breakthrough Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

17
Dec 20
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Evaluating Differences Helps Future Navigation

Tags : adversity breakthrough commonalities differences new ground

Do you spend too much time evaluating differences, or is it really that you don’t spend enough time evaluating them?

When you focus on things that you have in common with each other you can help create buy-in and gain mutual respect. What is more common though, is to focus on differences.

Both Commonalities and Differences

Commonalities are powerful. Differences however are an invitation to learn how to engage and promote new patterns of interaction.

When you recognize something that is not normal for you as an opportunity, it changes the course of future directions.

Many people are convinced that things will only happen in one particular way or by following one example. The same is true when you insist on replicating only one pattern. A system of sorts, but a system that limits new patterns rather than offering innovation and expansion.

When there is a breakdown in any of those approaches all future work stops. Plans are stalled, put on hold, or determined as not valid. It seems like the game is over, yet it may mean that there is a new opportunity.

The movement might be different but the goal is still achievable.

It is like cousin Eddie dancing at the wedding. He can feel the rhythm but his body moves ugly. The key is, he is still dancing!

Evaluating Differences

When you believe that more investigation about differences can create new breakthroughs the game has been upped. The advantage goes to the home team. Those breaking new ground by sharing both old and new perspectives expand, they don’t retract.

This is what progressive organizations are doing. The ones on the move. Those breaking new ground, and overcoming adversity.

If you’re winning, chances are good you’re doing it too.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

01
Oct 20
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A Strange Breakthrough May Be Just What You Need

Tags : breakthrough career job success new ideas

Are you looking for the next big thing in your job or for your business? Could it be something to improve operations, increase sales, or absolutely delight customers? You may need a strange breakthrough.

Strange breakthroughs happen all the time. It may have started with the wheel, or perhaps it was creating a fire or wearing animal skins for warmth. Maybe in more modern times, we may think of it as contact lenses, the Post-It note, or WiFi.

In the food industry, we have things like the Impossible Whopper, donut burgers, and deep-fried almost anything.

All in their own time, these things were a strange breakthrough.

Perhaps it is deserving of a day of recognition.

A National Dumb Idea Day?

Strange Breakthrough

Sometimes the next opportunity is already in your head or your hands. It may be the simplest thing, brought to life, and forever changing the world.

Your breakthrough may happen when you least expect it. In fact, it may be happening right now.

It might be about a decision you’ve made on how you’ll delightfully surprise a customer. A hidden gift, a special discount, or awareness of their needs long before they even consider it.

In operations, it may be the removal of a step that doesn’t matter, items or actions with results that are never used, or reducing the time between the sale and ship.

For your job, it may emerge as reasons why you are grateful, how relationships matter, or seeing the legacy of your career appear before your eyes.

Your strange breakthrough may seem silly or dumb, yet it may be exactly what you need.

-DEG

20
Dec 17
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Customer Service Breakthroughs Are Limited By Fear

Tags : breakthrough customer service fear habits traditions

Often we are told to confront our fears, try something new, something different and to break bad habits or worn out traditions. Could it be true that customer service breakthroughs are limited by fear?

In a service driven economy, the most important cultural value for your organization may be customer service. Many organizations say that they are excellent at this, no need to really change or improve, we’ve got this.

The reality is that the organization never decides about good or bad. They never decide about effectiveness or satisfaction, the customer does.

Best Work

The best organizations do the best work because they care. Not because they say that they care, but because they show that they care. It isn’t really a token, a free item, some coupons, or a survey. It is what the customer feels.

Creating exceptional customer service programs comes with a price. Often organizations know what needs to be done but they are afraid to absorb the cost. There is fear that the cost will not yield the return on investment.

Organizations consider that they could:

Wash the customer’s car after servicing it, but that costs.
Gift-wrap special purchases, but that costs.
Turn up the heat, or turn on the air conditioner, but that costs.

Good Service Costs

The fear in any of these scenarios is that once you start you have to continue. Often there is consideration in doing it for the exception, which seems like a good return on investment.

That is our best customer. Wash her car before she picks it up.

It is the holiday season; ask customers if they want gift-wrapping.

The temperatures are going to be really high today maybe we should run the air conditioner but only during the dinner hour.

Customer Service Breakthroughs

Organizations feel that they care, but when they only care sometimes, the customer often doesn’t share in that feeling. For the organization when it is a one and done, it feels okay, but replicating it over and over again feels like too much risk.

What your organization does next to create a culture of caring will not have much to do with what it knows how to do.

It will have everything to do with what it fears.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

08
Sep 17
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breakthrough dennis gilbert appreciative

When a Mistake Becomes a Breakthrough

Tags : breakthrough change confidence mistakes perfection

People worry a lot about making mistakes. It seems natural we want to make the correct decision. We want to avoid more cost, harsh repercussions, and disappointment. Mistakes aren’t always the end of the line though. Sometimes a mistake becomes a breakthrough.

Making Mistakes

It is often said that a mistake is not bad when you learn from it. Of course, that is reasonable advice and certainly adds value to what may seem really bad at the moment.

Innovation and growth often happen by mistake. Sometimes amazing breakthroughs will develop. It happened with penicillin, sildenafil (Viagra), and minoxidil (Rogaine). They were a big mistake, until they weren’t.

There is no doubt that mistakes can be costly. It is true in nearly any field, but not all mistakes will mean that it is over.

No Variance

Many times, we are taught that we must perfect the process. We need to get to the slightest variation, live and work within minimal and maximal tolerances, and once we produce the desired result, lock it in.

This all seems logical. It seems to make sense, until it doesn’t. It stops making sense when businesses and organizations decide that they need change.

When change is called for the logic is in danger. Now the exact ideology, the focus, the culture that exists around perfection is expected to shift gears and change. Even the concept of continuous improvement is more often about a focus on perfection, not change.

Becomes a Breakthrough

Often the forces driving perfection cause the most struggle. The idea to make something great is counterintuitive to making something new. Concepts of no failure, minimal waste, and fewer resources always make sense, until they don’t.

If you’re going to learn to ride the bike, you might fall. If you swing at the ball, you might miss. The exact project that you are working on might be riddled with errors. That error, that mistake you are worried about, it may be a breakdown, but it may also become a breakthrough.

The difference between the destination that you seek and the place that you arrive may become the best mistake you’ll ever make.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours!, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

30
Dec 16
-

Will You Find A Way?

Tags : breakthrough goals life lesson motivation

Do more, dig deep, find a way to stay positive and focused. Do these thoughts ever cross your mind?

Finding a way to set free and peacefully reflect on past accomplishments or shortcomings and then create a plan complete with goals and objectives for your future is not only smart, but it helps keep you focused.

I’m convinced that what makes the difference for most people is their hunger (metaphorically) and their decisions. Yes, with accumulative shortcomings, let downs, and break downs anyone can get driven to believe that it just isn’t in the cards for them.

For most people though, it is something not so dramatic, something that they stop short of on their own and something that they give up on.

What about you, will you find a way to improve, a way to achieve more?

What we call life.

Life will test your will, your strength, and your balance. Some believe that achieving more is impossible. Others will find a way.

Some will make excuses, blame someone else, and express envy for those who appear more fortunate. Others will continue to seek positive change.

Are you currently thinking about your future, your goals, your past successes and failures? Perhaps you are rethinking decisions that you have made, paths that led to dead end roads, or how unfair life sometimes seems to be?

Your opportunity is now.

You have an opportunity right now to do something different.

Here are a few things to consider.

Become more aware. As you plan your future, go back to the basics, consider what has worked and what hasn’t and plan to do more of what has worked. It is important that no matter how small they might appear, you focus on decisions, turning points, or unexpected results that are evidence of something that has worked in the past. Get to the root of those. Plan to do more of them.
New choice, new opportunity. Decisions and choices are always the correct one at the exact moment you made it, but life always throws in the unexpected. If you’re dwelling on a past choice, let it go, it does you no additional amount of good to live in the past. Make a new choice, choose a different direction, and don’t stay stuck.
Choose a path. Every path is not the right path, but if you don’t choose a direction and you remain undecided you’ll never leave the spot where you currently find yourself. Worse, the spot where you are currently will also change, it’s a guarantee. You’re much better off to be in control of your life rather than life being in control of you.

Have exceptional hunger.

Change is never easy, and sometimes you won’t like it but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t necessary, important, or simply the right thing to do.

If you are thinking about your personal future, about your professional growth, or how to make a difference for your business you’re going to have to be exceptionally hungry and have unwavering focus.

That doesn’t mean that your plan won’t change, it most likely will. You’ll find scenarios that didn’t completely fit, plans of attack that didn’t work, and changes outside of the realm of your control that you must adjust to. A change in plans doesn’t have to mean a change in focus, but it might. Both are possible and both can be acceptable.

You’re going to have to remain committed. A lack of commitment means a lack of focus, and a lack of focus will mean a lack of results.

Stay focused, be hungry for more.

If you aren’t hungry, you’ll stop eating.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

14
Jul 15
-

Second Place

Tags : breakthrough part of the crowd risk

Doing something new or different may involve watching and learning from someone else. What a great feeling learning can be, and when you’re really excited you want to be just as good (or better) than what you’ve learned. Children (and some adults) often fantasize about becoming a superhero, or in earlier generations, perhaps G.I. Joe or Barbie, or maybe the next pop-star singer, American Idol, or Little League sports hero.

As an adult you observe top athletes, marketers, or upcoming CEO’s and perhaps you picture yourself becoming great, in some ways, just like them. They may become your target, your goal, or you strive to be just as good or better. You picture your business, a new advertising campaign, or your job role evolving to be just as good or better. You overcome your fears, take some risks, knock down obstacles, and strive for excellence.

All of that is great, but it is not good enough. Not unless you take the ultimate risk and that is to do something different, breakthrough traditions, and create or become the next big thing. In your business, your market, or your community, you have stand out, rise above others and become the next target for anyone trying to succeed.

Your advertising campaign needs to be different, risky, and captivating. In your job you may need to be different from the last manager, stronger, kinder, or more inspirational. In business your product or service needs to feel different, look different, or be awe inspiring.

Some of the most successful people in the world broke traditions, took chances, and were different, that is until others tried to be just like them. If your goal is to be just like the others, you’ll always be just part of the crowd. Part of the crowd can be rewarding and satisfying, but is that really you?

Until you’ve become the target the best you can hope for is second place.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and consultant that specializes in helping businesses accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. Reach him through his website at http://DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Photo Credit: Pixabay, Public Domain

Tag Archives: breakthrough

Dec 20

-

Both Commonalities and Differences

Evaluating Differences

Oct 20

-

Strange Breakthrough

Dec 17

-

Best Work

Good Service Costs

Customer Service Breakthroughs

Sep 17

-

Making Mistakes

No Variance

Becomes a Breakthrough

Dec 16

-

Jul 15

-

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