The idea for this story came from a conversation at a recent Servant-Leader gathering held in Milwaukee. The story is a quick read, with a little food for thought. Comments and sharing are always welcome.

In this post:

Story: Giving Thanks

I recently was in conversation with someone who prefers a certain fast food chain because the staff always address him in terms he finds highly respectful. It was ironic that I don’t support that same business due to their lack of respect for diverse people. I place a much higher value on the sincerity of the speaker than the vocabulary of the conversation. If I suspect someone is reading from the script they were given as part of customer service training, it makes me skeptical of the whole of the interaction. I think we’ve all been asked “Did you find everything you were looking for today?” only to encounter a blank stare when we honestly respond “No, I didn’t.”

My preferred method of assessing customer service is to reflect on the level of interaction I have with the service representative. The best way for me to do this is to try to put myself in the shoes of the person I’m interacting with. I don’t need to pretend we’re close personal friends but I am interested in having a sense of who I’m interacting with and how they see themselves as a part of the organization they are representing. I have learned to slide past the polite conversation and ask a question that I probably isn’t addressed in the employee customer service manual: How is your day going so far?; How late do you have to work today?; how long have you been working here?; etc. This often changes the conversation from customer and employee to individuals making their way through the day.

One of the biggest lessons learned from engaging with employees as individuals has been the ability to sort people from corporations. While some corporations have made a commitment to social responsibility, the majority place increasing shareholder equity as their first priority. This should be a surprise to no-one. People, however, work for all sorts of reasons and follow many paths to get where they are today. I regularly find the depth of knowledge and commitment to service held by the individual in front of me exceeds the job role and policies of their employer. These are the people who I am thankful to engage with as I go through my days. I try to make sure I let them know how grateful I am for their service. I regularly find a way to let their employer know how much I appreciate the superior service i’ve received.

I don’t need to hear “Yes sir, no sir” from a service employee. I’d much rather engage with a good hearted person making their way through their life. After all: “We’re all just walking each other home.” Ram Dass

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For more information:

Dan Lococo, PhD
, Barrier Knocker Downer
dan.lococo@gmail.com
414.333.5846
Twitter: @danlococo
LinkedIn profile
Affinity By Design, LLC
Bringing people together to get things done

Mainstreaming on Main Street
Supporting organizational environments inclusive of persons with disabilities in professional/skilled settings
Web page: www.MainstreamingoMainStreet.com
Copyright 2019, Dan Lococo, All rights reserved

This started as a story about Britain’s attempts to leave the European Union. The writing process gave me an opportunity to reflect on a transition work group I’m participating in. The irony is that the story was always intended to illuminate the value of checking assumptions and regrouping as needed. The story is a quick read, with a little food for thought. Comments and sharing are always welcome.

In this post:

Story: Brexit – All’s what you have to do is…

On 23 June 2016, a referendum was held to decide Britain’s continued membership in the European Union (EU). The majority of those who voted chose to leave. This choice is now known as “Brexit.” Since that time, there has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth. And yet, there appears to be no clear path to the end of this process.

Brexit has had so many twists and turns that it is hard to keep track of the issues at its heart. The current barrier to completing the exit from the EU seems to be centered around the border between Northern Ireland (part of Britain) and the Republic of Ireland (an independent member of the EU). Given the long history of violence in Northern Ireland, thoughtful consideration of this potential stumbling block makes sense. As negotiations drag on, the question: what important, but (now) less urgent issues prompted the Brexit vote?

The rhetoric surrounding the Brexit vote focused on immigration, trade, autonomy, and equity. Some people had well thought out reasons for their vote. Others found their vote had implications they had not considered. Still others cast protest votes without thinking the referendum would actually pass. Within days of the referendum there was talk of a second vote. Given the narrow margin of the vote (52% in favor to 48% against), it’s not surprising that the British Parliament remains deeply divided on how to proceed with the separation from the EU. It may be time to revisit the issues that prompted the Brexit vote.

Lessons learned:

On 29 March, 2017 the British Prime Minister notified the EU of Britain’s intent to leave the European Union. That started a two year countdown to complete the process. It was expected that leaving the EU would be complex, involving many points of negotiation and decision. It is these many decision points that seem to have led to the process nearly grinding to a halt.

Given the seemingly insurmountable political and technical challenges associated with leaving the EU, it may be easier to address some of the issues that prompted the original vote and identify those that are still relevant. Leaving the EU may not be as important as it was originally thought. It’s also possible that leaving the EU may not address the concerns that prompted the original vote.

As I wrote this I found myself reflecting on a transition workgroup I’m a part of. Like the Brexit negotiations, we appear to be at an impasse. And like the Brexit negotiations, it’s important that we get things right. I can’t help but wonder What I’m missing in the process and how the things that were once seen as critical success factors might not be quite as important as originally thought. It is clearly time to revisit these questions and reevaluate what is important to all parties to the negotiations.

• Applying the lessons

On the assumption that nobody associated with the Brexit negotiations is going to reach out for my advice, I’ll stay closer to home. Here are some thoughts I will be carrying with me the next time the work group I’m a part of meets:

• Revisit the thinking behind the perceived need for change.
• Revisit the initial framework for addressing the situation.
• Reflect on my personal attachment to the initial solution framework.
• Gain an understanding of how/why the original consensus was lost.
• Determine a set of minimum (non-negotiable) outcome criteria.
• Accept that we may differ in our approach to logically equivalent outcomes.
• Reframe the conversation toward a solution that will be sustainable into the future.

Bibliography

• House of Commons Library, (2019) Brexit timeline: events leading to the UK’s exit from the European Union – Commons Library briefing – UK Parliament. https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7960
• Reklaitis, Victor. (4/29/2016) “5 arguments in favor of a U.K. “Brexit from the EU” and 5 against.” MarketWatch, Inc https://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-arguments-why-uk-should-vote-for-a-brexit-and-5-against-2016-04-29/print

Note: You can Click here to get these posts in your inbox.

For more information:

Dan Lococo, PhD
, Barrier Knocker Downer
dan.lococo@gmail.com
414.333.5846
Twitter: @danlococo
LinkedIn profile
Affinity By Design, LLC
Bringing people together to get things done

Mainstreaming on Main Street
Supporting organizational environments inclusive of persons with disabilities in professional/skilled settings
Web page: www.MainstreamingoMainStreet.com
Copyright 2019, Dan Lococo, All rights reserved