Kelly Ketelboeter

I am one who believes in the power of feedback.  Whether its positive or negative, it is a gift.  It is an opportunity to grow and to learn.  A chance to refine skills and build knowledge.  That’s why I am always shocked when companies ignore, dismiss or make excuses when a customer provides valuable feedback and insight.

Blackhawks win!!! And the city of Chicago is all a buzz with the Stanley Cup Championship title coming back home after a long 49 year drought.  What an amazing year, an unbelievable playoff season and a remarkable final round on the road to the Stanley Cup.  How did the Blackhawks with such a young team take the ice by storm?

It started 3 years ago, with a changing of the guard in management.  Owner, Rocky Wirtz took over the Blackhawks in 2007 from his father Bill Wirtz and the organization hasn’t been the same since.  And Blackhawk fans couldn’t be happier.  There are many factors that led the Blackhawks to their much anticipated and awaited championship debut.  Rocky Wirtz made some tough decisions, albeit good decisions, in tough economic times.  He is a true leader, unafraid to challenge the status quo, shake things up and make things happen....

The importance of our employees sometimes gets lost in the shuffle between focusing on the bottom line, meetings,  focusing on your customers, meetings, focusing on your brand and yes more meetings!  Employees directly impact your organizations bottom line.  They are the ones that bring your brand to life.  They are the ones that take care of your customers.  They are the ones that often get missed.

If your employees could write you a “Dear Santa” letter, I bet the following would be on it.

Your employees WANT:

1. To know what you expect

You may be thinking they know what’s expected, it’s on the job description.  All it really takes is common sense.  Let me ask you, when was the last time you reviewed your job description?  Does it really tell you what is expected?  Or does it tell you about the job duties?  And common sense, well let’s just say it...

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I saw this clip on You Tube. It captures the very essence of what organizations are doing to their customers. Too many organizations have lost their focus, the people that make their business successful. Customers and employees.

As I watched the clip I saw how this “break up” applies to the employee experience just as much as it does the customer experience. It has been said that employees don’t leave a company, they leave because of their manager. And they “break up” with their manager for many of the same reasons a customer breaks up with a company.