Doug Lipp's Blog, page 4

Everyone Gets the Blues Here

Consider which company uses these words:

• Blue Buddy (a mentor)

• Blue Juice (energy/motivation)

• Blue Views (staff meetings)

• True Blue Points (customer loyalty program number)

Receiving a guided tour of the Jet Blue University in Orlando, Florida ranked as the highlight of a recent conference where I spoke. During the tour of this world class facility (including flight simulators), I was constantly reminded how a culture is created and sustained: “Jet Blue isn’t simply a place to come to work, whether as a call center employee or as a member of the flight crew, we like to blend operational excellence with some fun.”

Even better is their call center Mission Statement: Personal, Helpful, Simple. Direct and memorable. Certainly, words alone don’t create the culture of an organization, but they can serve as windows through which one can peer to get a glimpse inside.

To set the tone of teamwork and unity, every one of their 2,000+ call center employees participate in the new hire orientation program at Jet Blue University … vital, since most work from home.

Best part of the tour? Seeing a training room replete with airline seats! Nothing like setting the tone for a behavior-based training session. Jet Blue University’s one weak point? They don’t conduct training for the afore-mentioned call center employees in the room with the cool seats. When I mentioned this lost opportunity of brand connection to their University representative, he smiled, turned to his co-trainer and said, “this is a great idea, let’s look into it!”

Yes, I could tell their Blue Juice was already flowing.

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Differentiate, or Die: Branding Basics from Hit TV Series “Billions”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scenes from “Billions,” the hit TV series from Showtime, often contain nuggets of wisdom … if one can get past the profanity-laced tirades.

In a recent episode, a rant by protagonist Bobby “Axe” Axelrod systematically lays out a challenge that every organization should heed; how do you differentiate?

The scene, a powerful monologue during which Axe critiques his wife’s weak business plan plays out like this:

Axe: “What is it you do that you’re the best in the world at?

• You offer a service you didn’t invent,

• a formula you didn’t invent,

• a delivery method you didn’t invent …

Nothing about what you do is patentable or a unique user experience. You haven’t identified an isolated market segment, and haven’t truly branded your concept. Do you need me to go on? So why would an investment bank put serious money into it, (your business)?”

An additional benefit from Axe’s approach? Profanity wasn’t necessary to carry the scene. Spot on content drove the message. Perhaps this is a lesson to the writers at “Billions” regarding their own differentiation strategies; increase the frequency of witty dialogue, and reduce the frequency of noise-in-the-channel F-bombs.

How do you differentiate?

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Avoid the Three B’s of Business Failure

Gathering life lessons from great leaders opens so many doors.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Greg Hicks, owner and founder of Impressions Catering in Cleveland, Tennessee. Greg opened new doors for me.

Despite the rough and tumble catering world he works in, Greg has thrived. Like many of us, though, Greg had to learn some lessons the hard way. With a matter-of-fact style revealing hard earned wisdom, Greg shared, “I was burned out, busy and broke.” Battered by the Great Recession, Greg made the mistake of saying “yes” to every client demand … and his strategy extracted a tremendous toll:

He was busy: Lacking focus, Impressions Catering chased every lead, accepted every client request.

He was burned out: Chasing one’s own tail is tiring.

He was broke: Profit margin played second fiddle in Greg’s decision making process.

Greg summed up his failing business model beautifully: “I eventually learned you will be ‘nothing to nobody’ if you try to be ‘all things to all people.’”

This story has a happy ending. 17 years of owning and running a now extremely successful catering company has Greg extolling the virtues of remaining laser-focused on one’s strengths … and leveraging those strengths. “Not all business is our business,” said Greg as he shared with me how Impressions Catering remains true to its niche; the business of offering full-service wedding catering.

Greg gets it. Although many doors open up to us in our careers and lives, we don’t need to walk through each one.

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