AchieveGlobal's blog

Aplomb or a Bomb – You Decide!

By Craig Perrin It was Autumn. I was in Southern California on the Queen Mary for a marketing showcase with over 120 attendees. Our Product Development and Sales VPs were presenting in the ballroom – a daunting task that they handled with aplomb. I was to “spice up” the showcase and decided to include something on the impact of bad service – about six slides detailing the experience of two guys who went to an upscale hotel and had a less than stellar experience. This was a well-known story, at least for anyone in marketing. It was immensely popular – viral marketing at its best (or worst, if you work for that particular hotel chain). That part of the showcase was a hit, with over half the audience handing us their business cards so we could email the story I told.   Unfortunately, several individuals from that chain, our customers, were in the audience, and they were not pleased that we had shared the story about one of their brands. We had a significant amount of service recovery to do. This taught me a valuable lesson: Don’t comment, at least publicly, on the actions or response to the actions of any company with whom we may one day want to do business.   I would love to be neutral enough/big enough/not dependant enough, etc. that we as an organization could say what we wanted about any organization or individual in the news. Our choice, in this blog and elsewhere, is to hold our collective tongue. Have you had a similar experience? Do you agree or disagree with our approach? Please let us know!

Top Corporate Actions Affecting Employee Morale In This Trying Economy

By: Chris Blauth We all have at least one thing in common these days. Uncertainty. The way we handle important decisions has been greatly affected by the downturn in the economy. Maybe now you feel slightly uncomfortable spending money on luxuries, or are a bit uneasy about how you diversify your portfolio of investments. Now we all are managing our decisions – and our life – differently. This change in thinking and behavior also translates into the business world. Like their teams, leaders feel the sting of what is now considered daily business events, such as budget cuts, office and plant closures, insolvency, and layoffs. In addition to pressures leaders feel themselves to meet corporate expectations, they also face the challenge of motivating others to execute actions that will help to attain goals. This is especially tough when companies are having to make serious cuts – in many aspects of the business. According to our research: • 75.2 percent of companies have cut discretionary spending. • 65.2 percent have stopped hiring. • 51.2 percent have frozen pay. • 49.8 percent have laid off employees. • 20 percent have cut working hours. • 19.6 percent have reduced employee benefits. • And 15.2 percent have closed locations. Which of the above actions, that your organization has been forced to make, do you think has impacted employee morale the most?