Law Number XLV: One should expect that the expected can be prevented, but the unexpected should have been expected.

-Norman Ralph Augustine, Augustine's Laws 

 There are tons of aphorisms surrounding this topic: "expect the unexpected" is a particularly common one.  Or if you've come in contact with any of NASA's safety discussions (or heard it from Donald Rumsfeld), you know about the "unknown unknowns."  What this all boils down to is that risk presents itself to us in the form of what we know versus what we don't, what we expect and what we don't.

For many home-based workers, the chief advantage of the home office is that it lets them achieve a more equitable balance between work and family.  The key word here is balance.  

Once of your most difficult tasks will be to convince loved ones that you really are working.  Even the most considerate family and friends may suffer from the common misconceptions about home-based work--you're available any time and you can drop whatever you are doing.  Make it clear that you are earning your livelihood, not indulging in a hobby.

- Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business

Appreciation, recognition, encouragement: ARE.  Together they make up a cost-free, fully sustainable fuel, one that builds self-confidence  and self-esteem, boosts individual and team performance, and keeps an organization running cleanly and smoothly.  ARE is more powerful than the fuels that make engines roar and space shuttles soar, because it propels human energy and motivation.  And unlike costly, nonrenewable fuels like oil and gas, its supply is inexhaustible.  You can give out ARE all day long, at home and at work, and wake up the next morning with a full tank.  In fact, the more we use, the more there is, because every time people receive some ARE they discover more of their own internal supply and start giving away the overflow.

-Lee Cockerell, Creating Magic

Unless the reason for a rule is understood, it is difficult to learn the rule, and it is still more difficult to apply it successfully in practice.

-George C. Crocker, Crocker's Principles of Procedure

 It can be very tempting to give the reason "because I said so"  because it's so quick and easy, but it is seldom a compelling explanation for the person who hears it.  It may make a toddler follow instructions for a brief time, but rarely does it lead to lasting change (anyone who has ever tried to get a four-year-old to stop jumping on the couch or bed has experienced this). And even more importantly, it fails to teach the child anything and does not give him or her the ability to apply the same concepts to new situations.

In today's high-stakes business games, not all errors are forgiven and forgotten, of course.  Some may even cost a person his or her job.  But in many cases, by taking responsibility and by solving the problem, you may navigate the troubled waters with little if any negative effect on your career.  To deny responsibility - to reflexively say, "That's not my fault!" - is almost guaranteed to infuriate everybody.

- Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business

More than just a buzz word, culture is the very soul of an organization. When thoroughly understood, the culture is what drives the focus on customer service. But the question remains, "How do you bring the culture to life and make it work for you, rather than against you?" The best answer is, People Management Strategies. From recruitment and selection to rewards and recognition, this is how you create a work environment that produces outstanding, consistent customer focused performance every day! Let's simplify by looking at a list of suggestions on just how to build a customer driven culture.