Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

~Andy Grove

Complacency in the workplace and in life can be discouraging.  It can creep up on us as routine sets in and the days begin to zoom by.  In order to be our best and keep it fresh, we must learn How to Avoid Complacency.  This is true as we serve our customers.  Complacency  can lower success, demoralize employees, and literally kill a business.  So how do we avoid growing complacent?  How do we avoid falling into the trap of routine and sometimes boredom?  I believe if you will take some time to occasionally consider my 3 Re’s you may just be able to avoid it all together.

1.  Re-visit.   Re-visit your purpose. What is the purpose of your work?  What is the company’s purpose or culture?  Is it to give an exceptional experience?  To create Raving fans?  To grow the company to a Fortune 500 hundred company?

My personal office’s purpose is to Make Smiles for Life. You can take a look at www.makingsmilesforlife.com.  We do this by making people happy, and when they are happy they smile.  Once we have them smiling, then our goal is to keep them smiling.  Coincidentally, we also fix their teeth, which gives them confidence and leads to smiles.  With proper follow up and care we are Making Smiles for Life – both literally and physically.

2.  Re-member.  Take time to Re-member why.  Why did you begin this journey of serving the customer?  What’s the point of getting out of bed in the morning?   Try to Re-member what excites you about serving people.  One of the greatest joys in life is to serve others. Re-member the feeling you get when you have made someone’s day, week or even year. Yeah, remember those moments and you’ll avoid complacency all together.

Now if the reason you serve people is just for a paycheck, that will not be enough to carry you.  There must be a larger purpose than getting paid.  Once again, try and think back to what motivated you in the first place.  Use that as your fuel to avoid complacency.

3.  Re-energize.   One of the best ways to keep yourself from growing complacent on the job is to re-energize.  This can be accomplished in many ways.  For some it might be as simple as a walk around the block to look at the landscape.  For others, it might be 15 minutes of meditation or prayer.  Even better yet, be sure and take that vacation time.  Go somewhere special so you can be served.  Seek out excellent service.  That is bound to re-energize you.

As I travel and go places, one of the sure fire ways to get me re-energized and re-booted is to get exceptional service.  I can barley contain myself before I can speak of it, video it, or blog about it.

Have you tried to un-plug from the Matrix?  Actually turning your phone and computers off for an extended period of time.  This might even mean–no FACEBOOK.

I remember when I was younger I would travel to Mexico on vacation.  After boarding on the airplane, I would turn off my phone and not turn it back on until I landed back in the U.S.:  I would leave it off for a week.  The problem is that I would sometimes forget to tell my mother I was leaving the country.  My office would have to tell her. Oops… sorry for that Ma!  I understand this may not be feasible for all, but even just one day will work wonders.

Bonus:  Relax.  Serving customers is a tough job, but it is also very fulfilling.  Sometimes we just need to relax and and get beyond the muck.  The things that have us feeling overwhelmed or underwhelmed.  Take a moment in your day to just Relax.  Close your eyes and dream for a moment about the beach you will be visiting on the vacation you just planned.  Dream of having your phone and computer off for period of time.

Please comment below and thank you!

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