the courage to make changes in your life. Perhaps one of the best examples of that philosophy passed away last week. You may have heard reports of Wayman Tisdale's death after a battle with cancer. Tisdale, who was in his mid 40s, was known to many as a basketball player, a musician, and an inspiration to those who are fighting cancer.

For more on this man's journey, watch this video:

(If you can't see the embedded clip, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ4DaBVn4Uk)

This is a great reminder that our lives frequently include various acts, both good and bad. The challenge is, through it all, to stay true to yourself, have a hunger for trying new things, and enjoy the ride, no matter where it may take you.

Over Engineered & Under Thought

Recently I looked at my remote control instead of my TV. I noticed how some buttons are well worn from repeated use. But on one of the top rows, I noticed a rather new looking button. It features the symbol of an asterisk. I then found the instruction manual where I tried to find out the button's function. I was surprised to read: "This button is not available."

Evidently the creators of the device decided to place a nonfunctioning button prominently on the keypad. That's a bit weird as there is an expectation that a button must do something.

In other areas of life we see similar things. Ever been told about a daily special at a restaurant, order it, and then be told there's no more available. Perhaps you've bought a ticket for a movie but when you get in the theater, the only seats available are in the front row. Or you've gone to a 24 hour pharmacy at 2 a.m. only to find that the convenience is outweighed by the fact that the place is massively understaffed.

It's good to deliver a product or service that creates anticipation. But it's equally important to make sure the expectation of quality is met.