When I was director of retail at Bose Corporation, I always had a few underperforming stores. The district manager would work with the store manager to get the store results to where we expected them to be.

If that didn’t work, we would send in Steve.

Steve had this incredible ability to quickly turn a store around. I mean QUICKLY. It didn’t take months. Maybe a month. Often, it would only take a few weeks.

After one fast turnaround, I flew in to see Steve at the store he had just jumpstarted.

Over lunch, I asked him what the “secret” to his success was.

I’ll never forget what he said. His response would eventually become the foundation of my entire approach to coaching and performance.

Steve said, “It’s no secret. It’s simple. I go in and make sure employees know what to do, they know how to do it, and then I make sure they do it.”

I insisted that it couldn’t be that simple. Steve just said, “Doug. It really is that simple.”

Think about that. Steve turned around a location, focusing on three things.

1. Each staff member knows what is expected.
2. They can do what is expected.
3. They are expected to do it.

In most companies, the first two are not an issue. The third one is where the opportunity lies.

That is why I always say that people rise to the level of expectation and slide to the level of acceptance. 

Raise your expectations, and you’ll raise your results.

It’s also why my 100 Service Success approach within my Service and Revenue Accelerator program is so fast and effective. Focusing on the right things in the right way. As Steve said, it really is that simple.

So let me ask three questions:

1. If customer service was a sport, what would the uniform look like? (That’s easy. The uniform would definitely include a cape!)
2. What is something that you would also answer with, “It really is that simple?”
3. How is your staff doing on focusing on the three things above?