Mercedes-Benz (Thailand’s president and chief executive Alexander Paufler collects ideas. And he says the best one he has collected so far this year was printed on a small sachet of sugar he was given as a guest at the Anantara Resort on Koh Samui. It said, simply, «It is in the little things.»
«[The best idea] is not always a ‘big turnaround’ idea,» Paufler said in a recent special lecture at the College of Management of Mahidol University’s International Programme. «Especially in services, being meticulous and following-up things are very important.»
Paufler, whose leadership of Mercedes-Benz (Thailand has involved a new service commitment to the firm’s Thai clients, said that when visiting a dealer’s shop, as well as checking out the service workshop and the toilets, he looks at the faces of the staff, including the cashiers, to see «if they look friendly.»
Looking at the faces of staff is a familiar exercise for Paufler. He told an earlier seminar that when he was a company auditor, he could sometimes tell if a business unit was in a trouble by looking into the faces of its staff.
When asked by seminar participants to compare his experiences in running a company here with those in other countries, Paufler said he felt it was easier to run a business here than in Japan – where he worked for 16 years – because Japanese people did not often show their feelings on their faces.
Thais, on the other hand, are «quiet by nature», and therefore one of his goals is to foster a «de-kreng jai» culture at Mercedes-Benz (Thailand.
Paufler said it was always a crucial task for leaders to engage and convince their staff to create change for their organisations. Creativity and communication are two key areas on which they have to focus. To start the change process, leaders need to ignite a sense of urgency among their staff, constantly foster ideas and learning, and then measure and follow up the results.
«It’s my job to inspire [staff] with ideas,» he said.
This partly explains why Paufler is keen on collecting ideas – in his own words, «like a vacuum cleaner. »
As well as the sugar-sachet wisdom of the Anantara Resort, Paufler said he was given a definition of service by the general manager of the Four Seasons Bangkok Hotel, who said service stood for «Smile, Eyes, Recognition, Voices, Informed, Care and Exceed». On the other hand, the development director of the Six Senses Spas, Deepakshi Mathur, when asked why her properties had achieved service excellence, used just one word: anticipation.
To foster new ideas and creativity, Paufler has come up with what he calls a «creative gym», which comprises five things «not to do» – or obstacles – and 22 things «to do».
The five obstacles are:
1. Exhaustion. To handle this, he suggests daily decisions on what to do first, when to do it and what should not be done.
2. Easily distracted. Paufler suggests learning to say a positive «no», turning off electronic gadgets, changing personal expectations and knowing a time and place to think without distractions.
3. Disengaged and lacking in discipline. In this case there is a need to focus on the first goal first.
4. Not knowing what to do. People should write their own «personal mission statement», reflect upon it, and change it only if major corrections are necessary.
5. Fear of uncertainty, the unknown, unfamiliarity, failure and public speaking. To tame these fears, Paufler suggests learning about the so-called «amygdala trap» [the amygdala are parts of the brain associated with emotions, and particularly fear]. As well, he suggests making a case study out of situations or persons you fear, reappraising the unfamiliar, then preparing before you put it into practice.
Paufler’s 22 things «to do» for expanding creativity and generating ideas are:
1. Wake up every day with a specific goal to look forward to.
2. Be surprised by something every day.
3. Surprise somebody every day.
4. Write down what surprised you.
5. When a spark strikes, follow it.
6. Anything done well is a joy.
7. Joy is increasing complexity.
8. Control your schedule (less is more.
9. Make time for reflection and relaxation.
10. Shape your own space.
11. Find out what you like and what you hate.
12. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate.
13. Develop what you lack.
14. Shift from openness to closure.
15. Aim for complexity.
16. Express what moves you.
17. Look at problems from many viewpoints.
18. Figure out the implications and consequences of a problem.
19. Create as many ideas as possible.
20. Create as many «different» ideas as possible.
21. Try to create original ideas, either big or small.
21. Get things done.
pichaya@nationgroup.
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