Week 23.09 Know The Customer

I am in Dubai this week with Marshall Goldsmith , Mark C. Thompson , Dr. Bonita Thompson and Jacquelyn Lane for the HR Tech conference and Global Gurus event. Over dinner last night, Marshall reminded us that there are times in our work and life that it is easy to forget who the customer is. That expression is shorthand for understanding the relationships that are at play. Is it so easy to think that just because you are paying for something or are the boss or have a stronger role in a relationship, that makes you the customer. Actually, it is the exact opposite; and when you consider who the customer really is, it can cause a dramatic shift in behavior which, in turn, leads to better outcomes. As the five of us discussed, I?recognized that if I really want to put this into practice, I need to be more committed than ever and thought the idea was worth sharing with you.?

Want to make an occasion very special? Treat the people who are taking care of you as though they are a valuable customer. Marshall is a master at this. Earlier in the day, we had stopped by a bookstore to purchase books for him to give away at a speaking engagement. While we were there, he took the time to thank each of the workers who helped us. Upon request, he gladly signed copies of his book(s) for them and took a picture with them. Earlier in the day as we meandered through the Dubai Mall, a number of fans recognized Marshall and came up to him to let him know that he had had a meaningful impact on their lives and express their gratitude. Each time, we stopped our walk and Marshall told them that he appreciated them. When we discussed this with Marshall, he said that Frances Hesselbein had always impressed upon him the importance of knowing who the customer is and serving them well. Later that evening, he went out of his way to recognize and give a signed copy of a book to each member of the waitstaff, the chef, and even members of the staff who were not serving us but wanted?a copy. Needless to say, the service was impeccable, and the food was delicious.?

Want to keep your top talent? Remember that top talent (possibly all talent) is your customer. While this may sound provocative, when you think about it great companies court top talent, treating them like the customer because they recognize their value. In conversation with Dr. Bonita Thompson last night, she brought up the excellent point that employees are too often seen as expenses rather than as the assets they are. When companies think of employees like expenses, they treat them like a cost, try to get more from them, and have fewer of them. Bonita makes the strong case that employees are actually assets that the company invests in through skills and knowledge and should be categorized on the balance sheet as such. When trained, talent becomes more valuable. When they leave, the company loses the value of that asset and all the institutional knowledge they’ve built. When companies recognize that talent is an asset (more than just calling them an asset), they begin to treat them like a customer, which has the benefits of increasing retention and productivity and making it easier to acquire new, great talent.?

Want to have better relationships? It is easy to see that anyone you want to influence, impact, or even just have a relationship with is, in many respects, your customer. Your spouse is your customer who you want to help grow,?make collaborative decisions with, and build a happy?life together. Your parents are your customers, who (making some broad assumptions here) have raised you and shaped you into the person you are, and if you’re like me, you want to build a beautiful relationship. If you want to blow your parents away, call them once a week and ask questions about their lives with genuine love and curiosity.?This works for all kinds of relationships - children, friends, neighbors, anyone - if you treat them with love and gratitude, making them feel valuable in interactions with you, then you will build a bond that can last a lifetime.?

The bottom line for me is, on some level, to treat everyone as the customer. It’s not a bad rule of thumb, for sure. It means thinking more about how to serve than being served. It is seeing people as important and valuable. In life and leadership, the more people we surround ourselves with who feel valued the more value will have in our lives. It is easy to pay lip service to want those we lead and love to feel valued, it is hard to make it so. One way is to recognize that the people who care for us must also be the people for whom we care. Considering them to be the customer might be a good way to understand the value they bring and help them feel like they really matter - because they do.

Building an imagination practice BY ALAINA LOVE

When most of us think about creativity, we view it as an end result. Someone came up with a creative idea or they didn’t. Or you view Person A on your team as naturally more creative than Person B. While these assumptions may appear to be true (there are certainly people with phenomenal artistic talent) creativity is but one element in a trinity of factors that allow us to innovate. It is the integration of imagination, inspiration and creativity that leads us to new ways of looking at the world and our work. We solve problems from a different mindset when we make space for imagination. It jump-starts a powerful cascade of events, with imagination triggering an inspiration and that inspiration leading to a new creative outcome. You can’t access creativity without making space for imagination.?

When considering how to spark imagination on your team, resist the urge to “boil the ocean.”?Begin by developing your own practice. Experiment with it, tweak it, get it right for you. Once you can describe your practice to others (and its natural ambiguity) you’re ready to include one or two members of the team and help them develop an imagination practice of their own. Start small, build momentum and then focus that collective power on something in your business that would benefit from a fresh approach. Most importantly, remember that your role is not to be the conductor of the creative act; it’s to collaborate with others in it. That’s how the most expansive ideas get birthed, and how the nascent artist within you and your team is unleashed to innovate.

4 shifts in business leadership for a disruptive era by Andrew White

From pandemic lockdowns to rapid inflation; the climate crisis to ever more complicated geopolitics; political instability to technological advances; it’s clear we are living in a disruptive era when the pace of change is constantly accelerating. So what does it take to lead in such times? What I see is a craving for authentic leaders who collaborate across internal and external boundaries. To me, authenticity means putting humanity at the heart of their approach and taking people on a journey with them. But how does this work in practice? Here are four key paradigm shifts which I see emerging.

How to Make a Career Pivot — Without Taking a Pay Cut by Dorie Clark

Many professionals dream about shifting into a new role or perhaps an entirely new career. Of course, making the case for yourself in a new industry may be challenging, especially if you lack directly relevant experience. But even beyond the obstacle of convincing others to give you a shot, there’s often a larger conundrum: how to pay for it.

Many midcareer or senior professionals have garnered enough experience and seniority to command substantial salaries. And even if your yearly take-home is more modest, it’s still common — between mortgages, tuition, and more — for many professionals to find themselves locked in “golden handcuffs” that require a certain level of income in order to avoid drastic lifestyle cuts. Yet starting over in a new career often necessitates taking a temporary — or, depending on the field, not-so-temporary — pay cut.

Making a career transition is never easy — and it may feel impossible when financial responsibilities get in the way. But by following these strategies, you can begin to take control of your career journey and reshape your trajectory so that, eventually, you’ll end up exactly where you want to be.

There will be another post to follow up this announcement - 100 Coaches Agency has promoted Jacquelyn Lane to the role of president of the agency. Her exemplar work, imagination, and her expansive talent and commitment to elevating the coaches, clients, and companies we work with make this promotion a pleasure for everyone who knows her and works with her. Congratulations Jacquelyn

With love, wonder and gratitude. Scott