#220 we

When we work in a multi-layered organization, we understand the differences and specialties of the various areas.  Department A is very distinct from Department B and we know that.

What we forget is that people from outside the organization don't know that.  They see the organization as a whole, and expect you to act like the whole instead of acting like just a piece of it.

One of my favorite saying for encapsulating this thought is "We ARE They."  Anna Parkman used this to encourage people to take ownership of the problem rather than passing the blame elsewhere.  If people have problems with an area other than ours, it is easy to say "They messed up" rather than saying "WE messed up" and trying to solve the issue.  It is easier to blame someone else for extra procedures, rules and regulations rather than seeing the organization as a whole and accepting ownership for the bureaucracy.

Try to banish "they" from your vocabulary when working in customer service.  WE need to be the ones to fix the issue, first in the short term and then from the more systemic view.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
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