Can You Take It Too Far? A CXP Bedtime Story... 

When was the last time your mind was blown by an exceptional customer experience?

In this episode, Matt sets the table for an energetic discussion around what it takes to deliver exceptional customer service with a story about his recent experience at a local auto dealership … 

And it leads us to the question, can you take customer experiencetoo far?

For those of us whose lives revolve around delivering an incredible experience, this is a great bedtime story with a happy ending... LOL

OUTATIME

If you could jump in a time machine with Marty McFly and Doc Brown and go back and see yourself in high school, what’s one piece of advice you would give yourself?

In episode 24, we reflect on what we know now, but wish we knew then.

Winged doors. Flux capacitors. gigawatts   Hang on as we hit 88mph.

Jim:  Believe in yourself

Matt:  Get after it!

Are people following you because they like you, or because they respect you? And, can you be popular and be a good leader?

In this episode Jim and Matt discuss the nuances of being liked versus being respected and why being competent and committed to excellence is far more important than trying to be popular.

Show notes:
What does being popular mean to you? 

Do people follow popular leaders? 

As a leader, is it more important to be liked or to be respected? 

If you’re more concerned with being liked than respected as a leader, your leadership will always be limited. 

You can be a good leader and have fun; it doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk.

People want to know the leader is competent, wants accountability, is committed to excellence and doesn’t let things slide.

Are people following you because they like you or want something for you? 

Popularity can be fake… some people will make you feel popular because they have their own agenda. 

The goal is to get past the idea that you have to be popular to be a good leader.

Be you. Be genuinely, authentically you.

Be the kind of player on the team that builds the chemistry, not tears it down.

Fulfillment. Experiences. Joy. Memories.

So what do you want? 

In this episode, Matt and I talk about safety nets and taking risks, and the importance of living in the moment.

• Safety nets are good — except when the safety net holds limits your growth
• [ Check out episode #2 on August 29, 2019 on the topic of Hustle ]
• Sometimes those closest to us want to protect us… they don’t want to see us risk too  much. 
• We need people who will speak truth into our lives… help to back us off from the ledge.
• A great coaching question:  Tell me more about that!
• Sometimes we have crazy ideas and we make them happen by surrounding ourselves with others to make them happen.
• The difference between living for the long term vs. living in the moment.
• We remember how others made us feel — and others remember how we made them feel — more than we remember the details.
• Surround yourself with good emotion, not negative emotion.
• What we all want is to find joy and fulfillment, have great experiences and create lasting memories. 

There’s a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin that says, Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.

In episode #21, Matt and Jim talk about the greatness that’s inside of every person, and why some people are able to fully tap into it while others never do.

• Some people are held back by their conditioning and their beliefs about themselves
• But when you pour into another person and help them activate their talents, you see them start to emerge.
• As their confidence grows, look out — it’s a beautiful thing.
• When you can show someone a different truth about themselves, it’s a very powerful thing to witness.
• Marianne Williamson wrote, it’s our light that scares us, not our darkness.
• Your beliefs and mindset either trap you or set you free.
• Your past doesn’t have to dictate your future.

Video:  Dove Beauty Sketch (click to view)

• We see ourselves differently. We see our flaws. Others see the beauty and potential within you.
• Sometimes the people closest to us want to protect us from being hurt. So when we share a big dream with them, they may not support it.
• The best investment you’ll ever make is in another person because they are eternal. (Mark Moyer)

Questions or comments for Matt or Jim? Idea for subjects? Email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening! Please like, review and share it! 

Do you feel like you push yourself pretty hard?

The reality is that when you have someone with you – someone who pushes you past your barriers & limits –  you can go much further than when you're just on your own.

It’s true during a workout...
Working on a home project...
Even in business...

When you work with other highly motivated, driven people, you will break through barriers
AND build strong bonds that last a long time.

In in to win it. Together.

That’s the topic for this edition of the 2120 podcast.

Got something you want to tell us? Send James and Matt an email:  [email protected]

Do you ever struggle with staying motivated?

What happens when you don’t want to do something such as get out of bed, go to work, or hit the gym?

Do you have someone who will show up with you?

Showing up for someone. That’s the topic for episode #19 of the 2120 podcast.

We want to hear from you. Send us an email:  [email protected]

Questions? Comments? Want to call BS? Email your hosts at [email protected]

Why, at times, does it seem hard to get good ideas from your team? 

If you’re frustrated that you’re not getting input from your team, you need to look to yourself first.

Have you squashed ideas? Failed to set context? Or, have you unintentionally created a status quo culture?

Ideas & innovation… that’s the topic for this edition fo the 2120 podcast.

• It’s the leader’s responsibility to set the table for ideas… You need the right people with the right talents around the table.
• Set the table by having a dialogue before the meeting to help others prepare for the idea meeting.
• Most leaders fail to create intentional space for ideas to happen. 
• Think time is undervalued in most workplaces.
• What can you do to help make meetings where ideas are needed more productive?
• Look for ways that you, as a leader, create a spark where ideas will occur.
• Ideas are thrown around all the time… 
• If I believe that people aren’t bringing ideas to me, I have to look at myself first.
• People are frustrated when they’ve given ideas but nothing happens with them.
• You have to show people why — or why not — an idea is worth pursuing.
• Squashing ideas causes people to feel deflated. It leads to them feeling disempowered.
• When someone brings an idea, don’t kill it by asking “How?” They say, “Wow! Tell me more.” 
• Asking how automatically creates limits and kills further ideation.
• Even if it’s not the right idea… it may lead to other powerful ideas that lead to a better solution.
• You can’t halt progress. Let others run with the idea.
• It’s valuable to understand each other’s Strengths and gifts.
• The best leaders build teams with people who complement each other.
• It’s not OK with just being OK… status quo is easy to fall into.
• One of the greatest threats to success is success. You can lose the edge.
• If you have a leader that isn’t a driving force to excellence, your team will always be limited.
• When you hire someone with mad potential, but you don’t push them to greatness, they’ll either become complacent or leave to go somewhere else.

Email your thoughts to Matt and Jim:  [email protected]

Do you feel frustrated with communication in your workplace? 

It’s easy to say, My team just doesn’t listen to me, or get frustrated that you have to keep saying it.

Communication is one of the hardest things to do well, whether you’re in leadership or not.

That’s why we’re talking about it in this episode of the 2120 podcast.

• Leaders need to understand that communication is always going to be missed.
• When you review why things weren’t communicated well, you have to look at every angle and assume responsibility for failing to communicate well.
• Average leaders say, “My team just won’t listen to me…” 
• Excellent leaders know how to break through the noise and distractions of the day by making time to craft a message with all of the information.
• They anticipate questions that others may have.
• They know how to communicate in both small settings and large settings — they require different formats — in order to have a consistent message.
• Face to face communication is much more powerful than email or even virtual meetings.
• You must have follow up conversations to make sure everyone is clear on the message.
• Be aware of your body language… it can communicate disinterest or that you’re not paying attention.
• Also, be mindful that while others give great body language, they may be missing the core of the message.
• Be mindful not to unfairly apply your personal thoughts about what it means to be a good listener on others.
• Conversations that sound good in your head, may not be received well.
• It’s easy to forget that you’ve spent dozens, hundreds or even thousands of hours thinking; and then we get frustrated that others don’t grab it when you spend 30 minutes telling them about it.
• It’s important to share information consistently and frequently; about the time we’re sick and tired of hearing it, this is when others are just catching on.
• Tip:  write down the details of your communication to help you keep track of sharing your message.
• When giving feedback, don’t soften the message by saying “we” when you really mean “you.” It leads to confusion and isn’t effective.
• Tell people what is — or isn’t — happening. It makes it easier when you have a relationship established with the person. 

Send your comments, questions or ideas for topics for Matt and Jim to discuss to [email protected]. Thank you for reviewing and sharing! 

Matt tells us about the 365 Challenge, his year-long will power challenge.

Could I really give up something I truly enjoy for an entire year?
Year one, I gave up craft beer.
Year two, I gave up sweets.

When I first started doing this with my coworkers, they were doing it because I was doing it…

But a month in, they had already given up.
I told them, don’t do it for me, do it for you!
The benefit was the question, could I really do this? 

I didn’t tell people at first, but when more people knew it became easier because I didn’t want to fail.

The first two years, it was about eliminating something from my life. Removing sweets was really hard… candy and treats are always around you.

I could have cheated and no one would ever know. But that’s not what I wanted.

Year 3 it became about miles on a bicycle.

I failed this year. In 2019, my goal was to stop swearing. I failed on day 2 watching a bowl game! 

The Challenge has to be for you… not for anyone else. 

I had a guy commit to doing 10 pushups every day, but two months in he had given up. It just wasn’t important enough to him. 

If you set a goal to do something it’s more about the commitment, will power and discipline than the actual action.

There are happy results of staying with the discipline. It has ripple effects.