I have been thinking about how the way we act toward one another can impact both our effectiveness and our success. It is no longer enough to just “get something done.” We must learn to own the process of success from start to finish. This starts with the way we interact with team members, stakeholders, customers, and more!
Recently, I have had several interactions with a telecommunications company that we will call “AS&S.” The actual service problems experienced were exacerbated by their front line support organization. However, my reaction created additional stress in the situation, which didn’t bode well for my reputation of professionalism. It became important for me to maintain a level of professionalism while not backing down from what my expectations were. I needed to see the individuals in the organization in a different light than the actual company. In this way, it allowed me to communicate effectively and achieve my end goal. It also helped align those individuals so that we all had the same definition of “success.” I could have been a hard-liner and just “gotten my service back up” but I would have lost a bit of who I am in the process.
Do I still think the company lives up (or down) to their reputation? Absolutely. But I am not kind to or professional with people because of what their company’s reputation is, but rather because of who I am.
Joshua Thinks 