I saw a wonderful example of customer service taken to an unexpected - and therefore attention grabbing - level over the weekend.

Graduates of my Presentation Skills workshops know that the most effective way of grabbing people’s attention - bar none - is to say or do something that’s totally unexpected yet completely relevant to their highest-priority problem.

A Home Run!
I’m waiting in line behind a customer who’s looking for a book; nothing unexpected there! At this moment her most relevant high-priority problem is locating the book. (I’m not suggesting, of course, that it’s the biggest problem in her life. It’s simply the most relevant problem right now.)

Borders didn’t have any copies of the book in stock. The helpful and friendly sales assistant offered to check other Borders bookstores in the neighborhood. Nice, but nothing unexpected. Then she hit a home run… More on Borders Bookstore Hits A Home Run!

Over the years, what one thing has contributed most to your success?

Here’s my answer: I’m a fool for feedback. During my career I’ve gathered a team of trusted advisors that I can turn to for tough, honest feedback. It is, without doubt, the smartest thing I’ve ever done.

Feedback is essential for success. One of the factors that characterizes high-achievers is their passion for feedback; it’s how they monitor the effectiveness of their actions.

In my last Perspective Power^TM Message, I discussed the vital importance of taking action. The next step is to obtain accurate feedback so you can adjust your ongoing actions as required. We all have a terrifyingly limited perspective on our own performance. And so, while self-evaluation is important, we need input from other people.

After my speeches and training programs, we always ask to see the feedback forms. For the ego trip? Sure, a little bit. But, most importantly, so I can get real-time, accurate feedback from the people who—in my professional life—matter most; my audiences.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
As I travel around the country speaking to business audiences, when it comes to feedback, I’m often struck by the unofficial "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy operating in many organizations.

We "don’t ask" because of a mental quirk called Pseudo-Mind-Reading. And, when we "don’t tell," we curse those around us with polite indifference.

"Steve, what the heck is Pseudo-Mind-Reading?" More on Are You A Fool For Feedback?

I was at the bank recently, talking to a financial advisor in his early thirties. I was surprised when he said to me: "Dr. Bedwell, I’ve found this to be a problem for people from my generation also." Ouch!

I was sharing this story with one of my clients and she told me that someone had recently said to her: "I hope I dress as sharply as you when I’m your age." Double - back handed compliment - ouch!

How would you complete this sentence? "You know you’re getting old when…"

A friend discovered this video clip on You Tube recently. I’ve absolutely no idea how it got there!

Nevertheless, I thought you guys might enjoy a chuckle at my expense.

The clip is from a BBC TV show I did just after my 14 birthday. Here goes nothing… More on Cute Or Creepy; You Decide!

Hi Perspective Power people,

I’ve a confession to make. I was "upgrading" this blog—cyber-speak for "temporarily messing up" my blog—when something unspeakable and irreversible happened to the goal-setting article links. More on Looking For The Goal Setting Articles?

Brrr! It’s getting cold. And cold weather always seems worse after the holidays, doesn’t it? Every winter many of us are reminded once again of what it feels like to get out of bed on a cold morning. It can be tough!

And yet, despite feeling uncomfortable, you—with a tip of the hat to Nike—just do it! Fact is, if every day you waited to feel comfortable before crawling out of bed and going to work, you’d be unemployed!

Here’s a thought: If you could harness your ability to feel uncomfortable and still take action—i.e. get out of bed—to other areas of your life you’d be hugely successful at whatever you put your mind to.  More on And Then…Pull The Trigger!

Welcome to the second of three articles on a scientific approach to achieving your goals. Last week, we talked about how to define a believable journey to your objective. We discussed how to prime your brain for success, use cognitive dissonance to your advantage and employ the Goldilocks Strategy.

This week and next week, I’m going to explain why most people—even those with clearly defined objectives—fail to achieve their goals, and teach you what to do about it. 

Most people flunk out because they don’t know about, and fail to manage, their Emotion Brain. Remember this fact for the rest of your life, it’s that important: Whenever you try to change your behavior, your Emotion Brain stacks the odds against you.

"Steve, what the heck is my Emotion Brain?" More on Achieving Your Dreams: Don’t Let Your Emotion Brain Win!

An Important Question
How do you make significant changes in your life so you can achieve your goals and dreams? Answer: Know what you want, plan how to get it, take stepwise action and keep going until it’s done.

This glib answer makes setting and achieving goals sound so easy, doesn’t it? And yet, let’s be honest, making changes to your behavior so you can achieve your dreams is tough, really tough. Fact is, if you have a track record in any area, it’s highly likely you’ll continue down the same road; think "credit scores". 
 
This week marked the end of another season of "The Biggest Loser". What is the likelihood that the winners will keep their weight off? Frankly, it’s not good. The first season’s winner—Ryan Benson—has gained most of the weight he lost and is back to 300 lbs.
 
After all, we set these goals for ourselves. Why is it so damn difficult to achieve them?
 
Over the next few Perspective Power messages, I’m going to teach you how to overcome the powerful psychological forces that cripple most people’s attempts at achieving their goals. In truth, your brain is chock full of mental quirks ready to drag you back into your old habits whenever you try and change. 
 
The Three Steps
There are three core steps to achieving your goals:
1. Define your journey
2. Plan your approach
3. Pull the trigger
 
Over the next three weeks, we’re going to look at each of these steps in turn… More on Will “The Biggest Loser” Stay A Winner?