An extra pinta today

I start this week with good news. The lift in my top secret bunker I referred to a few weeks back is now working. I never knew that Cicero had the power to move the State security apparatus in this way.

As a regular reader of my warm wit and wisdom, you will know, that despite spending all my life in some of the finest towns and cities in this green and pleasant land, I have a great love for country folk and for the country. You will also know that I think there are many lessons we can learn from those who labour long and hard to put food on our tables. And this week is going to be no exception.

I have just come across a report from researchers at Newcastle University which claims that cows that are given a name can produce up to 284 litres more per year compared to cows not given a name by Farmer Giles. As the leader of the research team said ‘ just as people respond more to the personal touch, cows also feel happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one to one attention’. And such strategies also work for pigs and sheep and for poultry.

It is good to see that the hard earned taxpayers’ pound was being deployed in such ground-breaking research. Forget a cure for cancer, now we know that all farming folk need to do to increase production and productivity is to give their stock names like Daisy, Ermentrude or even Nichola. Problem solved. And to think you get PhDs for this. I suppose it beats working and making sure that state safety and security is protected. I must ask my farming friends what they think of such research and whether or not they will be rushing out to buy name tags for their bovine, ovine and porcine produce.

But before we dismiss and rubbish such work completely, maybe there is some learning we can apply to others of the animal kingdom. Us. And not surprisingly I believe that the lessons applicable on the farm can also be applied to every other work place and across the species barrier. For me this learning works in two ways.

Firstly I firmly believe that the more we can get up close and personal to our customers, the more productive they will be to our business. Now this does not mean that we need to try to be their best friend but does mean we should recognise them as individuals with an identity; that we should speak to them across all our human and written touch points in a way which is warm, human and adult; and wherever possible show that we know them, who they are and we understand the nature of the relationship our customers have with us.

There are some simple things we can do to give our customers that personal touch. We can stop addressing letters ‘Dear Customer’ and ending with an indecipherable corporate squiggle. People deal with people and like doing so
We could ensure that we ask for names before asking for a number when dealing with our customers. And how about using active verbs and personal pronouns when writing our customer facing material. Hardly radical or difficult stuff but simple to do and a start on helping make our customer relationships as productive as Daisy the Cow or Nichola, the pretty little spring lamb. And please share with me and my devoted and interested readers any other tips to help improve milk production and/or customer productivity.

And there’s more.

For what works with customers and cows, might also work with our people. Does something happen when we cross the threshold of our business that stops us being human and stops us finding ways to demonstrate the personal touch to those we lead, those we work with?

Again why is it that the first thing we always get asked for us is our employee number rather than our name? Why is it that our business communicates with our people and us like we were androids? Again the use of some personality in our communications with our people may go a long way to humanising the businesses we work in. Do we take time out to say thank you, to celebrate individual and team success, to remember significant events in the lives of our people? It may come as a surprise to many, though not you of course, that our people do have lives and that they are exactly that, people-not employees, not staff, not human resources.

Again not difficult, not radical, not rocket science.

And as I have said many times before let’s not wait for them. Let’s start with ourselves and that part of our business we can influence. And let us become the change we want to see in the world around us.

And maybe that PhD research was not wasted after all. Maybe it’s not just about extra pintas, more rashers of streaky bacon or better woolly jumpers from calling our farm animals Daisy, Ermentrude or Nichola. Maybe we should look closer to home for the real benefits.


Is it just me?

You may or not know, you may or not care, but most mornings and evenings I can be found cycling into and out of my new office. The other day I was stuck at some road junction or other behind a White Van and its White Van Man driver. And on the rear of this particular White Van was a plea to be told how WVM was driving accompanied by a phone number.

I know this is not an unusual request on many trucks and lorries but it made me wonder if anyone had ever rung one of these numbers. What happens if you do? Does anyone even answer the phone? What did they say? I am so intrigued to know that next time I see one of these requests for feedback, and if I should happen to have pen and paper to hand to jot down the phone and registration number, I am going to provide feedback, good or bad. I will keep you posted.

As always have a great week.

Sit felix. Et sit fortunatus.