When you own a business, you’re acutely aware that what made you successful this year won’t necessarily be what makes you successful next year. That’s why I spent a month on a California mountaintop.
This article is part of our Being Human Series — stories and insights on values, self-awareness, judgment, relationships, and how we are experienced by others.
It is also part of our Contact Center Management Series and our Craft of Training & Speaking Series.
If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom. — Adam Grant
In Year One, My Company Earned a Profit of $80,000
That was in Singapore in 2001.
I had written two Customer Service training programs that caught on with clients and landed two global Mystery Shopper programs that were well underway.
I’d also hired a Client Services Director and Trainer to join the team.
Business was off to a great start.
But I hadn’t left the corporate world only to fail and have to go back.
To be of service to my clients required that I keep learning — especially about the things I knew I didn’t know.
Not to mention that the people I had hired were counting on me to succeed.
So I took $40,000 from our company account, signed a contract with a consulting firm in California, and flew with a colleague to Sacramento for private training with the firm’s founder.
For a month.
Why a Mountaintop?
Because that’s where the consulting firm’s founder lived.
In a home so remote that he got around by flying his own small plane.
The $40,000 covered accommodation in his home and four weeks of private training for the two of us in his well-appointed home office.
During the month we were there, we only left the property once.
A Typical Day
Every morning at 9:00 AM, after the three of us had breakfast together, we were at our desks ready to start class.
Each day ended at 5:00 PM.
For lunch we always had sandwiches, to my Singaporean colleague’s dismay — and mine.
The isolation was real.
But aside from getting bored with the food, I loved almost every minute of our time there.
Because the learning challenged us.
We Learned the Four Domains of Contact Center Knowledge
That month, we covered four domains of Contact Center knowledge:
- Operations Management
- Leadership & Business Management
- People Management
- Customer Relationship Management (remember it was 2002)
We dove into each domain individually and extensively.
Then we examined where the domains intersected — for example, how leadership principles could help you run a better operation.
Or how operational practices could damage Customer perception and Employee experience.
I had begun my career in finance, which is a recognized business discipline.
And then, completely by accident, ended up working in the Contact Center industry — something I think happens to many.
I could see that Contact Center Management was as much a formal business discipline as finance was.
People don’t typically go to school to learn Contact Center Management or Customer Experience.
So they end up learning on the job — which is a very hit-or-miss way to master a business discipline.
I’ve met thousands of professionals in our training courses and have been privileged to hear their stories.
Many ended up in the industry by accident and then learned most of what they knew on the job.
That was my story too.
After a decade as a VP, Operations in the corporate world, I was in a position to use my own resources to get the education I knew I needed.
The Mountaintop Was Only the Beginning
That month was only the beginning of my investment in learning.
Over the next several years, I continued to invest in IP and content rights, long-distance travel to attend workshops and meetings, and memberships and certifications.
It was worth every penny.
As the company grew, we had more opportunities to apply what we were learning with clients around the world.
I remember one week when, after delivering a class in Beijing, I went straight to the airport, landed in Delhi in the early morning hours, took a taxi directly to the venue, and began another class.
Back in our Singapore office, I gave our Team Members access to certifications, external events, and overseas travel so that they could develop professionally and serve our clients better.
That was the point.
You’ve Got to Know What You’re Doing
One of the most common comments we hear after a training is this:
I wish I had taken this course earlier.
Usually followed by some variation of how long they’ve been working in the industry.
That always makes me think of Maya Angelou’s wonderful quote:
I remember being a successful Vice President in the industry and still having that nagging sense that there was a lot I didn’t know.
And guess what? It turned out to be true.
When I introduce myself in training sessions, I sometimes tell participants that when I was a VP I knew very little about the content, we were about to cover.
Because I want them to know I get it.
You can serve everyone better — your Colleagues, your Customers, and your Leadership — when you’re open to saying “I don’t know what I don’t know.”
And then go out and do something about it.
Thank You for Reading
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this article resonated with you, I’d be pleased to stay connected.
Feel free to get in touch anytime, or explore more of our work below.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
