Pride is a good thing!

Pride is a good thing!

Pride seems have a bad press doesn’t it?

“Pride- the never failing vice of fools” Alexander Pope

“Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs

Although it is known as a Vice, it can be a virtue especially in business. Being proud of the quality of service or product you deliver is not something to be ashamed of, quite the opposite. Top quality delivery is something to shout about and praising those who do it and allowing them to be proud of their achievements is something every aspiring business leader needs to be alert too.

This came to mind recently with regard to one of my clients who has been having difficulty with regard to the quality of the service provided by his workforce. This not only has been affecting the customer service perception of his clients to the company, it  has also affected the bottom line with the need to redo jobs and taking too much management time to ensure quality is maintained.

The client’s management team needs to get a “Right first time” approach as something to deliver each and every time. The problem is that the pride in the workforce and the supervision has been allowed to lapse. A don’t worry, don’t care attitude pervades and the pride in a job well done has been lost. Something needs to be done and a spirit of “I’m proud to work here” needs to be instilled in everyone; no matter what their level. Usually this malaise attacks companies as they grow; losing the close personal touch of the direct management of days gone by.

I am helping the team to come up with a plan to restore that pride both personally, as a team and as a company. There are many shining examples of how excellence in service can work and that is what we aiming to achieve here.