Drops of Rain

     A Newsletter From The Rainmaker Group
 October 7th, 2008
  
Hello!  
 
We've got a great newsletter for you this week to help Maximize Possibility in your organization.
 
Our lead article will provide you with 10 tips for improving the performance of your newly hired team members along with links for more information on many of these 10 tips.
 
In our second article this week, we'll examine an alarming trend towards "canned" Customer Service training initiatives and explain why traditional Customer Service training is really a lousy idea.
 
We've also got a QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote by John Miller who shares a great story of a nurse named Rhonda who changed her attitude towards her supervisor and dramatically improved her results at work. 
 
In our Featured Guru section this week we'd like to feature a great article by one of the most respected business gurus of our time - Stephen Covey - who takes us back to school for a lesson in Leadership 101.
 
Power quote:
 
"In life and business, there are two cardinal sins... The first is to act precipitously without thought and the second is to not act at all"
 
       - Carl Icahn
In This Issue
10 Tips For Dramatically Improving New Hire Performance
Why Customer Service is Really a Lousy Idea
Featured Guru - Stephen Covey
QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote - Changing an Attitude One Person at a Time
10 Ways to Dramatically Improve New Hire Performance
New HireA fast and successful transition of a newly hired team member into his or her new position should be a top priority for all hiring managers and human resource professionals.  After all, the sooner a new hire gets "up to speed" in their position, the sooner an organization can reach its optimal level of productivity and maximize its profits.
 
Onboarding new employees and helping them quickly reach their desired level of performance can be a real challenge for many managers and organizations.  The reasons for this are many and varied. 
 
However, in my many years of performance coaching and working with new hires in organizations of all shapes and sizes, I have identified 10 ways that managers can successfully improve the performance of the new hires they lead.
 
Why Traditional Customer Service Training is Really a Lousy Idea
Fast Food Customer Service EmployeeI've been getting a lot of phone calls and email lately from potential Clients looking for someone to help improve Customer Service in their organization. The typical request sounds something like this:
 
"Chris - Our Customer Experience isn't where we'd like it to be and our employees aren't providing the level of service our organization wants to be remembered for.  Can you come out and show our team how to provide better Customer Service?"
 
Often what they are looking for is someone to come in and deliver an exciting and emotionally engaging presentation to "pump up" their team with hopes that this will dramatically improve the level of service their Customers receive. 
  
At this point in the conversation I typically have to deliver the hard news to my future Client that Customer Service training doesn't sound like a very good response to their Customer Service problems.
 
Featured Guru - Stephen Covey
Stephen CoveyStephen Covey is a real heavy hitter in the management "guru" world.  In 1996 he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential Americans.
 
In 2002, his best selling book - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - was recognized by Forbes as one of the top 10 most influential business books ever written.  
 
In his writings Covey covers a wide range of important management issues including communication, leadership, development, personal effectiveness, and quality management.  
 
In this week's Featured Guru column we'd like to feature an article by Covey where he takes us back to school for a lesson in Leadership 101 and creating win-win agreements with employees. 
 
This is a great refresher article that reminds us what the core of leadership and managing others really is.
 
QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote - Changing an Attitude One Person at a Time
John Miller
This week's story is a great one from the medical industry. Find out how Rhonda from Alabama was able to improve her relationship with her supervisor by practicing the power of Personal Accountability.  
 
Just goes to show that better questions lead to better results.    
 
 
This is a great story of how using QBQ! and Personal Accountability can truly impact your customer's experience with your organization.
 
 Creating a culture of Personal Accountability should be a top priority for all organizations.  Team members who think and practice Personal Accountability can bring about incredible changes for an organization.  The blame game disappears, morale increases, and customer experiences are enhanced all thanks to the power of Personal Accountability.  
 
 
The Rainmaker Group is proud to offer powerful day long QBQ! workshops instilling the power of Personal Accountability into teams and organizations across the country.  For more information about these workshops or to purchase John Miller's books, QBQ! and Flipping the Switch Visit our website at: http://www.personalaccountabilityatwork.com
 
John Miller is author of QBQ! The Question Behind The Question, the authoritative guide to practicing Personal Accountability.
RMG Header 
Chris Young and Mike Lindblom, Partners, The Rainmaker GroupImportant questions for you:

Is your organization living up to its full potential?

Is high turnover hurting your bottom line?

Do your team members create the powerful experiences your customers deserve? 

Do team members have difficulty effectively communicating with others?

Bring The Rainmaker Group in to your organization and start realizing your organization's full potential.  Together, we deliver powerful and motivating keynote speeches, design customized training programs and workshops, help identify barriers to communication, and much more.  We don't sell training out of the box, but rather insist on customizing it to your needs!  For more info, send an e-mail to info@therainmakergroupinc.com
Or call 1-866-988-7246
 
About us:

The Rainmaker Group is a People Maximization and Development group located in Bismarck, ND. Our mission is to help those we serve make their difference in the world.

We hope you found this newsletter interesting and informative.  If you like what you read, please give us a shout, we'd love to hear from you!
 
"I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles"  

      - Zig Ziglar
 
Sincerely,

All of us here at The Rainmaker Group
 
1-866-988-7246
For More Great Articles and Stories:
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question
QBQ! - The Question Behind The Question
 
 
The Rainmaker Group Experience
 Start Maximizing Possibility in your organization today!  We offer a variety of services to help your organization realize its full potential.  Check us out today!
 
 
 
 
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Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni 
Recommended Reading:
 
 Five Dysfunctions of a Team
 
By: Patrick Lencioni
 
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
 
Recommended Reading:
 
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
 
By: Stephen Covey
 
Stephen Covey - 8th Habit
 
Recommended Reading:
 
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness 
 
A Rainmaker Group Must Read:
 
QBQ! by John Miller
 
QBQ! 
The Question Behind the Question
 
By:  John Miller
 
 
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