|  2/1/08
Between recounts about our 24 hour, 51 degree temperature swing and -37 degree wind chill (yes, negative) here in Minnesota, I listened to analysis about Tuesday’s presidential primary results from Florida. That got me thinking about the role of leadership in transforming public organizations. Public leaders know they can count on at least one thing when embarking on major strategic change: resistance. Resistance in the form of “we don’t have time or money to do it,” voices of “we tried that before” or from the mythical “theys,” who declare that proposed changes aren’t allowed, and resistance in the form of just plain old inertia.
You can bolster the case for change by letting your customers tell you how much they want it. That’s what I listened for in the analysis of the debate about our nation’s future leadership. Every candidate talks about the changes necessary in our national leadership. Each seeks to win our confidence that they can deliver and subsequently begin their term from a foundation built on strong demand for change. Wouldn’t we each like to lead from that foundation? What are you doing to clarify your customer’s demand for better results from your organization? From wherever you lead in your organization?
Ironically, at the end of this same day, I had the opportunity to take off my hat as PSG’s CEO and to suspend, if for a few hours, my daily ponderings about how I contribute to leading our organization in delighting our customers. The hat I put on was that of someone’s customer - in this case – of Northwest Airlines. That same night, I got to voice my demands for better results to Northwest Airlines, as part of their outreach to customers. You can imagine what the discussion was like in a two-hour focus group made up of people who log on average 75,000 miles at 35,000 feet (Lest you think otherwise, it was not all negative). While fun for me to be on the other side of the table, it was also a hands-on reminder about how much customers value simply being asked for their feedback, being listened to about their experience, and how willing they are to shape their expectations when they believe they can trust the organization to be accountable for producing results that matter to them.
Elections are a great opportunity to listen to customers about what they expect and experience. My wish for you is that you get this valentine from your customers on a much more frequent basis than every four years.
If you have any questions or comments please contact Laurie Ohmann.
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