351: Mark Sanborn, Extraordinary Leadership

Renowned speaker and author Mark Sanborn shares his leadership wisdom to inspire every employee to deliver extraordinary customer experiences, every time. Leadership is not just for leaders...or followers! Leadership has always been a tricky subject, but being a customer-centric leader today is not for the weak of heart. Just knowing what needs to be done and telling your people to do it is far from enough. In fact, leading this way leads to disengaged employees, high turnover, and ultimately, poor customer experiences. “Indifference is the number one killer of relationships.” -Mark Sanborn Great customer experiences come from a team that not only knows what to do and how, but why. They know it’s not about what happens in the customer journey, but how the customer feels about it. And they need to be empowered to take the lead on behalf of customers positive emotions highlight the experience, no matter what. This is how extraordinary customer experiences are created from ordinary roles! “You don’t manage Customer Service. You lead it.” -Mark Sanborn That’s why we’re proud to welcome renowned speaker and bestselling author Mark Sanborn to the show! Mark has written several books about leadership, and he is here to help you connect the dots between leadership and outstanding customer experiences. He outlines what makes a great leader, and how extraordinary leadership inspires employees to own their piece of the customer experience, instead of just going through the motions associated with their job titles. Here are some highlights from the interview: Can’t people just show up and do their jobs without making waves? Mark explains why these “neutral” employees lead to poor outcomes, along with some tips to help you turn that around. [4:00] How can leaders stop leaning on their titles and focus more on creating relationships that inspire true commitment to the customer experience? [7:22] Who is Fred, and how does he turn an ordinary job into an extraordinary experience for customers? More importantly, how can anyone do the same? [9:50] While intentions are good, the customer experience can still suffer. Mark outlines three things leaders and their teams must excel at to close these gaps. [16:10] Mark has another book coming soon! So what is it about? We finish up this interview with key takeaways and some information to help you get your copy. [19:00] About our guest Mark is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea lab for leadership development.  He has written or co-authored 8 books and is the author of more than two dozen videos and audio training programs on leadership, change, teamwork and customer service. He has presented over 2400 speeches and seminars in every state and a dozen countries. Mark holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) from the National Speakers Association and is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame (CPAE). Mark’s book, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary is an international bestseller and was on the New York Times, Business Week and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.   Mark is a past president of the National Speakers Association and winner of The Cavett, the highest honor bestowed by that organization. Connect with Mark Twitter Website Related Content 360Connext® post, How to Create the Most Spectacular Customer Service Disasters Customers That Stick® post, How to Get Your Team to Deliver Consistent Customer Service Episode 342: Ruben Ocampo, Service Design Episode 328: Customer Service Phrases that Are a Problem We’re on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices