with his employees: "Don't deliver the Mercedes when all they want is a Volkswagon." It gives one pause, doesn't it?
Here's what ran through my mind:
- He just demotivated a group of very bright and talented employees who get up in the morning ready to do their best work.
- He thinks that using cliches will connect him more with his employees.
- He thinks little of the client groups.
Indeed clients may only want the Volkswagon solution to solve their business need. To be sure that we deliver the most suitable and best solution, we seek a deeper understanding of the need, diagnose the problem, identify potential solutions, understand the constraints and propose options to the client. This kind of diagnostic is often something clients don't have time nor expertise to conduct. (Think about taking your car in to check on the noise coming from your exhaust and telling the mechanic to use duct tape to correct the problem.)
The point is, practitioners customize the solution to the client's needs and the client's capability to embrace, implement and maintain the solution. Practitioners deliver their best work, their best solution. Whether at the end of the day it is a Mercedes or a Volkswagon, it will be the best product to meet the client's need. The ultimate outcome is to take the client group's performance and capability to the next level.
To inspire one's employees, avoid using cliche's. They are subject to a host of misinterpretation which leads to disengaged and demotivated employees. Otherwise, consider including a Nissan 350 next time.
2 comments:
Bravo. How often S-Class intentions turn into C-class delivery anyway. In a time when organizations are failing and employees are struggling to maintain pace, we MUST maintain high standards and target the best so we deliver slightly less. If we target mediocrity (e.g., TJ Maxx), we will risk delivering a classless solution (e.g., Goodwill).
Love your analogies: S vs C-class; TJ Maxx vs Goodwill. Indeed these are challenging times....times when executives need to be courageous in their decisions and sharp in their remarks. Thanks for you comments.
Post a Comment