Three words of advice for the leader of the Victorian State

Prefer to listen?

What does a State Premier and a frontline casual employee at McDonalds have in common? Both are paid to provide good service.

A key element of gaining trust and loyalty in service is telling the truth to your customers/ your community.

With election day in the rear-view mirror and the people of Victoria hypothesising about what life will be like for the next four years; it’s an emotionally charged week to be living in the State of Victoria. Regardless of where you stand; left, right or outside the major parties, we all expect the elected government to serve its  people according to its promises;  the same way we all expect the a cheeseburger to be served up exactly like  the picture on the menu board.

This is a time to tell the truth. Telling the truth is not jargon. Jargon is a place to hide, is intentionally off-putting and a way to disconnect.

In service, you’re under scrutiny, and in the business of keeping promises. A small promise matters and earns you an enviable reputation for being reliable and trustworthy So, when you tell a customer that you’ll call them back later that day, you must.

If you’re unable to keep a promise, then it is vital you can apologise and clearly and truthfully articulate the revised expectations for your customer or community. Fudging and misleading when you know you can’t meet a promise, only further damages relationships with those you serve.

The most recent blog I wrote covered a similar theme. I highlighted some tips to offer up to service professionals who are at times delivering hard news or not what the customer expects to hear, but still deliver the bad news truthfully.

Service staff need to be truth tellers, not fortune tellers

My three words of advice for the leader of the State of Victoria is: Tell the Truth.

I expect a lot from my government but above all else, I expect them to tell the truth.