I’ve recently supported several teams by doing diagnostic assessments for them. The goal, was to help them lay out a strategic path that will result in better client listening skills, internal alignment and the agility to address new products and services.
It’s always quite surprising to the leadership teams that it’s so hard to get a handle on the current view of the firm. The reason? While our mind tricks us into thinking we see it all, the truth is that we see it in a very restricted way.
This means that without some help (no matter how hard you try) you will never have a perfectly objective view. A layered diagnostic will get you a much better view, but even with the best frameworks, it’s a journey, not a destination.
Getting a Clearer View
There is a very relevant tool that dates back to 1955 called the JoHari Window (more here) that is used in personal coaching and applies equally well to our firms. The key points are that there are four zones when we are doing self evaluations:
- The first is that which we know and is also known to others
- The second is that which others know, and we don’t
- The third is that which we know that others don’t
- The fourth is truly a blind spot
To make this process even more robust, we use the JoHari window from different viewpoints both inside and outside the firm:
- The internal executive view: This usually includes their “time in the trenches,” and the view afforded from their current position. It’s remarkable how our executive world can insulate us.
- The client view: Our clients see us in a variety of ways – the first experience, the ongoing experience and how well we are able to sustain and pivot to their needs. Do they see us as fast or slow? Do they see us as thought leaders or fast followers?
- The internal team member view: Each of our team members has a view, as well. Sometimes it’s that of a long-tenured team member, or perhaps someone who has only been on board for a short while.
- The supply chain view. How do they see us? How hard or easy is it to do business together? How well are we truly transferring value on behalf of our client?
It is in comparing and contrasting these views that very valuable insights arise. For example, this work has allowed us to discover that even though we thought our onboarding processes were complete, we had gaps. We’ve discovered that we put suppliers through repackaging that’s not needed. We’ve been told that the programs we pushed to our distributors didn’t really help them, and much more.
As a strategist/diagnostician, I interview people from all these groups and complete a “charcoal sketch” of the composite view. With each additional insight or conversation, things get clearer. When we are finished I always get two responses:
The first is, “wow – it’s great to finally have a real starting point.”
The second is, “how can we keep this fresh?”
Keeping the Momentum Going
In many cases, firms have initiatives that are already underway – they just aren’t integrated to create the best value. I’ve given you some ideas below, and as you consider them, take a moment to think through who in the firm would be the best stewards of these insights. The firms I work with usually keep the detailed information in the hands of the product management team, but very importantly, they have a member of the executive staff accountable for making sure the information is reviewed frequently and regularly refreshed. By making this a regular agenda item in review meetings, town halls and client and supplier partnership sessions, you’ll never be caught off base.
- Skip Level Meetings: This is a meeting with team members in a purposely eclectic way to get candid insights. Some firms make sure that everyone gets in on one of these every 12-18 months.
- Windshield Time: This is a great way to get to know the front line of the business by making yourself available for some side-by-side sales calls with your sales team or partners. I’ve had executives that make this a quarterly event. It’s especially important in front of any strategic change.
- Swap: I’ve had a couple of firms spend time with each others’ businesses and ask each other great questions. I’ve seen this be most effective in the smaller metros, where there is a spirit of teamwork for the greater economic good. Tip: choose your peer group well, not always by business size, but by leadership journeys at the table.
- External Resources: Folks like me or other experts who can bring insight and breadth of knowledge can give you significant clarity in a short amount of time. You should do your homework here as well and ask them for examples of clients and the types of insight they’ve produced.
- Suppliers: In addition to the usual sharing of metrics and price discussions, make time for some quality dialogue around mutual value for your clients. A quality question here is this: “are we expecting enough of one another?”
- Distributors: Unfortunately in the heat of the battle we can pull up short on having quality dialogues. I’ve seen really good discussions pivot around questions about what’s changed. For example, who’s winning, who’s giving up share and what substitutions are you seeing our customers use?
- Clients: Customer advisory boards can be very helpful in getting this viewpoint expressed. Care must be taken to have true representation of the market you want to be part of and not just safe voices. Coaching tip: Don’t take every input into your roadmap, but do submit them to the product decision team.
And there are many others.
If you don’t know quite where to start, the NIST branch of the Federal Government provides a nice starting point with the “profile section” of the Baldrige Criteria. Specifically, there is a PDF here. I suggest reviewing pages 5 and 6 to get started.
If you need help getting a leg up on this, please give me a call at 847-651-1014, or set up a 20-minute chat using this link.
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