Specific leadership actions occur in companies that have taken the commitment past lip service. Understanding customer issues and what drives customer loyalty becomes the stuff of everyday conversations—not just when one soul has been lucky enough to get it on the CEO's staff meeting agenda!
Answer these questions and you'll know:
- Does your CEO clearly articulate what he/she wants the company to become for customers and constantly reinforce and drive the company in that direction?
- Is there a commitment for organizational transformation, not some one-off tactics and silver bullets?
- Has the CEO layered this work onto someone's already overfull plate, or is there recognition that this is a critical job for the organization that requires an immense time commitment?
- Has the CEO ensured that the customer champion is an officer of the company with the full support and engagement of the CEO, leaders, and the organization?
- Does your CEO actively hold people accountable for customer performance? Is there clarity in what's expected and does the organization practice discipline around identifying what should be measured and managed?
- Are forums for accountability regularly scheduled and enforced as a key strategic meeting for the success of the company?
- Does your CEO commit time and resources to a solid partnership with the customer leader?
- Does your CEO play an active role in understanding and participating in the rigor of aligning the company when necessary?
- Is your CEO committed to the timeline required (in the neighborhood of five years) and are they willing to suspend the usual short-term expectations of immediate results to have patience for the customer work to take hold and yield results?
- Will they sustain the patience inside the corporation and with the board to stay the course so that results can be achieved?
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