consistency Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

25
Jun 21
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Finding Consistency, Does It Build Trust?

Have you had any luck finding consistency? Is consistency what you expect?

When people know what to expect and when, they might suggest there is consistency.

Do you like the surprise party? What about the surprise problem? What about the feedback that takes you aback or an outburst that you never could imagine would happen, happens?

How do you know what is good quality, what is poor quality, and when you can count on the quality?

What do you do when consistency is missing?

A customer expresses disappointment. It must have been a fluke.

The boss is late for a team meeting. She must have had an urgent matter pop up.

A restaurant that has served fantastic food the previous six times you were there, now serves you something terrible. They must have a hard time getting good help.

The truth is, you probably don’t know for sure but you are determined to give a reason. Applying a reason gives you peace of mind. You’ve figured it out and now you can move on.

People like consistency and when its presence is lacking or missing, they’ll make something up.

Do they still trust?

Finding Consistency

It matters what you believe.

If you feel the suggested answer is logical and makes sense, you might believe.

If you’re intuition or gut feel tells you there is a reason, you might still trust.

An inconsistency when the reason proves to be true may increase trust.

Customers often trust vendors more after the vendor has been tested. Something broke and it was fixed to the customer’s satisfaction, a deeper bond of trust is the outcome.

Can you make up a reason?

When you spot the pattern, you’ll have more belief that the future might hold some of the same.

-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.

09
Feb 21
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Does Workplace Consistency Build Trust?

Tags : consistency flexibility nimble trust

Trust is an important element of any organization. Those with physical buildings and walls, and those without. Is workplace consistency an element you need more of or less?

Consistency is important for trust. When people know what to expect and when they are a lot more willing to trust.

Organizations with high levels of trust are often regarded as having a competitive advantage over those with less.

What does trust cost?

When it comes to business models and organizational culture, being flexible and nimble seems to be a requirement for navigating our fast-paced World.

Is that detracting from the spirit of trust?

Workplace Consistency

Many would quickly agree that everything in the world around us is changing. Rapidly changing.

Considering business strategy, when everything is changing, staying exactly the same may carry the most risk.

Consistency likely matters for how decisions are made. It matters for policy and to some extent procedures. It matters for levels of service and customer satisfaction. Does it matter for organizational direction and culture?

When the pace is fast and the times are uncertain consistency in core values helps create a deeper and more meaningful culture.

At the same time, a business that lacks flexibility is a business that is coasting. A coasting business can only move in one direction, downhill.

Being consistent with the art of being flexible may be an element of trust that is often overlooked.

Consistency and flexibility are not synonymous.

When everything around you is changing, they may both create more trust.

-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.

19
Nov 20
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Consistent Influence Promotes Patterns of Change

Tags : change consistency engagement influence pivot

Are you trying to shape a positive culture? Is a change required to navigate your current business climate? Consistent influence may be the most underestimated action you can take.

How do cultures shift or change? How does a seasoned workplace leader learn new habits that will help him or her navigate shifting workforce ideologies?

Many organizations invest in training. It is the right thing to do. Whether it is technical skills or people skills, training makes a difference and it always matters.

Another important aspect of any organization is its culture. Those collections of ideas, norms, and values. The symbols, the branding, and belief systems. And let’s not forget the role models. Sometimes knowingly or unknowingly people are looking at others for behavioral guidance.

How do you engage to make the good things better, the bad things fewer, and promote a new path to success?

Consistent Influence

Training is an influence. The network of people engaged in your organization is part of the influence. Whether it is employees, customers, or even vendors, they are all part of the organizational ecosystem.

Change doesn’t happen without change.

Recently, a manager commented during a training event, “Getting people engaged around here has been a problem for 27 years.”

After thinking for a moment, I responded with, “Who owns that?”

The room was quite for a few long seconds.

My belief is that this was a fair question.

It’s easy to throw our hands up in the air and claim that it won’t work. It’s easy to blame the onboarding practices, the economy, or the government.

In the end, the organization needs to survive and ideally grow.

Workplace leaders have a responsibility to be relentless in their pursuit of role modeling the desired behaviors for the future. Whether that is getting back to the roots, or shifting forward to meet the demands of shifting societal ideologies.

Consistent influence will help those charged with change create the desired outcomes.

Just like a shower or a bath, training and influence is not a one and done. You have to refresh regularly.

Back to that manager. Following the training, he approached me and thanked me for working with their team. His closing comment to me was, “I learned a lot.”

Practice what you’ve learned.

Consistent influence.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. 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.

03
Jan 19
-

Career Quick Fix, Shortcuts, or Give Up?

Tags : career consistency expectations persistence quick fix

Fast paced is commonly used to describe the intensity of today’s work environment. Rapid change, accelerated change, and speed are also commonly mentioned. Are you looking for a career quick fix, a shortcut, or else you’ll just give up?

People often talk about change. They talk about the unfairness of life. How things didn’t work out, didn’t go their way, or they how they are being overlooked. I’m not doubtful that these situations occur, but what should you do?

Be Realistic

As a society we seem to have become more convinced if things don’t happen fast, they either aren’t going to happen or they aren’t worth pursuing. They are, a waste of time.

Imagine that you start a new diet today. You eat healthier, cut a few calories, watch out for sugars, carbs, and appropriately balance your meals. Is the scale going to be noticeably different tomorrow? Will the mirror reflect a new you?

The same is true for a fitness program. You go to the gym. Move a few weights around, get on the treadmill, step on the scale and look in the mirror. What’s changed?

Our expectations for a quick fix are often unrealistic. There really aren’t many shortcuts. Should you give up? No, we all know it takes time, consistency, and persistence.

Career Quick Fix

The same is true for your career. It is true for your promotion, true for your new job opportunity, and true for your success at nearly anything.

You’ve been working hard for a couple of years, or ten, or even twenty. Have you grown? What has changed? Can you prove it?

Most career minded individuals can prove it. It is in the continuing education, the advancement here and there, and some metrics or measurements that illustrate growth.

Daily, the quick check in the mirror, doesn’t show much. Yet, something is happening, things are changing, new opportunities (or proof) are popping up.

Don’t give up. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

-DEG

What happens next is based on expectations, consistency, and persistence. Need a coach? Contact me.

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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

11
Dec 18
-

Brand Consistency Should Mean Authenticity

Tags : authentic brand consistency customer satisfaction

Choose a consumer of any product or service and you may find what they value the most is brand consistency. Have you been turned off, made a different choice, or selected a new vendor because of a lack of consistency?

Ask yourself this question, “What do buying choices, customer satisfaction, and job promotions have in common?”

In Good Taste

In high school, I had some friends’ who loved the boxed macaroni and cheese. The kind that comes in a small box, complete with macaroni, some powdery or sauce type cheese, and on the side of the box are the cooking directions.

I’m working from memory here. As I recall, you boil some water, add in the macaroni, simmer for a while, and then ultimately mix the concoction together with the cheese and maybe some butter or margarine.

My friends’ mother was the shopper and often bought the bargain boxes of the generic macaroni and cheese. Until one day, she had a coupon for the real stuff, the Kraft brand, Mac & Cheese.

The mother happily prepared the Kraft brand and proudly served it. My friends’, her children, were appalled. They thought it was the worst macaroni and cheese they ever tasted.

It was different.

Brand Consistency

Consistency is not about being like someone else, consistency is about being unique. The important part is that you are unique in the same way each and every time.

There is a pizza shop just a few miles from my home. They always appear to be busy. When you go in the shop there is a sense of urgency and hustle. It is a nice success.

I don’t go there as much as I would if their pizza was consistent. Depending on who makes the pizza, it is different. It’s disappointing.

Authentically Consistent

Is the business or organization you work for consistent? Are the products and services consistent with the brand reputation?

What about your own personal work? The time, emotional labor, and outputs, are they consistent?

Buying choices, customer satisfaction, and job promotions do have something in common. They are often based on the expectation of being authentically consistent.

-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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

05
Nov 18
-

Consistency May Be Exactly What You Need

Tags : brand promise consistency expectations focus self-improvement

People spend a lot of energy being persistent. They also spend a lot of energy being persuasive or influential. Those ideas are important but is consistency what you’re really missing?

For the marketer, the pizza shop, and the career builder, being consistent may be the most important factor you are overlooking.

Consistency matters in nearly any profession. It matters for your personal brand. It certainly matters for product quality and reputation.

Importance of Consistency

Why is consistency so important? Here are three of my favorite reasons:

Trust. Consistency builds trust. When people know what to expect and when they are more trusting. It is one example of why surprises aren’t necessarily fun. It is also why the boy who cried wolf got in trouble.
Accomplishment. When you have a confirmed path for a solution, consistently applying the process will allow you to achieve the goal. It is the deviation from the process, or a lack of consistency, which often slows results or creates a less desirable outcome.
Promises Kept. Connected with trust, but not always the same, is keeping your promise. Your brand has a promise. You make a promise to complete the work, have high quality, and deliver on time. Insisting on consistency means expectations and perceptions become reality.

Not Scattered, More Focused

For your business or for your personal brand, consistency is sometimes overlooked or underrated. Being too scattered or lacking a focus may be exactly why your product is not chosen or the job opportunity is missed.

Consistency helps everyone understand and identify exactly what is in the box. It builds confidence. Confidence is connected to our emotions, so is the choice that buyers or hiring agents make.

Is consistency exactly what you need?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. 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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

01
Nov 17
-

Customer service reputation appreciative strategies

How to Improve Your Customer Service Reputation

Tags : consistency customer service guideline reputation trust

Your reputation precedes you. At least that is what we’ve heard. What is your customer service reputation? Do you know, and if so, how would you improve it?

Reputation may come in many forms. Some quickly draw thoughts of the negative, bad, or vulgar. Reputation can of course be something great.

Knowing Your Reputation

There are many ways to learn more about your customer service reputation. You might compare and contrast with the competition, launch a survey, or when you’re really doing the right kind of work you may consider just asking.

Reputation is much like trust, it takes a while to build it and it can be tarnished in an instant. Reputation in customer service circles may also be directly connected to loyalty. If your business builds true relationships, that is part of your reputation. No relationship, no loyalty.

The reputation of your business is delivered by anyone (and everyone) who interacts with a customer, internal and external. Every touch point (or a lack of) will condition your reputation. It is what people expect you to do now, and a brand promise on what you’ll do next.

Your reputation is truth in the quality of workmanship, integrity, and ethics. It is what you deliver even when the going gets tough, and when no one else is looking. Like trust, and even respect, the deepest form of it is earned, not given.

Customer Service Reputation

Here are three considerations for improving and building a solid customer service reputation:

Think give. This doesn’t always have to be costly or require materials. When you give and give and give until you think you can’t give anymore, give something extra. In (all, but especially in business) relationships, often this is not material things, but expressions and gestures. Material niceties are great too.
Action guidelines. Any person, place, or thing that touches the customer is of course a touch point. Businesses sometimes take for granted the actions or behaviors involved with every touch point. Have guidelines that every employee knows, understands, and performs accordingly. A communication guideline is always a good place to start.
Longevity. Doing something great once is a good idea. Doing something great again and again across time is what will earn your reputation. Consistency is a factor for trust. It will also be a factor for your reputation. Remember it is built over time and can be lost in an instant.

Many people set out in their careers to earn a living. A business should be focused on earning their reputation.

World of mouth can be your best friend. It can also be your worst nightmare.

Make [earn] a lot of friends.

– 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+

25
May 17
2

Consistency Matters for the Customer Experience

Tags : authenticity consistency customer experience service trust

Have you ever wondered if consistency matters? In your customers’ eyes, consistency may be the only thing that keeps them loyal.

Yesterday I had lunch with a coaching client at one of my favorite pizza shops. Knowing that I frequented the shop, the client asked, “Is the pizza good here?” It hit me when I had to pause before answering. There is one significant problem with this pizza shop. It lacks consistency.

Customer Experience

Go to a McDonald’s, Burger King, or Pizza Hut anyplace you can find one. At any of these establishments, you’ll have the same or very similar quality of food. You can count on it.

You know how it will taste. The menu might be the same or very similar, and the ambiance will be identical.

Knowing what to expect matters and consistency may be why we shop, buy, or consume. Inconsistency brings on trust issues and the inability for the customer to recommend the quality.

During our lunch, I went on to explain that sometimes the pizza is fantastic, but other times it is just OK.

OK isn’t always good enough. It may be when the alternatives aren’t any better, but when you recognize that there are many lunchtime choices, this pizza shop may lose business.

Consistency Matters

Whatever your business is, trust in the notion that consistency matters.

Consistency may be why people shop, and it is certainly a big part of why they trust. Lack of consistency may signal problems. It detracts from the customer experience.

When organizational leaders or front-line employees don’t care enough to make it consistent, customers may not care enough to return.

The perceived value drops from exceptional to average, and average is available everywhere.

Authenticity and Loyalty

Loyalty may make a difference, but the ease of purchase somewhere else may outshine loyalty even on a good day.

If you work for a business, an organization, or an institution, is the output consistent?

Only when your output is consistent and original is your work good enough to be labeled authentic.

What is not authentic may be considered to be available anywhere.

The question then may become, “Are you loyal?”

No one needs to ask why.

– DEG

Consistency always matters. It is why I wrote this book:

#CustServ Customer Service Culture

Get it Now on Amazon

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.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Originally posted on May 25, 2017, last updated on December 23, 2018.

Tag Archives: consistency

Jun 21

-

Finding Consistency

Feb 21

-

Workplace Consistency

Nov 20

-

Consistent Influence

Jan 19

-

Be Realistic

Career Quick Fix

Dec 18

-

In Good Taste

Brand Consistency

Authentically Consistent

Nov 18

-

Importance of Consistency

Not Scattered, More Focused

Nov 17

-

Knowing Your Reputation

Customer Service Reputation

May 17

Customer Experience

Consistency Matters

Authenticity and Loyalty

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