Do you have the right mandate?

How many times do you hear a politician defend their actions by claiming they have a mandate to do what they did?

Take for example Brexit. Contentious I know but near with me (this is neither pro nor anti but a helpful example to learn from).

Boris Johnson’s supporters have repeatedly defended his negotiating tactics by saying he has a mandate for tough negotiations/a no deal. So what is the mandate they refer to?

Is it the result of the 2016 referendum? Different visions of a post-Brexit trade deal were proposed in its run up but the vote itself was a binary in versus out. It took place 4 years ago and the world has moved on rapidly in the meantime. Is that robust intelligence to base these and future decisions on?

Or is it the 2019 General Election? More up to date and the Conservative party won a sizeable parliamentary majority. However, less than 50% of voters backed them and Brexit (though very prominent) wasn't the only manifesto pledge people were voting on. Is there sufficient specific detail in that mandate to justify actions in delivering this goal?

This example highlights the strengths and weaknesses of any mandate. To balance the perspective, on the opposite side of the negotiating table is the European Union whose mandate comes from member governments, itself a compromise of differing visions and several steps removed from the "people of Europe" who they uphold as their ultimate mandate.

From the perspective of evidence it is more apparant than not that both sides' mandate could benefit from much improved intelligence. The lesson to highlight is about how the evidence used to underpin decision making particularly evidence about customer preferences could be more robust.

A mandate isn't just about pleasing yourself but also being able to meet the expectations of your customers. Those who don’t die (private sector), are sanctioned (public sector) or kicked out of office.

Put simply, to survive and thrive you need to understand your customers needs and wants - better for them, better for you, better all round.

Why does this matter to you?

Many of you are in the business of helping others and making positive change.

Thinking you are delivering what people want isn't enough.

Knowing what they want and acting on that is essential.

Having the skills and tools to find out what your customers want is essential to a successful business (acting on that intelligence is another matter). If the evidence you use as your mandate is poor, incomplete or out if date the chances of you meeting your customers preferences are less likely. 

So my questions to you are: do you know what your customers need/want? And is your business able to deliver on those?

Only you can control if, when and how you deliver. But in order to have any chance of delivering (or informing your customers that their demands can't be met by you) it is essential to have a better understanding of their demands in the first place.

Learn how to ask them, engage with them in ways they want to engage and use the evidence to continue to develop goods and services that they really need.

For advice and support in putting these pieces in place, get in touch today.