Customer experience influencers can be reliable, courageous, resilient and … fallible. As a result, there are certain things they need to relay to their staff to be effective.
If you’re a manager, this should be good news: You don’t have to — and shouldn’t be — right all the time if you want your people to succeed at delivering an exceptional customer experience.
On the contrary, you need to let them see your weaker side from time to time, says business expert Maria Tabaka. It gives everyone the opportunity to learn ways to be more effective at their jobs.
So leaders, when fitting, tell your staff:
‘I’m sorry’
Just like you need to apologize to customers immediately when something goes wrong, leaders need to tell their employees when they’ve failed.
A short and sweet apology will quickly minimize anger and resistance. It can defuse a situation that has people upset and make the conversation less stressful. It also helps a solution come to the surface sooner.
‘I was wrong’
Admitting a mistake is actually cleansing. Plus, people will be much less likely to think or say, “I told you so,” when they see that you recognize a better decision could’ve been made.
‘I need your help’
No leader knows it all, and the path to gaining respect is admitting that there are as good, if not better, minds to solve an issue.
Solicit and use your staff’s feedback to solve internal and customer problems, as well as find opportunities for operational improvements.
‘I don’t know’
It’s perfectly fine to admit you don’t know something. But then follow with, “Let’s see where we can find the answer.”
Questions that push your limits as a leader are an opportunity for you to show staff that you’re interested in learning and growing — and helping them do the same.
