Be Different or be dead

November 5, 2012

11 simple ways great leaders micromanage ‘the customer moment’

Source: Pexels

11 simple ways great leaders micromanage ‘the customer moment’

Leaders must micromanage the customer moment

I know, leaders are supposed to set the tone and direction for the organization and then let people drive to deliver the results expected. A Leader that micromanages is often scorned and encouraged to “get out of the kitchen” and let the workers do their thing.

There is, however, one area that not only needs leadership hands-on involvement, it demands it if success is the end game.

The customer moment: that special instant when your most precious asset touches your organization. The moment of truth when things will either go brilliantly well or horribly wrong.

The moment when, based on the outcome, your customer will decide to either continue doing business with you or leave you and scream how terrible you are to their friends.

This moment requires an active deep-dive by the leader to ensure that the customer is
▪️ DAZZLED;
▪️ SMITTEN;
▪️ WOW’D;
▪️ BLOWN AWAY;
▪️ LEFT BREATHLESS.

This moment requires the leader’s fingerprints.

Here are 11 things leaders should do to micromanage the customer moment:

✔️ Tell your organization what you are up to and why it is so critically important to have blazing moments with your customers. Make sure everyone understands why you are getting into the engine room and getting your hands dirty. It’s not a trust issue; it’s a strategic one.

✔️ Declare what you expect every moment to look like; the key behaviors you expect.

✔️ Monitor moments. Open up your calendar to get to the frontline and witness how moments are being handled.

✔️ Provide real time feedback and coaching to your people engaging with moments.

✔️ Show ‘em how it’s done. Take some moments yourself and paint your folks a picture of what you expect a moment to be for the customer.

✔️ Catch them doing the right thing. Praise someone who has just handles a moment brilliantly. Recognize them to their peers.

✔️ Take notes of the things that get in the way of people being able to deliver dazzling moments. Rules, procedures and policies that are barriers to WOW!.

Be the champion who goes back inside the organization and removes the Grunge that prevents the frontline from doing what they have to do to achieve the right moment outcome.

✔️ Have fun. It you are seen to be enjoying the moment, they will too.

✔️ Be spontaneous. Show up unannounced. Leave your entourage behind. Make it about you, your folks and the moment.

✔️ Stream your experience to the rest of the organization. Publish what you learn in Roy’s moments for all to see and learn from.

✔️ Be consistent. Don’t let the flame diminish. Keep your fingerprint on the moment. If you let it wane in your personal priority list others will see, and conclude that the moment is simply another flavor-of-the-month.

Leaders: take personal ownership of the activities in your organization that are critical in delivering your business plan.

Do not delegate the stuff that will either make you win or lose. A customer moment is in this bag of stuff — Roy, do-it-yourself

It begs for your attention.

Cheers,
Roy
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• Posted 11.5.12 at 10:52 am by Roy Osing
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