Ask why.
Traditions are nice. Delivering greater value in an ever changing world is better.
With so many organizations working ‘lean’, there is a tendency to focus on ‘getting things done’ which can leave your organization vulnerable to changing demands. Failing to ask why can put your organization at a significant disadvantage and since no one wants to walk in and face a crisis (“Where have all the customers gone?”), you need to constantly ask “Why?”
“Why do we believe that this still provides the customer with the greatest value?”
“Why do we believe that this is the best way to use manpower? Technology? Financial resources?”
“Why don’t we try this approach in order to better address these opportunities?”
It’s all about refocusing existing resources on to activities that generate greater success…”Why not give it a try?”
Practical Example:
One former employer had created a simple process for regularly communicating important information to customers – but over time there had been so many exceptions made that process had become too large, cumbersome, confusing and bloated. By stopping and spending an hour on rethinking the goal, objective, strategy and tactics, the process was streamlined, more than $300,000 was redirected to more productive activities – oh, and conversion and retention rates increased.
