Are You Stuck Inside?

By far, too much time is spent in leadership team meetings on unproductive discussions.

Assuming that the mission of each organization is built around creating added value for customers, it is easy to ask three questions that determine your organization’s effectiveness.

1. “How much time do our employees spend with customer-facing processes in relation to internally consumed time?”
   Do you know this ratio? If not, then start measuring it (an approximate measurement will work). A good ratio is 75/25 external versus internal. A disastrous yet not unusual ratio is 25/75. Many organizations, in particular mature ones, burn most of their energy internally. Do you still wonder why new companies often do a much better job when it comes to customer service?
    
2. “What can I do to help my customer-facing staff to do a better job?”
   As a leader, ask this question every day, and find an answer every day, too. Again and again, I see business executives hiding behind strategies and financial numbers. Real leaders are frequently found among the front desk staff seeking to understand their needs and improvement ideas.
    
3. “How much of the organization’s energy do our internal processes consume instead of multiplying it?”
   Business processes should be optimized with only two purposes: to serve your (external and internal) clients more effectively and efficiently or to serve legal needs. Period. All other processes should be eliminated or reduced. Do you know how many of your documented processes serve these two purposes? No? Then find out.

Skip the internal meetings and focus on these key questions instead. Your impact will increase dramatically.

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