High Satisfaction Day (HSD)
My friend Ron Baker taught me about HSDs. HSDs are the days when something happens that makes you swell with sense of accomplishment and think, "this is why I do what I do!" - your raison d'être.
Ron credits John Heymann, founder of NewLevel Group in Napa, CA, as the creator the High Satisfaction Day (HSD) term which Ron wrote about in one of his books: Measure What Matters to Customers.
Some companies and firms encourage employees to note their HSDs on a calendar in the employee lounge. Others, like Brendon Harrex's accounting firm, use technology to capture HSDs with a computer desktop button that, when pressed, launches a celebration fanfare and notes, somewhere, who had an HSD today.
Companies can keep an eye on increases or decreases in HSDs to get a sense of morale or personal fulfillment. This is why Ron calls it a KPI: or Key Predictive Indicator. No HSDs could imply an unhappy team member...someone who may not enjoy their job, or want to stay.
Anyway, Ron recently posted one of his HSDs which inspired me to post my best HSD ever. It's an email I received in May from a new client's lovely wife (edited a little for privacy) after my first project with the firm.
Michelle,
I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that, even though you aren’t aware of it, you’ve made a tremendous difference in my life in the last few weeks!! It seems funny because we don’t really even know that much about each other, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate you and your professional contribution to the marketing efforts at M's firm.
M is so proud of the proposal for the [prospect] project and having made the transition to having a product like that get out the door in such a short time was HUGE! Sometimes it’s nice to have input from “outside” .... M thinks the world of you and feels very lucky to have such a valuable resource for the firm.
Needless to say, he is a much more relaxed husband this weekend and of course that makes me a much happier wife!!
Anyway, I hope that you have time to spend with your family this holiday weekend and that the weather where you are is better than the cold and rain that we have here this weekend! I truly enjoyed your stay here with us and I do hope that we have more opportunities to share and get to know each other better in the near future.
Sincerely, J
Having positively impacted the family life of a client is probably the most important thing I've ever accomplished as a consultant. This, to me, was the ultimate compliment...definitely reminded my why I love doing what I do. And it feels good to share!
Can you think of your most recent or best HSD? We'd love to see what inspires you and makes you feel rewarded!
If you don't have a blog, feel free to post your HSD in a comment to this blog post. If you do have a blog, consider posting your HSD on it (trackback here, if you like).
Also, if you want to participate in a meme on it, here's a starting list to add to your post:
Hi Michelle,
What a great story, thanks for sharing it. It was a perfect post to read while doing my Monday morning planning and goal setting.
Bill
Posted by: Bill Brelsford | July 28, 2008 at 08:16 AM