Listening to a leadership podcast the other day, I was captured by an idea from Sangrum Vajre, an expert on business start-ups and currently “Chief Evangelist” for the company, Terminus.
While walking through his “P.E.A.K.” process every start-up must have (a Picture of Success, Extreme Focus, Authenticity and Kindness), he asked the question, “How do we picture a ‘win’ for each of our employees?”
In business, it’s easy to say that any sale is a “win,” but there’s a catch. Sangram points out that if a business only measures itself by sales figures, the business may miss out on key steps which create those sales. And what’s worse, many faithful employees will not feel connected to the company’s success.
For instance, if a business zeroes in only on getting Customer A to buy a product, the successful sales representative is the only true hero in the organization. The customer service employee who deals with complaints has an important job, but may feel disconnected from the “big picture,” which hinges only on dollars gained through sales.
What’s worse, if a business only thinks, “Sell,” potential customers see that business as having an agenda, which doesn’t include their best interests. The business is seen as only trying to make money instead of helping its customers.
What does this have to do with the pregnancy help community? We’re getting there.
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Wins come in many sizes and shapes
Successful companies think beyond sales numbers and find “wins” in many areas. They look at customer satisfaction, repeat customers, even reviewing how employees interact with those who return products. Great companies want customers to do more than simply “buy.” They want a customer to walk away from any interaction with a positive view of their overall experience with the company and want that customer to tell others about the company.
In short, the great companies go beyond sales numbers in an effort to create what business guru Ken Blanchard calls, Raving Fans.
Clearly, it’s the same with us. If the pregnancy help community were only focused on “saving babies,” our clients and patients would see right through us. They would see us as agenda-focused, uninterested in their needs, wants and desires.
But as we focus on building a positive experience for those who come in our door, so much more is accomplished.
Thinking small wins leads to major victories
So then, what are our seemingly small wins which change lives and even lead to seeing more lives saved through this work? Two thoughts . . .
Tweet This: There are seemingly small wins which change lives and even lead to seeing more lives saved through this work
Small win: Smiles
Silly, right? Who counts smiles as victories? We do. Or we should. Maybe this doesn’t go in our statistical database, but what if our receptionist(s) had a notepad to count the number of people entering and the number of people they helped smile—at least once?
Why smiles? A smile means, “I like being here,” or, “I think I can trust this place enough to let down my guard, if only for a moment.” If our receptionist elicits a smile by inviting conversation, our client now has a rapport with our team and is more likely to open up later.
Small win: I’ll be back
As our client leaves our office or mobile unit with a positive test, we’ve likely offered a follow-up plan for her, which could mean anything from an ultrasound to prenatal care to a group encounter.
But with this plan we offer an invitation by saying something like, “I look forward to seeing you next time,” or, “Will I see you next week?”
What is her response? Is she silent? Do we hear a “maybe?” Does she tell us, “I’ll be there?”
In our statistics we catalog return visits. But tracking these initial responses to our invitations is extremely important to those issuing the invitation, whether it be a nurse, a receptionist, a client advocate or someone else. Because even if we use only a notebook to track these, we get an idea of what works and what is less effective. And we find ways to encourage each other (“Gosh, it seems when you say this—a client is three times more likely to return. Way to go!”).
Little stuff leads to big stuff
We don’t want to get bogged down in statistics and data, or our clients and patients become nothing but numbers. But Jesus had a few things to say about doing the little things well.
So, the next time we’re kicking around ideas, maybe we should brainstorm “little” wins to look for. Because a lot of littles might just lead to something big.
