Crafting your work force.

You've probably seen the safety video they show on airplanes prior to takeoff. You've probably seen it dozens of times. But have you actually ever paid attention to it? In the absurdity that is much of the travel industry, this video may very well be the most ridiculous element. No, I am not referring to the detailed, informational walk-through on how to use a seat belt ("insert the metal clasp until it clicks"). I am referring to the point in the video where the deployment of oxygen masks is explained. The on-screen action reveals the yellow masks dropping to combat cabin depressurization, and all of the passengers calmly reach for their masks, donning them perfectly, and sitting passively. Now think about this for a moment. You're 38,000 feet somewhere above Missouri and something has happened to cause the cabin of your airplane to lose pressure. What could that something be? A bullet through a window? The door or some other section of the plane somehow detaching or flying off mid-flight? An explosion? Under any of these circumstances, the producers of the video would have you believe that your expected reaction would be to calmly handle an oxygen mask as you quietly contemplate your impending demise.

This is a twist on the sort of fantastic reality that I think certain customer service representatives view in their uniquely wistful distortion of their role within a business. We have all come across many CSRs in our life--whether working in our own companies, or for companies from whom we either personally or professionally purchase. Those CSRs who stand out from the rest typically fall into one of two categories: the really good and the really bad.

The really bad CSRs take great umbrage at having to deal with complaining customers or difficult situations. In effect, they are like the airplane video--failing to understand the fundamentals of the situation. All they want to do is answer yes or no, take an order, track a shipment, or do any relatively thoughtless task that requires little thought. Heaven forbid that they might be asked to provide actual service to their customer. Faced with a disappointed or irate customer, they respond in anything but a courteous fashion, acting as if the customer has just ruined their day. In such an encounter, no matter the outcome, the CSR who responds in this manner has failed to accomplish the primary objective of his or her position.

The ideal employee

Of course, the really good CSRs understand what customer service is all about, as well as the tact that they are employed in a position specifically created to provide it. They are fully aware that the CSR's raison d'etre is exactly what the bad CSRs strive to avoid: dealing with distressed or irate customers, and doing all they can to resolve any and all of their customers' problems. This type of CSR is invaluable to any label printing business--as much as any salesperson, graphic artist, or press operator. In fact, it is these very attributes of the ideal CSR that can serve as a blueprint for your ideal employee, regardless of position.

I like to compare working in customer service to playing the position of catcher on a baseball team. As a catcher, each time you put on the gear you fully expect that you are going to get battered by foul balls, endure 95 miles per hour fastballs short-hop-bouncing off your body, or worse. But the catcher never complains that these are things he must endure while the other players on his team casually take their positions in the field. This is his position, and he knows that his job and responsibilities are different from the other players. And most catchers enjoy their position "in the trenches" so much that they are extremely reluctant to give it up when asked to switch to another position.

Such is the mentality of a great CSR. The function of a CSR is to turn questions into answers, doubt into confidence, and unhappiness into satisfaction. The CSR is that critical conduit between your company and your customer responsible for turning the proverbial lemons into lemonade. No matter what form it takes, that's the job description. The good ones turn this service into an art.

Although I have focused on the CSR here, rest assured that the same holds true for every single position in a company. From CEO to maintenance worker, each position within your business has a specific purpose, and every day each individual faces a set of tasks and responsibilities whose fulfillment is the sole justification of their position's existence. Through devoted and extraordinary efforts, each can turn his or her function into an art.

Total focus

There is a great deal more to being a top performer than merely showing up and doing a good job. A top performer at anything--banker, athlete, press operator, janitor, baker--is a craftsperson who takes a level of pride in his or her work that relegates all other considerations (such as compensation, work environment, hours, etc.) to the distant background of consciousness. As Ray Knight, who hit the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series, stated as only an athlete can, "Concentration is the ability to think of nothing". Of course, Knight meant the ability to focus solely on the task at hand, and to render all else to oblivion. Perhaps nothing better depicts this type of clarity or mission than Tiger Woods lining up a 10-foot putt: hands cupping the brim of his cap, seeing only the path from his ball to the hole. At that moment, nothing beyond those 10 feet exists.

The true craftsperson puts every effort not only into the objectives, but into each and every minor detail along the way to meeting those objectives. Whatever his or her task may be, the responsibility is to accomplish the objective as perfectly as possible. And this is a critical point: What the craftsperson is paid is irrelevant. Once the responsibility is accepted, it must be fulfilled in its entirety. Every single time.

To the craftsperson, the performance of each task--and every element that task comprises--exists in a virtual vacuum. To the craftsperson, all that has brought him or her to this very spot at this very moment--his or her birth, upbringing, education, experience, maturity--is wholly irrelevant. What matters right now is only the achievement of the objective. Yesterday's successes are irrelevant to today's challenges. The league's leading batter stepping up to the plate receives no special consideration for his statistics ... he still must get a hit in order to reach base. In the wise words of Henry David Thoreau, "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."

Which brings me to the point of this column, which is identifying the ideal type of employee. As I see it, you must begin with yourself, seeking to further develop your craftsperson's mentality. Once you embody that ethic, you are positioned to pursue it in employees. Challenge yourself to build your organization around these types of people, those who take great pride in the product of their efforts, regardless of their position, regardless of what their tasks may be, and certainly regardless of their compensation.

It is important to note that most people do take some pride in their work. After all, could any business actually function if everyone literally did just the bare minimum as prescribed by the job descriptions? We often hear of the importance of job satisfaction as a non-monetary consideration to one's happiness at work. The challenge is finding those who seek more than just job satisfaction in the performance of their tasks. What you are looking for are craftspeople--those who seek excellence in their every endeavor. It is only the craftsperson who by his or her nature will surpass the standard requirements, because they hold themselves to a higher standard. Craftspeople are the opposite of clock-watchers; to them, the job is done when the objective has been achieved to--their satisfaction.

Craftspeople come in all shapes and sizes, and certainly in all disciplines. They can be salespeople, accountants, rewinders, and yes, even CSRs. And the funny thing about craftspeople is that their attitude has a tendency to be contagious, to rub off on those around them. It is hard to be a clock-watcher when your neighbor at the next desk is working feverishly on ensuring the complete satisfaction of a disgruntled customer.

'The scroll of honor'

A while back, I came across the following passage quoting Forbes patriarch B.C. Forbes, written almost a century ago, which could certainly be applied to our industry. (If you lack the vision to see it for yourself, substitute flexo press for railroad engine and press operator for driver.)

"Every time I see an Erie Railroad engine bearing the name of its faithful driver, a thrill goes through me, for I know that the man guiding it has won this rare honor by many years of the most loyal and efficient service. Who will argue that only public men and corporation heads are entitled to have their names emblazoned on the scroll of honor?

"'All workmen care about is money', you say? Wrong. Workers are made of exactly the same stuff as generals or senators or presidents or governors or industrial leaders. It is just as fitting to honor the worthiest of our wage earners as it is to honor others."

Surround yourself with craftspeople and your business can't help but thrive.

Elisha Tropper is president of Prestige Label Co. of Burgaw, NC, a CFG company, headquartered in New York City.