Pulling a Benioff

In July of 2018, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff famously went on a 2-week vacation and returned with a new perspective and plan both for himself and for his company.

His plan was different, if not revolutionary and he wanted it implemented immediately.

The details of his plan are not important, how he got there is.

Benioff completely unplugged, went through a digital detox and in doing so cleared his head of the day to day noise...

• The meetings
• The to do list
• The future to do list etc…

Although on a different scale, we all get consumed by the day to day. Rather than fighting through it, we should take a page out of Benioff’s book – again on a smaller scale – and choose a different path.

Problem Solving

We’ve all been there…there is a problem to solve and we simply can’t get to the solution…

• We try to solve it
• We get frustrated…we try some more
• We snap at someone…we try some more
• We stop listening to others…we keep fighting our way through it
• In the end we lose sight of the overarching problem that we are trying to address because…

“THIS STUPID F@CKING THING IS BEATING ME!”

Pull a Benioff

Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to completely remove yourself from it.

I don’t mean just taking on another task, I mean literally remove yourself from the problem and the problem is…WORK!

What I’m saying is, Pull a Benioff and disconnect. Now most don’t have access to a sprawling Hawaiian estate, like Benioff (in fact nobody is like him which is why he is who he is) but that doesn’t mean you can’t disconnect, that you can't Walk Away.

Walking away doesn't make you a quitter, quite the opposite, you're actually being a problem solver!

When a problem is consuming you, literally get up from your desk and take a walk. Get Up and Get Out! Leave the space that you - in this moment - associate with complete FRUSTRATION.

• Go to a coffee shop and read a book
• Sit in the parking lot (like Lauren- see pic above) & look at Instagram
• Go to the Gym
• Go to a park and Meditate
• Go to the movies
• Do somersaults down a grassy hill

Whatever makes you happy, no judgement.

LEAVE THE OFFICE! Do something that makes you happy!

You have my blessing which may or may not (probably not) mean much, but those who work with me at Votacall know that I fully support them Pulling a Benioff when necessary.

Why?

Because a happy teammate with a clear head, beats everything else 100% of the time. What's good for a member of the team, is good for the team itself and when the team is functioning at a high level the Customer Experience follows.

In short,

Our Internal Customer Experience defines our External Customer Experience

A “Punch the Clock” culture has no place in a Customer Experience first organization. Employees should not feel guilty Pulling a Benioff, they should feel fully supported.

I say this a lot (see above) and I will say it again here, if you want to elevate your Customer Experience, start with your Internal Customers. Empower them to make good decisions that put them in a position to be at their best.

Final Thought

I always say that the Customer Experience begins and ends with you which is why a culture of employee empowerment is key. Therefore, YOU should feel empowered to solve problems in the most efficient way YOU possibly can. So, next time a problem is eating you alive…

Pull a Benioff!

Your colleagues and clients will Benioff from it (Get it)!