Being There: Customer Service & Community Gardening

 Chance the Gardener: As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.
Benjamin Rand: I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we're upset by the seasons of our economy.
Chance the Gardener: Yes! There will be growth in the spring!
President "Bobby": Hm. Well, Mr. Gardner, I must admit that is one of the most refreshing and optimistic statements I've heard in a very, very long time.  I admire your good, solid sense. That's precisely what we lack on Capitol Hill.
                                                                                                                - Being There

Behind my building in Queens, NY there is a back alley. It’s a relatively healthy plot of earth that my wife and I thought would make a wonderful garden to add some life to a rather lifeless area. We had been contemplating a garden for some time to honor the memory of our daughter’s twin sister, Summer, who passed away prior to delivery. This looked like the spot to do it.

We went to Home Depot and brought seasonal perennial flowers, seeds and some items for basic gardening and Summer’s Garden became a reality. It got us thinking about how rich the area is for beautification and what a wonderful opportunity it would be for other families in our building to come together and plant their own gardens. The campaign to bring awareness to it has just begun so I will update you on the progress but that is another blog.

Now, I’m a huge fan of the book and film, “Being There”, the story of a psychologically challenged man who tends to his garden and falls into becoming an economist with his simple wisdom of gardens and economic stability.  All this gardening talk made me realize the importance of a few things that companies can be doing in the garden of customer service and in community:
 
~ For everything, seeds must be planted. Whether it be with tools that customer service representatives need to grow and flourish or in the case of community outreach; dissemination of your intentions to raise awareness for a cause. All these things need a base. But the gardener must create the base for there to be growth.

~ The seeds must be nourished. Great customer service can only be achieved with support. It needs to come from C-Suite level to management and then the root, the team. Encouragement and acknowledgement is the greatest nourishment. For community outreach, the seeds must be nourished through educating your teams in what the cause is and its importance of its resulting success. Growth can only happen when the proper attention is paid to the project.

~ Sometimes, the plant must be trimmed but the root remains. Like plants, sometimes we must trim and prune to thwart contamination of the root. If there is an element of customer service that is being poisoned by negativity or disruptive behavior in an organization, don’t be afraid to trim that plant off. All it takes is one bad apple. Save the root and the core and make the necessary adjustments.

As I tend to Summer’s Garden with my daughter I try to explain as best I can these philosophies. To a three year old we must of course integrate ‘Tinker Bell’ into the discussion and though she may not understand everything we talk about, the seeds are planted. They will grow and I am certain she will nurture them.

Be the gardener. Plant the seeds in your company for great customer service reps. Plant the seeds to make a difference in your community.

Nurture them and the outcome will be fruitful for all.

Let There Be Light: Tribe & Community

Recently I have been forced to look at my world and what is happening in it. Not forced at gun point. Forced by life and circumstances. By events and happenings that have compounded themselves for whatever reason to present themselves in a certain time frame.

All these “happenings” have had positive elements to them and they came at a point where a darkness was rearing itself into my personal life. In other words, the universe knew where to direct its light. It found me waiting for the light on the corner of Nowhere and Confusion.

Let me tell you what colors were streaming through that light that forced me not to shield my eyes but open them again:

White: Charity

For the last two years I have been actively involved with Share Our Strength, an organization that is looking to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. I was involved with a Tweet Out on June 21^st that was short of extraordinary. People from all over Twitter came together to spread the word about the organization and try to recruit restaurants across the country. I started Tweeting at around 8:30 with a handful of people as we began our day’s journey through Twitterville. I watched as the numbers grew from core groups we were involved with and saw thousands of faces reaching out to others in a united effort for the cause. I felt overwhelmed and emotional as I watched this explode. My fingers typed faster. My eyes darted from Tweet to Tweet. It was exhausting but who cares! It was for love. It was for children. It was the thing to do. I encourage you to get involved. I ask you to take the pledge to end childhood hunger. Be the light. http://nokidhungry.org/

 Orange: Encouragement

I had attended a conference run by People Report called Summer Camp that may not sound very professional to some but let me enlighten you. People Report Summer Camp is one of the most important conferences I have ever attended. Not because of just the content. Not because of the tools I bring back to my personal and professional existence. It’s the people. It’s the community and family that have grown out of this tribe of like thinkers to better the workplace and strengthen our communities. 

One of the highlights of Summer Camp agenda is to visit Jonathon’s Place, a place where children of abuse can go to find emergency shelter and help. Our chores are simple. We clean; we rinse things and tidy up. We also raise money and awareness for them. To see the faces of these children is to be looking into the face of God. To know their story is heart breaking. I walked away from there this year like I did last year; encouraged by the work we did and aggressive in my need to help and spread their message. Please look into them. See what you can do. Let me rephrase that. See what you will do. http://www.jpkids.org/

Green: Harmony and Growth

The above events as well as the private things I needed to face in my own life needed a shopping list. A bucket list. A friend of mine, Bill Campion, one of the most insightful and genuine people I have ever had the privilege to call my friend gathered a group of us to “get well together” through Talent Revolution’s 30 Days Bucket List. Create a list of things you want to accomplish in 30 days and encourage each other in the journey. It helped me step into a place where I needed to be and deal with issues I needed to face.

All this was an awakening. All this was a call to arms to help not just others but myself. Without me, I can’t be. Thanks to my Tribe at People Report Summer Camp, thanks to my friends at 30 Days, thanks to my family at home there is a chance to center myself and hind the harmony in my life I need to be the human I want to be and deserve to be. All this could have been said in this one line but I’m an Irishman who kissed the Blarney Stone so you get the long version.

The human race can seem like a marathon sometimes and we must all help out to insure we reach the finish line together.

And So it Goes...

 Photos by Leigh Caraccioli
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And...On a Final Note...

With the world coming to a rather anticlimactic end this Saturday at 6:00pm, I am feeling great time restraints. I think it is essential that all of us take the following steps in this precious remaining hours.

-Return all phone calls
-Catch up with a long lost friend or two without Tweeting or Google Chat
-If you have season finale episodes of favorite shows cued in TiVo, watch the finales before THE finale
-Yankee and Met fans, don't worry about your teams long-run prospects, because they have no long run
-Try to find that missing sock you know you put in the wash as a pair
-Figure out some of the garbled lyrics of Crocodile Rock that we have never been able to figure out no matter how hard we have tried
-Call O.J Simpson and say, "OK for the last time...Did you?"
-Go hug someone, hold a child's hand, us the word "YES" all day and pick your favorite song to listen too before the fireworks start and the Earth implodes.

Now, just take note here that the fundamentalists who "know" their scripture failed to remind us what Jesus said in Matthew 24:36: Hike! Said God's Son; "But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of Heaven or Son, only the Father".

So, that being said, I'm keeping a pint of ice cream in the fridge (chocolate chocolate chip) and the season finale of The Big Bang on TiVo just in case I get bored after about 6:15pm waiting for the planet to draw me into the abyss.

 Now, do I drop shirts at the dry cleaners for Monday pick up?...

The Superman Complex and Customer Service

I, like many other Americans, tuned in to watch the final episode of Smallville this last Friday night. For those not familiar, it is the story of Clark Kent growing up in Smallville, Kansas and his life lessons and upbringing that lead him to become the Man of Steel.

 I have to admit I am something of a Superman fan. I have 3 different tee shirts of the great big “S”, paraphernalia, a box of old comics and of course action figures. My daughter is even fascinated by the Big Blue Boy Scout and runs around singing the theme to the movies.

 I even suffer from a touch of Superman complex which is the unhealthy sense of responsibility to others and the need to feel they have to save others. They take others wellbeing, mentally and physically, into consideration before they do so  of themselves. They know no limitations. They don’t know when to stop trying to do too much at once and say “no” when asked to perform while already overwhelmed.

The upside of this complex is that it helped me to become keen and sharp in my role as a customer service expert and teacher. Because I suffer from this, it has helped me be exceptional at customer service. If you peek around you, you may see others in the field that are the same way.

 Where does it stem from? Parents. Surprise!  My mother had a very Martha/Jonathon Kent style do-gooder code she installed into my early programming that made me who I am now.  But it also instilled in me, like young Clark, a destiny. A destiny to be a “turn to person” to make a difference and help others realize their potential in my case, for customer service. We all have the ability. It just sometimes takes an epiphany to trigger it.

 I recently started following a Twitter group called #leadfromwithin that is run by its creator Lolly Daskal. Lolly is one of those people that makes you get up on your feet and find your trigger or puts you on the path with what you are supposed to be doing. She also just puts out great feel great quotes about leadership and potential. I met her in real life (or as we say in social media IRL) and we became very fast friends. I encourage you to take a peak in at Lolly’s chats on Tuesday at 8pm on Twitter, if you are on Twitter that is, if not check out her blogs at http://www.lollydaskal.com  You just might find your inner super strength!

 So, why the confessional this week? No reason but to share. And I was moved by the final episode of Smallville as my trigger for this post. As a father, it was like watching a son grow into manhood over the last 10 years and watching him take flight (and wear the leotard and cape for the first time) in his journey into his destiny.

 As the show ended I went into my daughter’s room and looked down at her small 3 year old frame sleeping soundly. I thought how super she is. How super she will become. I thought, will I be as positive an influence on her as the Kent’s were to Clark? Will my concept of right and wrong be enough a guideline for her on her journey to her destiny? Time will tell.

 She will run into kryptonite along the way and she will have her Lex Luthor to deal with.  But she will always have her father and mother. She will soar.

 Truth. Justice and the Customer Service Way. (Ok that was a cheap wrap up line but hey…)

Guest Post by Amanda Hite: Use Your Social Influence To End Childhood Hunger in America. 2011 Dine Out for No Kid Hungry Restaurant Rally

Use Your Social Influence To End Childhood Hunger in America. 2011 Dine Out for No Kid Hungry Restaurant Rally. sexythinker | May 3, 2011 at 7:53 am | Tags: amanda hite, be the change, dine out for no kid hungry, no kid hungry, share our strength, social influence, tweet-a-thon, twitter | Categories: Be the change | URL: http://wp.me/psI8I-4S

1 in 4 children in U.S. will face hunger this year. Without the security of knowing where their next meal will come from, these children lack the energy to learn, grow and thrive. Share Our Strength is an organization committed to ending childhood hunger in America. The money raised through Share Our Strength's Dine Out for No Kid Hungry will connect kids with nutritious food where they live, learn and play
In 2010, over 4,000 restaurants joined Share Our Strength's sponsors and partners to raise more than $1.5 million for the Dine Out For No Kid Hungry^™!
Last year, many of us joined together to support Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid Hungry. Over 1,000 people spread the word online posting over 10,000 tweets about the campaign in just one week. Those 1,000 contributors helped Share Our Strength and the restaurant industry increase donations by 108% over the last year.
This year, the goal is 3 million dollars and to start we need to rally over 5,000 restaurant locations to participate in the program. Now it’s time to rally restaurants around the cause. This Wednesday, May 4th Share Our Strength is hosting a twEAT OUT for the Dine Out for No Kid Hungry all day long! Let's focus our network's enthusiasm on this one day to really grab the attention of restaurants.
Here's how you can help:

1. If you have a blog repost this blog on your network asking people to join this Wednesday’s twEAT OUT linking to the TwEAT OUT page:
2. Post a request to join us Wednesday and the link to the TwEAT OUT page on your Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin networks
3. JOIN us THIS Wednesday for the TwEAT OUT (Tweet-a-thon)

Let’s rally our networks to help end childhood hunger in America!
GET STARTED BY CLICKING HERE
If you want to hear more about how to do more things like this and "Use Your Influence" to make meaningful change. Join Be The Change Influencers.