Feedback is an interesting thing.  Sometimes you hope for it, sometimes, you pray it never comes.  That being said, feedback by itself, is a very important tool. Not only in the music world (pun intended) is feedback an important issue, but in the business world as well.  If you can handle it early, dial it in, well, everything will surely go better then expected.  If you are able to get to it early well, you are able to curb potential issues (infections) that could send your business off the rails.  Feedback is possibly the most important tool you have, it really only comes from your customers.

Feedback can be forced, surveys and what-not, but that is usually not the most useful.  Sure, you can blanket the particular market with call center’s and e-mail blasts, but what data, real data, are you getting?  More and more companies are baiting customers to give feedback with points or gift cards which makes the customer want to give a favorable rating so they don’t miss out on the 2500 points to their loyalty club membership, or whatever.  The best feedback a business, sales person or interviewee can get, is the hard, not asked for, or even better, asked for,  direct, in your face type of feedback.  Let’s face it, Yelp (TM) has changed the way we all go to market, in a good way.  We have all had to up our collective game, no?  I say YES!  It’s about time we all take a long, hard look at how we (by “we” I mean everyone in your business, our business, whatever business) go to market every day.  If you have to make some hard demands, make them.  If you have to make some tough choices, make them.  If you have to cut, then cut.  Grow, well then grow.  It may not seem the best time to do so but, is it ever?  If you have done your homework (and you have better done your homework), crunched the data, bit the darn bullet, then make these things happen.  Push NOW.   The rear view mirror is just that, what’s behind you.  Can you see your competition back there?

 

I have recently hired some new employees, both of whom are in the “younger” age bracket.  I guess I could say “Millennial” but I feel like that generation tag has a lot of unnecessary negativity attached to it so I prefer to say younger.   After working with, and training, my new hires, I’ve noticed a minor, yet disturbing, trend.  It seems whenever they go to the restroom throughout the day, the visit last’s anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, and once or twice as long as 30.  Now, that being said, we are in a business where it is difficult to take a traditional break, so we take the time when we can.  Do you have to take your phone with you every time you go to the can?  I am a pretty easy going manager so, if one of my employees was to ask me to take a break, saying “no”, or “not now”, would never cross my mind.  I guess it kind of bothers me that they feel they have to take solace in the restroom instead of taking a traditional break.  Now, the part of all this that really rubs me raw, is the amount of time they spend on their phones in general.  If their phone was in a handbag or locker and they grabbed it to go to the bathroom for twenty minutes, I probably wouldn’t even notice, but that is not the case.  I don’t want to crush their enthusiasm by setting phone rules or some sort of boundary, but what else can be done, as it is becoming a bit difficult to find a younger person with enthusiasm toward work.

Is it just me, or are other business managers facing the same kinds of issues?  Am I some sort of nut that needs to relax and let things be what they are?  The work they do is not too bad but there are some mistakes that could clearly be headed off by paying a little more attention to detail.  I can’t imagine my boss coming to me saying “Hey sport, you’re  spending a little too much time in the bathroom”, I mean hey, err, thanks for noticing?  Signed: Swirling in cyberspace.

#Management101 #WhyYouNeedPhoneToPoo #insomnia