Your customer-centric change effort is doomed to fail.
Sorry to be the messenger of bad news, but the harder you push, the more you are destined to slide back.
Here’s why….
The argument for increased customer-centricity is almost always framed as one of good vs. bad organizational focus, of people who ‘get it‘ and those who don’t. And you most certainly see yourself on the side of good and those who ‘get it‘. Perhaps you recall thinking,
“If we could just get everyone on board, we’d be customer-centric!”
“They just don’t get it! If I were in charge….”
The list could go on. You know the frustration.
In our last few posts, we described steps toward the customer-centric journey and the big bets you might place to show you are serious. These are all true.
AND….
With all that in motion, your opportunity is to discover how to leverage organizational strengths that come from internal focus along with the benefits of being customer-centric.
The real challenge is to recognize when your commitment to customer-centricity begins to undermine other deeply held values in the organization. As long as you remain blind to this, you inevitably plant seeds of resistance rather than broaden support.
Losing sight of one side of the equation sooner or later has negative consequences for both sides.
Now your assignment is to discover how drive forward for customer-centricity while also sustaining focus on the internal business and the concerns of those who still don’t get customer-centricity.
Do you recognize the paradox?
Does it make your head hurt, just a little?
Tune into the next post to find out how you can manage this challenge…
