It is the time of month to pick a book from the client shelf, and this week I chose Carol Ring’s
book about business culture. Carol was one of my first clients and an executive with Rogers
Communications when she authored the book, and while I knew her from before it as a pleasure getting to
know her better working on the book.
Ring wrote her book several years ago, before Covid gripped the world in it’s clutches and a a
time when work was done in offices, not homes but her point is more telling now than it was at that time.
She opens her book with a quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast’ which leaves little doubt
on her opinion on the value corporate culture. It might might be just me but I think a lot of businesses
could have used a visit to the corporate culture check sheet before the time of masks and hand sanitizers.
Ring’s point that front line staff’s view of customers and customer service is determined long
before they come face to face with a client is an interesting point and one I would find hard to dispute.
Her 6 steps to fueling People, Profits and Potential was valuable when she wrote it, but is even
more valuable today when the approach that customers are just an annoyance that must be tolerated is all
to common.
I found that reading the book again as I prepared these notes had me making more notes about
things that I could be doing better for my clients. There were times I thought she was speaking directly to
me with the words on the page, and I remember the time we spend on the telephone discussing the
concepts when when was writing the book.
Ring is no longer with Rogers and has gone on to a successful career as a key note speaker and
consultant. I think she calls it retirement, but still working as much as most people did in mid career.
It is a read that is bound to help your business or at very least your dealings with people even if
you don’t leave the house.
