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from my cell phone, send a fax and test the automatic transfer
to the second line. He then proceeded to tag each business
line and verified the ground for those lines.
All this took about 15 minutes. I am sure, by now, that you
notice a sharp difference between those two service calls.
But that is not all. Upon completing my testing, I noticed that
Dillon was staring at the paint memorabilia in my shop area.
I asked Dillon how long he had been working in the carrier’s
service department. He said: “Over 16 years now but I used
to be a painter for many years. That is why I was curious about
your paint memorabilia.”
We proceeded to have a 20 minute conversation on service
and company policies. Dillon told me that service technicians
in the telecommunications industry are evaluated based on the
quickness of their service calls. He said that his company does
the same thing and, that for 16 years; he has been pressured by
his management to turn his service call more quickly. He said
management is not happy with his performance; even though
he routinely gets calls from his colleagues to trouble shoot
technical problems they encounter in the field.
Upon Dillon’s departure, I called Gus’s company and told them
that, on a scale of 1 to 10, I was giving Gus a “0” for his service
call. Then, I left a message for Dillon’s boss telling him about
the great employee he has in Dillon and that I felt he would be
a great trainer in the service department.
I share this story because it illustrates several important points
about Team Mood. Here are some key ones:
» Production targets, without any customer feedback
system can demoralize a team or wreck customer service.
» Company policies can get in the way of taking the
right actions in the field or blind the personnel to the real
opportunity of service.
» Individual attitudes and work ethics play a critical role in
the customer experience as well.
Defining the Problem
Team Mood is an area where resignation and a feeling of powerlessness
run rampant. We are all deeply affected
by mood. We feel at the mercy of mood; helpless to
scope it out or take actions to deal with it in a positive
and empowering way. Moreover, the problem is often
compounded by a general lack of communication and
poor skills at resolving conflict. Situations are allowed
to fester and deteriorate, sometimes right before our
eyes, without appropriate action being taken by management.
I was taught this lesson late last year.
In November, one of my employees confided in me
about the difficulties he was having in getting along
with another employee, even though they had been coworkers
off and on for four years. Upon having that
conversation, it became clear I needed to put these two
employees face to face and act as a mediator. During
the meeting, it surfaced that “joking around” was a
“rub” between the two of them. It was OK to make a
wisecrack at the other, but not OK to be the recipient of
one. Feelings would get hurt. Retaliation would occur.
The bad mood between them would eventually spill
over and affect other
teammates. The meeting
diffused the tension between them and equipped them with a
new awareness that would hopefully minimize such problems
in the future.
Designing a Team Mood Assessment System
Until that meeting, however, it never occurred to me to apply
the Mood Assessment principles I had been implementing with
clients to the mood of my team, individually and collectively.
After that meeting, it became clear I had no interest in being
a fireman or a babysitter for my team. So I was very willing
to develop a management system that would enable them
to become conscious of their individual mood and how each
person both affects and is affected by their work experience. I
also recognized the need for occasional coaching of my team
on skills like how to communicate to resolve conflict or how to
deal with issues that unavoidably come up.
It was clear that without an avenue to resolve conflicts with
teammates or management, behaviors develop that create
serious misalignment in the organization, compromise and
even sabotage the company’s mission of service. This is the
core of the Team Mood Assessment System I developed.
SCALE:--------------Negative Mood--------------Positive Mood--------------
-2 = Often -1 = Occasionally +1 = Occasionally +2 = Often
MOOD ASSESSMENTS:
Personal Assessment
Mood Elements Assessment of Team
_________________ ____________ ________
1- “Team Spirit” -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
2- Communication at Work -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
3- Greetings at Start and End of Day -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
4- Attitude Towards Work -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
5- Comments Made about Team
Members, Company and Client -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
6- Play an Important Role in the Company -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
7- Communication with Management -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
8- Feel Empowered by Management -2 -1 +1 +2 -2 -1 +1 +2
Name_____________ Date _______ SCORE _______ _______
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