Dale Carnegie once said, "Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves." When it comes to leadership, one of the hardest jobs for managers to do is interact effectively on a day-to-day basis. I'm not talking about saying a quick "hello" and "good morning" as you pass each other on the way to the coffee pot. That's all well and good, but what I'm talking about is the kind of interaction that maintains and enhances self-esteem.

Problems on the job are the hard stuff. They can be solved more effectively and less stressfully when a manager deals with what people do rather than with their attitudes or personal    characteristics.

Case Study in Leadership

Maria is in charge of environmental services for a large hotel. "I needed to understand why the hotel was not getting value for the money spent with some of its vendors. I initiated an internal review process involving a variety of managers and supervisors," she said.

Maria also sought one-on-one input from some of the team members. Having initiated the review process, she made clear to them her commitment to understanding their issues and in communicating priorities.

The value of Maria's leadership helped her managers learn how to manage vendors more efficiently. It also gave her team confidence in their individual expertise. Maria added, "The entire team felt more supported in solving problems on a day-to-day basis."

Some Perspective

Organizations today face complex challenges. These challenges result in new and deeper demands on leadership. A cross-national study by the Center for Creative Leadership indicates that today's leadership involves more collaborative and innovative approaches. Leadership is likely to be a major driver in helping organizations to retain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

A Solution

My experience has shown that first-line managers, and the leadership skills they possess, can determine not only whether an individual stays with an organization but also how much that individual contributes to the organization's success.

Recognition is critically important

One of the most important and fundamental leadership skills is to maintain team member self-esteem.  Never say anything to a team member that would lower or diminish his or her self-esteem. Look for ways to brag on team members and be sure to recognize his or her contributions. Studies have shown that the number one motivator of employees is recognition for a job well done.

A behavior-based approach

Another important skill is to base discussions about performance and work habits on behavior, rather than on personalities and attitudes. For example, if an employee is late for work a number of times, don't say, "You've got a bad attitude about working here," but rather, something like, "Bill, you've been late to work for the last three days (behavior) this week; we need to talk about what we can do about that."

Involve workers at every opportunity

Equally important is the skill of involving team members in goal setting, problem solving and decision making. Don't just tell employees what you expect them to accomplish, get them involved in setting some of their own goals. Also, when there is a problem, involve team members in how to solve the problem.

It is vitally important that you develop the leadership skills of your managers, supervisors and team leaders.

There are basically three factors that distinguish businesses from one another:

• How they price their products and professional services
• The quality of those products and services
• The service provided (the way they do business with their customers)

Customers can find many similar products and professional services at comparable prices. Also, trying to distinguish between levels of quality can be very difficult because of the focus on quality improvement in manufacturing over the past ten years.  It is service that has the most room for improvement and creating a competitive advantage. Too often, people confuse the services a company offers with the quality of service provided.

There's a difference between SERVICE and SERVICES.

Valet parking at a hotel, financial services at a bank, delivery by a retailer, and safety inspections by public utilities are examples of services provided.  Simply put, services are the "stuff' that businesses offer their customers.  Service is the quality measure of how we deliver the "stuff." Service, however, is a  people dimension. It has to do with attitude, enthusiasm, responsiveness, concern, courtesy, caring, reliability, helpfulness, etc., that people bring to their job in the delivery of the "stuff' for which they are responsible.  Great services without great service from the frontline people can leave a bad memory and open a door for your competition.

Don't satisfy--Create a positive service story

A business can no longer afford to just "satisfy" their customers.  You must strive to exceed customers' expectations and impress them in ways which ensure that they see the difference in how they are treated by your employees.  The kind of service for which customers are willing to pay extra, that earns their loyalty, their repeat business, their cooperation, and their word-of-mouth praise is noticeably BETTER, FASTER, AND DIFFERENT. A company's service reputation is shaped by first hand experiences as well as from stories from others. Strong opinions about a business are easily developed solely from word-of-mouth experiences.  In fact, customers will leave your business with one of three impressions, or stories to tell-no story, a positive story or a negative story.  If your business meets a customer's expectation, there will be no story.  If you fail to meet expectations, there will be a negative story.  But if your business exceeds expectations, a positive story will be generated.

Stories told by credible sources (family, friends, business associates, etc.) can make quite an impression, especially if those stories are related with enough specifics.  Everyone in your business must realize that their role is to use every customer contact as an opportunity to create a story that customers tell to others.  This is true for internal service providers, as well as those who deal with the paying customer.  Elimination of the "S" word (satisfy) must be the goal of every one in your business.  To compete in business these days and win, a pro-active customer service philosophy must be in place-one that will create positive and astounding customer service stories.

Your employees already know how to smile and how to be friendly.  They need to be taught what good service is and why it is important; they need to understand how customer service helps your business and creates job security for them.  And if your employees believe their work has value to your business, that smile will come out.  Free.

Great service pays off

Often the results of customer service training are hard to measure effectively. "Sales are up, but is that because of changes in the market or did customer service training make a difference?" Tough question.  But one thing we do know; the financial returns for businesses achieving uniqueness in service are significantly higher than for those companies that do not have that reputation.

Business leaders that understand the best practices of world class organizations, who have a pro-active customer service philosophy, and are willing to educate their employees in principles of good service, stand to beat the competition, make more money and win.