May 2010: Tips from Tom Mazza
Is Someone "Skunking" Your Office?
Danny Meyer of the Union Hospitality Group in New York City came up with the term and it rings true. A person who INFECTS your workplace every day with bad energy than goes home literally "skunks" the office.
The damage done by an employee who "skunks" goes beyond a single lost client. You lose great employees, you lose clients in ways that you are probably not aware of, and because this employee creates a negative culture, you often lose the OPPORTUNITY to attract other great employees.
Talk to every team member on a continuous basis. Ask them:
- What do you like about your job at XYZ Limousine?
- What do you NOT like about your job?
- What would you do differently at XYZ if YOU were in charge?
If you communicate, you will be made aware of the "skunk". If possible, you will coach, discipline, change behavior, change their shift or position, or get rid of them. Company "culture" is a difficult thing to get a handle on. The difference between a GREAT place to work and a miserable one can be a very fine line.
Team members who "skunk" the office tend to exhibit certain types of behavior such as:
- They do not respect boundaries as to what is appropriate to talk about on the job.
- They gossip.
- They are frequently late, miss work at the most inopportune times or do not accept their share of the workload.
- They believe that their "special" relationship with the owner, manager, or clients protects their position with the company.
- They bad mouth clients, fellow employees, and sometimes their employer.
You have to fight the skunk. In the back of your mind, you may believe that you cannot survive without this person. You are wrong! When this situation is removed from your work place, performance and morale tend to spike upward.
Recognizing and Rewarding the Invisible Superstar in YOUR Business
The most important "gift" that your employees want is praise and recognition from their direct supervisor. The more specific the praise the better. And the more formal the praise the better. Not a P.S on an e-mail, not a throw away line in the hallway, take a moment and say what needs to be said in a personal way.
In the book "1001 Ways to Reward Your Employees", author Bob Nelson cites a survey taken on National Administrative Assistants Day. They asked the admins what would be the most desired gift they could receive in recognition of "their" day. Almost 80 percent of the those surveyed said "personal recognition from their boss" was the gift they most desire. Flowers, money, and lunch received only 20 percent of the votes combined.
And remember, EVERYTHING you say to a person you supervise has an impact. Sarcasm, over the top criticism, it has an impact that lasts and it hurts. Criticizing an employee while a team member of equal or lower rank is in the room is a big no-no. Pointed e-mail do damage as well, don't do it! THINK, before you act.
May 25th Affiliate Managers Program
is Near Sell Out
The third Tom Mazza "Affiliate Managers Professional Development Program" will be held on Tuesday, May 25th at the Newark Airport Hilton in Elizabeth, New Jersey beginning at 9 am. Before the Program on Monday evening, May 24th, a networking dinner will be held at 7 pm at the Spanish Tavern in Newark, NJ.
The purpose of the program is twofold:
Professional development in the area of building and maintaining a profitable national book of business AND
Networking with TOP limousine companies throughout North America
There will be 6 breakout sessions on Tuesday May 25th led by Tom. Sessions will include "Pricing and Profitability on Your National Book", "Building Your International Business", "Developing internal procedures to grow your out of town book" and more.
There is limited space available for this program. Contact tom@tommazza.com or 215-973-8201 to register. The program fee is $450 per attendee which includes dinner on the 24th, lunch on the 25th and meeting refreshments. Two attendees from 1 company receive a 15 percent discount.
About Tom Mazza's Cell Greeting
First of all, I am NOT changing the greeting. Sometimes callers to TMC are forwarded to my cell. The greeting is Harry Kalas's famous final out call of the Philadelphia Phillies winning the 2008 World Series. I love Harry, who I knew, and who passed away last year. I love my Phillies who have won only 2 championships in 126 years of competition. (yes, 25 less than the Yankees, I am aware)
Please understand and give me a tiny slice of happiness.
"Two-two pitch, swing and a miss, the Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball," Thank you Harry, RIP!
Back to Basics: Ultimate Chauffeur Training Offered for $199 Directly from TMC
The best chauffeur training product on the market is five years old but it is still on point and CLEARLY the best product on the market. The Ultimate Chauffeur Training Program is now available for only $199 directly from TMC. The compliments and testimonials never stop coming in from chauffeurs to owners from big companies to one car Mom and Pop's.
The Ultimate Chauffeur Training Program is 91 minutes of high quality video, a valuable program book, certificates of course completion and laminated reminder cards.
Order today by calling 215-973-8201 or tom@tommazza.com
Call Center is Hiring Odyssey Trained Reservation Agents
Mazza Call Center is hiring Odyssey-proficient reservation agents. Do you know of a top flight, experienced CSR who prefers working from home? Maybe one of YOUR part time employees can use another shift or 2 to supplement their income? Please send resume to callcenteryl@gmail.com today or call GM Yvonne La Mar at 305-457-2579.
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