Just read: Whale Done - The Power of Positive Relationships by Ken Blanchard
I was at B & N in Plano the other day. :D
Unlike the B & N at Stonebriar Mall, this location is not a very conducive one for reading. There were not enough seats around, and I had to stand for an hour to read the book. Needless to say, most people managed to just flip a couple of pages before their legs gave up.
I suspect that reading in the store is not something the management at this location wants/likes. I noticed the sales assistant walking my way many times throughout that one hour, and each time looking at me reading. He didn't say anything so i just continued. I didn't really have a choice too, cos Yifan had left to meet a customer and would only be back for me later, and I had already gone to Old Navy before B & N, so there was nowhere else i could go other than read in the store. Buying the book was not an alternative either, cos I was already finishing up the last few pages of it, and it doesn't make sense to pay $21 for 10 pages, right?
Okay, back to the book. Whale Done is essentially a self-help book, and the main point that it is trying to make doesn't seem that unfamiliar to me. In fact, I think i've come across a similar idea, just put in different ways. Basically, the gist of the book is that people should focus on the positive aspects of someone else's behaviour, rather than always ONLY noticing the bad, and pointing out the bad to be corrected. The rationale for that: when you pay attention to an outcome that is undesirable, you encourage that particular outcome to be repeated again and again. For example, if you pick up the baby each time he cries, you would be encouraging the baby to do that more often. Instead, you should ignore the cries ( unless of course the baby is sick/hungry/wet.)
I think i have heard that being said before.
However, there was something on the news last night about some doctor who admitted he had made a mistake about telling people not to pick up crying babies. Too bad I didn't get a chance to catch the news to find out the details. I wonder if it's this same theory that the book talks about.
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If there is one thing we can learn from the US, it is that in general, the level of customer service provided is much higher than that in singapore.
I was at the laundromat yesterday drying my clothes when i realised that the particular dryer i was using wasn't working very well. I had put in $1.50 for a load, and the clothes still didn't come out dry.. when usually, $1 was more than enough.
I informed the lady working at the laundromat, and asked if she knew there was a problem with the dryer. And here's where the service she rendered exceeded my expectations. I expected her to just tell me to use another dryer ( as the lady in singapore would most likely say), which she did. But she also asked how much money I had inserted into the dryer. She then promptly refunded me the money. I was impressed.
No " I have to talk to the owner to see if I can refund your money".
No " it's just too bad for you".
This is exactly what is missing in singapore. So many times have you experienced service foul-ups, but staff do not respond in the manner they should, mostly because they cannot be bothered, but i also suspect a lot of times, they are not given the power/authority to rectify the problems.
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