Customer Service Part Two
I read a great article over the weekend on the Detroit News web site. As an aside, some of the best automotive journalism anywhere is from the Detroit News online. Great journalists Daniel Howes, John McCormick, Neil Winton, etc. I've already commented on why I believe Alan Mulally will be a positive influence on Ford but this is the first indication of how Mr. Mulally intends to set the tone of his involvement as CEO. The analysts who thought Ford missed the boat by not naming an automobile executive are buffoons and nary a one have any qualifications to succeed at what this CEO is charged to accomplish. So, don't listen to Wall Street. Listen to McKinsey, Accenture, Booz, Allen, etc. The people who help companies actually set strategy and have talent which has actually participated in turnarounds themselves.
The "meeting indicator" is a very good anecdotal tool for measuring company focus. There are two components to the meeting indicator. One is the number of meetings and the other is the attendance size. Both are typically inversely related to the focus a company has on its customer. Ford is very internally focused and that is changing. Mulally will drive a spike through this culture.
Personally, I tried to limit the number of meetings either I was in or my team was in. Meetings, while necessary, are the kiss of death. More can be accomplished in a one-on-one discussion whether in phone or in person than some blathering, mind numbing debate on the future of mankind. I am so anti-meeting that if I were in a position to control the meeting, I would typically cancel it, trim the attendee list or simply not show up. A handful of basic rules I have for meetings:
@ Is the he meeting specifically focused on a particular client situation or opportunity? ie, What does this have to do with our clients?
@ Is other "pre-meeting" work accomplished in advance to allow us to come to end of job in one meeting if possible? ie, Have you done your homework?
@ Is the meeting objective clearly identified and related to a particular client situation or opportunity? How much time do you need?
@Who is invited to the meeting? If they are not directly involved, de-invite them.
Now depending on what organization or role you play in a company, these may or may not be directly applicable but the general idea applies across the board.
I see alot of positives out of this article.
@Mulally has little tolerance for bureacracy
@The pervasive environment of never telling the boss bad news is gone
@He plans to mingle with the associates and create an open atmosphere and comradery
@He plans to introduce an atmosphere of positive conflict which challenges people to have their strategies and plans clearly baked and thoroughly thought out. (More on this in another post)
@He is instilling a sense of urgency
@He is going to break the bean counter's stranglehold on Ford and relegate them to the support role they should be playing. Accounting is an absolutely necessary support function but should not be driving the strategy for the company.
@He wants documented actions and plans with regular reviews to make sure people are working their plans, executing and problems come to light immediately and are dealt with in a timely fashion ie, Plan the work then work the plan.
@He is going to hold his team accountable to those plans on a regular basis so the lollygagging is over
@No more gamesmanship and fudging numbers so that real change is simply delayed and the problems fester
@Be prepared to win because I'm not a loser and if you are going to be on my team, you aren't either
@Get focused on your customer
The "meeting indicator" is a very good anecdotal tool for measuring company focus. There are two components to the meeting indicator. One is the number of meetings and the other is the attendance size. Both are typically inversely related to the focus a company has on its customer. Ford is very internally focused and that is changing. Mulally will drive a spike through this culture.
Personally, I tried to limit the number of meetings either I was in or my team was in. Meetings, while necessary, are the kiss of death. More can be accomplished in a one-on-one discussion whether in phone or in person than some blathering, mind numbing debate on the future of mankind. I am so anti-meeting that if I were in a position to control the meeting, I would typically cancel it, trim the attendee list or simply not show up. A handful of basic rules I have for meetings:
@ Is the he meeting specifically focused on a particular client situation or opportunity? ie, What does this have to do with our clients?
@ Is other "pre-meeting" work accomplished in advance to allow us to come to end of job in one meeting if possible? ie, Have you done your homework?
@ Is the meeting objective clearly identified and related to a particular client situation or opportunity? How much time do you need?
@Who is invited to the meeting? If they are not directly involved, de-invite them.
Now depending on what organization or role you play in a company, these may or may not be directly applicable but the general idea applies across the board.
I see alot of positives out of this article.
@Mulally has little tolerance for bureacracy
@The pervasive environment of never telling the boss bad news is gone
@He plans to mingle with the associates and create an open atmosphere and comradery
@He plans to introduce an atmosphere of positive conflict which challenges people to have their strategies and plans clearly baked and thoroughly thought out. (More on this in another post)
@He is instilling a sense of urgency
@He is going to break the bean counter's stranglehold on Ford and relegate them to the support role they should be playing. Accounting is an absolutely necessary support function but should not be driving the strategy for the company.
@He wants documented actions and plans with regular reviews to make sure people are working their plans, executing and problems come to light immediately and are dealt with in a timely fashion ie, Plan the work then work the plan.
@He is going to hold his team accountable to those plans on a regular basis so the lollygagging is over
@No more gamesmanship and fudging numbers so that real change is simply delayed and the problems fester
@Be prepared to win because I'm not a loser and if you are going to be on my team, you aren't either
@Get focused on your customer
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