. Cheryl Crumb & Associates .

What I Stand For...

The possibility that people are alive and energized by the power within them.
People making a difference in the lives of others
Courage in action
Turning moods of resentment and resignation into ambition
Choosing empowerment vs obedience

What I Believe...

The most powerful "stop sign" is the one we place in front of ourselves. We need to see it for the imaginary obstacle it is and plow through it. Challenging our assumptions about ourselves and others is one of the first steps toward breakthroughs.
Everything important gets done through other people. Nothing is accomplished alone. We need to learn to enroll and engage others to create a stronger future.
Learning occurs in action and through mistakes and lessons learned. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is of short duration if it’s not converted into action.
The fundamental life skill is taking responsibility and holding oneself accountable
Leadership is about hope and courage
We cause our future by our openness or closed ness to possibilities
Looking at the world through the eyes of scarcity prevents us from seeing the true abundance present
Technology is not the only path toward progress; we need to leverage a high level of self-esteem with the ability to create powerful conversations

Thoughts on Customer Focus

It’s not about who’s right or wrong…it’s about making the Customer more successful with us than without us. Righteousness is what gets in our way. We must be willing to let it go.
There is no such thing as an “unreasonable” request. From the Customer’s viewpoint, their requests aren’t unreasonable. They’re a response to issues faced. We need to find out what is missing for the Customer and create solution alternatives to help the Customer better position themselves.
The degree to which the Customer trusts us is reflected in their micromanagement of us. All situations need to be managed. If the Customer isn’t seeing us as open, honest, reliable or action-focused, then they’ll manage us because their perception is that our self-management is missing.
Customers perceive indifference (the biggest sin!) or ownership (the biggest win!) through our words, voice, and body language. If we’re thinking thoughts like “the Customer is a pain-in-the-butt”, that will be negatively reflected in our behavior. If we’re thinking thoughts like “what can I do to help the Customer out of this trouble?” that will be positively reflected in our behavior. Customer perceptions are the metamessage of that behavior.
For us to be seen as value-creating by Customers, we have to master two areas: (1) understanding of the Customer, what’s important to them, what’s driving them, and show ownership, action and accountability; and (2) process capability so that we can master the dimension of time. Employees can definitely impact the former through behavioral change, and they can contribute to process improvement ideas by suggesting ways to take time out of processes.
Regardless of our “job” (which is an internal concept), the Customer expects that each of us will act as a proactive long-term ally, provide recommendations and suggestions, and manage our commitments.
Excuses are not acceptable. It’s irrelevant if they are true.
We’re not necessarily doing the Customer a favor if we give them what they ask for. Most people don’t know what they want…they only know they’re in a “mess”. Each employee’s role is to sift through that “mess” and create options that might be more powerful than mere obedience to the initial request.
Obedience isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s fear-driven and leads to “me-too, same-old” solutions. Proactivity, which is what customers are demanding, only occurs when people feel comfortable to challenge requests and immerse themselves in their customer’s problems.
The behaviors associated with Customer focus require practice, time management, courage and self-esteem. The manager plays a significant role in coaching new behaviors.




		What I Stand For... The possibility that people are alive and energized by the power within them. People making a difference in the lives of others Courage in action Turning moods of resentment and resignation into ambition Choosing empowerment vs obedience What I Believe... The most powerful "stop sign" is the one we place in front of ourselves. We need to see it for the imaginary obstacle it is and plow through it. Challenging our assumptions about ourselves and others is one of the first steps toward breakthroughs. Everything important gets done through other people. Nothing is accomplished alone. We need to learn to enroll and engage others to create a stronger future. Learning occurs in action and through mistakes and lessons learned. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is of short duration if it’s not converted into action. The fundamental life skill is taking responsibility and holding oneself accountable Leadership is about hope and courage We cause our future by our openness or closed ness to possibilities Looking at the world through the eyes of scarcity prevents us from seeing the true abundance present Technology is not the only path toward progress; we need to leverage a high level of self-esteem with the ability to create powerful conversations Thoughts on Customer Focus It’s not about who’s right or wrong…it’s about making the Customer more successful with us than without us. Righteousness is what gets in our way. We must be willing to let it go. There is no such thing as an “unreasonable” request. From the Customer’s viewpoint, their requests aren’t unreasonable. They’re a response to issues faced. We need to find out what is missing for the Customer and create solution alternatives to help the Customer better position themselves. The degree to which the Customer trusts us is reflected in their micromanagement of us. All situations need to be managed. If the Customer isn’t seeing us as open, honest, reliable or action-focused, then they’ll manage us because their perception is that our self-management is missing. Customers perceive indifference (the biggest sin!) or ownership (the biggest win!) through our words, voice, and body language. If we’re thinking thoughts like “the Customer is a pain-in-the-butt”, that will be negatively reflected in our behavior. If we’re thinking thoughts like “what can I do to help the Customer out of this trouble?” that will be positively reflected in our behavior. Customer perceptions are the metamessage of that behavior. For us to be seen as value-creating by Customers, we have to master two areas: (1) understanding of the Customer, what’s important to them, what’s driving them, and show ownership, action and accountability; and (2) process capability so that we can master the dimension of time. Employees can definitely impact the former through behavioral change, and they can contribute to process improvement ideas by suggesting ways to take time out of processes. Regardless of our “job” (which is an internal concept), the Customer expects that each of us will act as a proactive long-term ally, provide recommendations and suggestions, and manage our commitments. Excuses are not acceptable. It’s irrelevant if they are true. We’re not necessarily doing the Customer a favor if we give them what they ask for. Most people don’t know what they want…they only know they’re in a “mess”. Each employee’s role is to sift through that “mess” and create options that might be more powerful than mere obedience to the initial request. Obedience isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s fear-driven and leads to “me-too, same-old” solutions. Proactivity, which is what customers are demanding, only occurs when people feel comfortable to challenge requests and immerse themselves in their customer’s problems. The behaviors associated with Customer focus require practice, time management, courage and self-esteem. The manager plays a significant role in coaching new behaviors.