BOOK REVIEWER BOOK REVIEWER
MARYANNE MOCNIK CLAIRE MULGREW
Service Habits by Jaquie Scammell
Urgent ! by Dermot Crowley
Who could have imagined what was to come following the offer to provide this book review and how apt my choice of ‘ Service Habits ’ by Jaquie Scammell ended up being amid the pandemic crisis of COVID-19 .
The resulting change in our work environments and how as a local government we needed to transform the way in which we provided our services , highlighted the importance of building long-lasting relationships for greater long-term impact .
The book reminded me that to create a new habit takes time , that you had to repeat the behaviour many times for it to become automatic . But first , before improvement , a prompt about some of those bad habits we need to break or let go of .
Whether you need improvement in service habits as categorised in the book : ‘ Service fundamentals ’; ‘ Know how you serve best ’; ‘ Learn how others want to be served ’; ‘ Balance your actions when serving ’; and finishing with ‘ Service practice ’, there is definitely take-aways for anyone in this book .
Each chapter concluded with an opportunity to reflect on your own personal experiences followed by ways in which you could embed the habit in your daily lives . Plenty of practical ways offered to embed a new habit or two .
Maryanne is an Executive and Project Support Officer at Mooney Valley City Council
Has pseudo-urgency and being busy become common culture ? How many times do we hear ‘ I ’ m really busy ’ in response to ‘ How are you ?’ Maybe it ’ s an auto response in a workplace setting , a way to communicate from the outset that you ’ re unavailable . Or do we feel more respected and valued if we are in demand ?
Each time we set a premature deadline or send an email with ‘ URGENT ’ screaming from the subject ( on a training lunch catering request ) in order to incite a response , we reinforce a culture that creates more stress , and a loss of productivity and integrity . I get it though , like you I spend a good part of my day chasing committed work , where deadlines have lapsed . It ’ s frustrating and a blackhole for valuable time .
The question is , ‘ How do we still get what we need , in the required timeframe we need it ( even from the ones who make you feel like you ’ re herding cats )?’
Dermot has provided a set of commonsense principles ( like the 10 commandments of respectful working ) as described in this book , that you can take to your teams as workplace behaviours . Removing the cycle of ‘ urgency ’ allows yourself and others to be more impactful , deliberate and focussed . So , when tangible timesensitive items do arise , we can deal with them proactively and maybe even retire the cat lasso and get 30 mins back each day to have a coffee in peace !
Claire is an Operations Manager at Time & Place Property
Issue 2 2020 | Chief of Staff 65