Inside the Magic Kingdom – Lesson 7
Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. Recently I picked up the book again and had a hard time putting it down! There is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time. For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book. At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well. The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author.
Continued from previous week…
LESSON 7
Xvxryonx makxs a diffxrxncx
I covered this lesson a few weeks ago before I decided to write about all the lessons. I think it is a very important lesson and worth repeating. It is surprising to me sometimes how little it takes sometimes to make a difference for people.
During some of my programs I include the paragraph below in an exercise that has very positive results. Often after we read this paragraph I ask everyone what it means to them. I get varied responses and they all agree with the message that everyone makes a difference. Usually the groups are small enough to have everyone go around the room and tell each other why they are important and what they appreciate most about each other. In many instances I can see that people are moved by what they are acknowledged for. I have had people come up to me after the program is over and say they were surprised (and delighted) to know they were appreciated.
XVXRYONX MAKXS A DIFFXRXNCX
Somxtimxs I gxt to thinking that what I do doxsn’t mattxr. But whxn I start thinking that way, I rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr. Most of thx kxys workxd finx most of thx timx. But onx day, onx of the kxys stoppxd working althogxthxr. And that rxally mxssxd xvxrything up. So whxn I’m txmptxd to say I’m only onx pxrson, it won’t makx a diffxrxncx if I don’t do this quitx right, I rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr. Thxn I say to mysxlf “I am a kxy pxrson and nxxdxd vxry much.
We will debrief this session with some creative ways that people can acknowledge each other on an ongoing basis, and these are some of the suggestions:
- Thank you notes when someone does something special
- Buy a coffee (or tea, soft drink) for someone who has helped you
- Have candy or treats available for spontaneous acts of kindness
- Compliment when you see someone doing something great
- Send an email to a person’s boss telling them of something special colleague did
- Have a mascot (appropriate to the organization and culture) that is awarded weekly to the person who went the extra mile the most
The take away from this short exercise is to acknowledge each other for even the small things and this will go a long way to building a supportive team culture. I encourage everyone to look for ways to acknowledge each other everyday.
Questions for discussion with your team:
- How often does good performance go unrecognized?
- In general, what’s the positive-to-negative feedback ratio in our company/plant/department etc?
- How could we improve that ratio?
- What is your individual ratio of positive-to-negative feedback?
