Sometimes all the intention in the world – still means that a customer does not have a good interaction. The question I pose is can we please all the people all the time? I was saddened by an email I received directly from a customer this week – accusing RedBalloon of not listening….. I reviewed all his correspondence, we had clearly acknowledged each of his concerns and offered suggestions, hence I could see that the RedBalloon team member had listened….
Tag Archives: culture
Number 1 rule of Retailing = Entertainment
This week we have seen the demise of Fletcher Jones and the opening of Top Shop. My 15 year old daughter texted me, saying ‘I’m even more excited than when Zara opened – it is British and I love it – when can we go?” Many Australian retailers are left thinking “what happened – where did our customers go?”. We are in the peak of Christmas season and there is not one retailer in Australia who is not holding their…
Culture Check
We are fast approaching RedBalloon’s tenth birthday, with that it mind I wanted to check in with the team ‘What does it mean to you to be a part of the RedBalloon story?’ The answers were delightful and insightful… but this particular answer from one of the newer RedBallooners is very worth reproducing in whole. If you were to ask the similar question in your organisation, you too could get a great insight into the ‘mood’ – think of it…
Being Stingy is so last century.
Why do some people think it is okay to be stingy in saying ‘thank you’. I have been in three situations recently that have given me an insight I had been oblivious too. When we happily operate in our own world we are often blind to other peoples view of the world. I thought people knew how important it is to be grateful for another person’s generosity and that to authentically thank them was the gift they give in return….
Is ‘We Suck’ inspirational leadership?
I heard Liz Wiseman speak recently (co-author of Multipliers)… on leadership styles. She asked the participants to think of a boss who had made them feel great and as a result how did we ‘perform’ for that boss. Then to think about a boss who made us feel smaller. Liz outlined that leaders who make people feel smarter (multiply) as opposed to leaders who make people feel smaller (diminish) – will get more than double the capability from those people….
Coming up this week – 7 Feb 2011.
Verne Harnish raised an interesting question this week in his Insights Newsletter… the notion that there are no such people as ‘internal customers’. This week I had such a variety of customer conversations. I am very clear that our customers are those people who spend money with us…. However I also believe that the idea of customer extends to those people that allow you to be profitable – and to that end I include my experience suppliers in my ‘customer’…
It takes 18 years to raise a child – not 18 weeks.
Education is at the source of growth (not just for the individual but also for economies) and, in Australia, the majority of our university graduates are women. We’re number one on the planet in terms of educating women in tertiary institutions – yet the participation rate of those women in leadership roles is dire. So we’re spending the money on education but we’re not getting the return out of our highly educated people. I’ve written before about the economic argument…
Thank you
‘I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks’. William Shakespeare. As I just complete my tenth Christmas at RedBalloon – I experience a sense of overwhelming gratitude. I have been truly humbled to see how RedBalloon has captured the imagination of so very many people. In my wildest dreams ten years ago I never thought that we would make such a profound difference in all sorts of ways. I thank the businesses and organizations that believe in what…
Three Lessons in tough love
I just heard from a friend of mine who lives in NYC – that he has resigned from his GM role because the owner of the business said, “I don’t want happy people I want factory workers”. My friend was completely disheartened – he thought business owners were enlightened – and understood that happy people = happy profits I guess I question if this entrepreneur is reading or learning anything. One thing that Verne Harnish is noted as saying ‘the…
Google’s US$233 million shortsighted waste
When my colleague Matt told me of Google’s ‘salary and bonus’ plan to reduce its brain drain, I responded: ‘It’s not April Fools day Matt – Ha Ha’ Astoundingly, Matt wasn’t kidding me. Instantly I wondered how Google, the ‘hero’ of employee engagement and employee branding, could be so short sighted. Google is famous for winning employee awards, not just in Australia but also around the globe. Only last week Google Australia was named the most sought after employer in…
Imagine running a business based on fun - that's what I decided to try when I left a very serious corporate career in marketing to set up RedBalloon...
