You Chicago People Say It's Close

As I came off the elevator at 111 S. Wacker with my Jimmy John's #6 and Thinny Chips (isn't that a comical name?), a woman asked me how close Jimmy John's was to the office. I quickly explained it was close and that it was east on Monroe just a couple blocks. Her response was, "You Chicago people say it's close, but it will probably take me 10 minutes." Obviously, Chicago either isn't her home office or she is new to the Chicago area altogether. Either way, it made me think how familiarity can breed quicker, but sometimes sloppier, communication.

You know what happens. We work together long enough that we have a shared lexicon of acronyms and analogies. It works great for us speeding up our communication, because we don't have to stop and explain all that. But what happens when we are talking with and listening to our customers?

Do you know your customer's language? Do you speak your customer's language (for me these days, that means Tax) as best you can even if it isn't your native language (for me, a process guy used to operating in a techie world)? Be careful before taking shortcuts in your communication with customers. Pay attention when new stakeholders join. Remind yourself to step back, explain things and create opportunities for questions. And maybe become "multi-lingual" along the way.

Shamrock Shake Circa 2011

Recently as I walked out of McDonald's with my lunch (you have got to like the Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap for $1.99), I noticed a man in front of me carrying a drink tray with four very green drinks. He was either off to set some sort of Shamrock Shake drinking record or was about to make three co-workers very happy. Here is the thing. These didn't look like your old-time Shamrock Shake. They were topped off with whipped cream, the proverbial maraschino cherry and the clear domed lid found on all foo-foo drinks. This was Shamrock Shake meets McCafe.

Seeing those shakes -- and writing about it now -- makes me want to buy one. I haven't had a Shamrock Shake in years but always enjoyed them partially, I am sure, because of the "available for a limited time" thing. Think of something you enjoyed as a kid -- some type of food or drink, a favorite place or family vacation spot. In many ways, we like to keep those things unchanged in our mind and get a kick out of the nostalgia of an old-time fill-in-the-blank or finding something just like it was back then. But do we really want things to stay exactly the same? At some point, the nostalgic, as-it-always-was feel limits the demand for these things. It's fine to keep the basics the same, but products and services need to improve and diversify.

So as the Shamrock Shake has undergone a makeover, think about a product or service you support or provide. Is it the same as it ever was? Is it time for some improvements, some updating, getting ahead of the curve? Or will you let that product or service be pushed into a smaller and smaller box and further back on the shelf away from view? I trust you will come up with something better than whipped cream and a cherry on top. (The domed lid on the other hand is functional.)

Now off to get a Shamrock Shake while supplies last.