The Seven Keys to Success with Joel Comm

I found this to be very inspirational:

Dead-end Job? Still No Such Thing!

I wrote a blog a while back in 2008 (read it here) where I mention that every job position has something worth learning and taking with you for future work. As I searched the web for marketing and career videos, I stumbled upon the following video by Joel Comm and his work history, which is a pretty interesting story about how he ended up being a web sales guru. Here he gives a lecture about his beginnings and he mentions that every job he's had taught him something new, which just strengthens my argument.

So, that's the point - no matter what the job or work position you have at the moment, take some useful information with you as you move on over time - even if the job is seemingly unrelated to what you aspire to!

- Buck Moore

Making the Most of Commuting: How to Avoid Stress Before, During or After Work

I stumbled upon a webpage by author Gina Mollicone-Long, who wrote "Think or Sink, The One Choice that Changes Everything" and one paragraph on her webpage caught my eye. By the way, this is not an endorsement and I am not an affiliate, these are just my personal observations of a forward thinker who inspired me to write today. Here's the part of the paragraph which stuck out:

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS STRESS!
Some people consider crawling along in traffic an opportunity to listen to their favorite music or relax and do their best thinking. For others, traffic is a nightmare that will ruin their entire day."

The reason it got my full attention is that I discovered, many years ago, that if I am going to be stuck in traffic, why should I waste time trying to move ahead of gridlock and stress myself out for no good reason? Why not just 'go with the flow' and use that time to my advantage? So, that's what I did; I changed my perspective.

Driving the mean streets of Toronto

Toronto can be quite crazy to drive around at the best of times. There's a running joke in my family that, in order to get on the highway to visit my sister, which is only a half hour's drive, I have to make it out of Toronto, which can be anywhere from a half hour to an hour, depending on many factors. So, to me it's about a 1.5 hour drive.

That being said, since the time I was a full time driver in my late 20's (mid 1990's), I have seen the roads go from bad to worse. In fact, driving around delivering blueprints and picking up orders for the print shop I worked at meant a lot of time in traffic and thus an opportunity to further my education while driving. So, I often pulled over to a corner store and bought a $5.00 'learn as you drive' tape and even went shopping downtown to a 'books on tape' store, where I could get philosophy, business, motivation, inspiration or whatever I wanted to listen to on a regular basis. In fact, I wanted them to keep me on the road for more pick-ups if I could avoid going back to the shop, where I couldn't listen to my stuff.

The business tapes really fired me up every time I listened to them and eventually I gave my notice to start my desired career. In a sense, that driving job was one of the best things for me, it allowed me time to be alone and get educated while I was working.

Stacking boxes and being left alone

Back in early 1995, when I was working in shipping and receiving, I was the head receiver working under my supervisor, who seemed to understand where I was coming from. In my constant need for change to sustain myself at positions I didn't entirely enjoy, I often took a 'break' by going to the warehouse to stack boxes so I could be alone with my thoughts. On occasion, I'd even forget to take a formal break.

Working alone, doing physical labor that didn't involve a dangerous surrounding (important point here), I could think of the many things I wanted to accomplish and could work on my plans after I quit (I was almost 'quit' in my head by that time, after 6.5 years). Needless to say, I got a lot more done at that position than anybody could ever imagine.

Final statement

So, I totally agree with the idea that a person's predicament is based on their perspective and nobody should feel too trapped or stressed because there is always an option that suits one better - if you look around and find it. Thinking of new ideas is about the hardest thing I ever find myself doing because executing the ideas is relatively painless.

In short, I like when people use the word 'think' and that's why my upcoming book series is called think WORK not JOB.

- Buck Moore

Customer Service Blunders & Solutions Part 4: Yes, Virginia, it IS Your Job.

As we go through our workdays, it can be easy to become jaded...if we let it happen. A very common result of this jadedness is the statement: "It's not my job." I spent years in the workforce witnessing similar reactions and I came to the conclusion that most people do not like what they do for a living.

I know what it's like to be stuck in a rut or have a bad boss try to humiliate you. I have also felt the 'empty fishbowl' effect of watching as the world went by outside of the trap I created for myself, wondering when I would get to join in on the action and do something important instead of being stuck inside with my jaded co-workers.

Then, one day, I saw 'Joe vs. The Volcano" and it made me think. It's not that I wasn't thinking before that, I just wasn't thinking the right things. Showing up at the same place every day with the same problems and hearing the same things over and over and over again can really take the color out of life (even though the color really doesn't go anywhere).

It's easy to see why someone might utter the words 'it's not my job' and it is not entirely their fault. But, when a customer hears somebody say that, it's a real letdown. It makes customers feel uncomfortable because they don't want to hear that kind of internal struggle that is so evident in a company; they just want to get what they came for. The concept of 'it's not my job' also affects productivity.

So, Virginia was just finished helping a customer with a new jacket one day and another customer had dropped a milkshake on the floor. The other salespeople were with customers and the manager asked Virginia if she could clean up the spill. Guess what Virginia said? Of course she didn't want to do it, because she felt that that kind of work was below her and therefore humiliating.

The manager, Steve, gave Virginia very little reason to come to work every day because he wasn't very nice and commanded things rather than asked. There was a running joke that he was a 'retail dictator'. Virginia needed her job and was there primarily for commissions because the hourly rate was so poor, so she reluctantly grabbed a broom, dustpan and large rag to clean up the mess - and she didn't look happy about it.

That retail store was clearly not a well-oiled machine. But, what was the problem? Who was to blame? Was it Virginia's job? Let's examine this case study to find solutions:

1. Problem: No wage increases. Details: There is little that can be done about Virginia's hourly rate at this time. It was mentioned in a company memo that there would be no pay raises for six months so that the company could avoid layoffs. Solution: Steve should have had a meeting with his staff about the memo. He should have motivated people to get more commissions by selling more and he should have provided information on how to do it.

2. Problem: Steve does not know how to motivate people. Solution: He should take professional development courses or seminars and educate himself about how to motivate people and communicate with them. Steve should also show a good example once in a while by cleaning something himself when everybody else is busy. He should explain to Virginia (and other staff) that a liquid spill is more of a safety hazard than anything else and that it must be dealt with by anybody who is available as a gesture of extended customer service - and do so with a smile. Steve should also learn how to tell a joke or two to lighten up his staff.

3. Problem: Virginia is jaded and only in it for herself. Solution: Virginia should be reminded why teamwork is important and that she can improve her livelihood by learning a few new sales techniques and therefore get more commissions. She should be reminded to think about customer service and safety for customers and staff - but she should be told in a calm, humorous way and not in front of customers or other staff. She should also be encouraged to laugh.

For more on this topic, contact:
- Buck Moore (buck@thinkworknotjob.com)