FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tom Ellis
September 10, 2004 Ellis Communications, Inc.
Phone: (417) 881-5635
Email: tom@elliscomm.com
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Every telecom manager faces it from time to time – an
employee who dumps a problem in the boss’s lap for lack of a better idea. This
can be avoided with possibility thinking and a solution-only atmosphere within
the department.“A lot of us
have acquired the habit of dumping a problem on our manager’s shoulders to let
the boss figure out the solution,” says David Saxby, president of Phoenix-based
Measure-X, a company that specializes in helping telephone companies improve
their customer service and sales. “But possibility thinking and an emphasis on
finding solutions will result in pleasant surprises and a more productive team.”
Saxby offers the following
tips on applying a solution-only approach and possibility thinking.
Tip No. 1. Every
employee should be encouraged to have at least three possible solutions to any
complaint or problem before voicing it.
Tip No. 2. People may
become frustrated or even angry with this approach but most will get the hang of
it. “They will soon realize that they not only came up with a solution but that
they also were able to implement it themselves,” Saxby says.
Tip No. 3. Incorporate
this new approach into staff meetings. “Eliminate the long, boring reporting
sessions and instead ask each team to identify a key issue they want resolved,”
Saxby suggests. “Then brainstorm all the possible solutions to that issue.”
Tip No. 4. Empower
your staff even further by asking each employee to take a turn facilitating
staff meetings. “Creative ideas will flow, productivity will increase and
morale will improve,” Saxby says.
Tip No. 5. When you
have a whole team of possibility thinkers, there is a greater sense of
ownership. “Everyone becomes part of the solution,” Saxby notes. “It creates a
far more pleasant environment and reduces stress.”
Tip. No. 6. Be
patient. Possibility thinking does not come naturally to everyone but it can be
learned.
Saxby also offers the
following quiz to help telecom managers and employees understand if they are
possibility thinkers.
n Are
you willing to begin a new project without being absolutely guaranteed of its
success?
n Will
you start working on a new idea before you have every single fact?
n Do
you concentrate on the ways something can be done instead of looking for reasons
for why it won’t work?
n
Are you inclined to accept a solution to a problem, even when you
can’t visualize it?
n
Do you immediately point out the advantages of an idea before you
point out the disadvantages?
n Are
you open to doing old tasks in new ways?
n Do
you ever accept a new idea even if you have already made other plans?
“If you
answered yes to these questions, then you are a possibility thinker and the
sky’s the limit,” Saxby says. “If you answered no, you may be limiting your
opportunity for personal and professional success as well as impacting the
success of your team.”
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Measure-X is a measurement, training and recognition company that specializes
in customer service and sales skills. For more information on Measure-X,
call 888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at www.measure-x.com.
