This year, we hit a milestone in our business – celebrating 30 years – of serving customers across different sectors on three continents.
It’s an opportunity to reflect on what we have been asked more often than anything else as we engage with clients.
We have been asked one question more often than any other . . . “How do I do this?”
‘This’ can mean anything. It’s usually in the context of our areas of expertise – Strategy, Change and Risk. The ‘Keystones’ that make for building an effective business.
When asked the question – ‘How?’ – we often wonder if that is the right one to ask. When it is being asked right out the gate, it is a sign that we may be bypassing getting clear on objectives, outcomes, intentions, and responsibility.
We won’t operate that way – we don’t do a bypass to get to the quick and doable fast.
When ‘How?’ is the first question, we recognize there’s a struggle between confidence in one’s capacity and the demands to be practical. Asking ‘How’ before anything else indicates that there is a quest to be efficient versus being effective. That’s a red flag. Why?
Being efficient is about doing the quick, easy, doable, and popular solution. It may not be the right one, but it’s doable!!
On the other hand, being effective demands ‘Doing What Matters’. Sure, you may be faced with the unknown, and you may want to be a bit more cautious. But – It is doing what is worth doing, right.
So, next time you’re wondering about the ‘How?’ ask yourself . . . Do I have any deeper concerns? Then, question the questions that follow.
The example that follows presents a situation where asking ‘How?’ is the wrong question.
If we ask ‘What Matters’ instead, it changes the focus on what the desirable outcome is. That is the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
Here’s a scenario to illustrate this:
<——– This shopper got what she was looking for. She needed one item for her occasion. It was a fast and efficient stop at the retailer. The sales associate directed her to where she would find what she was looking for.
This shopper is delighted with her experience and the outcomes. ———->
It was a very effective sales associated who made it so!
She focused on what matters to the customer.
| Imagine a large retail organization that has downloaded new expectations for higher sales per associate and higher ‘delight ratings’ from customers.
Sarah, a regular at this retail outlet, enters to purchase a new ‘dress’ for a special occasion. As soon as Sarah walked in, she was greeted warmly by Emily, a senior sales associate. Emily takes the time to understand Sarah’s needs and preferences, asking her about the event she’s shopping for and what styles she likes.
Throughout the process, Emily engages Sarah in conversation, builds a genuine connection, and makes her feel valued as a customer. Emily personally selects a few outfits that she thinks will suit Sarah and helps her try them on. She provides thoughtful recommendations and honest feedback, creating a comfortable and positive shopping experience for Sarah.
When Sarah finds the perfect ‘outfit’, Emily goes the extra mile by offering styling tips and accessory suggestions to complete the look. The sum of which results in a much higher sale.
Emily has effectively met the objective of increasing the size of the sale. She also pushed up the ‘delight’ rating when Sarah clicked a 10 on the delight scale as she was leaving the store.
Emily could easily have pointed Sarah to the section of the store where the dresses were. That would have been easy and doable and would have met the basic need that Sarah had – to buy a dress. That would have been efficient, but Emily would not have met the new expectations of increasing sales and delighting customers.
Emily did not ask herself ‘How’ she will meet the new targets – she asked –
What matters to my customers? What matters to my employer?
In a large retail organization, what matters most in customer service is providing a personalized and exceptional experience that goes above and beyond the customer’s expectations.
That logic applies to any organization that has customers.
With each new customer, an associate must consider what the objective is, what outcome is desirable, and what the intention is with the service provided then take responsibility for delivering it.
This is what informs ‘What Matters’.
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| This approach goes much deeper and is applicable to just about every role imaginable.
As a starting point . . . asking questions about getting an initiative off the ground, getting a project back on the rails, aligning a strategy with a bigger purpose and getting the results that matter, this works!
Let’s start asking better questions.
See more on this line of thinking with more upcoming posts where we delve into the Strategy, Change and Risks of the work business must undertake.
Ask me how your business can benefit by updating your practices in Strategy, Change Management and Risk Management
Look for my upcoming book: From Zoo to Zen: Taming the Chaos of Business.
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