- Written by Ralph Brown
This one is for anyone who is worried by the pandemic - or anything else.
We should be wary of anyone who says, 'All you have to do is....' Even so, researchers who've spent many years observing people who handle crises well have some ideas you might find useful.
One research team has developed a three-point strategy for developing resilience and their ' 3Cs of Hardiness' have been well tested.
Control - Making a plan
Commitment (in two parts)
- Staying committed to the plan (even if we have to modify the plan as we go along)
- Staying committed to our relationships with the people who support us
Challenge - Seeing worries and adversity as an opportunity to develop our resilience
You might be thinking, 'I do that already!'
Great, but could you make more of each of those ideas? Making the strategy work through setbacks and recurring bouts of worry takes determination and courage.
Other researchers have come up with other useful observations we should add to the mix.
- Coping well with a medium level of stress builds our resilience for the next time we need it.
- Helping others makes us happier.
- Optimism and gratitude are contagious.
- Dreaming big can be good, but planning what we will do turns a fantasy into a goal.
- People who plan what they will do when they encounter setbacks to their goals are more resilient
- Forgiving ourselves when we lapse from our strategies gets us back on track faster
- Written by Ralph Brown
Why? Because your team have their regular work to do. If you go for a grand plan to improve your customer service, you could miss out on something even more valuable than the improvements: everyone’s commitment.
It’s far more likely that your team will be committed to customer service if it’s practical for them to make improvements while still doing their everyday work. They’ll be more committed if they can see the momentum building over time.
The stakes are high. A customer service improvement program must succeed. If your team can’t see what’s changed, they’ll be cynical if you try again.
Let’s get specific
Encourage your team to use this checklist...
Will our customers appreciate it? (if not, it’s not a customer service project)
Is it practical to do this project without compromising our regular work too much?
Will it give us quick results?
Will we be able to measure the results? (‘Completed’ could be enough measurement)
Once they’ve finished one project, encourage them to start another. Display a list of their achievements. Momentum builds commitment to do more.
Christchurch
E-mail: info@skillset.co.nz