So do you have this challenge in your own company?
- Are people consumed with situational firefighting or solving core problems?
- Are leaders engaged with high-level challenges or knee deep in details?
- Do leaders demonstrate they care about providing phenomenal service
- Are leaders more concerned with avoiding challenges and performing for the Board?

Take a serious look at yourself as a leader and be determined to better understand what “the right thing” is and to make positive change.

Thanks for the article… and Carl, thanks for the thoughts.

The absolutely essential aspect of a successful mindset is being receptive.

I have worked with far too many organizations where customer feedback is dutifully collected — but then rationalized away. The first customer didn’t know what they wanted and asked for the wrong thing. The next customer’s staff was incompetent. The third customer had unrealistic expectations. The fourth customer was affected by a one-time inventory issue. A rogue salesperson promised the fifth customer too much in an attempt to close a sale and earn a bonus. And so on… explaining why none of these damaged customer relationships are any serious cause for worry.

Suggestion #5 above mentions after-the-fact surveys. That’s OK, but I am more impressed by the approach taken by the service department of my local Honda dealer. When I pick up my car after it’s been serviced, they say: “Soon you will get a phone call asking how satisfied you were with our service. We aim for perfect 10s, and anything less means we have failed you. If you are not perfectly satisfied by the service you got today, please tell us now so we can correct any issues before you leave.”

Now that’s an organization that wants to hear from its customers how it is doing. That’s the kind of receptive attitude that makes communication with your customers truly effective.

Thanks for these great reminders. I’m going to start quoting you “Conversatons, Not Presentations”. That says it all. I so appreciate you and Rick continuing to share your wisdom with all of us.

I’ll add two points:

When I say business “practices”, these are all the things The Revenue Game and Jane suggest in this article…and I make the point that the purpose of practice is to practice! It’s vital to the health of any organization: to practice, and practice some more, the habits and reviews and relationship building tasks that ensure success.

My second point is need for clarity in all practices. Given change is the constant, clarity around what you really want, now and in the future, from yourself and others, from your business, from the next meeting or presentation, needs to be clear in your mind. Then it needs to be clearly stated and articulated so others can get on board…and take effective actions to achieve the results for success.

Thanks for making the game of business so appealing and clear!

Thanks for those on target comments.

The challenge is truly to speak up in a compelling way about the emperor’s cloths when the emperor is making a lot of money and does not believe they need to change.

As you say we can tell the difference between sound, balanced and sustainable businesses and bubbles. That is we can tell the difference if we are willing to ask the hard questions, apply the principles, best practices and metrics from revenue science. Leaders need to implement revenue strategy consistent with what the market and “Mother Economy” has taught us over all these years and avoid the trap of temporary success for long-term sustainability.

Thanks and keep banging the drum and helping leaders to see the difference between the science of predictable and profitable revenue growth and dangers of bubbles.

Thanks,

Rick