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Resource Center Articles What NOT to Do: Three Contrarian Commandments for Maximum Success
Resource Center Articles What NOT to Do: Three Contrarian Commandments for Maximum Success
| What NOT to Do: Three Contrarian Commandments for Maximum Success |
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By Susan Battley Commandment 1. You will not put customers first. This commandment may sound counterintuitive, even heretical. Plus I won’t endear myself with those making their living offering customer service seminars. But the unvarnished truth is that organizations cannot excel by putting their customers first. Rather, you must put your employees first. Your people are the rocket fuel that powers your organization’s creativity and performance. Talented, motivated, and well-trained employees will make your customers feel like they come first. They will be customer-focused, which means being highly attuned to customer values and satisfaction, as well as to market trends and innovation. Instead: Hire people who are a “whole person fit” for the job and your organization’s culture. Treat them as full partners. Build and nourish a culture of recognition and trust. Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher sums these points well, “If the employees come first, then they're happy…. A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders.” Commandment 2. You will not stay in the cloister. One of the most dangerous traps that executives and managers can fall into, I have found, involves operating within a very circumscribed world. This “cloister” is variously called the executive floor, administration building, company headquarters, etc. You interact with the same people at the same meetings, conferences and social functions week in and week out. You also get the same viewpoints, biases, and filtered information week in and week out. And, just as important, lots and lots of people who are critical to your department’s or organization’s success do not get to interact with you. For example, in my experience, middle managers and project directors - both of whom are key operational lynchpins – often have little access to senior management. This state of affairs is poor for morale, operational excellence, and accelerating development of next-generation leaders. Instead: Break out of your cloister. Dedicate time on a regular basis to meet with new hires, front-line employees, and middle managers. Get out and lead by walking around and listening. Schedule a monthly breakfast or informal bag lunch. These activities are powerful ways to show you are paying attention. And you will be surprised at what you learn. Commandment 3. You will not launch new projects without adequate resources. Remember the “I Love Lucy” episode at the chocolate factory? Lucy cannot keep up as the conveyor belt bearing the chocolates moves faster and faster. Instead, in desperation, she starts stuffing the candies into her mouth and pockets to make it look like she is able to get the job done. Your staff and subordinates are working at full "conveyor belt" speed now. There is no slack. So when you get set to launch a new project or initiative, implementation must translate into work effort. I call this reality the “invisible obvious” because so many decision makers overlook, minimize or underestimate the impact of new projects on their people’s performance, morale, and loyalty. Too many initiatives yield subpar results or are dead on arrival because they were under-resourced right from the start. In fact, leaders run the risk of losing their best talent under these circumstances because star performers will not tolerate “I Love Lucy” conveyor belt-type factory conditions. If they cannot see a ready path to being successful, your best people will leave. Instead: Take a disciplined, realistic approach to launching new projects. If something substantial is added to a person or team’s portfolio, either add sufficient new resources or remove something of equivalent value and effort. Remember, when everything is important, nothing is important. Heed these three commandments to supercharge productivity, profitability, and innovation in your organization or department. Copyright © Susan Battley, PsyD, PhD. All rights reserved. |
What People Say
"Battley distills her years as a trusted CEO adviser into performance-boosting strategies and solutions." - Howard Putnam
Former CEO
Southwest Airlines
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