How do you stay connected?

For us quality professionals who have dedicated a lifetime to improving the customer experience, and then built businesses helping organizations through on site consulting support, these are some weird times - and sometimes tough times.

Each day, I miss my very recent "normal" life of traveling on-site to a variety of customers with a variety of challenges.  I miss workshopping with teams.  I miss solving the seemingly unsolvable problems using classic quality methodologies.  I miss debating, persuading, and eventually winning over naysayers who think productivity makes the world go 'round and quality is just a necessary evil.  I miss watching organizations absolutely transform and grow and flourish and search for more and more ways to continually improve.  

These days, many companies are managing their "new normal" (you know how I hate that term).  They're dealing with new working conditions, losses of employees, declines in culture, fear, frustration and any manner of new challenge.  Continuous improvement has been sort of put on the back burner until things "improve', whatever that means these days.  

So, we're doing our best to continue to connect.  Connect with our customers.  Connect with our teams.  And while I am still able to work remotely, for me, it's just not as much fun.  And my attitude has been a bit sh&t lately, if I'm being honest. 

Then, I saw this good news story and I just had to share it.  Because it inspired me.  This organization, the Tampa Bay Lightning, my hometown team has inspired me.  Not because I love hockey.  Not because their fan base is fiercely loyal and engaged.  But, because they took a really sh&t situation, and turned it on its ear.  So much so, that we fans are excited and other teams are considering following suit.  And all this great idea took was for someone to step outside their crappy attitude and say "hey, this is what it is - how do we make it fun?  how do we keep everyone engaged?  the players still need the fans and the fans still need the team".

Check out this explanation of how a once WILDLY successful brand "Be the Thunder" was able to problem solve and pivot on the fly to arrive at their new brand "#Be the Distant Thunder".  We may not be able to gather in our beloved Amalie Arena, or even travel to away games, and even some of our favorite sports bars are closed,  but we can still be a part of the Thunder!

Their ingenious idea is to place sections of hockey guard glass in outdoor spaces where social distancing can be practiced, but fans can write messages on the glass.  And the glass sections are transported and installed on the actual arena where the games are being played.  Additionally, fans are encouraged to write their messages and cheers on their home windows and doors, their car windows, etc.  

This small idea is helping to connect our team with our fans and other teams are taking note!  Check it out!

https://www.nhl.com/lightning/fans/be-the-distant-thunder

What is your organization doing to stay connected?  I'd really like to hear your ideas.  I'm interested in continuing to do some remote support, but I'd like to spice up some of our workshops with powerful ideas for engagement like this.

If you're a quality professional, how are you keeping quality in the forefront?  That's always been a challenge, but now it's even more challenging.  How are you responding to your customer feedback?   How are you soliciting input for continual improvement ideas? 

I'd love to hear your comments below.  Or contact me and let's talk directly.