Independent Bank is proud to sponsor the Greater Memphis Chamber’s Small Business Council. We love the new online format for the “Lunch in the Know” series, keeping small businesses engaged and bringing them timely and relevant information. Dr. Reginald Coopwood, President & CEO of Regional One Health was the speaker for the most recent in the series: “What to Expect and Accept.” Here, we recap our Top Takeaways:
Set the Vision
Dr. Coopwood began his presentation by sharing examples of negative service interactions he’d had in the past. We’ve all had at least one experience that left us scratching our heads and wondering if the business owner was aware that the employees were delivering poor customer service. But have we asked ourselves if this might be happening in our own businesses? And what do we do to stop it? Dr. Coopwood tells us that in order to go from where you are to where you want to be, you must first set the vision of that final destination. Once you have your vision set, then you determine what behaviors must your employees exhibit to reach the vision. Dr. Coopwood cautions us not to get in the cycle of accepting what you have because you’re not getting what you want and that no employee is better than a bad one.
Accountability
Set the behavioral expectations, and hold your employees accountable to them. And hold their managers accountable as well. If an employee isn’t living up to his or her behavioral potential, part of the blame lies with that person’s manager for allowing the poor behavior to go unchecked. However, it isn’t as simple as coming up with a list and posting it in the breakroom. You need the company as a whole to live and breathe the new attitude culture. Dr. Coopwood says that they start each day with a focus on different core behavior such as having a contagious, positive attitude or supporting your team. If you’re struggling for ideas on what expectations you should set for your employees, take a look at the Ritz Carlton’s Gold Standards. Within these standards are "20 Basics" which are the expectations for every employee. Like Dr. Coopwood's group, every team throughout the Ritz Carlton organization has a daily meeting to go over that day’s “basic.” This daily, consistent dose of corporate culture is a proven method, but be prepared that change might not happen overnight – especially if this will be a major mind shift for most of your employees.
How did you do that?
Dr. Coopwood’s final piece of advice is simple but truly embraces the whole idea behind Lunch in the Know’s purpose of shared knowledge. He tells us that when you come across someone who is doing it well, ask them how they do it! Learn from others and apply those ideas to your own organization.
Thank you to Dr. Reginal Coopwood for sharing his insights with us! We’d also like to thank our fellow sponsors Southland Casino Racing and Baptist Memorial Health Care as well as Waddell and Associates for making the Zoom meeting possible. If you missed the webinar or would like to see it again, a recorded version can be accessed on the Greater Memphis Chamber website.
