Archive for the ‘Leadership’ category

Barbizon Lighting, Penelope and Customer Service

March 21, 2008

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Frequently, I have the pleasure of ordering stage lighting products from Barbizon Lighting. They have many offices, but I go to the one in Atlanta since it is relatively close. Over the past few years I have come to know a particular sales person who deserves credit and admiration. Her name is Penelope and she is the personification of the perfect salesperson.

I say this because first, have you ever wanted to proclaim the wonderment of a salesperson? Probably not. It is precisely because we encounter too often sub-par salespeople that those who embrace their gift rise to the surface. Don’t get me wrong, the complete sales force of Barbizon Lighting in Atlanta are wonders to work with. Penelope rises to the surface because she makes me wish I had more money to buy things with. I really want her to sell me more stuff.

She has found her niche and she owns it. Too many times we vocalize about people who didn’t do this or that – I wanted to give honor where honor was due to a person who definitely deserves it.

Kudos to you, Penelope! I can’t wait to buy more lights!

How to be a Great Leader

March 15, 2008

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I couldn’t resist that title. There are probably a hundred books with at least that concept in the title. Most of them I’ve read, but here is a fact I thought timely.

Next week we will start a new series called, FAQ. We will look at the relevance of having 100% of the information for making decisions. Truth is even if you waited around for a very long time you would never have 100% of the information about anything.

In the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Michael Harvey wrote that curiosity is a trait that “stimulates learning and concurrently, increases the effectiveness of decision making and quality management in the global marketplace.” It seems that leaders with a bend toward the curious succeed at problem solving by “filling in the gaps between what one knows and what one wishes to know.”

This is where the joy and mystery live. Between what we know and seek to know is where we tend to find ourselves most often anyway. The ability to fill this gap with real life and following our intuition/spirit, I believe is the cornerstone to a well-lived life.