Shared interests and…

Shared interests and…mutual benefits

It seems that practically every supplier we deal with says that they’re aligned with our interests. Regrettably for most of them that ends with the alignment of our wallet and their cash register.

But for the businesses that are aligned, the profits they gain are much greater than that first group who’re busy squeezing a few more shekels out of their customers.

In our world being customer aligned means looking at what we do in a way that allows us to discover what we might do differently – or better to advance our customers’ businesses. And those interests aren’t necessarily limited to dollars made or saved.

When we improve the cleanliness of that quarry tile floor in a kitchen, there are two benefits. First, the staff will appreciate the safety of a floor that’s no longer slippery. And maybe the next health inspection will get off to a better start when the inspector sees white grout where previously only those nasty black stripes were visible.

Or what if we can help design a more organized sanitation program that utilizes the same worker hours, but improves the appearance of the dining area? That might just help increase return visits, or in an extended care facility, happier residents.

The opportunities to align with our customers’ interests are as varied as are the range of the customers we serve. But if we look hard enough chances are we’ll find at least as many chances to improve on our delivery shared interests as we have customers.

Dessert vs. peas…Tasks vs. schedules

When it comes to addressing the immediate – maybe even really critical tasks, we sometimes rationalized putting them off for just a bit later. When it’s the necessary but not earth-shattering stuff, we often delay acting on them until we have a little more time. But for the things we like to do, that’s another matter. There we seem to find time to address them immediately.

When we were kids, we were told to eat our vegetables and that dessert had to wait until our plate was clean. Maybe that same mantra should apply to those tasks we’re prone to delay and that somehow get replaced with the “dessert” tasks we find easier to do, or perhaps even enjoyable.

That’s why a good old fashioned to-do list needs to be a regular part of our lives. When we’re armed with the accomplisher of the important tasks, we really need to accomplish they tend to be done sooner rather than later.

By addressing them two things happen. First, of course, the important stuff actually gets done. But we also get to enjoy the positive inner vibe that we feel when we’ve advanced the ball. And that’s a feeling that creates a motivating force that can pay dividends throughout the day.