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Partnering for Success
The
course of our life, the things we achieve, the happiness we
feel, are all in some way effected by the people around us. This column includes tips on how to be more
successful and enjoy
life even in the tough times by forging winning
partnerships—partnerships that help you and those around you
prosper.
A
Column by Philippa Courtney
June 2002
Get Out of Jail Free
If I told you that improved customer service is a byproduct of
treating employees like partners you might think that sounds
reasonable but not too practical. As consumers we feel that customer
service is an oxymoron. And in business we feel that training
employees to deliver good customer service is like trying to pin
Jell-O to a wall.
Yet there are exceptions. Southwest Airlines and Nordstrom seem to
have figured it out. So has Brian Rohter. Not only can he show us
how to build a customer service culture, but by following his
example we can learn how to create partnerships that empower others
in all areas of our life.
Brian is the president of New Seasons Markets, headquartered in
Portland, Oregon. My husband and I shop at the local New Seasons
more often than we need to because the store is a friendly
neighborhood gathering place and the employees are some of the
happiest, most customer-focused people you could meet.
The healthy culture that Brian has created has nothing to do with
the organic yogurt on the shelves in his stores. The growth that New
Seasons continues to achieve in Portland's highly competitive
grocery market can be directly attributed to how Brian empowers his
employees to win by making it safe for them to fail.
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Actually it's more accurate to say that Brian makes it safe
for his employees to take the initiative. That's something we
can all learn to do better in our personal and professional
relationships.
When you were a child and your parents caught you doing
something you knew was wrong, what did you do? You probably
blamed your schoolmate, sibling, or as in my case, an
imaginary friend. Children often try to avoid punishment and
penalty by shifting the responsibility. At some level we all
still fear the clout of criticism when we fail. |
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Partners make it safe to try new
things without the fear of failure or blame. |
Brian has developed a
brilliant tool for empowering his people to take initiative
without risk. New Seasons' employees affectionately call it the
"Get Out of Jail Free" card and they carry it around in their
pockets while they work. The card basically says that the
employee can do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer. The
backside of the card tells the manager that the employee was
working in the customer's best interest and if the employee's
judgment seems a little off, the manager should praise the
employee and then if necessary offer a constructive
alternative. Brian, the CEO, takes the responsibility for any
cost to the store—costs that are negligible in contrast to
increased sales due to customer satisfaction.
Imagine if all business applied Brian's "Get Out of Jail Free"
philosophy. Even employees with no assigned customer service
responsibility would feel empowered to try and solve customer
problems. Even if their efforts didn't solve the problem they
would be praised for taking the initiative and their manager
would share responsibility for the problem and help them find a
better solution.
How can this be applied in our personal lives? We can start by
making it safe for our friends, mate, and children to take
initiative without the fear of blame. Back when my husband
Robert and I were dating we traveled to Los Angeles together on
business. We decided to leave the car at the hotel and walk to
a vegetarian restaurant that I believed was a short distance
away. We walked and we walked in our dress shoes until someone
told us that the restaurant was too far for us to reach on
foot. We were hungry and had sore feet as we walked all the way
back to get the car, but we continued to pass the time with
good conversation. The restaurant turned out to be great.
Afterwards Robert thanked me for taking the initiative and I
remarked on his good-natured adaptability. We had both shared
an adventure and recognized in each other someone who didn't
assign blame.
Being a partner means sharing responsibility for failure as
well as victory. It's letting the other person know that that
you're in it together and that when something goes wrong you'll
say, "We'll do better next time." Set others free to take
initiative by giving them a "Get Out of Jail Free" card—this
is partnering for success.
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