| A Professional does not worry about what went | | | | In your company, have people been punished for |
| wrong. | | | | taking action? |
| They identify what went wrong, devise a solution, | | | | If you are "Empowered" without authority, you |
| take action and apply the fix. | | | | need to have a talk with your boss. Being |
| I prefer to call this the "Stop Standing Around | | | | "Empowered" without the full backing of the |
| Action Plan." | | | | organization, section, department, etc. is a waste. |
| (Otherwise known as "The Don't Be A Dumbass | | | | You know what I'm talking about. It is the "go |
| Action Plan") | | | | ahead but check with me before you do |
| There are usually several reasons when | | | | something" rule. If you or your organization and |
| something goes wrong and there is no action | | | | the personnel are in this category, they will never |
| taken. Tell me if any of the following sound | | | | become Professional. |
| familiar to you. | | | | There is no excuse for poorly trained personnel. I |
| A. People are afraid to take action B. They are | | | | mean it. If you are the boss, it's your |
| empowered without authority C. They are poorly | | | | responsibility to get your personnel up to |
| trained, or my favorite, D. They just don't give a | | | | standards. If that means that you attend twenty |
| rats patooi. | | | | seminars and teach them everything you learned, |
| Professionals are solution driven. They don't worry | | | | so be it. You can't have someone working with |
| about what goes wrong because they realize that | | | | and talking to the people that bring you MONEY if |
| everything does not go right every time. So, they | | | | they haven't been trained properly. |
| are not only prepared, they are ready. They | | | | My favorite all time reason for not taking action is |
| identify what went wrong, devise a solution, take | | | | people just don't care. |
| action and apply the fix. | | | | Why are they there? Wouldn't they be much |
| They are not afraid to take action because in the | | | | better off in, say, broom manufacturer positions |
| past (this is the key here) they took action and | | | | or a job in waste management perhaps? Why are |
| even if the result did not take care of the | | | | they in the Customer Service Profession? In your |
| situation, they were not punished for acting in the | | | | organization? |
| best interests of the Customer. | | | | Professionals identify what went wrong, devise a |
| They may have received additional guidance or | | | | solution, take action and apply the fix. And they |
| been retrained BUT they most certainly were | | | | do it over and over. That's why certain |
| NOT criticized or punished for taking action to help | | | | Customers say things like "I only want to talk to |
| the Customer. In fact, in truly successful | | | | Sarah" or "I'm waiting for him." |
| organizations, their efforts have been lauded or | | | | It's because these people get things done. |
| sometimes they have even been rewarded | | | | So, are you a "Stop Standing Around Action Plan" |
| monetarily. | | | | kinda person or are you something else? |