customer centric

Leadership Meditations for 2018
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Leadership Meditations for 2018

Here are twelve leadership meditations for 2018.  I coupled them with photographs of scenes in my favourite place, Newfoundland and Labrador.  Most of these meditations I have created or amassed over the years, some I know I heard elsewhere but can’t remember the source.. I apologize in advance if you have heard any of them before, but I truly believe they are all worth sharing and reflecting on.  I hope that you enjoy these meditations, and that they help you have a successful chapter on your leadership journey in 2018.  I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018!

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Remarks to Atlantic Director Education Event November 2, 2017
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Remarks to Atlantic Director Education Event November 2, 2017

Last week I had the great pleasure of speaking to a conference at the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.  The event was for Atlantic Canadian Alumni of the Directors Education Program from the Institute of Corporate Directors, and was on the topic of Governance and Disruption.

There were a lot of ‘big questions’ being debated in the room, particularly around the paradoxes that are arising in being a Director in times of such uncertainty and change.   The role of management and of Directors is changing, and every firm needs to think about how they are managing the interrelated areas of Innovation, Disruption, Customer Behaviour Change, and Technology Evolution – and the impacts of all of these on both the strategy and risk profile of a firm.

It was extremely refreshing to see such energy around the evolution of good governance! Bravo to the Institute of Corporate Directors, The Sobey School of Business, and the Atlantic Canada Directors Education Alumni for putting together such a great event!

My session in particular was around the steps that Directors need to take to ensure good  strategy and good governance in these times of disruption.   I thought I’d share my slides from the event here…obviously there was a lot of dialogue that went with the slides – so feel free to ask me any questions that you may have…

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Three things every business person should be thinking about for 2015
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Three things every business person should be thinking about for 2015

three ideas dartboard

I always feel like September is the start of the new year. Even if you are in one of the many organizations with a fiscal year end at December 31, it is in the fall of the year that you are planning, finalizing budgets, and making decisions as to what initiatives you will pursue next year.

So here is my list of three things every business person should be thinking about for 2015.

1. What’s your content Play?

As we move into 2015 we really are seeing a real change in the appeal of your communications. Advertising in its traditional sense is obsolete, and what moves the needle is relevant content that builds connectedness with your customers and potential customers.

People no longer want to be given a pitch, and they are now adept at ignoring your traditional approaches –  and I include in this their ability to ignore your traditional digital approaches! People want immersive, interactive experiences that bring them into the story and build a deep connection. You need video and interactivity, and you need it now, and you need it working on every type of screen.

The good news is that with the rising wave of content distribution engines, social media interfaces, and the interactive evolution of traditional advertising mediums – there is opportunity for businesses large and small to engage in these deep meaningful experiences with customers.

You need to think of yourself as a publisher, friend and trusted confidante for your customers. Make sure you know what your opportunities are here, and that you are thinking hard about how your messages truly engage, inform, inspire and entertain your audiences.

2. The rise of deep data

Despite all the brain-numbing hype over big data in the last couple of years, it really is time to think about how you are going to use deep data to help your business. The reason I prefer the term “Deep Data” vs. “Big Data” is that it is focused on the true insight that can be gleaned from all the information around you – going deep on the pieces that are important. Big data is an overwhelming concept and for most businesses it is impossible to know where to start. In Deep Data what is important is to truly understand those specific data sets that are critical to how your target customers live, think and feel.

Companies who use analytics to identify and go deep on the few true business drivers will be the ones able to use data to make real change and seize new opportunities. And I believe they will find these opportunities much quicker than the companies that spin up gargantuan algorithms with an incomprehensible sea of variables.

3. How will you win the war for hearts and minds?

Much has been written on the emerging war for talent, and also on the unique aspects of engaging the millenials in your workplace. I think there is a bigger issue at play here. People of all ages, tutored by the millenials in their lives, are becoming innately more social and more cynical than ever before.

With respect to the rise of social media and mobile connectedness, people are now driven by instant feedback, instant “coaching” from their wider community of influence, and open dialogue on every topic. How will you build a culture and action mindset in your organization that a) feeds this new expectation of employees; b) captures the advantage of this new connectedness with your customers; and c) opens your organization to true, instant feedback from all your stakeholders?

With respect to the increasing cynicism of both your employees and customers, how are you incorporating this reality into planning? People are not willing to take your claims at face value, and are more intelligent, educated and media savvy than ever before. How are you amping up the proof and trusted support network for your claims? The smartest companies in 2015 will use the power of peer networks, compelling evidentiary content, and open dialogues with employees and customers to close the deal faster, even in the face of a cynical audience.

There is definitely a war for talent, but there is a bigger war for the hearts and minds of everyone who counts in the success of your business.

Thinking about your content play, the rise of deep data and winning the war for hearts and minds are three things I think you should be thinking about. What are your thoughts of trends to consider in 2015? I’d love to hear from you.

Take Care,

Heather

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If you really don’t want to know, don’t ask: when customer feedback research fails.

120758221I was recently making a purchase and the salesperson told me that I would be getting a follow-up email asking for feedback on my experience. He told me that he would really appreciate if I could rate him ‘10’ on all items (out of 10). He told me that anything less than a 10 is seen as failure at his company and it really badly affects his performance review and pay.

At first I thought this was the reaction of one overzealous salesperson. So I asked other people who I knew had done business with this company, with other reps and other locations. Every person I spoke with told me they had gotten the same heartfelt request from their sales person.

In my mind there are three main objectives of customer feedback gathering:

  1. To find out if there is something that has been missed with the customer so that you can act on it immediately,
  2. To learn what elements of your product or service experience are important to your customer, and
  3. To learn where you are excellent (protect that), good (improve that), and falling down (improve that quickly)

A company that has created a system where the entire organization is incented to get a certain score on every question, whether it is true or not, is failing at these objectives. In this situation I would suggest that the customer feedback gathering investment is not only useless, it is likely harmful and creating a company centric vs. customer centric stance in the team.

Communicating and sharing customer feedback with the front-line is critical. All employees need to be congratulated and rewarded for doing great and they equally need to know how they can do better. The key is to be able to use feedback throughout your organization in a way that builds a relentless curiosity for the truth of the customers’ feedback, and a passion for improving.   Doing this is tricky, but it absolutely can be done.

Building an honest and constructive feedback process is worth your energy, time and leadership investment. Don’t be seduced by the score – instead be relentless in truly learning how you are making your customers feel, and where you can improve your true results.