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Browse published articles attributed to Robert (Bob) Lucas, with full-archive search.
Dr. Abraham Maslow studied workplace motivation of employees in the years following World War II. His research has been referenced and adapted many times over the years. From a training or educational perspective, you can use the five levels of motivation that Maslow identified to focus your ...
Using effective audio-visual training aids in your learning events can help reinforce your verbal message significantly, while stimulating the brains of your learners and tapping into different learning modalities. By creating and using effective support material, you can help ensure that you ...
“Back in the day” most children were taught to say “please” and “thank you.” They were also taught to ask permission before taking or doing something, open doors and pull out chairs at the dinner table for ladies, assist elderly people, wear suits to religious functions and to dinner with a date, send a thank you note following a dinner or stay at a friends house, and to generally conduct themselves in a more civil manner according to customs and values of a bygone era. Much of that behavior typically carried over into the workplace. Things have changed a bit over the years.
In an economy in which organizations of all types and size are struggling to stay afloat, effective service is often a crucial factor in determining whether customers stay or go. The sad fact is that many owners and managers are so distracted with bottom line issues that they forget to focus ...
If it seems to you that service providers have become more complacent recently and that the quality of service that they provide has dropped in many instances, you are probably right. In an era when fortunes have plummeted, people struggle to find or keep a job, families are stretched to the ...
From time to time, you may find your service recovery efforts blocked by certain actions or inactions on your part or others in your organization. While you may have good intentions related to re-establishing and maintaining a solid customer-provider relationship, there are a number of obstacles that can get in the way. Here are some of the obstacles that commonly derail recovery attempts. Poor or inadequate communicatio Without solid communication, recovery cannot occur when service breakdowns happen.
You have probably heard the saying “There just aren’t enough hours in the day.” This is especially true if your job involves traveling to a client’s site or if you work at or travel between remote locations (e.g., branch offices). Transit time can take a big chunk out of your day. In such situations it is important to recognize how to best use your time. This article provides a few tips for time management on the run. Prepare in advance. Make sure that you schedule your appointments far enough in advance to allow for emergencies.
Conflict should be viewed as neither positive nor negative. Instead, it is an opportunity to identify differences that may need to be addressed when dealing with your internal and exte al customers. It is not unusual for you to experience conflict when dealing with someone else. In fact it is ...
In any workplace or coaching situation, the quality and number of interactions between managers and their employees depend on how well and how often the two communicate. To improve their effectiveness as coaches, supervisors and managers must hone their ability to give and receive feedback. The ...
Like many of you, I have spent my life doing the things that I loved, the things that I needed to do and the things that were expected of me. Along the way, I have accumulated a wall of plaques, a binder of certificates, a number of degrees and certifications and a bookshelf of books, articles ...
Many of us travel for a living or just for fun. Longer trips, especially cross-country or overseas, provide us with the “opportunity” to experience air transportation. We get to stand in long security lines, sit in cramped cabins, go without food or beverages for long periods and feel like a ...
Brain researchers have found that many things stimulate learner’s brains during training and educational events. Key among these is the environment in which learning is to take place. If you want your learners to achieve maximum learning potential, create a learning environment in which you ensure that everything that they will encounter from the time they enter until the time they leave is focused on accomplishment of your learning objectives. This includes the following: • Organize furnishings and training aids in a manner that is learner-centered.
For as long as most people can remember, interpersonal communication breakdowns have been the number one factor causing loss of employee efficiency and effectiveness in organizations. Statements such as, “I never know what’s going on,” “No one ever listens to me or my ideas,” or “THEY don’t tell ...
There is no one formula for a successful life. Each person approaches the daily challenges encountered in a different way and there are often no easy solutions in today’s tough economic situation. Still, some people seem to rise above their troubles and find a way to deal with what life has planned for them. These are the people who know how to set positive goals and stay focused on achieving them.