Does the thought of preparing your annual business plan fill your leadership team with dread? For many businesses it does. Long before the first strategy session begins, leaders are already anticipating the frustration of investing weeks in planning, only to watch execution stall months later. The fear of wasted effort is so real, that some …
Every year, leadership teams invest significant time and effort in crafting ambitious business plans. Many of these plans fail to meet their expected results. The failure is rarely due to poor strategy. More often, the real threat lies beneath the surface. Hidden within the culture, leadership behaviours and operational habits of the business, are silent …
Far too many leaders polish their business plans until they shine, yet fail to add the force that makes the plan breathe. The leadership strategy. The fortunes of a business are tied inextricably to the effectiveness of the leadership team. Excluding a plan for maximizing the effort at the top, is a hazardous move to …
“The Extra Mile” is the theme for this year’s international customer service week, celebrated annually during the first week of October. This theme is not new to businesses. We’ve heard its sister statement of, “We go the extra mile for our customers,” repeated countless times by businesses eager to convince customers of their commitment to …
One of the most telling signs of a business that is disconnected from its purpose, is the prevalence of multiple cultures, instead of a single culture that unifies the business. At the heart of this fragmentation, is the reality that departments pursue their own micro missions and therefore, operate in silos. Ultimately, the business becomes …
“Why do you work?” is one of my favourite questions to ask employees whenever I conduct professional enrichment sessions. The typical answer is, “I work to pay bills.” My response is always, “Then you’re working for your bills, aren’t you?” What unfolds next, is a lively, sometimes life-altering discussion, on if “working to pay bills” …
Shhhh…if you listen closely, you’ll hear the cries of some leaders who are extremely exhausted. In the face of keen competition, leaders are stretched to their limits. They are expected to imagine new strategies, overhaul business models and maximize operational rigour. Workplaces have become battlefields. There’s a spiralling tug-of-war between the drive for profits, the …
All across the Caribbean, there are businesses knocking customer delight out of the ball park and racking up success story after success story. Great stories are being told by customers every day. Do you know where the bulk of those stories are being experienced? At the frontline. Right here in T&T, it’s refreshing to see …
So, is it just me, or has everyone else noticed an unmistakable rise in crosstalk at frontline counters these days? I don’t think that it’s a figment of my imagination. It seems as if everywhere I go, there are endless conversations happening behind the counters that have nothing to do with my transaction. Honestly, it’s …
Leadership development training is an integral part of my work as a service transformation consultant. I get a close-up view of the leaders of a business. I come face to face with their highs, lows and in-betweens. While the low functioning leaders respond to a straightforward improvement plan, the high functioning leaders are an entirely …