What does this it mean to define the customer experience? When we talk about defining the customer experience, we are talking about every step of the process, every encounter the customer has with your business is intentional. From product design to quality assurance to customer support, the customer is at the forefront and not an afterthought. The customer experience is every encounter the customer has with your business. So, ask yourself, “How are my customers engaging with my business? What is it like for them?” Learn more here.

 ​Poor communicators create impossible workplace environments. They are often at the root of the problems happening in the workplace, simply because they do not know how to communicate. According to a study, Forty-four percent of respondents said such issues delay or derail projects, while nearly a third said they cause low morale. A quarter attributed poor communication to missed performance goals, and 18% said a failure to communicate caused lost sales, sometimes totaling well into the six figures. So, how do we handle them? Click to learn how to handle leaders who are poor communicators.

Let me share some ​tips on how to properly manage and leverage team conflict and power dynamics. That all starts with building and growing your team. The first thing you must do is establish unity. Everyone must be on board and share responsibility for the goals of the team. They’ve got to throw “I” out of the window and recognize the team is about “we” and “us.” Then, as the leader, you must establish the roles and responsibilities of the team and team members. Have a contingency plan in case a team member is sick, injured, on medical leave, has an emergency, etc. Who can step in? Perhaps one of the most critical parts of building and growing a team is communication. How will the team communicate? How often? What is the time zone for communicating if team members are working remotely and in a different time zone? How will the team meet? How often will the team meet and for how long? Why is there a team in the first place? Share the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the team. Click here for more.

If you want your teams to be productive, you’ve got to understand power dynamics and how to properly manage it. First, let’s understand power. Many times, we like to lump power and influence together, interchanging them but the two are quite different. While they have similar outcomes and functions, there are distinct differences. We can agree that both power and influence are used to get other people to do things. The difference is in the “how.” Power uses authority where influence comes from relationships.
As a leader, you’ve got to use different methods to get people to act or even change their behavior. You may find, however, that using influence over power is more effective. Your approach to influence determines several things. First, how influential you are will always reflect in the people who follow you and their level of engagement and enthusiasm for following you. Are they resistant? Compliant? Committed? I challenge you to reflect on your leadership and influence and examine the people who follow you. Is there a pattern? What do your followers have in common? How are you influencing them? Do you find yourself asserting dominance and authority more often than necessary? Click here to learn more.