Fortunately for all involved, an accident was avoided but it got me to thinking – why do people seem to lose a bit of their humanity while driving?  It’s like the act of getting in the car causes some people to lose their consideration of others and it’s all for one – period.  Their schedule is most important, their time, their focus, their needs, etc…  all primary.  And yet, these are people we know, once they are out of the car.  What makes some of us act that way?

Afterwards, I started thinking about how the same thing can happen at work.  We get so caught up in what we are doing (day-to-day work, goals achievement, incentivized behavior, etc…) that we can sometimes lose our sense of the customer and the reason we are doing the job we do.  Being motivated at work, finding the value in what we do, that’s the type of thing that makes me want to go to work each day. 

How often do you find yourself “getting in the car” when you get to work?  Have you seen this same type of behavior where you work?  How do you make sure that doesn’t happen where you work?

Knowing that the holidays were coming (even bigger in our house because my daughters birthday is in the mix).  Knowing we were going to have loads of company.  And, we had lots of change going on at work - I needed to do something to give myself the space to recharge – so I broke up (temporarily) with Twitter and my blog and other stuff of similar ilk.  And it worked.  I kept my balance, my energy, my focus and really was able to enjoy my loved ones as well.

Now that the holidays are over, I’m able to take up the digital reins again while walking the line between my E and I self.  I hope all of you had lovely holidays and are feeling freshly energetic in the new year.

So my side note of the moment – why do I get stuck inside my own head sometimes and why do I let it lead me astray?  Here’s the thing – I’m on a journey to become more healthy, sustainably healthy.  Not a diet, not a workout now and drop it later but real change.  As a result, I want to feel better, more energized, lose some weight, be stronger and set a good example of a healthy lifestyle for my daughter.  Be the change I wish to see in the world (and in her).  Thank you, Ghandi. 

I’ve made progress (lost 12 inches, given up fast food and soda, very limited food in that comes from boxes or cans – start fresh, dropped a size and working out on a very regular basis).  Turns out that I am loving the change but somehow, I’m still not happy enough with my progress.  Crazy right?  I think it is the evil scale in the corner of my bathroom.  It haunts me with it’s mocking digital readout that states that for all the change, I still have only managed seven pounds. 

I’d like to do the sane thing and chuck the scale, truly I would.  But, I am number kind of gal and while the measurements are great, some part of me still thinks the scale is a key metric I can’t do away with.  So, sad to say but it is not the scale, it is me, standing in my way in my head.  I can’t revel in how much good I’ve done so far because all I can see is what I haven’t done.  Thoughts? Comments?  Stories?  Cheery support?  Let me know what you think.  And thanks for joining me on my Side Note!

I recently finished Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard and I found the stories fascinating.  Change is a big part of what a customer experience professional does – some would argue that this is all we do – so that is why I picked it up to begin with.

It’s a good read, not full of new concepts from my perspective but the examples were definitely memorable.  I like the reminder to “look for the bright spots” and find what is working well, so you can replicate that. 

And what about finding the right lever to drive the change in others?  Sometimes we are in such a hurry to get to the end goal of the change, we don’t always realize that driving straight ahead gives you the wrong results.  So keep that lateral thinking in mind when designing the solution and the change adoption plan.

At it’s heart, the book felt like a reminder that change isn’t all about the logical choice, that emotion plays a part and you have to consider both when driving change. 

I wish I had this book years ago, before I learned most of this the hard way

The last step is the hardest for me – getting in shape and losing the weight.  Here’s we head back to the patience thing.  See, when I have worked out in the past, I’ve often either gained or stayed the same in the weight category.  So I quit.  Wow, that is uglier in print than in my head. 

I made a commitment to myself that this time, I won’t quit.  I will stay the course.  So, three weeks ago, I chose a Christmas present for myself.  45 pounds in 31 weeks.  45 pounds will put me at my ideal weight.  It’s a big goal and the timeline a bit aggressive but it’s better to challenge myself on this. 

No matter the results, I’m staying at it until the end of 31 weeks.  

I’m up to an hour of cardio and strength training six days a week.  I’m working my way up to 90 minutes per day.  So here I am at week three – not much in the way of weight loss so far (3 pounds) but I have lost some inches.  Frustrating but some progress is better than nothing, right?  Patience, I remind myself.   But I wish I were better at this whole patience thing.  Any words of advice for me?

This concept… to me, it’s more than just delivering information when asked.  It’s understanding when key stakeholders meet, what they discuss when they meet and what information they don’t think to ask for outside of meetings.  This forms a rhythm when you map it whole.

By doing this, we integrate our customers into the discussions and decisions of the business.  It’s rewarding to see how this can lead to a customer-centric business model.  How much do you understand of the rhythm of your business?

I was thinking of this as I sat interviewing candidates for a new position a colleague has opened up.  I wanted to not just find the right person for the position but also someone who would end up fitting in well and being happy here.

Food for thought – could the process of recruiting and candidate selection be radically altered to help in this culture fit element?  http://punkrockhr.com/the-candidate-experience-hiring-process/

I have a very good friend who is an experienced and fanstastic recruiter.  We met and became friends when she recruited me for a previous position.  She is passionate about true partnership with the hiring manager and making certain there is a real fit for the manager, the position and the culture.  In my experience, that is rare.  I think we could use a lot more of that type of passion, thoughtfulness and commitment.

With so many people in the job hunt process right now, many of them are hoping for the right fit and right now.  How many will end up with right now only?  What will that do for them and for the company?  What impact will that have on the job market churn over the next five years?

Perhaps it’s just me (and I trust you to tell me if I’ve gone awry) but when did predictable become a negative thing? 

When I go to a movie with my child, I want some predictability.  I want to know that we won’t have a repeat of the Happy Feet experience.  We are going for a certain type of fun and it’s satisfying when you get what you pay for.

This is a customer experience, right?  I think that many customer experiences are based in a need for predictability.  You have expectations and you want those expectations delivered upon.  Do you know what qualities your customer’s expect to have every time they use your product?  Do you know how important that predictability is to them?  Do have measures in place to ensure you don’t break those most predictable moments?

Maybe, just maybe, predictability is a lot better than we think.

So here I am, honoring her gentle nudge and making the room to write.

I’m fortunate that after months of searching, my team and I have found a new program manager.  We get to have a new set of skills and experience to add to our small team.  It gives us the ability to add even more value to our organization and delve deeper into understanding our customer experience.  I believe passionately in the service we provide to the business.  I love being able spend my days thinking about our customers.  Part of the search for a new team member means finding someone who has a similar passionate view. 

What’s most interesting to me about this process is how important company culture fit is to the discussion.    How many times have you been on an interview (or interviewed candidates) and found the focus being all on skills and experience – with little or none on that important “fit”?  That fit is more than just do you like this person and think you can work well with them.  It’s an important concept because I don’t want it confused with homogenisation.  Having diversity is equally key.  So how do you define your company or team culture?  How do you find that right fit for your team?

Our way was thoughtful, open discussion and decision consensus across the interviewers.  What works for you?  What hasn’t worked for you?