Developing an A PLUS Attitude Starts from Within

Developing an A PLUS Attitude: Starts from Within KY Association of Student Receivables Officers May 13, 2010. Lake Barkley, Kentucky Shannon D. Staten, M. Ed. University of Louisville Sdstat 01@louisville. edu

It’s not your aptitude but your attitude that will determine your altitude in life. Ziglar

Personal Attributes and Attitude l Past Influences and experiences What are your basic beliefs and values? l Passion Points a. What excites you? What’s fun? b. What motivated you to accomplish things? c. What do you avoid? l Purpose / Procedure a. What challenges or easy paths do you face? b. What can you do to be more positive on a daily basis?

Attitude l l An attitude is an outlook on life or a particular situation, a way of thinking and reacting. Attitudes express themselves in behavior. l Your mental attitude can cause you to persist when the odds are against you…or to give up Ray Seilhamer

Starting Fresh – The Waiter’s story

Characteristics of an A PLUS Attitude from Within l A pproval of self. l P urpose. What do you hope to accomplish? l L anguage. Verbal and nonverbal. l U nderstanding of the challenges, weaknesses and strengths that you have. l S tatement of what you are trying to achieve.

All about control Program your mind to: • Accept the things you cannot change • To practice the principle of replacement • To have a positive attitude – daily • To see the positive in others • To express appreciation and affirmation to others

Who are our Customers l l l Guests Staff Business Contacts Customer types: • Picky Precise • Demander Commander • Impressive Expressive • Average Friendly

How do our customers judge us? l l l The way we look What we say How we say it What we do How we do it

A PLUS Attitude for Service l l l A greement of the level service to be offered P lan of how this service will be provided L ist of needs that must be met to attain the standard of service identified U nderstanding of the challenges, weaknesses and strengths of the service S tatement of standard that you are trying to obtain

Getting an A PLUS in your work area What would an A PLUS department look like? Brainstorm session A. List tasks B. List the challenges C. Rate the work done Identify areas to improve A. Use the 4 P’s B. Set reachable time goals

Product Basic Tasks and responsibilities 1. Answering the telephone. 2. Greeting customers as they arrive in the office 3. Taking messages. 4. Typing correspondence. 5. Logging calls. 6. Setting appointments.

Preparation What needs does the team have? 1. Hands-free telephone support equipment. 2. Computer with word processing. 3. Training on computer programs for logging information, setting appointments, email, etc. 4. Schedules of team members in the area. 5. List of important guests who come regularly.

Procedure Challenges or easy paths 1. Telephone calls received constantly. 2. Prioritizing between walk-in guests and calls. 3. Keeping all schedules current. 4. Knowing the names and faces of important guests.

Productivity Efficiency and Effectiveness 1. Error margin. 2. Guest relations / comfort 3. Work load management 4. Organization

Task Grade Sheet Product Preparation Procedure Productivity Grade

Attitude and Math IF: each letter of the alphabet is given a consecutive value beginning with the number 1 l A B C 1 2 3 D E F G 4 5 6 7 l M N O P Q 13 14 15 16 17 l V W X Y 22 23 24 25 Z 26 H I J K L 8 9 10 11 12 R S T U 18 19 20 21

Then: the value of l H A R D W O R K equals: 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98% l K N O W L E D G E equals: 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96% l A T T I T U D E equals: 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

The A PLUS Attitude in Cleaning The mission of the A+ Attitude in Cleaning is to provide residence halls that offer the following things to our resident students: No visible dust, dirt or trash Fresh, clean smell Carpets and floors that are stain free Showers / baths that are free of mildew, dirt and soap scum Dispensers that are well stocked Public areas that are orderly, neat and clean We pledge to do the most thorough, consistent job possible to accomplish our goal

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are small matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson