Something fun I get to do with my wife Samantha is go to the west coast of Florida and just chill out. We like the area of Bald Point and Alligator Point near the town of Panacea. We keep a small fishing boat at the marina in Panacea so we can have a down-and-back trip […]
Category Archives: Crisis Management
If You are Perceived to be Delivering Bad Service … You Are
Recently, I was in Houston running a bit late to the Hobby Airport. The Hertz return center is off-property, but they have a separate lane for those who can get an electronic copy of their receipt. Normally, you can simply pull up, grab your stuff, and walk away, but since I wasn’t at the airport […]
Being Creative in Any Situation
I recently needed to have an online meeting while I was at the Oklahoma City airport. While I wouldn’t normally schedule this type of presentation with the knowledge that I would be in a public space, circumstances aligned that this could not be avoided. I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare […]
Innovation Needed – Marriott Are You Listening?
It seems I have a never-ending supply of stories from mainline companies who just can’t get their customer service act together. Here’s my reasoning for sharing them: since I try to highlight the good and innovative things companies do, it’s only appropriate that when there is a customer service failure, I call that out, as […]
Preparing for the Worst
I attended the American Bankers Association’s Annual Conference in October in New York City. One of the sessions on the opening night was a vendor showcase, where seven presenters were each given five minutes to present their solution. There was an open bar and the session was standing room only. Now, as a professional speaker, […]
What True Leadership Looks Like
On a hot and humid Saturday in Houston, Texas, I was honored to facilitate offsite strategic planning for Cy Fair Federal Credit Union. Cy Fair is a former education-based credit union, transformed into a community CU charter, but the board substantively consists of current and former educators and administrators. The CEO is Cameron Dickey, and […]
The Power of Misinformation
My wife Samantha and I arrived at the Albuquerque (ABQ) airport several hours early today. The idea was to check in our bags and then go find a place to have a nice lunch together; we were traveling to different destinations and wouldn’t see each other for several weeks. Check in went smoothly, but as […]
Online, seconds matter … Offline for a week?
On February 12th, TD Bank upgraded to a new system for online banking. Directly thereafter, the system became unusable for their customers, who were locked out of their accounts completely. The system remained essentially “down”… for a week. A week! As far as online systems go, that’s an eternity. I’m not sure if they were […]
Making a List, Checking it Twice
As a speaking coach, I consistently remind my students that their performance from the platform is only a small part of what it takes to be a great professional speaker. One of the elements I stress is a checklist of details they must carefully address right before their talk. These include checking in with the […]
To React is Human, To Respond Divine
Our natural human instinct is to react to external stimuli—what would it take for you to convert your reactions into responses? There is a huge difference between a reaction and a response. Suppose someone walks up and punches you in the arm; your reaction is to punch them back. But if you pause, even for […]