The Dangers of Prioritizing Tools Over Training

Recently, I read an article about how United Airlines plan to improve its connection to passengers through technology… primarily mobile.

United has been my go-to airline for the past 13 years. The vast majority of my work has been here in the states, so to achieve Gold status—living in the middle of the country, no less—is no easy feat. I’ve had A LOT of experience with gate agents, customer service reps, & flight attendants. Some were good, most weren’t.

Technology isn’t going to help in the way they’re hoping. People are. 

People who act like they care. That my problem matters to them & they’re willing to do whatever is within their power to help.

Technology (at best) is just an extension of the customer experience. Not the foundation of it.

Instead of investing in tech, invest in service training. Or better yet, in hiring & recruiting strategies that attract people who actually do care in the first place.

Whether in the marketplace or in ministry, the very people we’re hoping to serve get shortchanged when we elevate tools over training. Every. Time.

How We Started Working with Churches, Chicago’s Best Hot Dog, & Ministry Wisdom

What do these three things have in common? They’re all questions I was asked as part of a backstories with speakers series, hosted by the new online conference Foundations. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here

Speaking of Foundations, I may or may not have recorded this complete talk no less than 9 times. (Say this with me slowly… Nine. Times.)

We won’t get into how many partial recordings, editing hours, or times it was fully submitted as “done” before it was “re-done” were involved, lest my sanity be questioned. (Somewhere along the way, I may have crossed the line from just wanting to do a good job to, um… something else entirely.)

Needless to say, I’m finally feeling good about it & can’t wait to hear what you guys think.

If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. Best part is you don’t even need to leave your desk—Just save July 22nd. Also, rumor has it additional speakers have been added. These are folks I respect immensely & are too many to mention. (Check out the speaker section on the website & prepare to have your mind blown)

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The Keys to Communicating Change

“I just don’t get it,” he sighed. “I feel like I’ve been repeating the same thing for months until I’m blue in the face. Why aren’t people getting on board with the new vision?”

Many of the leaders I work with are in the midst of leading through change. Some big, some small, but all with their own unique challenges. 
I’ve found there are three common denominators why people tend to resist change and what we can do about it. 

I wrote a post for Catalyst that talks more about this that published today & I’d love to hear your thoughts.