WOW. FUN. PEOPLE. » Cheryl Nakamoto

Moments of Magic

Cheryl Nakamoto — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:33:19 +0000

I was at a drug store today in the shampoo section when I happened upon a conversation between a store clerk and a customer. The customer was inquiring about a specific product line that they apparently didn’t carry anymore. She probed further about what other options were available to substitute and without a smile on her face the clerk responded, ‘I don’t know, I haven’t tried any of them.’ and then walked away.

“A moment of truth is anytime a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, and has an opportunity to form an impression.” Jan Carlzon, Scandinavian Airlines

About a month ago I attended a seminar lead on Moments of Truth, Misery and Magic by Shep Hyken, Customer Service expert and author of The Cult of the Customer . Shep spoke of the dynamic when you interact with people that you can either create moments of misery, magic or mediocrity. Moments of misery are those moments of truth gone bad. Moments of magic are those awesome experiences that make you want to go back for more. And perhaps the most hurtful to a business are those of mediocrity or as Shep calls them those of average, as those experiences leave no impression at all and can damage a company just as much as those of misery.

If companies were to repeat my drug store experience in their own particular business version they would most definitely leave an experience of mediocrity. You can really tell when an employee is engaged or interested in the overall good of a company.

Shep’s statement that, “One person can make the company!” is bang on. How often does a moment of mediocrity or misery delivered by a company’s employee scar the company for a long time unless dealt with. With so many other choices why would we go back for a negative or neutral experience.

Shep’s 10 strategies that will create Moments of Magic:

Manage the first impression- make it positive
Be knowledgeable on your service/product
Build rapport when dealing with your customers
Enthusiasm- show your “joy” for what you do!
Communication- be clear and ask questions to qualify what they really want and when.
Mistakes will happen so your goal is to resolve and restore confidence
Quality in every turn- provide great service or a great product
UPOD- under promise and over deliver
Consistency – maintain consistency in delivery of service
Show appreciation- thank you’s!!

~ Cheryl Nakamoto

photo credit: 10ch

Filed under: Management Excellence

The beat of an organization

Cheryl Nakamoto — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:24:42 +0000

I recently attended the 2010 HRMA conference. The theme of the conference was People, Passion, Profit. There was a surprise plenary on the agenda to kick off the conference. With much anticipated curiosity and anticipation I waited outside the room with other fellow HRMA attendees. Our curiosity was rewarded when we were finally allowed to enter the conference room. To my surprise the conference seats where lined with 1000 drums! We spent most of the 40 minutes learning about how the power of sound can move a group together. It was a powerful message: Before you can move forward cohesively as a group you need to start with a united baseline.

This metaphor for ‘finding a team’s rhythm’ is something we have done for years now at McNak. While we don’t do it with drums or music we have found our rhythm in the pulse of our weekly company wide meeting that we have every Monday morning. Originally inspired by Verne Harnish in his book The Rockefeller Habits, we have truly made it our own. By having our whole team united at one time has really made a difference in the cohesiveness of how we move forward with our own individual goals. This brief meeting also carves out time for our whole team to be present to celebrate individual and team successes. And now if only we could just nail our McNak theme song…..

~ Cheryl Nakamoto

Filed under: Leadership and Team Building

Corporate Culture Minute

Cheryl Nakamoto — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:55:33 +0000

Part of McNak’s corporate culture is our connection to community. Tonight, May 6th we are hosting GrapeJuice, a Wine Auction we created in 2007 to raise funds for Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland. This is an event very close to our hearts, and it is what brings us together.

~ Cheryl Nakamoto

Filed under: corporate culture

When is close too close. What to share.

Cheryl Nakamoto — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:05:16 +0000

Work versus Play – the age-old conundrum! As we engage in the pursuit of work-life balance, conflict is inherent, and this conflict becomes even more evident when developing workplace relationships.

As managers and employees, we should be mindful of our primary goal in each setting: at home, with our family and friends, our purpose is to socialize and strengthen our personal relationships; at work, our purpose is to work.

But is it really that clearly defined?

Most business professionals would agree that managers should make the distinction: work at work, play at home. We have all heard that supervisors should refrain from socializing with their employees and vice versa.

But what if the team wants to get to know you? Which, of course, they do!

Our company has social events every 2-3 months, and every member of the team is invited to partake in the fun. I think we all use our common sense when developing relationships at work. We socialize, enjoy spending time together, but avoid sharing everything about every aspect of our lives. While some co-workers share more with each other than with their boss, as managers we try to keep some of the more intimate details to ourselves.

Keeping a bit of distance between your work life and your home life isn’t such a bad idea. I’m sure we have all experienced some of the negative consequences of not doing so. Manage your credibility and respect confidentiality and you will never find yourself in a bind.

From my experience in working with many supervisors and hiring managers over the years, the things to keep to yourself are simple. If you don’t mind the whole company knowing then you can tell it. But best to limit knowledge of your latest argument with your spouse or partner, or details of ailments or illnesses you or a family member have had. Stick to experiences your team has together and you won’t find yourself crossing any invisible lines.

It’s up to you to ultimately decide what you say, but always consider the consequences of your actions. Your choices affect the image you project. And, ultimately, your image is one of your most valuable assets.

~ Cheryl Nakamoto

Posted in Leadership and Team Building