Strategy

Now THAT’S Client Centricity!

Posted by Constance Ward on January 14, 2012   |   Comments Off on Now THAT’S Client Centricity!

Client Centric Samoa

A funny thing happened in Samoa last month. They lost a day. If you’re an international traveler, you may have experienced losing a day as you flew across international datelines. But Samoans just sat still and lost a day on 29 December 2011.
Samoa used to sit on the east side of the International Date Line; but on that day, the small island nation in the South Pacific realigned itself on the west side of the line. Samoans went to sleep on their Thursday night, and they woke up on Saturday morning. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for someone, say, who turned 40 on that Friday!
It seems that the majority of commercial business in Samoa was conducted with trading partners on the west side of dateline, such as Australia and New Zealand, so it was more convenient for their customers to deal with them in the same day zone.
Are you that focused on your clients that you would — metaphorically, at least — give up your Friday to suit their schedules? Are you so flexible in adapting to client needs? Ask, assess then act. We’re here to help.

Debunking the bunker mentality myth

Posted by Constance Ward on December 4, 2011   |   Comments Off on Debunking the bunker mentality myth

“My dad’s nuclear bunker is bigger than yours,” my stepdaughter from London wrote on her Facebook page after her last visit to Zurich. Swiss apartment blocks like ours…and even many homes…have fallout shelters in their basements. They are prepared. Well prepared. For a neutral country that hasn’t actually seen any fighting on its soil for, well, a very, very long time, they are, you might say, over prepared.

Are you prepared for “attacks” from your competitors? Are you well prepared? Is it even possible to be over prepared for doing battle in a competitive marketplace?

You and all of your employees need to be ready for the insurgence of competitors into your space in the market. Building your nuclear bunker in business terms means that all of you are equipped to protect your “turf” with the right strategies, tactics and tools.

On the other hand, having a bunker mentality can limit your ability to be a successful thought leader. Of course, being vocal about where you think your industry is headed will allow your competitors to gain insight into certain parts of your company’s strategy. But the overall benefit of being a thought leader outweighs the risk of over sharing.

Taking a defensive stance is certainly important so that you aren’t giving away the recipe for the “secret sauce.” However, you as a thought leader will instinctively know where to draw the line between revealing too much and just enough on a case-by-case basis.

So come out of your bunker — nobody is going to “nuke you” and you don’t need to fight an enemy that may not exist. How exactly should you do that? Ask, assess, then act. We’re here to help.

Hills, Mountains and the Leader’s Long View

Posted by Constance Ward on October 13, 2011   |   Comments Off on Hills, Mountains and the Leader’s Long View

 

Alps beyond the distant hills of Affoltern

From the window of our new flat, we look out on a hill covered with trees in the changing colors of autumn. Tempted outside by unseasonably warm weather, I hiked to the top of the hill and was surprised to see that in the far distance the Alps were in plain sight.
I’ve been looking at that lovely hill for months now without realizing that it was hiding beautiful mountains from my sight.

Often in business, we get focused on our own “hills” – not all of them lovely – and fail to realize that even bigger mountains just might lie beyond them. What are your hills? What mountains might be hidden behind those hills? Are you standing too close to your own hills to see those mountains? Ask, assess, then act. Contact us – we’re here to help.

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