Learn The Disney Way in the Rockies!

Disney Way in Ottawa County - An Update

FOUR C’S STRATEGIC INITIATIVE UPDATE
The second round of Ottawa Way – Disney Way Customer Service training was completed last week. Bill Capodagli, co-author of The Disney Way facilitated the training and was assisted by Laura Mousseau and Misty Cunningham. A lot of positive feedback has resulted from the training. Each month for the next year another 90 employees will go through the training. A total of 1,100 will be trained.

This phase of customer service training is intended to cause a cultural shift in that employees of all 33 departments, offices, courts and agencies will have experienced the same training and have a unified focus on the County customer service story, vision and customer codes of conduct. I had some interaction with the group by introducing the Four C Strategic Initiative on the first day and history leading to who we are on the second day.

I also sat in the “hot seat” with Treasurer Brad Slagh and Marcie VerBeek, Human Resources Director at the end of the second day to take whatever questions the group had. A very fair question was, “What comes next? Do the employees being trained wait for a year to begin implementing the cultural change, until all employees
have been trained? When will specific customer training tools be developed? Did the leadership really buyinto the training they received in November, because no changes have been implemented? Is it really okay to begin living this customer service vision?“

Great questions! Anyone who has been through the training can begin following the customer codes of conduct immediately. Almost every one of these can be positively impacted by each employee individually. The leaders didn’t implement change because we are working on a cultural shift not the program of the month. I committed to circling back with the leaders to explain some of the concerns expressed and to discuss how this will all roll out over the next year.

We are making one more call for members for the Customer Service Team and will get this group going soon. They will provide a communication link and forum for all who have gone through the process already and will research and recommend specific tools for
customer service. The cultural change will happen as more employees go through the training and practice the
customer codes of conduct.

Al Vanderberg, County Administrator, Ottawa County, Michigan

Bill Capodagli–Caring for Employees

http://o.canada.com/2012/10/02/1003-disney-fakery/

Disney Way Webinar…May 16th, $49.00; Register today!; http://tinyurl.com/7b75oco

WHAT:

"Creating Magical Customer Service - "The Disney Way" Webinar is a convenient and affordable way to learn how to attract customers and gain their loyalty. This is the signature Webinar in a series based upon the bestselling books: The Disney Way (a Fortune magazine "Best Business Book") and Innovate the Pixar Way. The Disney Way has the distinction of being the only book on Disney to have been cited in this week's New York Times article: "In Customer Service Consulting, Disney's Small World is Growing."

For over thirty years, management expert and bestselling author Bill Capodagli has benchmarked the Walt Disney Company, and assisted scores of organizations revamp their customer service standards; leadership practices; and innovation processes using Walt's original credo for success.

In "Creating Magical Customer Service - The Disney Way", Bill Capodagli brings to life the "Dream, Believe, Dare, Do" Disney Way principles -- the foundation of a commitment to creating customer experiences that are second to none. Bill presents solid ideas, tips, and problem solving techniques to produce great results. Along with webinar co-host and creative consultant Ken Freestone, Bill invites participants to ask questions and get real answers in this engaging "learning lab" style webinar experience.

WHY:

Walt Disney's "Dream, Believe, Dare, Do" credo is a powerful foundation that will support any business, drive any team and guide any leader to newfound levels of success.

WHEN:

May 16th, 2012 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST

HOW:

We provide a link to sign on to megameeting.com on Windows, Mac, Linux, Ipad and Android. For smart device apps, search for megameeting mobile.

EASY SIGN UP:

http://tinyurl.com/7b75oco

Roy Disney once said, "When values are clear, decisions are easy."

Do all of your employees understand the organization’s mission and values AND how their roles fit into the entire “show?”  It’s imperative to define job scope and guidelines for performance.  One of our clients created performance guidelines for all employees. These guidelines did not define procedures, but rather identified areas of known failure or ideas that were tried in the past, but failed. As long as employees avoided repeating past failures, they were free to exercise their own initiative and creativity, make decisions and achieve results that were in line with the organization's values. Rule of Thumb: Go heavy on guidelines and light on procedures.

Make a New Year’s Resolution to Reinvent your Company’s Policy Manual

1. Remove any policy that does not add value to the customer, supplier or team member. Replace old verbiage with "work hard and be clever."
2. Review the manual for "rules" that hinder the delivery of exceptional customer service. If you ever hear, "We cannot help you because it is against our policy," send up a red flag. Change this verbiage to "Use good judgment."
3. Identify any policy that infers that you do not trust team members. Specifically, examine your expense reimbursement policy. One company decided to allow employees to issue their own expense checks. They had guidelines for tax documentation that were followed by all. The result was the elimination of most of the accounting approvals and a reduction in overall travel expense. We have worked with companies in which senior managers have multi-million dollar budgets and are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of product production, yet they need numerous approvals to spend $500 to attend a workshop. Why? That’s the policy!
4. Use the words "have fun" in your policy manual. Pixar’s John Lasseter said, ““We worked really hard, but we also had so much fun, and it showed up in our work. We’d goof off,
   we’d laugh, we’d work together, and we’d look at
   and give feedback on each other’s stuff. And the
   creativity just sort of overflowed.”

Pollys Pets Adopts The Disney Way

“After traveling to Disney World and Disneyland several times since the middle of the 1980's I have always marveled at the cleanliness,
friendliness and freshness of the parks.

Owning my own retail stores I was amazed at how such a huge
organization can have so many staff on the same page. I have fewer
than 30 employees and have found it almost impossible to keep everyone on the same page or even in the same book!

I started reading as much about Disney as possible. Through my reading I discovered "The Disney Way". This book has helped to clarify and explain how Disney accomplishes such great customer loyalty and satisfaction. This book explains how customer satisfaction does not happen overnight and is actually one of the hardest areas of any business to maintain. This books not only explains the what customer satisfaction is it also show examples of businesses, not just Disney, putting their care programs into action. It has shown me that "The Disney Way" isn't just something that happens it is something that is constantly worked on and constantly being improved.

During these tough economic times I am finding that customers are what we need to be focusing on not just the price of a product. Reading this book, several times now, continues to remind me that we are in the business of pleasing our guests (customers). Almost all of our functions should in some way be geared toward that end. This is marvelous book that doesn't just show the "why's" but explains the "how's.” Great job!”

Steve Housley
owner, Polly's Pets
pollyspets.com

Junior Chamber International–Manila–Using The Disney Way in Training

Excerpts from a letter from Brian Balagot – 2011 Director for Individual Development, Junior Chamber International Manila (www.jcimanila.org); Certified National Trainer, Junior Chamber International Philippines (www.jci.cc)

“Greetings:  I am a Certified National Trainer for Junior Chamber International (JCI) – Manila, and a man whose life was changed by your book. I learned so much from reading it, and it has helped me to grow my business because of the way I applied the skills you mentioned there. From The Disney Way, storyboarding has helped me bring the members of my project team together so that we can solve complicated issues by painting a picture of the current situation together. It’s helped me to bring people on the same page because even the silent members get to participate in discussions, and we get to hear their great ideas. At the same time, I was able to personally apply them in Junior Chamber International, and lead the organization to become more efficient in what we do.

Junior Chamber International is an international organization of citizens who simply want to make where we live a better place to live in by training ourselves to actively take care of our community. We learn about the problems in the city where we live, and then we work with the Local Government Units or the Private Sector to create projects and raise funds that will solve the problems in society. We do this because we want a better future for the people who we love – especially our progeny. We recognize that sufficient training in management and leadership skills can help us become more effective active citizens. When we are more effective in active citizenry, then our projects will have a greater impact in society; and the safe and prosperous future of our loved ones becomes something more certain.

Storyboarding helps a lot here. I am certain that many people will benefit from your ideas – especially if they choose to let themselves become empowered with these skills by applying them in the work that they do.”

Bill Capodagli presents Customer Service - The Disney Way; Live Web & Audio Webinar Item No. 1838303; $179.00; Date: Web Conference 09/09/2011 Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT;www.nationalseminarstraining.com/RockhurstConferences

 

Description:

At Disney, every contact with a customer offers a chance to shine. Disney calls these contacts “Moments of Truth” ... the opportunities to create everlasting positive impressions! And, because the company demands excellence as an organizational absolute, even its fiercest competitors acknowledge that Disney is simply the best customer-centric company on the planet!

Now you can learn how to inspire that level of customer service passion in your own organization by joining us for Customer Service – “The Disney Way”!

Learn the Keys to Dazzling Customer Service in Just One Hour!
Attend this one-hour training session and learn Disney’s formula for customer service brilliance. You’ll gain invaluable ideas that your company can immediately implement to amazing effect.

You’ll also learn insider secrets about how Disney requires – and receives – customer-focused behavior from every employee … from top executives to part-time staff. You won’t want to miss that!

Produce a "Show" for Your Customers and They'll Thank You for It Forever!
Walt Disney knew that every aspect of his business was “show” business, and every moment spent with a customer meant that the employee was “onstage.” By perfecting the art of customer relations, Disney built a record of customer loyalty, satisfaction, and repeat business that became legendary.

Join us and you’ll learn how to capture this enthusiasm for customer service throughout your organization. Your team will learn how to put on a “show” that brings customers back again and again and again!
Disney's Success Can Be Your Success — Don't Miss This Training
So what are you waiting for? Learn how to support your business and your customers with the same level of excellence — join us for Customer Service — “The Disney Way” now!

What You'll Learn When You Attend ...

• Disney’s No.1 unbreakable rule for providing the ultimate customer service
• How Walt Disney’s version of “show” business is the perfect tonic for what ails your business
• Identifying the “Moments of Truth” in your organization and ensuring nobody ever misses one again!
• The hidden – and not-so-hidden – costs for your company of even a single poor customer service experience
• How to use a little bit of Disney’s “pixie dust” to create your own customer-centric organization
• Are you overlooking the first step in creating great service? Find out here.
• How to gain complete buy-in for your new customer service vision and values from everyone up and down the corporate ladder
• 5 keys to creating “magical” moments for your customers

Meet Your Speaker — Bill Capodagli

A serious student of excellence, Bill Capodagli has a thriving success story of his own. The original edition of The Disney Way, which Capodagli co-authored, was awarded the coveted “Best Business Book of the Year” by Fortune magazine and published in eight languages. He is also the co-author of The Disney Way Fieldbook, which provides action plans for instilling Disney's vision into any company, complete with diagnostic exercises, practice sessions, proven advice, and insightful questionnaires. Capodagli also co-authored the popular book, Leading at the Speed of Change: Using New Economy Rules to Invigorate Old Economy Companies.

The prolific best-selling author has nearly three decades of expertise in management consulting and corporate research. As managing partner of Capodagli Jackson Consulting, he brings dynamic managerial experience and graduate-level teaching experience to the firm.

Ever practical, Capodagli's style is also passionate and hard hitting. He is currently the most requested speaker in the United States on Walt Disney's original success and leadership principles. This webinar is a rare opportunity to hear directly from Capodagli.

“This book is about the real magic: Stimulating and harmonizing the collective energy of your people.” — Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of The One Minute Manager.

DISNEY WAY COMMUNITY TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY!

We are delighted to announce the first Disney Way community in the State of Michigan! Congratulations to Larry, Mark, Kevin and the entire team in Dowagiac!

LETTER TO BILL – AUGUST 31^st
“Hello from Dowagiac…Last night Mark laid out the Educational Dream for Dowagiac…
In short, you laid the groundwork for exciting alliances heretofore unknown. Imagine, the School Administration is moving into City Hall to share space and services----the potential is unknown but vast. Here is a link to the Daily News. Enjoy, you are at the root of it all.”
http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2011/08/31/%E2%80%98dream%E2%80%99-would-remake-dowagiac/
Kind Regards,
Larry Seurynck, President

Board of Education

Dowagiac Union Schools,

Dowagiac, Michigan

Dr. Fred L. Mathews, chairman of the SMC Board of Trustees and a member of the Disney Way community committee, congratulates Supt. Dr. Mark Daniel on his presentation.

By John Eby

‘Dream’ would remake Dowagiac

Published 11:56pm Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Months in the making, since “Disney Way” author Bill Capodagli immersed Dowagiac Union Schools, City Hall, Southwestern Michigan College and Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in the customer service principles of Dream, Believe, Dare, Do, Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel Wednesday night unveiled the “Dowagiac Educational Dream.”

The vision crafted since February is to create a “one in 100” district for the 21st century and a Dowagiac renaissance.

Daniel, his remarks prefaced by “When You Wish Upon a Star,” delivered a multi-media presentation brimming with engaging video elements about which he spoke.

The vision, which could take until 2015 to be fully realized, starts this fall with the administration leaving the Wolverine Building and moving into City Hall and follows a path that will definitely blaze a new trail, including moving high school students to the middle school, with construction of a two-floor addition in back to separate juniors and seniors from younger students; converting Union High into a districtwide grades 1-5 building offering consistent reading recovery to all students; and saving only Justus Gage as a districtwide Great Start center for kindergarten and preschoolers.

Patrick Hamilton, Sister Lakes and Kincheloe would join the Wolverine Building in jettisoning overhead and investing in energy conservation that would make the undertaking financially feasible to swing.

Voters will be asked to consider a bond issue in the spring of 2012, school board President Larry Seurynck said afterward.

Of course, the revelations studding the end of Daniel’s presentation came after a careful, comprehensive hour of aligning Dowagiac with best practices in modern education, such as Project-Based Learning designed to engage students, interspersed with Gov. Rick Snyder explaining the directions in which Michigan, poised for a pent-up recovery after years of shrinking, is moving.

For months district leaders have been consumed with creating an education culture, from bringing in new Steelcase furniture to show how classrooms have evolved from teachers as sages on the stage at the front of the room who are listened to to pods which move quickly into different configurations so students face each other and can interact, with teachers more guides and mentors who decide how to weave in such elements as video and social media.

Traditional classrooms discourage the engagement central to preparing for jobs in the workplace which stress collaboration, communication and problem-solving rather than memorizing facts gleaned from old-style lectures.

“Smart” classrooms like Dowagiac desires are only “a three-iron shot” away at partner SMC, Daniel noted in the DMS Performing Arts Center, completed in 2005.

A third of traditional classrooms are occupied by teacher space, Daniel said, which is opened up to avoid distraction from learning in modern new tech facilities.

Daniel, starting his second year with Dowagiac, said we live in a market-driven system and need to match the quality of living here with a top-notch educational system which will attract employers and investment and “will take all of us to make happen.”

“This building (DMS) itself, there’s so much value here,” Seurynck said after the meeting. “The resources here we can share — the auditorium, the gym, the common spaces, science and music labs. Those are all spaces we don’t have to build. Instead of having hallways, you open those up to 30 feet wide and each hallway becomes a technologically-rich media center. Classrooms have glass walls teachers can open to become part of the common area. Students migrate from a classroom out into the media center where they have fiber optics.”

Even Aug. 31 a Dowagiac delegation toured Rochester, Ind., Community High School.

“It’s really exciting,” Seurynck said, “and we could do these things (financially) because we’re not building a new library. (The added high school wing) would be, if you were standing back at the soccer field, at the left side of the building. The addition would have a second floor, built onto this building. Busing wouldn’t change a lot. Right now, we bus kids from behind Hale’s out to Kincheloe and from the south end of the school district, out past California Road at Indian Lake all the way up to Sister Lakes. Society has changed and gone away from the neighborhood school. Justus Gage isn’t a neighborhood school anymore. We don’t have huge clusters of students who can walk to school. All that was done when we redistricted to balance the number of kids.

“The problem with that is you’ve got two first grades out at Kincheloe, two first grades at J Gage, two first grades at Pat Ham and one first grade at Sister Lakes. Some have 19, some have 27 students. Not optimal class sizes” like could be accomplished in a central DUHS location. “We’ve got bubbles coming through the district all the time,” fluctuating from 105 to 125 or 150. “It’s very inefficient. And when students come to high school there’s a lot of variation in their preparedness because each building has a different strength.

“With all the kids in one building, you could have best practices for each grade and align your curriculum so that all are learning the same thing and hitting the same benchmarks at the same time in the same year. Right now, for our special needs students, we lose a day a week for travel. By consolidating, we can have higher quality people in touch with our kids for a greater period of time. The benefits just go on and on. The high school, built in the Sixties, is pushing 60 years old” and needs major upgrading. “It would be $3 million to $4 million just to put in a new boiler and it has only 900 amps. We’d take the efficiencies and using those to pay some of the freight. We’ve been working intensely with architects for four to six weeks. We’re analyzing putting a high-efficiency system in the high school, be it geothermal,” which would also provide air conditioning.

“How much do we save on energy? Then we take that money to pay back what we borrow in low-interest money from the state. It’s making improvements to the district now,” including lighting, “that will save energy, and earmark those savings to pay off debt. Dowagiac’s board leadership the last 10 years has been forward-looking, which puts us in a position to survive. We made a conscious decision between hunkering down, hanging on and hoping things get better or spending some of our fund equity in a calculated risk to make improvements that will bring more people to the community and jobs. When we hired Mark, the community fathers sat me down and said in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t recruit business because the schools were not performing, so we hired (Daniel), a guy with a vision who knows what it looks like. (Former president) Randy Cuthbert said he was the only guy who knows what it looks like and he had national model schools (in Indiana). There’s so much potential.”

“Classrooms should look very different today than when you and I were in school to create an educational culture and environment,” Daniel said. “We have some buildings that have been well-maintained,” but due to their age, “have some major needs. We are at a crossroads.

“Central office will be shared services with City Hall. We have to start thinking in that mentality and start finding ways to reduce expenses and costs, but still expand learning. I’m excited about going to City Hall and I’ll tell you why. Because it’s about community. We all share in this, so why shouldn’t city government be sharing education and technology. We already share fuel. We don’t even know” what other possibilities there might be, “and that’s exciting. I’m looking forward to working with City Manager Kevin Anderson and talking about what we can share — software, computers, copiers and on and on. One elementary center channels all resources into that facility. A 6-12 building? Do students who walk out of this pristine building, do they really want to go over to 9-12” at DUHS?

Chris Taylor-Alumni Field would be retained, the superintendent indicated.

“At the same time, we’re going to have to put dollars into some of our structures. Union High needs a whole new HVAC system. Why is that not AC yet? The boiler and pipes are at their life expectancy after serving their purpose well. That needs to be revamped. The new design would add on (to DMS) on the west with a second floor for 11th and 12th graders. I come from a national model school where we had seventh through 12th graders. There is extreme power when you have 11th and 12th graders for your younger students to model. Maturity in the building, you can just see it rise. Respect. Trust. Responsibility. It ramps up in a healthy way. At the same time, you need to make sure you don’t have a constant interaction with your younger students. Architects — (DUHS graduate) Scott Winchester — looked at a flow” which segregates students as they enter and exit.

“We’re going to have to expand the cafeteria,” Daniel explained. “This building was designed to expand and the governor said be smart in the way you spend your funding because you’re probably not going to get more unless you’re achieving, and you need to figure out shared services. I salute the fiscal management of this district. Most districts are talking about how to weather the storm rather than growth or opportunity. That’s not a way to be ready for the prosperity that’s going to happen in Michigan. Michigan is among the major states in the country primed for economic growth. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to come back. Advanced manufacturing with technology, which we get from SMC and our Van Buren vocational school.”

London’s Bute Coaching Adopts The Disney Way

“I read your book The Disney Way, Revised Edition: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney. And thought this to be a fantastic book that gave great ideas and examples of real businesses introducing/maintaining the Disney ethos.

As a small company (less than 10) we have taken some of the ideas from your book, revised them to suit us and currently their is a definite shift in us as a company and I believe this is impacting our delivery in a very positive way.

I would like to thank you for this book.”

Margo Manning Account Director; Bute Coaching Ltd

Based in London, Bute Coaching Ltd comprises a highly experienced team of professionals who have worked in diverse backgrounds including: IT, financial (including investment and retail banking), legal, insurance, pensions, retail, surveying, property development, accounts, construction, education and many other industries.

DISNEY WAY RECOMMENDED READING FOR THOSE WHO PROACTIVELY MANAGE THEIR CAREERS

Smart Lemming Review

The SmartLemming.com recommends The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company for workers at any career stage. See the table and images below for specific ratings for each career stage and category relevance.

SmartLemming.com considers The Disney Way as a must-read book for people proactively managing their careers.

BILL CAPODAGLI’S VIDEO FROM THE 13TH World Human Resources Congress in Montreal

Finally….we have a link to clips from Bill’s Sept, 2010 keynote in Montreal:

http://www.portailrh.org/StudioRH/fiche4.aspx?p=444886

Words of Welcome from Canada’s Prime Minister

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 13th World Human Resources Congress, organized by Quebec’s Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.

The human resources management sector has certainly been affected by the deteriorating global economic environment in recent months. This slowdown is suited to a period of reflection, encouraging us to explore new avenues adapted to current realities. The holding of this event is of particular relevance, providing a unique opportunity for human resources specialists from throughout the world to address these issues.

This three-day congress will enable participants to share with their colleagues and discuss innovative measures to help recovering economies face today’s challenges. I have no doubt that this conference will touch on new approaches and markets that will help stimulate the economic recovery and strengthen the critical human resources management sector.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate the organizers on their outstanding work. I wish all the participants a very productive congress.

The Prime Minister of Canada,

Steven Harper

CUNA REVIEW of BILL’S KEYNOTE - DREAMS AND DREAMERS: HOW TO INNOVATE LIKE WALT DISNEY AND THE PIXARIANS

Excerpt from: 

My Top 5 Takeaways from the CUNA HR/TD Conference/www.creditunionmagazine.com

By Michelle Greear, vice president, learning and development, for Technology Credit Union, San Jose, Calif.

April 29, 2011

Number 4. Everyone has something to learn and something to teach.

Bill Capodagli’s presentation on innovation was inspiring and timely. He highlighted the importance of the story, setting, role, and backstage as we partner with our corporate enterprise to achieve goals and improve efficiencies.

HR/TD can help whittle away departmental silos by advocating for cross-functional mentors, coaches, and subject matter experts who can see outside the lines and play nice in the sand box.

Working with adults is similar to working with kids. Kids like toys, and so do adults. Kids like to move around, interact, and see how things work. So do adults. Kids like stories, color, and visual stimulation—so do adults.

Note to self: learn Prezi.

DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING FEEDBACK FROM CAAP’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE

On March 24th, Bill conducted a storyboading session for the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania.  The focus was on how the individual agencies could provide Disney Way service to their audiences despite the inevitable federal funding threats to their network.  The feedback on the session was overwhelmingly positive.  Here are the written comments provided by the participants (original typos were not corrected):

Great

Excellent this type of presentation & workshop is needed.

This was fabilous workshop. The presenter was great. I feel like I can apply what I learned.

Fantastic

Wonderful training will use this extensivley.

Excellent presenter with great hands on tips!

Excellent workshop

Great workshop-I will use this immediately.

Story Board…something the Board of Directors should use.

Become a Culture Warrior!

Maintaining the culture of the organization should be the number one priority for any CEO. A study by the American Quality and Participation Association identified the most important attributes of choosing an employer: Salary 7%; Flex Hours 10%; Benefits 14%; and Responsibility 24%...yet Culture at 45% accounted for nearly as much as the rest of the field. Lou Gerstner led IBM’s turnaround in the 1990’s – from losing $8 billion in 1993 to making $8 billion in 2002, and creating over 65,000 jobs. He said, “If I could have chosen not to tackle the IBM culture head-on, I probably wouldn’t have. My bias coming in was toward strategy, analysis and measurement. In comparison, changing the attitude and behaviors of hundreds of thousands of people is very, very hard. Yet I came to see in my time at IBM that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game – it is the game.”


Become your company’s Culture Warrior by:
· Creating your dream or vision for the organization or team
· Establishing the values that will help guide decision-making
· Communicating your dream and values to all stakeholders

We don’t mean simply plastering the dream and values on a wall or on the back of business cards! Take every opportunity to communicate your dream again and again to everyone who touches your organization – employees, potential employees, stockholders, suppliers and customers. Once your culture is in place, be persistent and consistent. Never ever compromise your dream or values…once you do, you’re dead. This is a journey that is well worth your time. Don’t just celebrate your culture, live it. Remember, culture is not just one aspect of the game it is – it is the game!

Reinvent Your Policy Manual!

We can’t believe it is already December! Why not spend the remaining weeks streamlining your policy manual? In many companies, this archaic document is the biggest barrier to becoming a customer-centric organization. Here are some guidelines to begin to reinvent your policy manual:
Remove any policy that does not add value to the customer, supplier or coworker. Replace old verbiage with "work hard and be clever."
Review the manual for "rules" that hinder the delivery of exceptional customer service. If you allow your frontline staff to say, "We cannot help you because it is against our policy,” your culture needs a shake-up. Begin by enabling employees to “use good judgment" in everything they do, from team interactions to solving customer problems.
Identify any policy that infers that you do not trust your employees. Particularly examine your expense account policy. We know of one company that decided to allow employees to issue their own expense checks. They had guidelines for tax documentation that were followed by all. The result was the elimination of most of the accounting approvals and a reduction in overall travel expenses. Over the years, we have worked with several companies in which senior managers have multi-million dollar budgets and are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of product production, yet they must obtain corporate approval for $500 to attend a workshop! This policy makes absolutely no sense.
Try adding the words "have fun" to your policy manual. It has been said that if you find a job where you can have fun, you’ll never have to work again.
A friend of ours is a business school dean of a prestigious university. His entire policy manual is “work hard, be clever, use good judgment and have fun.” Nordstrom’s policy manual is one page; it reads: “use good judgment in all situations. There will be no other rules.”
The typical corporate policy manual is written to send “warnings” to employees when they should send “encouragements.” Trust your workers, and they will reward you with superior performance.
So…start the New Year out right and reinvent your policy manual!