When Your Hard Work Pays Off

A long post, but worth the read!

It is really fulfilling when the hard work invested by you and your collaborators pays off -- when it is utilized and endorsed by the leaders of industry.  Case in point:  Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE, referenced the DVP (Differential Value Proposition) from our book (Winning With Customers: A Playbook for B2B, Pigues and Alderman, Wiley & Sons 2012) and how GE is using the DVP to improve customer value.  His comments, which follow, are included in GE's Annual Company Outlook 12/2011.  "One of the things we've been doing for the last couple years is really, I would say, reformulating some of the process and best practice-sharing inside the company and what we call GE Advantage. It's being led by Charlene Begley. We've got about 1,000 resources in this space. And what (we've really done) is (ad)just our focus on the key processes.... So we picked about 40 processes, and we're using a combination of old tools, things like Lean and Six Sigma; and new tools, something called differentiated value proposition, where you really try to sit with customers and assess and value what they value in the relationship and where you can take costs down and grow margins at the same time."  A blessing indeed!  Now, it doesn't get much better than this.

For more on Winning With Customers and the DVP...

http://www.dkeithpigues.com/Video_WhatisWinningwithCustomers.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RntHFj3ZSI

Change, Why Change?

Change is tough! Let's face it, we find it difficult to change things that need to be changed, that we really want to change. I have my list and I'm sure you have yours.

When people are asked, even encouraged, or strongly encouraged to make changes, most of the effort is typically focused on "What to change" or "How to Change." While both are important, the most critical area to address is "Why the change."

This is not a sure-fire solution to bring about the change. However, absent the Why Change, it's all about the head and we leave out the heart. Real and lasting change begins in the heart. Change, Why Change?

They just want to be heard and valued.

Something unfortunate happens when some are given the title Leader – they begin doing a lot of talking and not enough listening. One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to motivate and inspire those he or she leads. It’s difficult to create an environment for motivation and inspiration to take place when you have no idea what motivates or inspires the members of the team.

I’ll let you in on a little secret: EVERYONE wants to be heard and valued. The leader has to be intentional about listening to the members of the team – discovering what they care about (personally and professionally). If you show me a leader who understands what’s on the minds and in the hearts of people in the organization, I’ll show you a leader who has a chance to really lead. Show me a leader who is preoccupied with talking (stuck in the leader knows best trap), and I’ll show you a leader whose failure is right around the corner. Be careful not to hang on too tightly to this leader. His or her fall will take you for a long ride – downward.