Grant Stanley Consulting

Between 2002 and 2008 I was employed by British Telecom as the Central Regional Sales Director.   This afforded me the ability to influence, coach, mentor and deliver results through a staff of over 300; across 2 call centres and Field based consultants.   I wrote this article a few years ago but never published it, but I feel it is relevant now as the increase in the economy generally increases attrition rates. Just to set the scene, my call centres had an attrition rate of almost 37% when I took responsibility in 2006, but following the following principles below, I was able to reduce my annual attrition to below 15% with less than 4% annual absence records.   This may sound high to some but for a Call centre environment this is fantastic! Recruitment – getting it right from the start It is essential when recruiting that the correct competencies and behaviours are defined in order to deliver your business’s requirements.  Once the potential applicant’s...

A navy pilot completed hundreds of hours of training and then flew dozens of combat missions. He shot down dozens of enemy planes, bombed many targets, and earned a chest full of medals, along with higher ranks. He was quite prooud of his accomplishments. On one mission, a crucial piloting error allowed an enemy missile to disable his jet and he was forced to bail out. His parachute deployed and he landed safely in the ocean. As he floated for two days waiting to be rescued he had plenty of time to think back over his career. When the helicoptor finally picked him up and returned him to his ship, he went directly to the flight equipment room. He asked to speak with all the sailors that worked there. When they were all assembled, he thanked them for packing his parachute. He explained that it took being shot down to make him understand how much he took for granted the labors of others that made his job possible - the mechanics, the flight crew, the cooks, and even the parach...