Could a Change in Behavior Mean More Revenue?

You want your on-site team to provide a better customer experience than any of your competitors.  This ambition could definitely lead to a higher resident retention rate and a greater prospect capture rate. Revenue would increase. Changes may have to be made? Coaching may be required?

Same Team, New Mission

Let's assume that you are going to continue to work with the same team and they have been offering less than exceptional service. You will have to empower them to engage in new behaviors. The way to start moving this process along could be to first understand how your team feels when they are asked to make a change from the same old way they do things. Maybe then a strategy or process could emerge. This could be uncomfortable for the on-site team and for you.  Could it be easier  than starting over with a new team?

Throw Out the Carrot & Stick                            

 If your team member just focuses on behavior that has been identified as wrong, he or she will start developing excuses for why the problem occurs. This will not support the process of change. The "carrot and stick" approach to changing behavior does not work because it focuses attention on the problems that are causing the unwanted behavior rather than on solutions for change.

Avoid the Blame Game - The brain is wired to detect "errors" in the environment. These are the perceived differences between expectation and reality. When an error is detected, it triggers the fear circuitry in the brain and hijacks thinking.  It causes an emotional reaction. When someone tries to change a routine behavior strong messages  are sent to the brain that something is not right.

When our brain sends out powerful messages that something is wrong, the capacity to think creatively is compromised and instead, the team member becomes defensive. This message comes from the most primitive part of the brain.*

More on this later.  In the meantime, what are your thoughts about coaching an on-site team to change behavior? Has anyone out there ever been faced with this scenario?