Success the Serbian Way
http://www.setthestageforsuccess.com/articles/4950/1/Success-the-Serbian-Way/Page1.html
Anthony Vultaggio
Anthony Vultaggio is the author of, "Who Said That and Why You Should Care
". He's the founder and president of Life Strategies Business Consulting, founding board member for SEAN (Stop Elder Abuse Now), marketing consultant for the RightDentalGroup.com dentists, and a sought-after speaker on healthcare marketing and success strategies.By Anthony Vultaggio
Published on 05/1/2008
Serbia's government set forth new rules of conduct for civil servants. The word from the top is a take off on the golden rule ... do unto others and do so in modest clothing.
An article came over the wire recently about a new code of conduct for Serbia’s civil servants. The new code spells out that they must act professionally and kindly to citizens and provide true and timely information. The new code continues by asking that citizens be respected and that their business be kept confidential. It's amazing to think that you have to tell people not to be grumpy. But apparently you do.
The civil, or not-so-civil servants (as I call them) are being asked to deal with people various personalities and give everyone the dignity that they deserve. It also goes further and describes acceptable and unacceptable dress as part of the professionalism. It was very interesting to read how far reaching this new code was. Agree or disagree, it definitely sets expectations for both the public and the civil servants.
Sometimes in bureaucracies, they employee’s forget who the customer is. When it’s a government agency, the customer is the public. When we go to the DMV here in the States, we are the customer, not a nuisance as we are led to believe. Without us their is no reason to employ those folks.
Interestingly enough, being a civil servant is a coveted post in Serbia, despite modest salaries. Apparently it offers short hours a lot of job security and a “lingering sense of power”. Ahhh! Let’s take a look at that for a minute. When there is job security, we tend to get lazy or at least we don’t try that hard…(isn’t that really the same thing as laziness). There is no fear of the ultimate consequence, being let go. Conversely, there are no goals, what are civil servants aiming for. Are there agency goals? Are they striving for something? Are they reaching for something?
The last issue, the lingering sense of power, is arguably the most important part of the equation. The power struggle is the unspoken battle in every relationship. If the civil servants in Serbia forget or don’t understand that the public is who they serve then all is lost. That puts the public, the customer, in the power position. The client should be satisfied. There’s the rub! What does that mean?
The truth is that here and abroad, most have lost the concept of what it means to serve one another. And that's the ultimate stumbling block on the road to success.
The civil, or not-so-civil servants (as I call them) are being asked to deal with people various personalities and give everyone the dignity that they deserve. It also goes further and describes acceptable and unacceptable dress as part of the professionalism. It was very interesting to read how far reaching this new code was. Agree or disagree, it definitely sets expectations for both the public and the civil servants.
Sometimes in bureaucracies, they employee’s forget who the customer is. When it’s a government agency, the customer is the public. When we go to the DMV here in the States, we are the customer, not a nuisance as we are led to believe. Without us their is no reason to employ those folks.
Interestingly enough, being a civil servant is a coveted post in Serbia, despite modest salaries. Apparently it offers short hours a lot of job security and a “lingering sense of power”. Ahhh! Let’s take a look at that for a minute. When there is job security, we tend to get lazy or at least we don’t try that hard…(isn’t that really the same thing as laziness). There is no fear of the ultimate consequence, being let go. Conversely, there are no goals, what are civil servants aiming for. Are there agency goals? Are they striving for something? Are they reaching for something?
The last issue, the lingering sense of power, is arguably the most important part of the equation. The power struggle is the unspoken battle in every relationship. If the civil servants in Serbia forget or don’t understand that the public is who they serve then all is lost. That puts the public, the customer, in the power position. The client should be satisfied. There’s the rub! What does that mean?
The truth is that here and abroad, most have lost the concept of what it means to serve one another. And that's the ultimate stumbling block on the road to success.