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Showing posts from August, 2011

Do your intentions match your daily practice?

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Last week I placed an order with Bol.com, one of the largest ecommerce sites here. Everything was fine and they mentioned that my order (which contains several items) would be shipped in 4-6 weeks. The distribution costs are € 1,95 for the complete package. However, to my surprise they are sending these loose items, as and when they are available. Within one week’s time I have already received 5 individual shipments. Obviously this is good for me as a customer, as I do receive my items earlier than predicted. For Bol,com this is not   good. Their distributions as well as their packaging costs are significantly higher than if they would have shipped the order in one go. So, it is crucial to check regularly whether your plans and commitments are being met, both positively as well as negatively. Customer satisfaction is good, but you have to keep the eye on the bottom line as well. Do you regularly check how your are meeting customer expectations? GROW YOUR PEOPLE

LESS WASTE MEANS MORE MONEY

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Last week I had a flight from Amsterdam to London. This is a very short trip (approx. 1 hour). What really surprised me was the lack of attention for the environment. I am not talking about big issues here, like flying on biofuels etc. No, often the opportunities are (relatively) small and right under our noses. Even in this short trip they offered drinks. The drinks were all in very small cans (25cl). So, half a plastic glass of coke and look at the waste: a can and a plastic glass and a napkin per passenger. A lot of waste can be eliminated by having the coke, sprite, juice etc being poured straight into the glasses from large 2 liter bottles. They also offered a snack, either chips or cookies in a very small packet. Again the packaging remains and creates waste and (some) weight. Wouldn’t it be easier if they didn’t offer these tiny snacks at all? I wouldn’t miss it. Being green is not only about big solar installations and biofuelled engines. There is so much opp

HAPPY EMPLOYEES HAVE HAPPY CUSTOMERS

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It seems like an open door, but it isn’t. Most companies have the conviction that happiness is not suited for the workplace. In the workplace you have to work hard, do your job and only when you are successful you are allowed to be happy. Success first, happiness second. The only problem is that this formula is broken. More than a decade of groundbreaking research in the fields of positive psychology and neuroscience has proven that the relationship between success and happiness works the other way around. Happiness is the precursor to success. Cultivating positive brains makes us more motivated, efficient, resilient, creative, and productive, which drives performance upward (Source: The happiness advantage by Shawn Achor). So, as a leader you first have to make sure that your employees are happy, When they are happy they will serve your customers much better. And the customers are happy as well, Simple, isn’t it? What are you doing to make your employees feel happy? GRO