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Monday, October 8, 2012
Chip Conley: Emotional Equations, Love and Meaning | Psychology ...
Chip Conley is the New York Times Bestselling author of four books including Emotional Equations, and PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow. He is the Founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, and has created more boutique hotels than anyone in the world. Chip speaks around the world on how to find meaning at the intersection of business and psychology. He recently traveled to Bhutan to study its Gross National Happiness index, the country's unique method of measuring success and its citizens' quality of life.?
Ken: Chip, I?m delighted to interview you. Your life and your work have inspired so many of us. You are someone who struggles to make your life reflect your values?even when doing so is hard. Much of your audience Your concept of emotional equations is an extremely helpful tool for understanding the deeper workings of our emotional lives, and I?m very pleased to share it with my readers.
Can you explain emotional equations and tell us how you discovered them?
Chip: I was reading Man?s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl during a very difficult point in my life. Frankl?s perspective is that meaning is the fuel of life. He writes about getting to test that theory while he was in concentration camp: Can the idea of meaning actually keep people alive?
Well, I was going through a really tough time about four years ago. I was the CEO of a company with 3,500 employees. When you?re a CEO or any kind of leader, you?re the emotional thermostat of those whom you?re leading. At that time, I felt that my emotional thermostat was very low. A lot of things were going wrong in my life, and I was almost in a state of desperation. I felt like I needed to take the profound content of Man?s Search for Meaning and turn it into something that was actionable on a daily basis. Math is about relationships--the relationship of numbers--but I decided that maybe it could be about the relationship of emotions. Specifically, I wanted to find a meaning equation that was solution-driven, simple and concise. At the time I had no idea that there was going to be a book in it. I was just trying to fix my life.
This is the equation I started with: despair equals suffering minus meaning. Let me explain the ?sacred algebra.? If you?re going through a period of suffering, like Victor Frankl in a concentration camp, or me in my own mental prison, it?s as though everything is going wrong, as though you?re in a downward spiral. When you?re in that place in life, suffering does feel like a constant.
If you believe in Buddhist philosophy and thinking, the first noble truth of Buddhism is that suffering is ever present. So think of suffering as the constant. Think of meaning as the variable. If you remember back to algebra, there is often a constant and a variable in an equation. If suffering remains the constant, then when you increase meaning (the variable) despair goes down.
Despair equals suffering minus meaning.
Let me do the simple math so that it makes sense?. 8 = 10-2. Despair (8) equals suffering (10) minus meaning (2).
8=10-2.
So if meaning goes up from 2 to 3, the despair goes down from 8 to 7.
When meaning goes up, despair goes down. This equation helped me to see that meaning and despair are somewhat inversely proportional, so the more I could find meaning in my life, the more I would reduce my despair.
And so, when I came home from a really rough week at work, I began to do an emotional inventory. And of course 2008 was just a terrible year, and 2009 looked to be even worse. I would come home and ask myself ?So what emotions did I learn this week? It was like I was a kindergartener learning my emotions. Did I learn humility this week? Vulnerability? Authenticity? Courage? And then I?d make a list of each of those and then write three or four sentences about how I was going to use that emotion to serve me next week. I know this sounds almost like elementary school homework, but I considered it emotional boot camp and knew that I was starting to exercise emotional muscles. It?s like you go back to the gym in January, and when you start again, you realize you have physical muscles in your body that you didn?t know existed. When you?re going through a really difficult time, and going through emotional boot camp, you start realizing you have emotional muscles in your body. And that?s what I did. I actually focused on those muscles and asked ?how is humility serving me? How is vulnerability serving me? How are courage and resilience serving me?? I got to a place where I started feeling better about things, and as I felt better about myself, I started to teach emotional equations within my company to our leaders, particularly the equation I just described. Because as we went into 2009, it was very apparent that it was going to be a terrible year. And that?s how it all started.
Ken: Do you have any thoughts on how this same equation might apply to heartbreaks around relationships?
Chip: I have lots of thoughts on that. I had a relationship that ended three years ago in the worst time of my life; two or three years which were a ?dark night of the soul.? Initially, of course, all I felt was the suffering. But then, I started to look for the meaning within this ending. It was not my choice, frankly. The relationship was a bit of my life preserver. I see clearly today that this eight-year relationship was not a bad relationship, but it was not a soul-nourishing one. It was not one that helped me to live up to who I am as an individual. In fact, it was sort of holding me back. It was providing me comfort, I will tell you that--and at a time when I felt very uncomfortable. But I realized what a toll it was taking on me. You know, there are lots of ways to provide comfort to ourselves that can create a toll on us. We eat too much. That creates comfort, and it creates a toll as well. We watch too much TV. That creates comfort and then our brain goes dead. In my case, my relationship was giving me comfort, but it wasn?t nourishing me in ways that would take me to the next place in my life. So yes, I think that it?s very useful to be able to look and evaluate a breakup--especially when it?s not your choice--and think ?Okay, what?s the meaning of this? What?s the wisdom? What emotions am I feeling and how are those emotions going to serve me?? It really helped me get clarity about what I was looking for in my next relationship.
Ken: Are there any other emotional equations that relate specifically to our deepest intimate relationships?
Chip: This equation may seem very familiar to people who are familiar with the course in miracles, or abundance theory or even the law of attraction. The idea is that there are two primary motivators in life, and they get in a wrestling match every day. Love and fear. And here is the relationship between love and fear in an equation perspective: If you have love minus fear, you get joy.
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Saturday, October 6, 2012
The European Call Centre & Customer Service Awards 2012 ...
5th October 2012 - The "best and brightest" shining stars of customer service were revealed on Tuesday night at a glistening awards ceremony held in the London Hilton on Park Lane.
Guests in the packed ballroom were treated to a hilarious routine from host Seann Walsh as well as a remarkable performance from the ACM Gospel Choir before the serious business of recognising the individuals and teams deemed by the judges to have that something special.
| Click here to join the UK Contact Centre Forum ? the no.1 LinkedIn group for UK customer management professionals |
Winners on the night included:
Best customer service in financial services
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This company demonstrated a high level of engagement with their staff, leading to high levels of customer service. This was especially investment in customer community forums.
Best high street, travel and leisure customer service
Newport City Council
The innovation and creativity in consistently exceeding customer expectations was what caught the eye of the judges, as well as a truly people-centric environment and team ethic.
Best improvement strategy
Staples
Staples impressed the judges with a very clear vision of a new scheme to transform customer service and employee engagement, which was clearly communicated, results-focused, and fun.
Best newcomer
Lizzie Chadwick - Virgin Media
Lizzie displayed real dedication and personal sacrifice in her drive to create amazing experiences for customers ? as well as an infectious enthusiastic approach and imaginative thinking to bring the brand alive.
Best online customer service
Charles Tyrwhitt
This inspirational organisation has a culture of constant feedback from customers and employees that is used to inform the business ? resulting in happier customers and increasing revenues.
Best use of technology
Aviva
Aviva blew the judges away with its comprehensive communication strategy to make sure that the new solution achieved the best possible results for frontline staff as well as customers.
Complaints team of the year
Client Relations - Barclays, Wealth and Investment Management
In the difficult world of complaints, it can be difficult to be positive and passionate ? but this winning team displayed positivity by the bucket load and an infectious passion for customer service.
Frontline professional of the year
Stacey Gowran, Everything Everywhere - T-Mobile
A true rising star, Stacey has made a huge impact in a short space of time thanks to an uncanny knack of identifying business process improvements that have yielded success for the entire organisation.
Frontline team of the year
GreenAcres Woodland Burials
This team left the judges feeling quite emotional thanks to the inspirational stories of individuals constantly going above and beyond for the customer experience. They also demonstrated a strong teamwork ethic that helps them deliver exceptional service.
Innovation of the year
CPP Group Plc ? Phonesafe
The judges were impressed by a truly transformative innovation that was delivered through careful planning and excellent training and communication ? and has resulted in significant savings for the business.
Manager of the year
Amanda Wilson - Aviva Life
An inspiring leader, Amanda has not only led phenomenal success in her department, but has worked tirelessly to change the mindset of senior directors and promote the importance of customer service to the entire business.
Support professional of the year
Julia Killen ? Legal & General
The judges were impressed with this Julia's drive for success and the way they tackled a challenging special project with professionalism and dedication - making themselves truly indispensable to their team and company.
Support team of the year
Daisy Wholesale ? The Network Operations Team
This team took customer focus to a whole new level, with a powerful mix of dedication, passion and innovation.
Team leader of the year
Aimee Jones, Virgin Media
With a passion for teaching others and a clear focus on the importance of customer service, Aimee impressed the judges as someone who will be a leading figure in this industry in the future.
Young professional of the year
Liam Dyson, Everything Everywhere
For someone so new to the world of customer service, Liam blew the judges away with their commitment, dedication and a clear understanding of how their individual performance impacts on the success of the business as a whole.
Best outsourcing partnership
Concentrix & Cisco
Going far beyond a client/outsourcing relationship, this partnership has been courageous, collaborative and committed to staff engagement. The potential for development across both companies has engendered a strong network and an overwhelming sense of unity.
Outsourcer of the year
FirstSource
From a very strong field of entrants, Firstsource stood out by clearly demonstrating where they had added value over and above the service they were contracted to deliver ? and the way it genuinely engaged with both employees and clients.
Best customer service operation
QVC Deutschland Inc. & Co. KG
QVC Deutschland delivers an exceptional experience for its customers, regardless of the communication channels. You get the feeling that the employees love their work and the employer loves its employees! Not satisfied with 99% customer satisfaction, they are striving to achieve 100%.
Employer of the year
T-Mobile, Merthyr Tydfil Contact Centre
In spite of significant changes they have faced in recent months, this centre has continued to grow its employee engagement activities and its great work within the community. The leadership team has conceived and skilfully executed a recruitment strategy and an enviable employee development programme.
Large contact centre of the year (+100 seats)
Lebara
Lebara really has pushed out the envelope and created something truly inspiring. A unique culture, centred around the customer and the provision of the best possible customer experiences. Innovative approaches to recruitment, training, staff development and performance management. On top if this a whole team of totally engaged and committed employees to an extent the judges have rarely, if ever, encountered.~
Small contact centre of the year (-100 seats)
RHP
The winner of this award has used its size to great effect, aligning strategic goals with customer interactions. Reacting with flexibility to customer needs, this organisation has listened to customers and front line teams to deliver an exceptional level of service.
Customer service business leader
Sian McGregor, Virgin Media
This category is very special because it has been voted for by all of you! The finalists were each interviewed on camera, and you have been voting in your thousands for the winner. And the individual who has come out on top is nothing short of an inspiration. An incredible leader, Sian has worked tirelessly to put customer service at the very heart of everything the organisation does. Let?s take a look at the winning video.
Lifetime achievement
Don Hales
Don Hales has achieved a phenomenal amount in his 30-year career as a business leader. Through his directorship at several well known companies, he has done so much to put customer service on the boardroom agenda.
Category:?Awards
Added By: Sam Collins on 05th Oct 2012 - 12:18
Number of Views: 81
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Monday, October 1, 2012
Sony-Olympus alliance aims for high-tech surgery
TOKYO (AP) ? Sony's new alliance with scandal-tarnished Olympus will focus on producing endoscopes and other surgical tools packed with the Japanese electronic maker's three-dimensional imaging and super-clear "4K" display technologies.
Sony Corp. President Kazuo Hirai said it's not clear when the alliance's first products will become available. He acknowledged that medical equipment requires special regulatory approval that will take longer and be a learning curve for Sony whose expertise is in gadgets and movies.
"This is a challenge in a new sector," Hirai told reporters at the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce in a joint press conference with Olympus Corp. President Hiroyuki Sasa. "There was a lot of talk on whether we could go at it alone."
But Sony decided it couldn't and felt that risks could be lowered if the two Japanese companies joined forces in the effort to turn medical equipment into one of the pillars of Sony's sprawling business, Hirai said.
Sony's empire includes consumer electronics, movies, music, games and banking. The company's sheer size and its apparent inability to produce long promised "synergies" among its divisions have often been criticized.
Technology such as 3D and the futuristic displays known as 4K have not yet produced big results in consumer electronics products such as TVs. TV sets with 3D images require viewers to wear special glasses and haven't caught on. Sony has shown a 4K TV image, which is more fine and dazzling than high-definition TV, but it is unclear whether such an expensive product will catch on.
The alliance, announced Friday, calls for Sony to invest 50 billion yen ($640 million) to become the top shareholder in Olympus, with an 11 percent stake.
Olympus needs to shore up its finances after covering up massive losses dating back to the 1990s. The scandal surfaced only after its British chief executive Michael Woodford turned whistleblower and raised questions about dubious investments. Woodford was later fired.
Hirai said Sony is aiming to control more than 20 percent of the medical-equipment-for-surgery market by 2020, when the sector is expected to grow to 330 billion yen ($4 billion).
The companies are planning also to cooperate in the digital camera area, where they have been rivals. Sasa said cost savings would be likely by sharing parts.
Of Sony's 50 billion yen ($640 million) investment, about half will go into developing endoscopes equipped with 3D and 4K technology, Sasa said.
Olympus is the world's biggest maker of endoscopes, which are special devices that enter the body to look inside organs and can be used to carry out surgery. Olympus is also known for its cameras.
Sony needs a turnaround after reporting losses for four straight years as it fell behind in portable music players, flat-panel TVs and smartphones. Sony's red ink for the latest fiscal year through March was the worst in its 66-year history.
Olympus and its three former executives pleaded guilty in a Tokyo court last week on charges of falsifying financial reports, involving elaborate schemes using overseas bank accounts, paper companies and transactions controlled behind-the-scenes ? all to keep massive losses off company books.
___
Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sony-olympus-alliance-aims-high-tech-surgery-020332709--finance.html
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