Workplace Wisdom...
Discover Fulfillment in Life and Work
with Michelle Y. Drake

Even though I'm currently attending an amazing seminar on corporate sponsorship in San Francisco, I still managed to catch bits and pieces of Sunday night's 80th Annual Academy Awards (the Oscars).

After the red carpet, I basically lost interest and didn't spend much time watching the rest of the show...and apparently, neither did anyone else. According to the ever-popular Nielsen Media Research group, the "preliminary ratings" for last night's 80th Annual Academy Awards are "14 percent lower than the least-watched ceremony ever." (Yahoo! News)

Why?

My theory is that The Oscar's lack of success in the ratings all boils down to one thing: poor customer service.

Think about it. If the show (the product) was what people across the country (the customers) wanted to watch, the ratings would be through the roof. Maybe it's time for the creators and producers of the show to do a little market research. Find out what the customers want to see. Mix it up a little bit! While there's something to be said for sticking with a tried-and-true formula in any business, when that formula fails to produce stellar results, it's time to tweak it.

If The Oscars - or any business for that matter - wants to survive, paying attention to the customer and their needs is the key. If people want more jokes and skits, give them to 'em. If they want less long-winded speeches and canned presentations, take them out. If they want the show to be under the three hour mark, re-think the format.

Know your customer. Know their needs. Know what you need to do to create the product/service that fulfills them. In reality, because The Oscars are such an institution, they will probably continue on for years to come - poor ratings or not.

But can the same be said for YOUR business?

Labels: customer service, news, small business

I know that I mentioned health issues...which are now mostly resolved. I thought I would share a little bit about how I gained some health balance over the past few months that I was MIA from my blog.

Health can't be messed with.

It is tough to be a powerful and passionate leader if you don't have your health in order.

I was a bit of a puddle when I first met Dr. Helen Thomas at a conference in LA. She has been treating me...long distance (I am in Connecticut)since November 2007. She has changed my life with her compassionate care and the wisdom of an ancient medical practice called Ayurvedic Medicine. I was a newbie to alternative medicine of any kind.

I am a believer now!!!

Her website (with all kinds of freebies) is effortlessayurvedicliving.com and a must see for every working woman!

Labels: Ayurvedic Medicine, health, leadership

In a radio interview a couple years ago I was asked who my mentors were...I had to stop and think. When I started out there were only a few women in the workplace in leadership roles...but the first person that popped into my mind was my Mom! Mom was a nursery school teacher, hardly the typical role model for a young cosmopolitan business woman.

After the interview I dug a little deeper to understand why she popped into my mind...and the conclusion I came to was that she had been leading my family with faith, finesse, composure, compassion, and sometimes an iron fist. Then I looked further back in time and relations and found a wealth of "mom" figures to draw from. What perfect mentors for me to follow as I tried to become the leader I was born to be...the first flicker of my book, From the Kitchen to the corner Office, had begun.

Labels: books, career-advancement, inspiration, leadership, motherhood, news, working mom, workplace-survival