One of the very best things about helping organizations and the people who work for them strengthen their skill sets is the diversity of the company’s themselves. I’ve facilitated sessions for so many different types of businesses I’m still amazed when I look back each year. One day I’m training managers at dry ice plants, then restaurants, U.S. Government agencies, Law Firms, Manufacturing Facilities, Expediters, Call Centers, Public Water Depts, numerous Housing Authorities, Travel Companies, Ferry Services, Insurance companies, and many more. I don’t share this to boast but rather to talk about a subject that comes up almost every time I enter discussions with the entities pertaining to the expectations and logistics of the selected subjects.
Those subjects may be Prioritizing Projects, Leading the Modern-Day Workforce, Wow-ing Clients, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Team and a host of many others. Once we agree on what they have identified the best course for the organization, set the location and time, we turn to what are the key areas of concern. We need to uncover this so that we can deliver a hard hitting, impactful session addressing the critical areas of need within the group. This is where the client (almost without fail) leans back, takes a deep breath and says……
“Kris, I need you to understand one thing. We’re different. We’re not like other companies.” When I enquire as to why, some responses include:
Our employees are remote from each other
Our work schedules are different.
Our group is very diverse.
Our people must do their job AND serve customers at the same time.
Our managers must manage and train employees on the fly.
It’s a high-pressure job with lots of stress.
Turnover is our greatest challenge.
I could go on, but I think you get my drift. There are times when I think the person making these statements is covering for someone, maybe even themselves. While this may sound harsh and judgmental it is certainly not my intention to indict them. It is easily heard in their voice and shown in their non-verbal’s during the discussion. A few have even admitted that they were catching heat or feeling pressure from above to correct the situation.
As their blood pressure rises and they express how important the initiative is I tell them that I have good news, to which they ask what? I share that I go from industry to industry and while the product or service may be unique, the issues they face are the same as everyone else. That no one has the market cornered on the afore mentioned challenges, and that those challenges can be diagnosed and treated with the right counter measures. Pick any one or all the issues and pick any of the organizations I work with and there will be similarities.
Having said all this, I can tell you a secret now. If you want to claim you’re different- then DO SOMETHING about it. It’s never what you can do, it’s simply what you do that makes a difference.
If you’ve heard those excuses from your leaders mouths or maybe even your own, you’re going to want to contact us. We can help in any of the areas I talked about above. That’s what we do daily for our clients – Make a difference. www.transglobaldevelopment.com or info@transglobaldevelopment.com