Re:Focus

Look Down From Space

It was a surreal night to say the least. The four of us, two former astronauts, an Air Force Major General and I sat on the front porch sipping single malt scotch and Jeremiah Weed while a huge air force jet was making touch-and-go’s a hundred yards away.  

When in the company of astronauts, the conversation, undoubtedly, turns to space travel. It is an experience so few people in the world have ever had or will ever have the opportunity to try, so the curiosity of the two non-astronauts at the table was bubbling.  It was the two-star general who asked the question that we both needed to know the answer to: “did going to space change you?”

The first astronaut answered.  “It didn’t change me,” he said, “but it reinforced many of the values I already held.” The second astronaut had been on more missions and spent more time in space than her colleague.  “Yes,” she said, “it profoundly changed me. If you didn’t go up a pacifist, odds are pretty good you came back as one.”

This is a common theme among those who have ever had the opportunity to look back at our planet from so far away. Looking down at our little blue world, free from all the noise and hubbub, they can’t help but think: why can’t we all just get along.

This perspective is not unique to astronauts.  We all have the ability to understand more when we step back to look at a situation with a wide-angle lens.  Especially at times when we can see no alternative than to respond with anger, wage “war” with our competition or even just feel like we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.  In these moments, we need to stop and pretend we are looking at the situation from space.

I remember not getting accepted to an organization I really wanted to join.  I was convinced on my second try I would make it.  But I didn’t.  I felt like I wasn’t worthy.  Then I stopped.  I pulled back.  Would it really have an impact on my life being a part of their organization versus not – sure, some. I would have had the opportunity to do some pretty cool stuff…but it probably won’t limit anything I can do in the future. Then I pulled back even further - I certainly wouldn't lie on my death bed and think my life would have been so much better if I had made it in. In the grand scheme of my life and career, did it really matter?  The answer…not surprisingly…was no.  The best part is, there was another opportunity that I saw only when I was looking down from a high altitude that, when close-in and obsessed with the first thing, I couldn’t see.

Pulling back, physically and philosophically, is an amazing practice. We see things we can never see when in the middle of it.  We see solutions, we see opportunities, we become more realistic and pragmatic and less reactive and reactionary and, best of all, we find calm.

It’s a shame we can’t all go to space to come back with that new perspective...but we can pretend.

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You Shouldn’t Need To Wield A Gun To Get Customer Service

Time Warner Cable is almost universally hated by their customers in New York City.  And for good reason. With a relative monopoly on cable television, there is not much of an incentive for them to offer much more than the minimum.  Yes, there is RCN and there is satellite, but in New York City, satellite is not a great option and you can only get RCN if the building agrees to carry it. 

For years I’ve had issues with my cable TV – my DVR often records entire programs completely pixilated.  My picture will often freeze while I’m watching something live.  And the features it’s supposed to offer, like pausing live TV or rewinding live TV, are great except after I un-pause my program it continues to play without sound.   I’ve gone through three cable boxes, I’ve had multiple cablemen come to my apartment to fix, rewire or attempt to fix the problem.  Each one, and I’m not exaggerating, has told me that whatever the cableman before him did was, and I quote, “idiotic” before he proceeds to do something completely different.  But at the end of the day, nothing really works that much better. Oh yeah, and my internet sucks too. If I’m in a very nostalgic mood it will take me back to the days of a 14.4 dial-up modem…but I’m not that nostalgic that often.

This past week has been a particularly frustrating week. The internet has been so painfully slow.  For the record, I’m not looking to stream HD movies, all I want is for twitter to open in less than 30 seconds.  Or to be able to use Facebook without having to wait a full 60 seconds every time I click on any link.

I have called Time Warner for help in the past. They usually make me plug and unplug things and have me run some diagnostics. Inevitably, they will report to me that my levels are “within the acceptable range” (a level they determine, not me), which means that they can’t (or won’t) help or that the problem lies somewhere else like with my computer or my building. 

But the last time I called them was different.  This time when I called I wasn’t my usually polite, laid-back-I-know-you’re-just-doing-your-job-can-you-help-me-solve-a-problem self.  This time I was mad.  This time I was fed up.  This time I started threatening to end my entire business relationship with them. “I’m gonna get faster internet with you or without you,” I told the agent, “so you can either help me or not, but if you don’t you lose it all – TV, phone and internet and I’m going to Verizon.”

And guess what happened?

They reacted. They were wonderful, in fact.  They escalated my call immediately.  They gave me a specialist who ran me through tests and asked questions no TimeWarner Cable agent has ever asked me.  We were evaluating IP addresses, even. It was amazing.  He was, and I mean this, really great.

My question is, why do I have to hold a proverbial gun to a company’s head before I get a decent level of service.  That's not good customer service.  I got off the phone with a much clearer sense of the problem and how to fix it and it occurred to me that’s how most customer service works.  Only when a company is afraid to lose the business do they act to keep it. 

Customer service is when a company works everyday to keep your business so that they never face a threat of losing it.  It is the difference between a company that acts proactively and a company that simply reacts.  Ultimately, both strategies may work, but the latter – the norm – is painful and stressful for all involved.  Customers don’t want to call and yell and agents don’t want to be yelled at.

I admire companies with the foresight to prevent complaints not the ones with the systems to deal with them.

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The Bruder Principles

Like most optimists, I'm easily excited by the prospect of something good happening. This is a wonderful disposition for staying happy, but it can be treacherous in business. If I get along with someone, I tend to trust them at their word.  Call it naiveté if you want, but I don’t understand why anyone would lie or exaggerate their capabilities.

 

Unfortunately, like most naïve, overly-trusting optimists, this has burned me on more than one occasion in business.  A perfect, and frequent example, is the case when someone, inspired by my work (or at least they say they are), approaches me with an offer to do something. Maybe they want to redesign the website, help boost sales, do some rebranding exercise, implement some better systems or figure out a social networking strategy.  They promise all the things I think I need, they say they are good at all the things I’m bad at, they have lots of time for all the things I have no time for and they have a list of wonderful clients and case studies that demonstrate how perfectly suited they are to help me “achieve my goals.”

 

On more than one occasion, I engaged in a business relationship with these well-intentioned souls and have found myself on the losing side of the equation.  Often the results fall well short of what I expected or hoped for (which is often very different than from what they expected).  For example, when someone said they could completely redo my website, I thought that meant everything, including the store interface.  Turned out, they don’t have much experience with building a really good online store – so everything looked nice, but my store still didn’t work as I hoped. These relationships never end well and I end up shelling out a lot of money and not getting what I thought I was going to get.

 

Since I learned the Bruder Principles, however, I’m proud to say this scenario no longer happens. 

 

Named after Ron Bruder, entrepreneur, philanthropist and my mentor, Bruder taught me a simple technique to ensure that the relationships I engage in offer true value and last for the long term.

 

1. Do a Background Check

Be it an individual or a company, it takes only a few minutes to google them and do a D&B check.  On more than one occasion I’ve discovered that a company was on shaky ground before we worked with them.

2. Slow Down

So many deals, especially between small companies, are done with excitement and optimism driving them. Simply slowing down the process reveals so much. I slowed down a deal that was going too fast and it completely changed the dynamic of the relationship.  The other party became more aggressive, more impatient with me.  They seemed a little too keen to get the contract signed quickly.  Good business relationships should not be built to go fast, they should be built to go far.

3. Start Small

No deal needs to be comprehensive from the start.  A new relationship should start small.  Doing so often reveals true intentions and, more importantly, allows you to test the relationship with less on the line.  Instead of a complete rebranding, for example, start with just a logo and see how it works out. I won't do a big deal with new relationships anymore. They all start small.

4. Don't Work With Anyone in Trouble

Pay close attention to the kinds of things that are causing someone stress. If they seem to be under financial stress, either their business is not doing well or they are having personal money issues, do not engage with them. You cannot have a productive business relationship when someone is panicked about where their next pay check will come from.  (note: there is a difference between not having a lot of money and being stressed about it).

 

These four simple principles have worked so well to protect me and my interests and I won’t do a single deal now without employing all of them.

 

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