When Your Plate is Too Full

Ask any professional if they are busy, they will usually respond saying that their “plate is full”. In today’s fast-moving business environment, our schedules tend to be very full.

Consider for a moment, if you pile a plate full of, let’s say, cooked spaghetti – and you attempt to place more cooked spaghetti on top of the heaping plateful, what would be the natural consequences? Unless you were to actively monitor the noodles by holding it on top of the pile, the additional spaghetti would fall off the plate.

This is typically what happens with corporate change initiatives. We’re so busy in our day-to-day business, any new responsibilities tend to “fall off the plate” when accountability begins to wane six to twelve months later – thus creating the “program of the month” problem.

How do successful organizations avoid the program of the month? Instead of making the change something that goes on the plate, they do something radically different: they make it the plate.

Sustainable, long-term improvement shouldn’t be an initiative that ends. Business issues such as your Vision, your Values, the methods of delivering service, how to interact with people – should never change. That becomes “the plate”. Everything else - economic circumstances, political and social issues, etc. (what goes on the plate), will continue to shift and change with the seasons.

Real world-class companies secure a strategic foundation they establish once and then reinvest the savings of resources (time, money, and effort spent chasing business fads) towards adapting to the ever-changing aspects of business.

The truth is, you too can achieve these real world-class results. To learn more, contact us today at 877 - 4WCB NOW or visit us with worldclassbenchmarking.com

Paying Attention to the Little (Splattered) Details

It's the little things at 76 that suggests they are on the driver's side. In this instance, signage awaits at stations attracting families. It's a child guide to splattered bugs. Using this guide you can tell that what that dead bug on your windshield is. Moths, lady bugs and dragon flys are all included with pictures suggesting what that bug would look like in a smashed state.

It's all done with great humor. But it provides a great sense of humor at a time when buying gas isn't always so funny.

Departing on Time: JetBlue

Yesterday AP noted that JetBlue went from 15th in on-time departures to 5th in one month. That's a big jump. And it's a high rank, especially considering that the five airlines who ranked 1-4 (Hawaiian, Alaskan, Southwest, Frontier) do not hub in overcrowded mega airports. Meanwhile, JetBlue had an on time departure of 88.7% even though their major hub is Kennedy International.

More amazing is that Travel & Leisure in August showed that Kennedy just tied with La Guardia (LGA) and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) as fourth highest in airport delays. Their data showed you having a 1 out 4 chance of having delays getting out of that airport. And yet, JetBlue has defied that fact with one of the highest average departure times.

Congratulations JetBlue! We're cheering you on!

BTW, come join us soon for one our Destination Orlando programs where one of our locations is visiting JetBlue's Training facility in Orlando.

Brother, Can you Spare Some Batteries?

Jeff Kober details an experience he had searching for batteries at Disneyland recently. It underscores the role of supply management as well as it's effect on the bottom line. Click here to read more.

The Real Pilot Error

By virtue of the number of miles I have with Delta, I feel I have a reason to talk about the distracted Northwest/Delta pilots who were so involved on the laptops, they overshot the Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport.

I suppose it is appropriate that they not only lose their jobs but they lose their licenses. But that's not the real error. The big mistake is in the FAA and aviation industry thinking that pilots are going to be attentive and alert when they are flying long hours in planes that fly themselves. What we don't know behind the secure cockpit door anymore is how attentive anyof them really are. Oh sure, they're all awake right now. With the kind of media attention this has been given, there's no question everyone is attentive

In the end this is about employee engagement. This is about providing pilots the tools and resources and support to do their job well. You can fire people and warn everyone else, but nothing will change until there's meaningful dialogue about how to engage pilots in the cockpit.

Thriving in Difficult Economic Times-Mayo Style!

What can you learn from best-in-class organizations who are actually thriving in these difficult economic times? A lot!

The list of world-class businesses in World Class Benchmark's Pre-Conference workshop for The Society for Human Resource Management were impressive. Not only did participants learn about these best practices, but we visited their operations and spoke directly with leaders, front line employees - and even customers.

How would you like to enjoy a customer satisfaction rating of 76.7% "excellent" rating - even in the midst of these horrible economic times? That's what the world-renowned Mayo Clinic has earned in the most recent quarter - a 2.7% increase over last year and their best results ever. How are they doing it?

One of the keys to the Mayo Clinic's success is they invest theirfocus on both technical excellence (they are a hospital, after all) as well asservice excellence. This is a departure from most hospitals that view "patient care" as a purely clinical effort.

Patients/customers often don't understand the technical side of what you deliver (your "Product"), but they always understand how you treated them via your People, Place, and Processes.

For best results, the Mayo Clinic consistently asks:

PRODUCT: Are we technically skilled at our highest level? Are we providing our patients what we promised them?

PEOPLE: What do we look like/sound like? What words are we using (and what is the impact of those words?) How well do I really listen - and respond?

PLACE: Is the patient environment clean and well-maintained? Are they only distracted in a good way (a way that contributes to their goals for coming here?)

PROCESS: Do our processes help patients and their families focus on the care

Mayo Clinic has created this situation by design. Everyone is focused on the same goal (Mayo Clinic Mission: "Mayo will provide the best care to every patient every day...") and they put systems in place to support the process, share innovative ideas, and measure outcomes/hold everyone accountable.

Any wonder why Mayo Clinic gets better results, and enjoys a more successful business model?

Ask yourself if you are getting the results that you need in your operation. The keys to success are implemented each and every day by world-class benchmark companies. You CAN do it too! We create success stories with companies just like yours. For their proven strategies and tactics, we are your "go to" resource! Contact us today for YOUR breakthrough - even in these difficult times!

Upcoming World Class Benchmarking Program

We have an upcoming Destination Orlando program coming December 8-11th. This program is perfect for those of you looking to benchmark with not only Walt Disney World but other great organizations like Nordstrom, Dardens, and Harley Davidson. This program is packed with ideas for how to take your business to the next level.

Hosted by J. Jeff Kober and Mark David Jones, you'll have an amazing experience beyond any training event you've attended before. To learn more about this World Class Benchmarking program, click here. Call us today at 407-973-3219 to sign up!

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!