There are so many ways that a business can start its journey to service excellence. Conversely, there are so many more ways to retard start up of the same journey. I have to resist going down the rabbit hole of highlighting the many retardants, but will mention one that is enshrined in the popular assertion…. “We don’t get that many complaints.”
Of course, if this contention comes from a prospective client, my follow-on question of …… “How do you track the sources and total number of complaints?” usually is met with a minute of silence for the reckoning, followed by an onslaught of defensive arguments.
Brilliance is essentially the talent associated with superlative aptitude in areas that include intelligence, cognitive clarity and problem resolution.
Some businesses are wedded to the belief that doing “okay” with their service delivery equals “satisfied and therefore, loyal customers.” Without the benefit of data, they may remain blissfully unaware of the speed and scale of competitive erosion of their space in the marketplace. My thinking is that the process of service recovery is a less arduous option than that of service resuscitation.
Brilliance is essentially the talent associated with superlative aptitude in areas that include intelligence, cognitive clarity and problem resolution. It can be found to a lesser or greater degree in every business. I believe that with care and intentionality, it can be released in every business as well.
A first step for its release, would be for business leaders to accept the fact that brilliance can occur anywhere within the employee community, regardless of title, tenure or temperament (even the shy employee sitting behind the wall can be brilliant).
A first step for its release, would be for business leaders to accept the fact that brilliance can occur anywhere within the employee community, regardless of title, tenure or temperament (even the shy employee sitting behind the wall can be brilliant). It is not a frequently-occurring trait, neither is it normative or naturally-occurring at the executive level. Whilst these truisms are not accepted easily by ego-sensitive leaders, doing so paves the way for ingenuity to be discovered.
When leaders have a sense of reverence for brilliance, the entire business becomes enkindled with a sense of possibility. Great ideas…..wait, maybe I should say all ideas, as well as the process of ideation, are welcomed. Without a flow of great ideas continually coming down the pipeline, how will a business keep refreshing its processes, its strategic use of technology and its insight into the changing needs of its customers?
Leaders can make a point collectively, that “every individual’s opinion matters” and in so doing, create psychologically safe spaces for employees to speak fearlessly.
More importantly, without releasing the flow of ideas and by extension, brilliance, how will a business discover the heartbeat of its employee community? After all, the exchange of thoughts and ideas is the heartbeat of human communication.
While releasing brilliance is not rocket science, it needs an unencumbered climate to flourish.
If a business exists in a state of negative energy, with sustained cycles of toxic engagement amongst its people, detoxification should be the first prescription. The leadership level should not be spared this prescription. I’ve encountered so many leaders who are so impressed with themselves, that they forget that demonstrating humility, followed by empathetic humanity, is a superpower.
Businesses that have active programs that encourage employees to become champions of improvement and innovation, benefit from the release of great ideas that improve processes, reduce costs and increase revenue.
Detoxification can begin with the re-engagement of and the adherence to one of the often-touted values by businesses……respect for people. This may sound very rudimentary, but have you witnessed or experienced the vituperative language that is spewed by some leaders in the way that they address people generally? Not all leaders are at this end of the scale, some fall in at the dismissive end and others at the sarcastic end, all of which is intended to induce diminution of others.
Leaders can make a point collectively, that “every individual’s opinion matters” and in so doing, create psychologically safe spaces for employees to speak fearlessly. In this way, employees may feel emboldened to speak up and out, respectfully. One caution here, is that for this scenario to maintain its integrity, all of the leaders will need to be committed to being the chief custodians and drivers of this new value statement.
Essentially, releasing brilliance means releasing the human genius in every employee. When genius is released, a new climate emerges, one where the way becomes clear for employees to shine.
A business is judged by the quality of its leadership, so the leadership precinct should be the first place where brilliance should be both bred and released.
Another opportunity to release brilliance, lies in incentivizing its extraction. Businesses that have active programs that encourage employees to become champions of improvement and innovation, benefit from the release of great ideas that improve processes, reduce costs and increase revenue.
Essentially, releasing brilliance means releasing the human genius in every employee. When genius is released, a new climate emerges, one where the way becomes clear for employees to shine.
The big winners? Business success, employee success and customer success.