A lot can happen in seven years. 

Nice to receive a cake, as it were... I received several notes and a couple of IMs today congratulating me on my anniversary, as today is my 7-year anniversary at Microsoft, a little less than a third of my career.

So before my next discussion at 5pm, I leave you with Seven Dirty Habits of Highly Effluent People, courtesy of Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame...

Obviously, I'm ripping off Stephen Covey, whose seven better-known habits got my attention not so much for their content, which I find suspicious, but for their surprisingly modest number, which I find manageable. Here then, are my "Seven Dirty Habits," each gleaned from a worker I met on the show, and bolstered by true stories of personal enlightenment and lingering humiliation.

  1. Never follow your passion, but by all means bring it with you.
  2. Beware of teamwork.
  3. Vomit proudly and whenever necessary.
  4. Be careful, but don't be fooled--safety is never first.
  5. Think about what you are doing--never how.
  6. Ignore advice such as "Work smart, not hard." It's dangerous--and moronic.
  7. Consider quitting.

One good turn deserves another, so here are seven manageable habits for maintaining focus on the customer experience and ultimately satisfaction...

  1. Know that customer service is really everyone's job
  2. Make your customers feel like they are your top priority
  3. Understand the customer's needs
  4. Jump through hoops for your customer
  5. Listen -- and be willing to take a whack sometimes
  6. Learn from others (these are a few of the lessons from the Xbox Team)
  7. Most of all, Be Nice (one of Dalton's Three Rules ;)

Have a good afternoon.

Tags: tips, satisfaction, customer experience, whack