Call Centers and Help Desks - Communities of Practice )
NWCCP and HDNW - Three Year Anniversary Meeting December 14 2005
In this issue
  • Meeting Details
  • Monthly Sponsor
  • Industry News and Events
  • Industry Resources, Hints and Tips
  • Job Opportunities and Job Openings
  • Driving Directions

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    HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE'S LIFE. BRING A NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEM TO THE NWCCP MEETING. WE WILL BE DELIVERING YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTHWEST HARVEST.

    Tom Peters, one of my favorite speaker-writers, shares incredibly forward thinking, wild and radical thoughts about business. To my pleasure, I've had it written on my own surveys, that I am the female Tom Peters of business. It can get you into trouble sometimes to speak such radical ideas, but if we don't start doing something now and taking immediate actions, corporations across the world will remain mediocre. Leaders must learn how to encourage change, hire better, and inspire the team if they want to re-engineer businesses to reach their fullest potentials.

    Tom Peters shares:

     

    • They say “effective governance” is important. I say bold-brash Boards that are representative of the market served—more than a token woman or two and an empty seat for the “forthcoming Hispanic”—are an Imperative. Now.
    • They say “We need more steady, loyal employees.” I say “WE NEED MORE FREAKS WHO ROUTINELY TELL THOSE ‘IN CHARGE’ TO TAKE A FLYING LEAP ... BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.”
    • They say “We must speed things up.” I say “We must Radically change the Corporate Metabolism until Insane Urgency becomes a Sacrament.”
    • They say I “overplay” the “women’s thing.” I say the minuscule share of Women in Senior Leadership Positions is a Waste and a Disgrace and a Strategic Marketing Error.
    • They say the Women’s Market Opportunity I harp on is “doubtless important.” I say 9 out of 10, make that 99 out of 100, companies aren’t within striking distance of accurately estimating the potential of the Women’s Market ...let alone exploiting it.
    • They say “We like people who, with steely determination, say, 'I can make it better.'" I say “I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, ‘I can turn the world upside down. Watch me!’”
    Read more of Tom's provocative thoughts...

     

    Join us at Safeco in Redmond to hear Chris share corporate characteristics of top leaders who successfully lead great teams and organizations. If this is your first time to attend, promise to look me up and say hello. The board and I will make you feel welcome. We want you to be a part of our "family" and will introduce you to others with similar interests as your own.

    • Date: December 14, 2005
    • Time: 1:30 - 4:00
    • Location: Safeco in Redmond (driving directions below)

     

    I'm looking forward to seeing you. Bring a friend too. All guests are welcome. Holiday attire is encouraged.

    P.S. Everyone in attendance will receive a 10 page handout.

    Warmly,


    Ivy Meadors, President Northwest Call Center Professionals and Help Desk Northwest

     

    		 Meeting Details
    Made for Success
     

    Session Description: What does it take to be a leader today? What characteristics are shared by top leaders who successfully lead great teams and organizations?

    Chris Widener will share with you the top 12 Characteristics of Successful Leaders in his 90 minute session.

     

    • How to attract followers who want to follow you
    • How to set and achieve goals as a leader
    • The key to connecting with people and developing positive relationships
    • Laying a foundation of integrity
    • Developing an attitude of optimism on your team
    • Making and carrying out hard decisions
    • The importance of priorities and learning to say "no"
    • Basic time management principles for effective leadership
    • And much more, all with an emphasis on practical, action-oriented steps you can begin TODAY.

     

    Meet the Speaker: Chris Widener receives rave reviews from his attendees and is endorsed by personal development legends such as Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley and Brian Tracy! He demonstrates a style that is engaging and versatile while providing life-changing principles of leadership, motivation and success.

     

    • His articles appear monthly in close to 100 publications and the Chris Widener E-zine has subscribers in 105 countries, making it one of the world’s most widely distributed newsletters on success and leadership.
    • He has shared the stage with top political figures, nationally known television news anchors, best-selling authors and professional athletes.
    • Chris has written 350 articles and 5 books and has produced close to 30 audio programs on leadership and motivation. His articles appear monthly in close to 100 publications.

     

    Chris is the leader of a new generation of personal development and leadership experts. He lives and breathes the strategies and tools he shares with millions around the globe. Chris' content is rich and practical, and his style is dynamic and engaging! If you want to see real change in your life, or the life of your organization, connect with Chris Widener. -- Jim Rohn

     

    		 Monthly Sponsor
     

    NICE systems is the global provider of advanced solutions that help organizations extract meaningful insight from interactions. Customer calls and other multimedia interactions (such as emails) contain information that, when analyzed, offers the organization valuable insights, which help improve the decision-making process and drive overall business performance.

    NICE solutions capture multimedia interactions, analyze their content to gain insight and present these insights in a manner which facilitates efficient decision-making. The power of the NICE Perform solution lies in the unique synergy between its advanced technology components, including recording and audio analysis, and integration with Microsoft .NET client- server technology.

    Contact Scott Westlund on 253-862-0836 or by email at Scott.Westlund@nice.com for more information.

     

    		 Industry News and Events
     

    $100 Laptops - not for sale The MIT Media Lab has launched a new research initiative to develop a $100 laptop—a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's children. To achieve this goal, a new, non-profit association, One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has been created. The initiative was first announced by Nicholas Negroponte, Lab chairman and co-founder, at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland in January 2005. Please note that the $100 laptops— not yet in production—will not be available for sale. The laptops will only be distributed to schools directly through large government initiatives. Click here to read about the $100 laptops And click here to read the other side of the story.

    Tackling the Gender Gap in IT. "We really need women in the IT [information technology] arena, because we need to have diversity of thought, generate new ideas, and create a workforce that mirrors the world we're a part of," said Carroll McGillin, the national initiatives manager for Cisco Systems' Networking Academies program. Read the rest of this interesting article.

    Leadership in the Real World Blog Notes, links, inspiration, and rants about topics related to personal and leadership development. Find all sorts of leadership information in numerous leadership blogs.

    You've read it in the news - Paul English has created a cheat sheet to skip IVR menus and get to a live person. Click to access the IVR Cheat Sheet.

    If you live in Oregon or nearby, you won't want to miss the Northwest Support Professionals meeting in Portland on December 14th. Dave Brown is presenting "Staff Planning: The Challenges and Techniques. Please visit Northwest Support Professionals' website. Job openings and resources are posted on their website as well.

     

    		 Industry Resources, Hints and Tips
     

    Eric Chester is the author of “Getting Them to Give a Damn” The following is an excerpt from his book. Visit Eric's website for more tips.

    How Does Southwest Airlines Get their Kidployees to Give a Damn? Southwest refuses to deviate from these five time-honored principles and values.

     

    • Honesty. In a world where they have so often been deceived, young people are drawn to those who shoot straight with no bull and zero hype.
    • Challenge. They appear to be looking for easy money – a simple, cushy job – when what they really want is to be challenged to the extreme limits of their potential.
    • Leadership. Many boomers think that kids today resist rules, structure, and authority. In reality, they’ve grown up in a relaxed society that has left them thirsty for discipline and principled leadership.
    • Opportunity. Consistently demonstrate how shorter-tem sacrifice leads to long-term growth and prosperity. Help your young talent understand that the key to success lies in the fusion of skills, character, and experience.
    • Recognition. The older we get the more we want to be acknowledged for our efforts. Nothing feels better than a pat on the back from someone we respect and love.

     

     

    		 Job Opportunities and Job Openings
     

    Job Candidates:

    • Xenia Chilkowich is looking for a management position either Customer Service, Sales Operations or even Training. You can reach her at 253-606-1594 (cell) or email cmxenia@yahoo.com.
    • If you have an opening for a call center lead or manager in Seattle or on the Island, we have a very good call center candidate who needs to reduce their commute. Email nwccp@hthts.com if you think you might have something applicable and we will put you in contact.
    • Another individual, who is currently employed also remaining anonymous, has advanced skills in ITIL, over 10+ years in management in Retail and various other industries. They are looking for a position in Management or an Individual Contributor role. This is someone I (Ivy) have known for almost 10 years and do recommend.

    Job Openings:

    • Serials Solutions has a number of positions open; Java Programer, QA, Managers, etc. Email Steve Moore at smoore@serialssolutions.com. He can put you in contact with their recruiting department.
    • Seattle Center has a very interesting Public Relations position for customer support. There is also an HR position there. You can read more at http://www.seattle.gov/jobs/default.asp? s=2&d=1.

    Job Resource Sites:

    • Call Center jobs in Puget Sound: http://www.topusajobs.com/cgi/search.cgi
    • Loads of technical positions including VP of IT: http://www.topusajobs.com/cgi/search.cgi
    • Jobs are available at Amazon.com/careers

    Be sure to send us your candidacy or job postings to nwccp@hthts.com.

     

    		 Driving Directions
     

    Driving and Parking Instructions to Safeco in REDMOND

    From the Eastside, take 405 South or North to 520 EAST toward Redmond (exit #14 off 405) From Seattle I-5, take 520 East toward Redmond.

    On 520 Eastbound, approx 3 miles east of the 405 Interchange, take NE 40TH ST / NE 51ST Street exit. The exit splits into two ramps – follow signs to NE 51st At the end of the exit, take a right on NE 51st Street From NE 51st street, take the first right on 154th Place NE into Safeco Campus.

    Safeco Campus ~ Follow Campus Lane to the right, all the way to the West Parking Garage. You will first pass the Olympic Building (Life & Investments) on your immediate right, the Rainier Building will be next on your left.

    (Safeco has set aside specific parking for us in the West Parking Garage, which is across from the Rainier building on your right, but access by car is from its back side. While you will also see some visitor parking in front of buildings along the way, we ask that you please honor these parking guidelines and proceed to the West Parking Garage on the day of the event).

    Continue on Campus Lane until you come to a stop sign. At the stop sign, take a right, then another right at the T. The West Parking garage is the second building on your right.

    Employee ID badges are activated for the West garage. Visitors must push the call button and request access from SAFECO security – just mention that you are with Help Desk Northwest or the Northwest Call Center Professionals Group. Parking is free for HDNW and NWCCP visitors on the day of the event.

    Rainier Building / King Auditorium Once parked, take stairs or elevator to the ground floor, use pedestrian walkway toward the Rainier Building (approx 60 ft away).

     

    Quick Links...

     
    HDNW website: http://www.hdnw.org