#303: How to Do Crazy Good Turns -- Frank Blake
The Tim Ferriss Show
What Makes a Good Customer Service Story?
Did you give them any guide lines at all? We weren't looking for the story of the cashier who stopped the robber. Some companies are more focused on shrink prevention and things like that. But we had lots of different, i mean, just emotionally powerful people helping other people in the store.
Frank Blake (@frankblake) served as chairman and CEO of The Home Depot from January 2007 to May 2014, and then as chairman through January of 2015. He previously served as deputy secretary for the US Department of Energy. Prior to that, he served in a wide variety of executive roles at General Electric.
Frank's public sector experience includes having served as general counsel for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), deputy counsel to Vice President George H.W. Bush, and law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
Frank serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Aquarium, Proctor & Gamble, Macy's, and is currently serving as board chairman of Delta and Grady Memorial Hospital. He holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a jurisprudence degree from Columbia University School of Law.
Frank also produces a short-form podcast called Crazy Good Turns, which tells inspiring stories about amazing people who do things for others. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss a book that inspired both of us, advice from Jack Welch, the art of customer service, "productive conflict," and much, much more. Enjoy!
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