As a company evolves, how must its leadership change?
KD: Today, a leader must be able to turn the company’s people into a competitive advantage. I mean all of the people in the organization, from the person who answers the phone to the person who deals with your suppliers; from the person who raises capital to each person at the point of distribution – in the case of restaurants, the managers and crews. Competition is so intense, the sheer number of choices for customers is so awesome, that one of the only ways to differentiate is through your people. I think customers have spoken loud and clear. Things like quality, cleanliness, value are just entry fees. A brand’s real difference may very well depend on your people’s ability to bring the brand to life at the point of interaction with the customer, to develop the kind of special relationship customers want. If you train and motivate your people to do that, customers will reward your brand – and not your competitors’ – with their loyalty. For CEOs, the people factor has become critical.
Related Questions
- Im interested in developing a Fireline Leadership (L-380) or Incident Leadership (L-381) course for my company or agency. How do I go about doing that?
- Can I submit an entry or nominate a company for the Advancing Marketplace Trust or Consumer Leadership award categories?
- How will Fluensees solution work with our existing systems and scale as our company grows and evolves?
