Pivot Pillar #1
One of my personal mottos is “Begin with the end in mind.” And that, my friends, is how we are starting this week’s blog on the PIVOT. We are starting with People, because in the end, every organization is only as good as its people. Organizations in any industry need people to serve people.
As you start mapping out your PIVOT Process, your first two thoughts should be, “How can I better serve my customer?” And “How will this affect my employees?“ Your next thought should be how can I ensure they feel valued enough to support this new direction and do the work necessary to help it succeed.
Investing in your people is the most effective way to let them know how you value them as employees. When embarking on a PIVOT, it is imperative to gauge your most valuable asset, your workforce, and see where they are in terms of morale, professional development, and other areas of workplace satisfaction. No matter how many new policies you put in place, if you have an unhappy workforce the PIVOT will not work.
The people of your organization are your lifeline. It is how you know whether you are thriving or dying! What is the pulse of your workforce? Are they barely holding on, coming in and coasting through the workday getting their fulfillment at noon and 5 o’clock? Or are they energetically working and thinking of ways to innovate and engage with confidence and camaraderie? I believe that cliches are cliches for a reason and keeping your hand on the pulse of your organization is real because your people are real. If they are suffering a slow death every time they walk into work, so is your company. Take care of your employees so they will take care of you.
The very definition of organization is “an organized body of people with a particular purpose…” In short, there is no organization without the people who choose to support you in running it. So ask yourself how well do you treat your organization? Are you paying attention to signals of frustration and burnout? As you begin your PIVOT, ask your people how they are feeling and what can be done better. Where are their pain points that signal opportunities of focus during the change in direction. How is their mental state? Are they in a silent panic, frantically reacting to situations or is their work environment organized and proactive? Tackling your employee experience is vital to improving your customer experience. They two go hand in hand.
Customers can feel when the vibes are off in an organization. If their point of contact is short and snappy, the customer experience is ruined regardless of the outcome of the interaction. The way an employee feels about the company will be felt by the customer. And I don’t know about you, but when I speak with a representative of the company who doesn’t have their things together my mind doesn’t think about that person individually, but to the company as a whole. The truth is, if a company can’t take care of their own people, it is harder for customers to believe that the company can take care of them.
As you prepare for your PIVOT, think about your people. Show genuine interest in them and communicate how much you value them by investing in their employee experience. New professional development opportunities, encouraging personal time for mental health, and listening to frustrations in their daily process that will improve their work if addressed. Your company begins and ends with the people you serve, starting with your employees.