Second chance is crucial for career success — Prof. Hinson
In a period where business growth is directly linked to a customer’s satisfaction, being able to meet and exceed the needs of a client through good customer service is extremely crucial to the survival of that company.
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Exceeding customer satisfaction requires that the company in question identifies itself with the basic desires of the customer, the most important tool to the growth of the business.
On the Springboard, a radio programme on Joy FM, on Sunday evening, the senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, Professor Robert Ebo Hinson, shared his 10 critical factors of success for personal effectiveness and also some key lessons for marketing and branding success.
“Over the years, I have noticed across both the private sector and the public sector that a lot of people often do not understand what it means to create what we call ‘customers’ love mark’. But it is very important for a business owner to create experience that are memorable in order to attract customers who are external to the organisation to want to come back for more and more,” Prof. Honson, who has just launched a customer service book, Customer Service Essentials, said.
He explained that people or employees who came in contact with the customer very often did not have a holistic sense of how customer service or care could be used as strategic differentiator.
Given that a good customer service aided an organisations reputation through a direct relationship within the public space, it was imperative that a company put systems in place to deal with customer service as part of the company’s growth strategy.
Observation verses experience
When the host, Reverend Albert Ocran, asked whether observation or experience made a better teacher, the marketing consultant said he would opt for both.
“I think they are both important, but sometimes observation can be a bigger blessing because what one used 17 years to achieve, another person, if coached, could make better decisions in the next five minute of their life,” he said.
However, the underlined experience is a profound teacher because it helps people to make the right decisions based on an informed positions.
Critical success factors
Touching on the critical success factors of life, Prof. Hinson noted that it was essential for people to stay connected to God or have a strong spiritual centre in order to attain the required goal.
“For me, all exploit making is God centred and that has been my personal philosophy,” he added.
Another critical success factor he identified was to ‘develop beautiful feet, be mission-oriented,’ which he said implied taking part in an action or staying behind and assisting people to move forward.
He said most often the little steps in life that people did not appreciate accumulated overtime to help provide a stepping stone to lift an individual to attain greater level.
“Sometimes we do not consciously gather little things that come our way, in preparations of the big things that are coming in the future. So it is important for an individual to learn to gather crumbs so that he or she can have a plentiful harvest,” he said.
Measure your daily activity
He encouraged Ghanaians, especially the youth, to measure and calculate whatever they engaged in if they wanted to be successful people in life.
“Allow mistakes to become stepping stones to greatness. Relish second opportunities to success. Our God is a God of second chances. Even if it did not work well the first time, when the second time comes round, make the best of the second chance,” he stated.
He explained that a failure of an individual does not mean an end to his or her career, as he added that a second chance was very crucial for a career success.
Again, Mr Hinson underlined the act of mentoring people to occupy leadership positions as a key critical success factor in the world.
“Do not live for yourself. Mentor people who will become more successful than you in the future. Be excessively generous with your time and resources,” he said.
He was of the view that if an individual develop a strong brand and remains focus to it that individual in question would be able to accomplish his or her goals.
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“Develop a strong personal brand: Be authentic, be a niche that makes you special and needs that you can satisfy than most. Develop a strong social network. Develop the sense of “on-brand” than “off-brand” activities. Have a long-term vision of where you’re going,” he added.
Given that the world is full of up and downs, Prof. Ebo Hinson urged the youth to associate themselves with people who could mentor them and also remain open to correction and rebuke when they go astray in the course of their career.
10 critical success factors of Prof Robert Hinson
1. Be connected to God or have a strong spiritual centre.
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2. Develop beautiful feet. Be mission oriented.
3. Never despise small beginnings. Learn to gather crumbs so that you can have a plentiful harvest. Always calibrate things. Measure everything you do.
4. Allow mistakes to become stepping stones to greatness. Relish second opportunities to success. Our God is a God of second chance. Even if it did not work well the first time, when the second time comes round, make the best of the second chance.
5. Do not live for yourself. Mentor people who will become more successful than you in the future. Be excessively generous with your time and resources.
6. Develop a strong personal brand:
- Be authentic,
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- Be a niche that makes you special and needs that you can satisfy than most.
- Develop a strong social network.
- Develop the sense of “on-brand” than “off-brand” activities.
- Have a long-term vision of where you’re going.
7. Have mentors. Honour your physical, spiritual, social, professional mentors. Be fully open to their correction and rebuke.
8. Always remain humble before God and men in the midst of fast or rapid success. 1 Peter 5:6. Humility should not be substituted for docility.
9. Learn to spend time with your family in order to maintain family cohesion. Preserve your physical body. Learn to go on holidays every now and then.
10. Invest in secular and spiritual books and a solid financial future. Keep learning.