Many thanks to everyone who participated in our panel discussion yesterday morning on the changing nature of the customer relationship.  We had a great session, and the panelist really provided some tremendous content.  It was so interesting to hear about the commitments to things like ‘picking up the metaphorical phone’, and having some form of personal contact across channels. Sometimes the expression is true – the more things change, the more they stay the same.

But there are some very real differences in how we market and serve customers in a hyper-connected economy. The speed and accuracy with which customers know and understand our products, our costs, and our competition is higher than ever. Differentiating on experience, and making it something customers will choose and choose to pay for is critical when many products and services are quickly commoditized.

The University of Denver is enjoying a gorgeous fall day for hosting the first presidential debate of the 2012 election.  Just made the rounds and checked out the Facebook, Twitter, Google, Sirus, and other media outlets – everything is buzzing.

The Forbes quote of the day today is “it is easy to be tolerant when you do not care” .  That’s good to remember when you are dealing with seemingly intolerant people – perhaps they just care enough to be passionate about something. Challenge your assumptions about someone’s behavior the next time you think “she’s just impossible!” and you might find a different narrative that helps you to really understand what’s going on with that person.

Today I went with a colleague to pick up our media credentials for the Presidential debates on Wednesday. We’ll be covering the debates through social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ (check us out at #debatedenver, or @uofdenver).

Our badges have large pictures of us together with a bar code, a QR code, and strict instructions regarding appropriate use. Another woman was picking hers up at the same time, and I noticed it has some extra stickers – apparently easily identifying her as ‘more important’ than us – she will have access to extra areas on Wednesday. It got me thinking that visible credentials really can make a difference, which is why people wear uniforms in many professions. So why is it that in ‘management’ we don’t have formal uniforms that mark our expertise or contribution level?  Maybe we do have a ‘dress code’, but it isn’t as obvious as a uniform or a badge.  Not that I’m advocating for a uniform (save us all!) but how we mark ourselves in person and online is an interesting social question.

Leaders are often coached to present a strong vision, a clear message, and conviction.  Caution has to be used, though, to avoid falling too in love with your own conviction as a leader. Once you become certain – hardened into your position – you stop being open to change and to growth, both of which are realities of life and business.  Change happens – every day introduces new technologies, new beliefs, new approaches, and if leaders become overly committed they easily miss minor (and major) course corrections that can make all the difference in success.  If you are a leader, stay open to possibilities, stay curious about the world, and stay current about the realities of the ever changing world in which you lead.