Atomic Penny

I am not a fan of reality TV, but the new CBS show, “Undercover Boss,” has my attention for a variety of reasons.  I am intrigued by the fact that a CEO is not recognized by any of the people he works with. Does that mean that the communication from the top does not include information about the CEO? Or does it imply that there is a lack of communication? Also, if you watch the show, are you surprised that the majority of workers are either 1) Happy and go lucky in their position, or 2) Have overcome obstacles to maintain his or her job?

The one employee that really stuck out for my was Dolores from the episode that aired on February 21, 2010. Dolores had taken it upon herself to get to know her customers–all of them. She knew names and situations while serving the most coffee of any 7-11 store in the US. All this while living with a failing kidney. Dolores was clearly the driving force in retaining customers and achieving high sales. Seth Godin even calls her a Linchpin.

You can learn from her much more than you can learn from the CEO. It is not about margins, ROI, metrics or even advertising. It is about doing the right thing. It also affects employee and corporate morale. What a pleasure it must be for customers to be greeted with a smile and their name when they walk in the door! Spreading the word about one’s business through actions and interactions, as opposed to a big advertising budget, is what I call the Confetti Effect, part of my Confetti Project. More on that soon…

Learn from Dolores, take what she teaches and find a Dolores in your company, or better yet: become one.

POWER ON–Mark