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The missing model

January 22, 2015 by Brenda Leave a Comment

During various training programmes, I often play a game which involves asking participants to write down the first word that comes to mind when I say a certain word.  This is the beginning of an exercise in creativity and the purpose is to show individuals how differently we link words with perceptions.  For example, if I say ‘set’, some people may write down ‘tea’, others choose ‘tennis’ while ‘maths’ is often given as a response, too. 

In this first step of the game, another word I sometimes use is ‘model’ and here again, examples of the first set of responses from different participants could be ‘car’, ‘ramp’ or ‘coaching’.  Let me clarify:  you could be thinking of the ‘model’ of car you wished to buy, the ‘model’ showing clothing on the catwalk or for those of us who are integral coaches we might instantly link to the ‘models’ we almost unconsciously use in assessing our clients. 

So we need to stretch our minds and see how differently others are seeing the world.  And the words we use can often be a clue to this.  And of course we express ourselves in so many other ways, too.  To many of us, colour plays an important part.  So when I see an excellent example of an advert using words, colours and ways of appealing to different senses through different sets of words, I find this very exciting.  Below is an example of a poster which I find particularly appealing.

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But going one step further, I had an ‘aha moment’  when I walked into our neurologist, Dr Zaheer Sacoor’s newly decorated rooms and found that his wife and their decorator had incorporated this magnificent concept into a mural covering a whole wall in their waiting room.  This is visually appealing and so appropriate with the work he does.  Well done, Dr Sacoor, you are not only a brilliant doctor, but you are thinking outside the box and ‘modelling’ the work you do.  Thank you for being such a wonderful inspiration. 

It might be a bit difficult to read the words on the image above, so here are the words: 

Left brain

I am the left brain.
I am a scientist.  A mathematician.
I love the familiar. I categorize.  I am accurate.  Linear.
Analytical.  Strategic.  I am practical.
Always in control.  A master of words and language.
Realistic.  I calculate equations and play with numbers.
I am order.  I am logic.
I know exactly who I am.

Right brain

I am the right brain.
I am creativity.  A free spirit.  I am passion.
Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter.
I am taste.  The feeling of sand beneath bare feet.
I am movement.  Vivid colours.
I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas.
I am boundless imagination.  Art.  Poetry.  I sense. I feel.
I am everything I wanted to be.

As integral coaches, we use different models in assessing our clients in order to get a clearer picture of how they are seeing the world and how their ‘issue’ is impacting on their ‘way of being’.  And while the concepts embedded in ‘left brain/right brain’ are woven through other models, I have used the beautiful image above as a screen saver to remind myself to question my clients around these concepts.  This just could be my ‘missing model’! 

For more information on Executive Coaching or training in communication skills please contact brenda@146.66.90.172 or phone +27 82 4993311.

Unlikely heroes

October 19, 2014 by Brenda Leave a Comment

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes.  And sometimes our stereotyping prevents us from recognising the value of these people.  In the last month I’ve been privileged to interact with two individuals who most certainly are heroes from my perspective. 

The first is a quietly spoken man, France Mthiyane.  I first met him as a participant in a customer service training workshop, part of an ongoing programme run for over 300 staff at Save Hyper, Pietermaritzburg.  During a session I was telling the story of my childhood and how my mother gave me the responsibility for polishing the apples in her store. Having shiny apples gave her business a competitive advantage. In addition, by assigning me tasks that I was capable of being good at, she was setting the path for my future success. 

I tell this story in workshops and then ask questions that will help participants to gain insight.  After a few questions, I asked: ‘So, once I’m continuously polishing the apples and making them look good, and more and more customers are coming to buy them, what do I need to be careful of?’  The customary answers would likely be:  don’t stop - continue polishing to keep up the standards – reputation management – continue assigning tasks that will help people to become successful etc.   In addition to these responses, France put his hand up and explained how we have to treat each apple with great care so that we don’t drop it.  And then with wisdom, he expanded on the concept.  His message conveyed the importance of respect for all people and all things. 

Brenda Eckstein, France Mthiyane and Rashaad Solomon, Manager Save Hyper.

Brenda Eckstein, France Mthiyane and Rashaad Solomon, Manager Save Hyper.

Throughout our programme I have been impressed by his ongoing contributions.  However, when shopping I have also watched him on the Save Hyper ‘floor’, too.  He is often near the front helping any customer who needs a basket or other assistance.  Or we might find him pushing heavy trolleys or helping other staff members in some way.  People must think he is important, that he has a fancy title.  However when I asked him what he was employed to do, he proudly answered, ‘I look after perishables’.  I wanted to know more!  He explained that his job description is ‘fridge packer’ and that he deals with cold items.  He said this with pride and obvious enjoyment.  Then he added:  ‘You must like what you do, and then you’ll be successful’.  

This great lesson and France’s wonderful example show us that every one of us can go way beyond the boundaries imposed by a job description.  If we love our jobs and are prepared to make the effort, we can excel at any level.  Throughout the course, each week he has consistently been chosen as a ‘Customer Service Hero’ by the staff. I commend the Save Hyper directors and management team for announcing France as the first ‘Staff member of the Month’ (October 2014).  

My second hero is an insurance assessor.  At the thought of claiming from insurance most of us go into ‘flight mode’.  We know it isn’t going to be easy to gain fair compensation. And although we have suffered a loss, however small or big, we get ready for the ‘fight’.  Yet, there are heroes out there and I’d like to tell you more about my dealings with Reyaz Allee,  Claims Assessor, KZN Claims Processing Hub, Mutual & Federal Insurance Company Limited. 

Here is the background:  a few weeks ago disaster struck in the form of a burst sewerage pipe which flooded two rooms at our home.  To get to this guest suite, we have to go out through an external entrance and down some stairs. As my husband is handicapped and now battles to get down the stairs, we don’t often use that area. In addition we have spare bedrooms in our main house so when family or friends come to stay, there is no need to use this exterior guest suite.   However we do use it for storage and go there perhaps twice a month at the most.  

On one of these visits, we were horrified to find that not only had the bathroom been flooded but so had the bedroom, now a storage room.  I was shocked and dismayed that something like this could happen in our home.  Yet this was an emergency and I had to work out how to manage this dreadful situation.  In a state of panic I called the plumber who came with a team of five and ended up working for four days chopping away banks, digging up the garden, tracing the fault and then repairing it.  They also started the initial cleaning.  I also managed to engage industrial cleaners who came on site immediately.  

However it was only after we’d set the process in motion, trying to create order out of chaos, that some-one asked what role our insurance company was playing.  I hadn’t thought about that!  I phoned our insurance broker who immediately swung into action.  Yet I still felt overwhelmed at the thought of filling in all the forms, getting quotes and still trying to manage the clean-up process.  When I was told that the assessor had been appointed, I wasn’t sure whether I was in fight, flight or freeze mode.

Reyaz Alee, Claims Assessor.

Reyaz Alee, Claims Assessor.

However Reyaz Alee instantly became my hero.  He dealt with this dreadful situation with efficiency and compassion.  I was really upset as many sentimental and valuable items had been destroyed or contaminated.  How do you ever replace an antique leather suitcase? You can’t.  And what about my mother-in-laws sleeper couch?  Yet Reyaz became my partner in finding the best possible outcome.  He immediately sent builders to remove the wooden doors and steps.  He also included Lynda from ‘Gran & Gramps’ who became a fairy-godmother – or shall I call her a ‘heroine’?  She advised, looked for solutions and came and collected our valuable wooden furniture to decontaminate and restore it.  The plumbers, builders, cleaners, Lynda, ‘salvage contactor’ and Char, who was dealing with curtains and blinds, had to be managed and Reyaz did that, being accountable and keeping me informed at all times.  We were partners in creating order out of chaos.  And I believe that after hours of careful negotiation, on each item (and there were hundreds) that we were able to achieve an outcome that was fair to all parties.  Reyaz, I commend you as one of my heroes. 

So here we have two case studies.  And my questions for you are:

  1. France, a ‘fridge packer’ and Reyaz, an ‘insurance assessor’ are unlikely heroes. What are the characteristics of these two very different heroes that put them in a category way above others in their fields?
  2. What part does their excellence play in shifting our perceptions of the brands they represent?
  3. Name two unlikely heroes with whom you have interacted in the last month. What characteristics or behavior made them extraordinary?
  4. How might their behavior have impacted on customers’ or clients’ experience of the service the company or firm offers?
  5. What have you done to show appreciation? And how have you escalated your commendation to higher levels within their organisations so that they’ll be recognised by their superiors?

Heroes are everywhere.  Notice them and show appreciation.  An added benefit is that you might become one of their heroes! 

For more information on Customer Service Training, Executive Coaching or Keynote Speaking, please contact brenda@146.66.90.172 or phone +27 82 4993311.

A Letter From My Dog…And Other New Perceptions

May 8, 2011 by Brenda Leave a Comment

An annual convention of the National Speakers Association of Australia (NSAA) is an ideal place to hone your thinking skills – especially when the presenters include diverse international experts like Dr. Edward de Bono, author of 83 books and the instigator of creative thinking. 

Shelley Sykes , Brenda Eckstein and Edward de Bono — NSAA Convention, April 2010.

I was privileged to be there again this year (April 16 to 19 2010).  In summarising my notes and reflecting on the information, I notice there are again many important messages and trends.  One that stands out is the necessity for us to make every effort to see things through various ‘frames’. We all see things differently and as speakers, trainers and coaches we should  try to present information in a way that will be more relevant to our various audiences (and by ‘audience’ I mean anyone to whom I’m addressing a message.)  This applies to individuals in their business and private communication, too.

I gained great value from this Convention, not only from the formal sessions, but from the people with whom I networked.  Some I had met before, others were newcomers to my circle of ‘friends and associates’.  The networking extends beyond the exchange of words in conversation.  Many of us are authors and in reading others’ ‘words of wisdom’, I am constantly astounded at the richness of thinking and ideas generated.  One example is the work of Dr Danny Beran, author of ‘Ten questions you must answer before you die’ (published March 2010). 

Gary Eckstein and Dr Danny Beran with ‘Ten questions you should answer before you die’.

Danny and I are both members of the New South Wales chapter of NSAA and we had shared experiences in authoring and launching our books.  So, I was excited to receive a copy of his book.  In addition to the ‘ten questions’ which he as a medical doctor invites his patients and readers to ponder, there is a section on ‘what your dog would love or need to tell you if he could talk’?  That certainly is a new perspective for me and I was motivated and had soon written myself two letters – one from each of my dogs!  I was amazed at what Ebon and Sabrena said – and how different their letters were.

An added dimension to my conference experience was having Gary (my son) with me, too.  We could share ideas and hearing his perspective on various issues added a richness to my experience in being there.  Thank you, Gary!

More articles reflecting on Edward de Bono, other exciting people and the messages from the NSAA Convention will follow in forthcoming blogs.

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