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Role of Leaders Culture of Customer Centricity

Choosing to create a culture of customer centricity involves many specific actions, processes, initiatives, and methods to make sure the outcome is not only what is intended, but also expected, in order to make a real difference to the overall success of your organization. As such, it is the role of a great leader to help their people do what is necessary to bring customer centricity to life, within the broader context of many other equally crucial and demanding activities. In this video, Phil Geldart, author of “Customer Centricity: A Present and Future Priority,” explains the role great leaders play in a customer centric culture.

Video Transcript

Phil Geldart: And so you work your way all the way up the organization and you realize, to be truly customer-centric, you need to equip every level of leadership with the skills and the behaviors and the mindset to think about the customer, and to translate that mindset into action themselves.

Customer centricity is a culture. It’s not easy because it means that everybody in the organization is thinking about the customer. The reason that’s not easy is because many people in the organization never actually meet a customer. They never talk to a customer and they feel, “oh, customer centricity is what happens at the front lines.” What happens at the front lines is customer service; within the organization, it’s customer centricity.

So now: I’m an employee, how do I start thinking about the customer? How do I start evaluating whether the decisions I’m making are actually going to benefit the customer? I’m going to look at my leader. I’m going to expect my leader to be there to help me think about the customer, to show me how to think about the customer, to remind me about thinking about the customer. If my leader doesn’t do that, I’m just going to focus on my job. So, the leadership is vital within any organization, if you truly want to be customer-centric.

Which leads to an interesting question: do the leaders know how to do that? Because the leaders know how to do their job. And it’s difficult for them to think about the customers because they, too, have leaders. And so you work your way all the way up the organization and you realize that to be truly customer-centric, you need to equip every level of leadership with the skills and the behaviors and the mindset to think about the customer, and to translate that mindset into action themselves. And then to equip them to take those skills and that thinking, and coach their employees to do the same. You can’t have customer centricity without great leaders who are modeling that behavior and coaching others to do the same.

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4 Strategies for Becoming an Inclusive Leader (and Why It Matters)

Adopting an inclusive leadership style benefits individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole. Research by Deloitte has found that leaders who create an inclusive culture for their teams see a 17 percent increase in performance, a 20 percent boost in decision-making quality, and a 29 percent better collaboration. Inclusive leadership respects and values individual differences in work styles, learning, ideas, and communication, and leverages those differences for the benefit of the team and organization. Here are four strategies for becoming a more effective leader by focusing on inclusion.

1. Treat people fairly

When you recognize the traits, experiences, and working styles that make each person unique, you allow employees to bring their full selves to work for the benefit of the team. Inclusive leaders recognize individual differences and treat others fairly in light of those differences. Research shows that fairness is highly valued by employees and helps to build their engagement at work. A survey of full-time employees found that after fair compensation, “treating the workforce fairly” was named the second-most important workplace attribute.

It’s important to note that treating people fairly doesn’t mean treating everyone the same. Inclusive leaders assess individual strengths and preferences and strive to align each individual with the role and work that best fits their knowledge and skills. For example, individuals who bring an analytical skillset may be better matched to certain projects than those who are more creatively inclined. Leaders who take an inclusive approach also offer individuals on the team equal opportunities for growth to ensure they have chances to learn and develop their skills.

2. Encourage communication and collaboration

Recognizing the benefits of having a variety of perspectives on a team is at the core of inclusive leadership. Inclusive leaders pull individuals together to share their ideas, knowledge, and experiences, making sure that everyone has the chance to contribute. Some of the ways you can practice more inclusive communication and collaboration include:

  • Asking for input from individuals who are new to a topic or seem apprehensive to speak up in meetings.
  • Encouraging cross-team collaboration on key projects.
  • Leading by example and frequently demonstrating teamwork with leaders in other departments or functions.

3. Use cultural and emotional intelligence

Inclusive leaders recognize that not everyone sees problems and opportunities through the same lens, nor do all individuals manage their emotions in the same way. Leading a team requires developing a sensitivity to the ways that individuals respond to different leadership styles. One individual on the team may appreciate it when a leader spends time listening to their frustrations, while another may look to the leader for a motivating pep talk. Developing strong emotional agility will enable you to use different leadership strategies to motivate and support each person on the team.

4. Seek continuous learning

Part of being an effective leader is being committed to your own learning and growth. At the same time that new ways of working are introduced in the workplace, so too are new ways of thinking, communicating, and collaborating. Inclusive leaders recognize that no one has all the answers and that it’s necessary to seek out opportunities to sharpen their leadership skills, as well as the skills and knowledge of everyone on the team. Examples of how to demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning include:

  • Being willing to learn from feedback and work to achieve a better outcome after a failure.
  • Seeking to overcome biases and outdated beliefs.
  • Engaging in ongoing training and development opportunities.

Inclusive leadership helps to ensure the organization realizes the full benefit of different perspectives and ways of working. Without it, employees can miss opportunities to grow and perform to their potential. When leaders have the desire and capability to be more inclusive, the whole team is positioned for greater success and healthier team culture.

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A Culture of Accountability: A Culture Transformation Success Story

How Eagle’s Flight Helped A Global Fortune 500 Financial Services Company

 

Client Request

A sustainable and engaging Culture Transformation initiative focused on creating a strong risk and compliance culture while also incorporating strategy, quality, the customer, and corporate values

 

Audience

– 14,000+ employees of all levels across the United States

– 4,000+ international employees who support the United States business

 

Eagle’s Flight Delivered

100% customized two-year, multi-phased Culture Transformation initiative, which dramatically changed the culture of this organization

 

Tools Provided

– Two 360 degree assessments for all leaders and managers were conducted over the two-year initiative

– Various models designed to encourage targeted learnings and behaviors

– Participant takeaways and resources

– Six digital reinforcement activities

– Comprehensive communication strategy and support

 

Approach for Distributed Workforce

Targeted and customized approaches were taken during each phase to ensure appropriate content was delivered to each audience

Specifically designed training for leaders, managers, and employees

Leaders and managers also attended all employee sessions

During the final phase, all levels were brought together in one day of training, intentionally designed to encourage networking and open discussion between various levels and positions within the organization

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The 10 Qualities of a High Performance Culture

Creating a high-performance culture is a journey that has the potential for many pit stops and breakdowns along the way. Plastering your company’s desired idea of a high-performance culture throughout the walls of the company is certainly a step in the right direction, but a company’s culture is really defined by what the people of the organization do.

In a great culture, people contribute to their fullest. Unfortunately, most organizations leverage only about 70% of an individual’s contributions. The remaining 30%–what the company doesn’t get—is the high performance. Here are 10 qualities a high-performance culture must consistently demonstrate:

1. Embrace a change mindset.

Change is central to innovation and growth. To get ahead of the competition, companies reinvent jobs, processes, structures, and work practices. Ultimately, the future of most businesses and individuals depends on the ability to change, learn, and to grow, which means each individual on the team must demonstrate a change mindset.

2. Develop strong leaders.

Creating a high-performance culture composed of individuals eager to outperform requires leaders who constantly inspire and engage employees to be the best they can be. Strong leaders build loyalty and inspire people to work hard to fulfill their job duties. Leaders need to engage, align, inspire, and mobilize individuals and teams to create a high-performance culture.

3. Empower people to make decisions.

Companies with high-performing cultures encourage individuals to ask questions, make decisions, and act upon those choices. High-performance cultures trust individuals’ decision-making abilities and create environments where they feel like owners. In this setting, individuals who feel empowered to solve problems and try new approaches to old problems or procedures tend to be more enthusiastic about their jobs. And, individuals who feel this way are less likely to become disengaged or seek work elsewhere.

4. Adopt a strategy of continuous improvement.

High-performing companies constantly strive to simplify, improve, and align their processes to respond to events effectively and to eliminate unnecessary procedures, work, and information overload. These companies also measure progress, monitor goals, and report everything that matters to everyone in the organization so that all individuals have the necessary information to drive improvement.

5. Establish meaningful core values.

Companies with this type of culture ensure that their commitments are aligned with established core values and have clear ethics supported by organizational policies.

6. Develop a coaching mindset.

Companies with high-performing cultures insist that coaches make their people feel valued and powerful; ask questions and listen; offer reflections, observations, and suggestions; and schedule debriefing sessions. Individuals in coaching roles take responsibility for their own development and performance, too.

7. Enhance training and development.

Engaged organizations recognize that setting their people up for success will result in continuous improvement and growth for individuals and for the company. Talent is viewed as an asset and customized training and development plans align with the organization’s overarching objectives and direction, providing individuals with clear career pathways.

8. Share information.

Creating a culture of transparency, openness, and trust by encouraging the free flow of information can give companies a powerful competitive edge. This happens when individuals share knowledge and ideas because they’re part of a culture that wants them to do so. It’s also important to encourage open and honest debate and urge people to report errors or concerns without fear.

9. Make work enjoyable.

High-performing companies that incorporate fun and engaging activities into their cultural fabric report many positives including higher morale and productivity, reduced stress levels, lower absentee and attrition rates, and an increased ability to attract and retain key people. While individuals are encouraged to have fun at work, they also work hard and are judged on their successes and job performances.

10. Measure culture.

High-performing cultures are characterized by an ability to align, execute, and renew. Moving towards and maintaining a high-performance culture requires measurement along the way to determine where progress is being made. As the age-old saying goes, what gets measured, gets improved.

Creating and maintaining a high-performance culture is challenging, and it can be done. Ultimately, though, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to culture. The specifics of a high-performance culture are unique to your company because they’re based on what will work best for you to reach your destination.

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Guide to Improving Company Culture - Culture Transformation

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Improving Company Culture: Everything You Need To Know About Culture Transformation

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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, PRODUCTIVITY, AND BUSINESS GROWTH.

 

Organizations of all sizes need to understand how to build a positive, productive culture that reflects their core values and unites employees around a shared vision and common goal. A truly great company culture doesn’t typically develop on its own, nor can it be created overnight. Depending on company goals, the industry, and other factors, it is often necessary to undergo a transformation that will allow you to build the culture you desire. A study by Deloitte found that 82 percent of executives and HR leaders believe that company culture is a potential competitive advantage, but only 19 percent believe that they have the “right culture,” and more than 50 percent are currently working to change theirs.

Depending on your specific goals and objectives, one kind of culture may be more appropriate than others. When you look at the culture of an organization, you are actually looking at the sum total of the behaviors of all the employees. The company’s culture may have a place in a strategic document somewhere, or be on posters on the walls, but really the culture is defined by what the people of the organization do — which may or may not match a written definition.

It’s not sufficient to know what the people in the organization do in general. Culture
is more closely aligned to what the people do in times of stress, at the time of an
acquisition, or when the organization is in some kind of transition. The behavior of the people at these times is what really defines a corporate culture.

WHAT IS A CULTURE TRANSFORMATION?

Culture transformation is an opportunity to move an organization forward in an exciting way that will give it a competitive advantage or address a significant challenge. Widespread culture transformation involves changing the behavior of all employees and leaders at the organization. They will be asked to approach work, relationships, and accountabilities with different skills and mindsets. Ultimately, a culture transformation has the potential to refocus and reenergize the entire workforce.

WHY IS CULTURE TRANSFORMATION IMPORTANT?

Sets Organization Up for Future Success and Growth

More than 50% of respondents said corporate culture influences
productivity, creativity, profitability, firm value, and growth rates.

Boosts the Attraction and Retention of Top Talent
72% of C-suite and board members say culture is a strong reason people
join their organization.

Leads to Improved Employee Engagement
Organizations that create a culture defined by meaningful work, deep
employee engagement, job and organizational fit, and strong leadership,
are outperforming their peers and will likely beat their competition in
attracting top talent.

Improves Safety
A company with a strong safety culture typically experiences few at-risk
behaviors; consequently they also experience low incident rates, low
turnover, low absenteeism, and high productivity.

Delivers an Excellent Customer Experience Through Engaged
Employees
79 percent of employees at companies with above-average customer
experience are highly engaged in their jobs, compared to 49 percent
of employees at companies with average or below-average customer
experience scores.

WHEN IS A CULTURE TRANSFORMATION NEEDED?
An organization’s leadership, its board of directors, or the results from customer or
employee surveys may clearly indicate the need for a change in the culture. Although the words “culture transformation” may not yet have been spoken by anyone involved, there is an acknowledged desire to change individuals’ behaviors so that the organization benefits in some way as a result. These benefits can — and should — be expressed using the metrics that typically matter most to an organization: improved customer feedback, increased sales revenue, fewer safety incidents, or decreased turnover, for example. If those benefits are deemed critical to the success — or the survival — of an organization, then a culture transformation is necessary.

Sometimes an organization’s pain points are obvious; at other times a specific
opportunity presents itself. In these cases, the reason for the change, and what needs to happen in order to achieve the desired outcome, can be clearly articulated. Having this kind of clarity increases the chances of a successful transformation. However, organizations are often a blend of many subcultures, so clarity on which behaviors are desired and rewarded can be difficult to achieve. This is especially common in large, geographically dispersed organizations or those that have recently acquired other businesses, gone through massive hiring rounds, or struggle with siloed departments.

Here are a few steps to take to help know when a culture transformation is needed.
Step 1: Conduct an Analysis of Organizational Culture to Get Insight on Where You
Currently Are A transformation of corporate culture must begin with a clear understanding of where the culture is now. There has to be a reason for the organization to want to change the culture in some way, and the more clearly this reason can be articulated, the easier it will be to change it.

The first step is to conduct an insight discovery, which gathers authentic quantitative and qualitative information that focuses on key areas and provides invaluable information that is the cornerstone to the success of a culture transformation. All too often, culture transformations do not take into account the unique reality of an organization. To conquer this challenge, you must understand the current reality and define where a shift in behaviors will optimize productivity and results. You must also understand which contextual elements are barriers, and which are enablers, and address those in the design of your culture transformation strategy.

An insight discovery may also utilize the following tools:
• Small focus groups gather together 5-6 individuals from different levels and
functions to discuss how they feel about the culture and their own division;
running several groups will allow you to pinpoint viewpoints from all areas of the
organization
• One-on-one interviews with senior management and executives, which can help in
gathering concrete, specific, and detailed examples of the current culture
• Interactive discussion sessions are an innovative and practical approach where
large groups of people are brought together to engage in interactive discussion
sessions; this method encourages communication and allows you to collect
feedback from more employees simultaneously
• 180°/360° surveys give managers the opportunity to provide detailed feedback
to their direct reports (and vice versa), which is a powerful way to identify how
leaders are leading the organization; this tool should measure behavior rather than
performance

With the aid of the tools above, you will want to conduct a corporate-culture gap analysis to fully understand the culture you have and how it compares to the culture you want.
A gap analysis not only helps you define the existing culture, but it can also deliver new insights into employee attitudes and beliefs that might have been previously unknown or misunderstood.

Step 2: Define Where You Want to Be and Commit to It as a Leadership Team

Once you have collected all the necessary qualitative and quantitative information on the current status of the company culture, it is time to define where you want to take it. This means casting a vision for the future and showing why what is currently in place will not allow the organization to make it there. Whether a culture transformation is necessary to improve engagement, reduce safety incidents, maximize the effectiveness of sales, or become more customer centric, the reason for changing and the way the transformation will happen needs to be cemented. At this time, company leadership will need to come to an agreement that this is in fact the path forward, and commit to doing their part to seeing is succeed.

Step 3: Prepare the Organization Mentally for the Impending Transformation
Culture transformation takes more than everyone agreeing that the culture needs to
change. It also requires long-term commitment and a vision for change. For employees to see and understand the culture transformation journey they’re about to embark upon, leaders need to establish a vision for the desired change, outline the reasons for the change, and help employees understand how the change will impact their individual roles. For the vision to become a reality, it also needs to be communicated to employees broadly so they have a chance to express their concerns, ask questions, and get the clarity they need to support the initiative.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CORPORATE CULTURE?
A Culture of Leadership Excellence
A culture of leadership excellence is one where company leaders at all levels are committed to continuous improvement. This instills a sense of confidence within individual contributors that they are led by a team of leaders who truly care and want to see individuals, teams, and the organization succeed. Leaders show their commitment to upholding this type of culture by participating in ongoing training, leadership development, mentoring, and coaching. Also, those who have inherent
leadership skills are far more likely to be recognized and nurtured appropriately to eventually step into a position of leadership, thus building a pipeline of future leaders for the organization.

A Culture of Collaboration
A study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that companies with a collaborative culture are 5.5 times more likely to be high performing than companies that don’t have one.

In a culture of collaboration, organizations maximize employee knowledge and
capabilities because the ideas and information created by employees spread more easily. This is a result of communication and collaboration across functional and departmental lines, which positively influences company performance and the bottom line.

An Inclusive Culture
An inclusive culture develops when organizations put a concerted effort into ensuring that every individual in the organization feels that their input is welcome and valued. As a result, employees are more likely to contribute their ideas, champion new projects, and be more engaged with growing the organization overall. Also, when employees work for an organization where they feel their contributions are appreciated and valued, they are more likely to have higher levels of employee engagement and stay with the organization. This means increased
employee retention rates and decreased recruitment costs.

A Customer-Centric Culture
An organization with a customer-centric culture always considers the viewpoint of the customer when making decisions, creating processes, defining expected behavior, and developing strategy. It’s an all encompassing philosophy that is all about the consumers who buy your company’s products or services. This type of culture permeates your entire organization, including those who are not customer facing.

A Culture of Accountability
In this type of corporate culture, individuals feel accountable for both their own work and that of their teams. As such, they feel empowered to take ownership of tasks and outcomes, and trust their colleagues to do the same. In a culture of accountability that functions well, every team member actively and willingly contributes to the success of the organization, because they understand that their contributions have value.

A Culture of Sales Effectiveness
A culture of sales effectiveness is centered around supporting the activities that generate revenue for the organization. For organizations with a large sales force, developing this type of culture within the team can improve their ability to sell new products and services as solutions to customer pain-points, to approach new markets, to develop a sales process that is in line with their company values, and to use the tools that will help them maximize sales.

A Culture of Safety and Compliance
A culture of safety and compliance is one that is committed to protecting the health and well-being of every individual, meaning that employees inherently protect not just themselves, but also their colleagues. Building this type of culture requires having safety procedures in place, requiring specific behaviors, and providing ongoing training to ensure that everybody has all the necessary information and conviction to perform their job safely.

A Culture of Innovation
Innovation is highly valuable and necessary for the ongoing success of the organization. A culture of innovation is one that focuses not only on coming up with new ideas, but also on following a rigorous process to bring those ideas to fruition. It is a culture that actively engages in creative thinking and executes on new ideas to drive organizational growth.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE TRANSFORMATION AND LEADERSHIP

Leadership is absolutely vital to any culture transformation. It is the difference between success and failure. From the words they speak to the way they behave, leaders play a critical role in setting the tone for what’s acceptable or expected within a company. In fact, when leaders model the behavior changes they are asking employees to make, a culture transformation is 5.3 times more likely to be successful.

What Is the Role of the Leader During a Culture Transformation?

1. Communicate the Vision to Their Direct Reports
It can be overwhelming — even a little scary — for employees to be told that they need to change significantly, especially if they’ve been in a role for a long time. But if leaders communicate the vision for the transformation, the rationale behind it, and a general idea of what will be required of individual employees, they help their direct reports to see the big picture and the anticipated benefits. The more leaders share the vision in positive ways, the more employees will be able to connect with it, and the more willing they will be to alter their behavior to align with the vision.

2. Set Realistic Expectations
Leaders also need to set clear and realistic expectations. Strong leaders are able to work with each employee to set achievable, measurable goals, helping them to understand exactly what is expected. By providing this clarity, leaders help to create an environment where employees are positioned to succeed and perform at their best.

3. Provide Timely Feedback and Coaching
Once expectations are set, leaders need to deliver clear, actionable feedback to help guide employees toward the expected behaviors. This takes both candor and empathy, so that employees can accept and incorporate the  feedback, rather than feel that they are being scolded for poor performance.

4. Attend Training and Development
Changes to behavior often require new skills — either technical skills, soft skills, or, most likely, a combination of the two. In a Wall Street Journal survey, 92 percent of employers said that technical skills and soft skills are equally important, as skills like communication, teamwork, and critical thinking can help organizations to innovate and grow. Learning and development bridges the gap between knowledge and action, and leaders
play a critical role in helping employees on this journey by coaching them on how to apply the learning from training back on the job.

5. Lead by Example
The biggest role of leaders during a culture transformation is to lead by example — none of the factors above will have much impact if leaders are not modeling the changes they are requiring from their employees. Leaders must be honest, supportive, and accountable for their actions, because employees take cues for acceptable performance from their leaders.

THE CULTURE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS

Get Aligned as an Executive Team
Once the need for culture transformation has been identified, the executive team must get aligned on the path forward and commit to seeing it through until the expected results are realized.

Involve All Levels of Leadership
Within a culture transformation, leaders are the ones who should be providing the motivation for success. They should be reinforcing the rationale for the transformation and should be front and center in encouraging people to persevere when it’s challenging to adopt the new behaviors.

Regularly Communicate the Anticipated Benefit
Frequent communication helps foster openness to new ideas and behaviors. In fact, one study found that regular communication around change-management initiatives can help to reduce employee resistance to change.

Provide Training on What to Stop, Start, and Continue
The new behaviors and skills required for a culture transformation will require training. This training should provide employees and leaders with an understanding of exactly what they should stop doing, start doing, and continue doing in order to support the desired culture.

Build Conviction, Not Just Skill
Emotions are a vital part of who we are as human beings, and are a powerful motivator. Therefore, undergoing a culture transformation requires significant attention to building personal conviction so that each employee believes in the reasons for change and acts accordingly.

Consistently Monitor Progress
In a study, 73 percent of C-suite respondents said they had no formal process in place for measuring corporate culture.11 Although measuring culture has its challenges, it is imperative to do so in order to demonstrate that progress has been made, and keep people motivated to see the initiative through to completion.

Celebrate Success
When the organization is in the midst of organizational transformation, it’s possible to get caught up in daily challenges and lose sight of the progress that has been made. Keep your employees motivated and focused by intentionally taking the time to recognize and celebrate key milestones, so everyone can see the progress being made, and notice the difference.

Maintain Focus on the Initiative for a Minimum of Two Years
Culture transformation is a long-term commitment with its share of highs and lows, so you’ll need to take specific action to ensure that the impact of culture change is sustained over time.

Include Everyone
When embarking on a culture transformation, everyone affected by the transformation should be involved from the outset.

Ensure That HR Practices Are Integrated and Aligned
During a culture transformation, Human Resources will need to update talent management practices and programs to support the new organizational culture. Recruiting activities, performance-review systems, and training programs are all areas that should be adjusted to ensure that the organization is hiring, developing, and retaining individuals who embody the values and behaviors of the desired organizational culture.

FAQS OF CULTURE TRANSFORMATION

When is the best time to begin a culture transformation?
As soon as the need for change has been recognized, that is the time to get started. Don’t be delayed by other priorities, or by concerns that employees are overworked. If you are going to change the way people do things, and this change will be for the better, then the sooner they can learn the desired behaviors, the greater the impact will be — and the easier their jobs will become. If handled correctly, the behaviors introduced as part of the change initiative will feel seamless, complementary, and helpful to team members.

How long will a culture transformation take?
A culture transformation, even one done on a smaller scale for only a single department, will take several months, and for a company-wide one, as long as four years. Throughout that time, the plan will require the same focus and attention that it initially received, despite the possible hindrances or distractions which can occur. Once begun, people need to know that senior management remains fully committed to the sustained effort required to see the transformation fully implemented.

Is culture transformation painful or exciting?
The common folklore is that creating a new culture will probably be painful; either it will require people to do things which they do not want to do, or take too much time that they don’t have, or be something which is felt to perhaps be important but not urgent. By no means should this be the case. A culture transformation can be a very exciting time that harnesses the energy and enthusiasm of the entire workforce. In fact, a culture transformation of any shape or size should be recognized as an opportunity to fully engage the workforce. It is an opportunity to provide them with skills that can last a lifetime. When it is done properly, and seen to be led by management, then the organization will be quick to support it and eager to reap the benefits. This is not to say that learning new behaviors is easy, or that existing ways of doing things are not deeply ingrained and well entrenched. They are.  However, changing these existing behaviors to new ways of doing things does not have to be painful; it can be a welcome change that breathes new life into a workforce if done well.

What role do a CEO and executive team play in a culture transformation?
The CEO and executive leadership team of an organization play a critical role in shaping company culture, whether they do it intentionally or not. Their influence on the culture is far-reaching, which means that if the  organizational focus is on a company-wide culture transformation, then the CEO and the executive team have to be fully involved. On the other hand, if the organizational focus is simply on a culture change within a division,
then only the divisional head needs to be seen as its leader. Similarly, if the culture transformation is occurring at a local level, such as a distribution center, then the head of the distribution center needs to be fully involved. The principle is that the most senior individual in the area undergoing a transformation needs to spearhead the initiative.

What is the role of Human Resources in a culture transformation?
Human Resources plays a vital role in any transformation, but they should not be seen to be the primary driver. The lead drivers of any culture transformation must be senior management. The Human Resource function covers off a number of key components critical to any transformation, including:
• Training
• Communications
• Line manager support
• Assessment and measurement
• Performance management
• Recruiting
• Succession planning
• Promotions
• Rewards and recognition

Is training required in a culture transformation?
Training is a critical component of any culture transformation and will be required in some form. This is because employees within the organization who are directly affected by the transformation will need to know what new behaviors are expected, and how to demonstrate them. To do this, training will be essential. Keep in mind that training must be done with care, since training can actually change the entire direction of an organization, and radically influence the outcomes.

BEGINNING YOUR OWN CULTURE TRANSFORMATION
Organizations have unique cultures, and it’s important to understand that “one size does not fit all.” There are some organizations where a great culture will be defined in terms of hours worked and revenue brought in, such as in a company where billings are paramount. Another company will define culture in terms of impact on people’s lives and communities, such as an organization committed to community service. Each organization needs its own culture. This culture should be a reflection of what is important to them, and what is necessary for them to succeed in their marketplace. Therefore, there is no single definition of a great culture. What makes a culture truly
great is whether or not it optimizes the talent and ability of its people. If it has been identified within your organization that a shift in the corporate culture is needed, or if you are not certain but feel that many organizational challenges may be rooted in the current culture, a transformation may be required. To begin your own culture transformation, start with a chat with our experienced team. In that conversation, we can help you better understand what all this means in the context of your needs and reality.

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4 Ways to Build a Culture of Safety in Your Workplace

Safety in the workplace is a critically important issue, particularly in industries such as construction, manufacturing, mining, and healthcare. According to the National Safety Council, every seven seconds, a worker is injured on the job, leading to loss of productivity, missed days at work, or even loss of life. Although it’s true that individuals must adhere to safety regulations and wear proper safety equipment, having a culture of safety will ensure that employees not only follow safety rules but also are fully committed to achieving safety in the workplace.

Building a culture of safety is a powerful way to ensure that every individual at every level in the organization takes personal accountability for the safety of each other, patients, and the general public. Here are four ways to build a culture of safety.

Create a Roadmap for Change

To fully achieve a culture of safety, you first need to understand your current reality. Surveys and focus groups are two ways to understand current employee attitudes about safety and to identify specific challenges and opportunities related to changing the culture. Creating a roadmap for culture change also requires a clearly articulated safety objective. Whether your goal is to become the industry leader for safety or to reduce illness and injury in the workplace by a specific amount, it will be important to clearly state the goal and the metrics you will use to chart progress. That way, everyone can recognize and celebrate success when you get there.

Ensure Leadership Support

Individuals on the front lines who are working directly with patients, hazardous materials, or heavy machinery are not the only ones responsible for ensuring safety in the workplace. In fact, leaders have a critical role to play in building a culture of safety, including:

  • Championing safety as a critical aspect of ongoing company success through regular digital and in-person communication
  • Dedicating sufficient resources to equip the workforce with the knowledge and skills they need to ensure safety
  • Recognizing employees whose behaviors align with the company’s safety culture goals

Build Knowledge and Skills Through Training

To build a culture of safety, you need more than a traditional safety training program. Traditional training programs are great for providing instruction on how to use equipment or follow certain procedures, but they won’t bring about true culture transformation. To achieve a shift in culture, it’s necessary to provide employees with learning experiences that enable them to think differently about safety and take ownership of their role in creating a culture of safety. When employees attend training that focuses on building a safety mindset, they develop a strong conviction for promoting safety and learn how to:

  • Adopt shared responsibility for safety in the workplace
  • Take actions that ensure their safety and that of others
  • Proactively suggest ways to improve safety through improvements to existing processes and protocols

Measure Results and Reinforce

Any culture change effort requires ongoing reinforcement to ensure individuals retain lessons learned in training and don’t fall back into old habits. Digital learning reinforcement, assessments, and coaching from company leaders will help to ensure the safety culture becomes further embedded in everyday employee activities. Reinforcement activities aren’t meant to teach new information or add more to employees’ workloads. Rather, they should be designed to reinforce what was taught in training, in bite-sized increments over time, so that individuals can incorporate those reinforced lessons into their workdays. In partnership with reinforcement activities, ongoing measurement of results based on clear metrics will help everyone recognize and measure progress.

Meeting your workplace safety goals can be a reality when employees and leaders work together to demonstrate their commitment to a culture of safety. With a roadmap to success, the support of leaders, and training that helps develop a new safety mindset, everyone in the organization will be equipped to improve safety in all areas.

 

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Customer Centricity: Skill Set vs. Mindset

When it comes to customer centricity, skill set and mindset go hand in hand. By fostering one without the other, you will probably see incremental improvements. However, if you want to implement a culture of customer centricity at your organization, building skills and shifting mindsets must be done in tandem. Let’s take a look at the two approaches and how you can tie them together.

Customer Centricity Skills

Successfully serving customers requires certain technical skills that will vary depending on your industry, but there are some universal skills that everybody should learn if you truly want to put the customer first:

  • See the business through the lens of the customer experience – This might seem like a simple task, but it actually does take practice for it to come naturally. Individuals in the organization make choices all the time. You want them to make those choices by first asking, “How might this impact our customers?”
  • Identify areas of personal responsibility – Everybody is busy, and it’s easy to ignore tasks when it’s not clear whose responsibility they are. Understanding the impacts of taking responsibility (or not) is a skill that can be honed. The more people in the company who possess this skill, the more proactive the entire team will be.
  • Take personal action when appropriate – After identifying areas of personal responsibility, it’s time to take action. This is also a skill because it requires understanding the decision-making paths, knowing which barriers stand in the way, and how to overcome them.

All of these skills can be taught and improved over time. However, without building a foundation of a customer centricity mindset, people will be less likely to employ those skills in the workplace.

Customer Centricity Mindset

Creating a customer centricity mindset is a matter of shifting perspectives and ingraining them in the company culture. Some of the factors that contribute to this are:

  • Understanding the big picture – Many individuals don’t realize just how much potential they have to impact the customer experience and the organization as a whole. Even people who do not typically interact with customers can influence their experience. Bringing this to light can help shift the perspective from an internal one to considering the customer’s experience in everything you do.
  • Feeling empowered to make a difference – The value of understanding the big picture cannot be underestimated, because it can elicit possibilities that leadership might never have considered. For example, in a customer centric culture, a website developer (who never interacts with customers) might take extra care to make an online purchase flow as smooth and fast as possible in an effort to make the customer experience better.
  • Feeling invested in the outcomes – When individuals realize that they can indeed have an impact, they are more inclined to feel invested in the outcomes. That same website developer has a choice when working on the purchase flow. He or she can implement an out-of-the-box solution, or he or she can consider the customer’s perspective and create a tailored experience that is designed to delight them. Because he or she is invested in the outcomes, he or she will choose the solution that best serves the customer.

Anybody can adopt this mindset, but without the necessary skills to execute, an initiative to promote customer centricity will fall flat. Individuals need both the internal motivation (mindset) and the ability to execute their ideas (skills). Building customer centricity skills also helps individuals adopt the mindset through regular practice and successes that make them want to continue on that path.

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6 Time Management Strategies for B2B Sales Professionals

Effective time management benefits everyone in an organization. More specifically, sales professionals that manage their time effectively benefit from less stress, better quality work, improved productivity, and more quickly achieved goals.

For B2B sales professionals, better productivity translates to more sales, and one way to increase productivity is through effective time management. Here are six time management tips you can put to use today:

1. Start with a Daily Plan

Make a daily to-do list. This may seem like an obvious strategy, but many people don’t do it. Every morning, or the evening before, plan your day and stick to it as closely as possible. Schedule tasks that you will focus on throughout the day based on importance and urgency. When possible, carve out time slots for each task so you can focus without interruption for the necessary amount of time.

 

2. Set Priorities

Identify the top priorities for the day and don’t allow yourself to get distracted with smaller, less important tasks until the top priorities are under control. Write down the tasks that must get done and the ones you would like to get done. Start at the top and work your way through the most urgent tasks first. For B2B sales, this includes account planning strategy, focusing on decision makers, and prioritizing the leads that are most likely to convert.

3. Take Frequent Breaks

One study found that the top performing 10 percent of employees had a tendency to work for 52 consecutive minutes followed by a 17-minute break. While this specific schedule might not work for you, it illustrates the importance of taking breaks. Schedule breaks into your day at a frequency that makes sense for you and protect that time. Pause between tasks to refresh your brain and get ready for the next item on your list. This often means stepping away from your desk so you don’t get drawn back into working before you’re ready to start again.

 

4. Work Smarter, Not Longer

According to a Stanford University study, productivity drops off sharply after a 50-hour workweek and is essentially nonexistent after 55 hours. Continued long hours are also correlated to absenteeism and turnover. If you can’t complete your necessary work in less than 50 hours, it may be time to consider more strict time management, training to improve, or a discussion with your leader to figure out the root cause of the problem and strategize how to make your workweek more manageable and productive. Use the sales tools at your disposal (CRM, reporting software, and so on) and don’t assume that you can remember it all. The tools are there for a reason, and the more you utilize them, the more productive you will be.

 

5. Set Boundaries

Social interactions in the workplace can have a positive impact, but not when they become distractions. Urgent requests can also take time away from important ones. Set boundaries that define when it’s okay to be interrupted and when you need to focus. If you have an office, it could be as simple as closing your door for certain periods during the day. In an open office, use indicators like headphones or a sign that says you don’t want to be interrupted and set office hours for the times in which you welcome employee interaction. If you are interrupted and the issue is not actually urgent, schedule a time to discuss it and return to the task at hand. Coworkers will eventually tailor their behaviors around your cues.

 

6. Focus on Your Weaknesses

When trying to get better at time management, identify the areas where you feel the weakest and focus on improving them one at a time. For example, if you know you’re bad at taking breaks, set a timer. If you like to socialize at work, do it only during breaks or schedule coffee with a coworker rather than having an impromptu chat. By improving your weaknesses, you will become a more well-rounded sales professional who is able to manage priorities, achieve (and exceed) client needs, and work productively to achieve the results you need.

 

Developing new habits for managing your time takes some initial effort, but when they become second nature you will find yourself less stressed, more productive, and ultimately, with better sales numbers.

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Why Success Starts with a Superior Customer Experience

For many businesses, success depends on sales, whether they are made to other businesses or to individual customers. This is one reason why creating a positive customer experience from beginning to end is so important. To do this effectively, you need every individual in your organization on board, even if they don’t interact directly with customers. Every employee must know that no matter what their role is within the company, each person affects the customer experience.

Achieving this type of culture doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a strong commitment from leadership and a sustained effort to shift the hearts and minds of every individual to behave in a customer centric way. The results of these efforts will speak for themselves when the organization becomes more successful.

Why Success Starts with a Superior Customer Experience

Companies today have to provide more than just a good product or service. Customers expect more, and if they’re not getting what they want from your organization, they’ll turn to another company to find it.

Customers Want It

Although the quality of the products or services you deliver is important, it might not be the deciding factor when customers make a purchase. Competitive pricing is also a consideration, but not necessarily the only one. In fact, one study showed that the customer experience is expected to be more important than either price or product by the year 2020, which is just around the corner.

Innovation, quality of products and services, and other factors will always play a role in the success of a company, but the customer experience has become a significant deciding factor that will ultimately impact the bottom line. If you’re not already paying attention to the B2B customer experience your company provides, your organization is at risk of getting left behind.

Businesses Benefit from It

The ROI of the customer experience is not easy to quantify, but a recent report from Qualtrics analyzed feedback from 10,000 customers and found that for a $1 billion company, even a moderate improvement in the customer experience would impact its revenue by an average of $775 million over three years. This is not an insignificant number for any organization, especially considering this is for a moderate improvement. Imagine what a major commitment to improving the customer experience could do for your company’s revenue.

The report also found a strong correlation between the customer experience and the decision to repurchase from a company. This is important because it is easier (and less expensive) to make sales to existing customers than it is to acquire new ones. Keeping your current customers delighted with both your products and the experience they have while purchasing them will only add to your bottom line.

 

The Customer Experience Goes Beyond Customer Service

Many companies make the mistake of focusing only on the customer service department or the employees who interact directly with customers. The reality is that every individual in the organization has the power to impact the customer experience. The software developers who create the website, the individuals who work on a manufacturing line, and the team that sends invoices all make decisions on a regular basis that have the potential to impact how customers interact with the company and perceive the brand.

Focusing on creating a customer centric culture rather than just on providing customer service training will help ensure that the customer is top of mind when any decision, no matter how big or small, is made.

Becoming Customer Centric Requires a Culture Shift

Your organization can achieve a culture of customer centricity by setting a clear goal, having a strategy that supports it, and ensuring a commitment from leadership to invest the necessary resources to maintain the momentum. Experiential learning is one of the many tools that can be used to create conviction and teach people the skills and competencies necessary for supporting a customer centric culture. By directly experiencing the consequences of their actions in a time-compressed setting, participants leave with the conviction that their behavior truly does matter. This knowledge carries through to the real world and influences the daily decisions that have the potential to impact the customer experience.

Businesses rely on customers in order to be successful, and the customer experience is more important now than ever. The organizations that don’t recognize this or fail to make an investment in customer centricity risk losing market share. To learn more about how your company can stay competitive in the new customer centric landscape, read our free guide, The Rise of the Customer Experience in B2B.

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6 Strategies for Breaking Down Silos in Your Organization

The relentless pace of change in the corporate world today requires teams to collaborate and innovate. Therefore, company culture must overcome silos and support effective, cross-functional interaction between teams. When teams break out of their silos, the organization has a better chance for long-term success. In a survey of global operations managers, 61 percent cited cross-functional collaboration as being the key to helping the company reach strategic goals. Here are six strategies that can help break down silos and foster greater cross-functional collaboration across the entire organization:

Communicate a Unified Vision

Often, organizational silos form because individual or departmental goals have become such a priority that they become all-important, causing employees to lose sight of broader company goals and purpose. A unified vision that is broadly communicated among employees helps individuals to understand that individual and team goals are secondary to organizational vision.

For organizations that have grown accustomed to operating in silos, the vision will need to be communicated often and across different mediums so that it remains top of mind. When people see the bigger picture, they can begin to understand their unique place in the organization, as well as that of others. In time, a focus on self and team will expand to include other individuals and teams that are also part of the company vision.

Create Shared Accountabilities

Once a unifying vision has been established and communicated, it needs to translate into the everyday behaviors of teams and individuals to take hold. Teams can benefit from having shared goals that pull them together rather than divide them. For example, an organization might align the IT department’s goals with those of other departments to ensure more efficient use of internal IT systems. To further break down organizational silos, it can also be helpful to have two or more teams work together on a task force that ends with a joint presentation to senior management.

Bring Teams Together

Breaking down organizational silos and increasing cross-team collaboration doesn’t happen on its own, but will be more likely when individuals have opportunities to interact and work together. Joint meetings, focus groups, and chat sessions can provide employees with opportunities to get to know people from other teams, who does what, and how they can help each other to achieve company goals. Other activities that bring teams together include combining similar teams under co-heads, or co-locating teams that can benefit from being in close physical proximity, as in the case of companies that sit sales and marketing teams together. Organizing a corporate events can also promote collaboration, build trust, and encourage relationships between teams.

Get Leaders On Board

People on different teams will be unlikely to collaborate and will remain in silos unless they see leaders modeling collaborative behavior. Company leaders need to set the example to demonstrate that they expect cross-functional teamwork and information sharing from their employees. Leaders can support greater collaboration in the following ways:

  • Talk about shared goals between teams
  • Assign a team member or two to keep another team in the loop on a key project
  • Regularly communicate and spend time with leaders of other teams
  • Recognize and reward individuals who demonstrate collaboration with other teams

Incorporate Collaboration Tools

In the digital age, there is a range of workplace collaboration tools that can bring teams together in the cloud, making it easier to share ideas and information. Digital collaboration tools can be particularly helpful in unifying remote teams and individuals. Some examples include:

  • Project management platforms with chat and virtual whiteboard capabilities
  • Shared documents that allow multiple teams to access and collaborate
    on presentations, proposals, and project plans
  • Data management tools that incorporate data from other platforms—for example, a CRM that integrates with company dashboards used by various teams

Shift Mindsets and Behavior with Training

A great way to help employees break free from silos is to train them to engage in behaviors that support more teamwork and collaboration. With the help of accountability, communication, and leadership training to name a few, employees can learn more about the dangers of silos, see the benefits of collaboration, and practice useful techniques for breaking down silos back on the job.

Organizational silos stand in the way of innovation and growth. They also limit the success of individuals, preventing them from realizing the positive benefits of teamwork and collaboration. By using strategies that encourage individuals to think of themselves as part of the broader organizational team, more cross-functional collaboration can become a reality.

6 Strategies to Help Leaders Break Down Silos At Work

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