CHAPTER 1Leading a Breakthrough Service Is Different

What great service leaders know: leading a breakthrough service is different.

What great service leaders do: they take steps to ensure repeated memorable service encounters.

Robert Nardelli left General Electric to become CEO of Home Depot in 2001. Expectations were high for Home Depot, the home improvement retailer whose growth had slowed when Nardelli took over. After all, he had already led several GE manufacturing operations to great success.

At Home Depot Nardelli found that the stores were staffed with knowledgeable, full-time employees, sometimes more than were absolutely necessary. He led a move to hire more part-timers, many with less expertise in home improvement, in order to size ...

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