Thursday, February 18, 2010

Is the Glass Half-Empty, Half-Full, Or...

A departure from the typical customer service tip, here is a motivational story...

Recently I ran into an old friend, Michael Packman, who I grew up with. We were talking about our kids and he told me a great story about his daughter, Amanda.

When Amanda was younger, Michael had the idea to ask her a question to see if she was an optimist or a pessimist. So, he set a half-filled glass of water in front of her and asked:

“Is the glass half-full or half-empty?”

Her response took him by surprise. Amanda said:

”That depends if you are drinking or pouring.”

Metaphorically speaking, the next time you have a "half-filled glass of water," what will be the answer to the question?  Is it half-empty, half-full - or is there another answer?   Sometimes the less obvious answer is a better one, or at least another alternative.
 
Shep Hyken, CSP CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).

Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200

1 comment:

BPO said...

Hello,
I will always say: the glass is half full.
Thanks for sharing such motivated story on customer services.
Really it will inspire every customer care like us.