Situation
Brant, an information technology technician, was an excellent problem solver yet someone who invariably annoyed the people with whom he worked.
When a fourth department head demanded that Brant “never again work” in his department and three IT staff threatened to quit because Brant “made them feel like fools,” the IT director called Brant in: “Improve your average customer satisfaction rating of 2.3 to not less than 3 in six weeks or you'll be history” was the ultimatum.
To help Brant, the director brought in a Varnum Consulting development coach. With some pride, Brant explained his preferred work style: “Put me in a cage, give me the toughest technical problem you have. Throw me something to eat at noon ! But keep those idiots out of my hair! I'll get it done right!”
The coach challenged Brant's short-sighted analysis. No, he didn't want to lose his job. Nor did he, despite his love for solving technical problems, want to be a technician for another 35 years. He realized he would not get the career he wanted unless he learned to “deal with ‘those idiots”!
Brant came to see himself as part of the problem. Most people, he admitted, didn't like to “look or feel dumb, even when they don't know much.” If he saw them as “idiots” he'd telegraph his snide judgments. He knew it would save time if he could interpret their naïve problem reports.
Brant's new understanding - that he could learn from customers through skillful listening that would calm them and give him more credibility wasn't enough. He had to put his understanding into practice. Brant and his coach role-played listening to different annoying “enemies.” Brant learned to manage his feelings and agreed to test his new skills three times a day for two days.
Results
Brant showed up early for his next session: “I actually had an almost civil conversation with one of our most irritating customers. And I finished my work there in record time!” With coaching, he learned better listening skills. Within three months, department heads were calling to ask for help from Brant. The IT director was relieved that he didn't have the substantial expense and inconvenience of finding and training a replacement for Brant.
