After several fiction novels and audiobooks I decided to jump into a nonfiction book that has been on my to be read (TBR) pile for a while now. Truthfully, it was on my TBR pile because it is also a "book club" selection at my work. So, kind of a two for one me. Let's jump into the review!
"Legendary Service" is really all about basic concepts that anyone who has ever been in a role where you provide service should likely be fully aware and know as well as practice. However, we all know that isn't always the case (probably why we have a book for it and courses), but I digress. The key concepts of the book are well founded and solid. If you've ever heard of "One Minute Manager" you are probably familiar with Ken Blanchard's work and style -- simply written text that is at the same time thought provoking and profound.
The authors do a wonderful job telling the fictional story of Kelsey Young who is a college student about to graduate with a business degree and also works at a department store and one of her last courses is one Legendary Service. She attends Professor Hartley's course with enthusiasm and is able to learn a great deal from the course and put it into practice in her workplace. Along the way Kelsey has some downs and some ups with putting into practice what she has learned.
Kelsey's story is told very well and "Legendary Service" was an easy and good read. As I mentioned above, if you have ever been in role where you provide service, most of these concepts will not be foreign to you. What I did like about the book was that it showed approaches at the organizational level. That is where many service concepts and practices really need to be supported but also championed. In my adult working life I have seen successes and pitfalls that truly hinge on the organization side of things.
Definitely worth my time to read this book and revisit these concepts.