I have never before in my life heard, nay, felt, a better definition of leadership in business. It is in reading Law of Success by Napoleon Hill that I have been given this gift of clarity. While it is not a direct quote from the book but rather a updated commentary from contemporary authors, it can be summed up as follows. The selling of an product or service will likely involve at least five to ten separate tasks. Say sourcing, creating, advertising and distribution to name four. The task of leadership is not to learn these tasks but to create an alliance of minds dedicated towards the fulfillment of each of these jobs. The leader of Apple will surely not know how to manufacture a computer chip but he can create a Master Mind alliance (more on this later) with the people necessary to create this magnificent product.
This brings to mind the idea that a company should not be organized based on job titles but rather on the needs of the job role. The CEO of any large organization will likely be the creator of harmony among the Leaders (other executive officers) within his company. It is the job of each successive position within the company to create harmony downwards as to allow each person to add their brain to the mental organization that is the company. This is the true value of any company.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Contributing vs. Giving
I have always tried to give. Whether its money or time or something I have, if someone looks like they need it more than I do, I try to give (emphasis on try). The word giving itself has significant meaning for me. A lot of the ambition that drives me is centered around the idea that the more I have the more I can give. One of the greatest givers that I know (also one of my greatest teachers) is a living example of what you give, you get in return. He is successful beyond measure because he has given beyond measure.
Yet I find myself troubled by the word giving. It seems to me that it may convey the wrong meaning to that incremental group of people who would otherwise give if they understood it better. While the essence of giving is pure and great, the idea of a poor child in Africa giving his time or money is hard to swallow, pragmatic reasons aside. I find myself being drawn away from the idea of giving, I worry so much about what I have. The spiritual books I read say that if I worry less about what I have more will come to me. Don't get me wrong, I feel a great desire to give but I worry about what I have. This dichotomy within me creates unnecessary turmoil.
To quote The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz:
"The old man begins to tell you his story: "My teacher opened his chest and took out his heart, and he took a beautiful flame from his heart. Then he opened my chest, opened my heart, and he put that little flame inside it. He put my heart back in my chest, and as soon as my heart was inside me, I felt intense love, because the flame he put in my heart was his own love."
The story continues to where the old man began to spread this flame to everyone and everything he touched. This grew to be a big fire, one that did not burn but purified. It is from within this story that the idea that I am not giving but contributing a piece of me, a piece of my flame.
If you have ever cried at a story of heroics or triumph over great pain and felt a swelling of tears and emotion, this is your flame burning bright. In these moments of a bright flame, life becomes clear. What if our flame always burned this bright? If we take the wisdom of the story above we may make our fire brighter by contributing our flames to others. Its this essence, this contribution, that we see the true meaning of giving. By giving we become a piece of that which we have given to.
Giving becomes a lot easier when we picture in our mind that each time you give you are contributing a piece of your flame to another. This does not diminish yours but grows within another. If you could measure the flame that is yours that burns within you and others, how big would it be?
Yet I find myself troubled by the word giving. It seems to me that it may convey the wrong meaning to that incremental group of people who would otherwise give if they understood it better. While the essence of giving is pure and great, the idea of a poor child in Africa giving his time or money is hard to swallow, pragmatic reasons aside. I find myself being drawn away from the idea of giving, I worry so much about what I have. The spiritual books I read say that if I worry less about what I have more will come to me. Don't get me wrong, I feel a great desire to give but I worry about what I have. This dichotomy within me creates unnecessary turmoil.
To quote The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz:
"The old man begins to tell you his story: "My teacher opened his chest and took out his heart, and he took a beautiful flame from his heart. Then he opened my chest, opened my heart, and he put that little flame inside it. He put my heart back in my chest, and as soon as my heart was inside me, I felt intense love, because the flame he put in my heart was his own love."
The story continues to where the old man began to spread this flame to everyone and everything he touched. This grew to be a big fire, one that did not burn but purified. It is from within this story that the idea that I am not giving but contributing a piece of me, a piece of my flame.
If you have ever cried at a story of heroics or triumph over great pain and felt a swelling of tears and emotion, this is your flame burning bright. In these moments of a bright flame, life becomes clear. What if our flame always burned this bright? If we take the wisdom of the story above we may make our fire brighter by contributing our flames to others. Its this essence, this contribution, that we see the true meaning of giving. By giving we become a piece of that which we have given to.
Giving becomes a lot easier when we picture in our mind that each time you give you are contributing a piece of your flame to another. This does not diminish yours but grows within another. If you could measure the flame that is yours that burns within you and others, how big would it be?
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Thoughts on "Customer Action Hero"
A few weeks ago, I discovered, through a friend, a wonderful website, www.changethis.com. This website provides manifestos from many different authors, most notably Tom Peter and Seth Godin. One such manifesto is titled "Customer Action Hero" by Jeanne Bliss.
As I am beginning to do some freelance consulting work, primarily in the area of marketing with a focus on the customer experience, this manifesto seemed as though it would be useful. Indeed it was, the manifesto outlines to 10 steps to becoming a Customer Action Hero. Its these ten steps and the philosophy behind them that I will reflect on.
The thesis of the article is that the CEO in any organization must be actively involved in understanding and tracking the customer interactions with the organization as well as purposely pushing toward an ever improving customer experience. In essence, the CEO must continually be asking questions about customers. These questions should arise out of customer metrics that track everything from the most profitable segments to customer complaints at each point of contact with the organization. Without a true focus and commitment the CEO and employees will only pay lip-service to necessary changes.
The first action step is to elevate your customers to an asset of the business by incorporating customer metrics into strategic decisions. Often companies are faced with the challenge of employees that are already too busy with 'work' to implement this additional hassle. Therefore, the decision and persistence must come from the top. The next step, which will likely come before the first, is to create a system to track complaints and comments. This tracking, and the results of it, must be incorporated into all levels of planning and acted upon.
The third step is to listen to front line employees. These people have interactions with customers on a daily basis and often have a strong, but quiet opinion on what customers are complaining about. Provide a safe and confidential forum for these issues to be brought into the open and some amazing new thoughts are likely to be brought to attention. Once the customer issues are brought into the open, you must prioritize and fix the top 10 things that are bugging your customers. After these priorities are set, assign accountability to each category of problems to senior people in your company.
When doing customer surveys it is also important to keep in mind that a company shouldn't ask any questions if it doesn't intend to act on the answers. This wastes both the companies and the customers time. Nor does it have to include only survey, there can be many, one such possible survey is the Customer Loss Survey. On a monthly or quarterly basis, gather a list of customers who have left then assign a person (the more senior the better) to call these people and find out why they left. This basic approach will uncover dangerous trends and problems faster and more precisely than from the overall customer survey.
To take advantage of the knowledge gained through these many interactions with customers, companies should create a Customer Room. This room is the meeting place for discussions and the gathering room for customer information. The walls are posted with the Top 10 Things Bugging Our Customers list as well as different communications for all employees to see. Are your customers worth a room? Certainly. Within this room that Annual Customer Plan can be developed. This plan should include the actions and objectives for the upcoming year as well as a review of the previous year. The sole purpose of this plan will be to improve the customers experience with the business. The last part of the Customer Action Plan is that the company must focus and direct funds towards these objectives. Talk only goes so far, money needs to make the commitment real.
Within most businesses there are Customer Action Hero's, find these people and let them loose. And remember, focus on the customer, not on the business. Find out what the customer wants, not what the business can provide (that will come after!).
As I am beginning to do some freelance consulting work, primarily in the area of marketing with a focus on the customer experience, this manifesto seemed as though it would be useful. Indeed it was, the manifesto outlines to 10 steps to becoming a Customer Action Hero. Its these ten steps and the philosophy behind them that I will reflect on.
The thesis of the article is that the CEO in any organization must be actively involved in understanding and tracking the customer interactions with the organization as well as purposely pushing toward an ever improving customer experience. In essence, the CEO must continually be asking questions about customers. These questions should arise out of customer metrics that track everything from the most profitable segments to customer complaints at each point of contact with the organization. Without a true focus and commitment the CEO and employees will only pay lip-service to necessary changes.
The first action step is to elevate your customers to an asset of the business by incorporating customer metrics into strategic decisions. Often companies are faced with the challenge of employees that are already too busy with 'work' to implement this additional hassle. Therefore, the decision and persistence must come from the top. The next step, which will likely come before the first, is to create a system to track complaints and comments. This tracking, and the results of it, must be incorporated into all levels of planning and acted upon.
The third step is to listen to front line employees. These people have interactions with customers on a daily basis and often have a strong, but quiet opinion on what customers are complaining about. Provide a safe and confidential forum for these issues to be brought into the open and some amazing new thoughts are likely to be brought to attention. Once the customer issues are brought into the open, you must prioritize and fix the top 10 things that are bugging your customers. After these priorities are set, assign accountability to each category of problems to senior people in your company.
When doing customer surveys it is also important to keep in mind that a company shouldn't ask any questions if it doesn't intend to act on the answers. This wastes both the companies and the customers time. Nor does it have to include only survey, there can be many, one such possible survey is the Customer Loss Survey. On a monthly or quarterly basis, gather a list of customers who have left then assign a person (the more senior the better) to call these people and find out why they left. This basic approach will uncover dangerous trends and problems faster and more precisely than from the overall customer survey.
To take advantage of the knowledge gained through these many interactions with customers, companies should create a Customer Room. This room is the meeting place for discussions and the gathering room for customer information. The walls are posted with the Top 10 Things Bugging Our Customers list as well as different communications for all employees to see. Are your customers worth a room? Certainly. Within this room that Annual Customer Plan can be developed. This plan should include the actions and objectives for the upcoming year as well as a review of the previous year. The sole purpose of this plan will be to improve the customers experience with the business. The last part of the Customer Action Plan is that the company must focus and direct funds towards these objectives. Talk only goes so far, money needs to make the commitment real.
Within most businesses there are Customer Action Hero's, find these people and let them loose. And remember, focus on the customer, not on the business. Find out what the customer wants, not what the business can provide (that will come after!).
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