This week we feature an article by Annette Franz, CCXP, the founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc. She writes about how leaders can lead by example and model the change that they wish to see from their employees. How do leaders drive (lasting) change? Back in 2019, I enjoyed spending a few days in […]
This week we feature an article by Annette Franz, CCXP, the founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc. She writes about how leaders can lead by example and model the change that they wish to see from their employees.
How do leaders drive (lasting) change?
Back in 2019, I enjoyed spending a few days in Vegas, speaking and networking at Fiserv’s annual client Forum. The keynote on the second day of the event was Troy Aikman, who was interviewed by Fiserv’s CEO Jeff Yabuki about sports, of course, as well as about leadership and business. One of the stories that Troy shared resonated with me because it’s exactly the kind of thing that I talk about when it comes to driving lasting change: leaders can’t just talk the talk; they must walk the walk.
The story goes something like this.
Troy is a sharp-dressed man; when it comes to work/business, he is always dressed in a suit. After he bought his first car dealership, he walked in and noticed that all of the sales guys were dressed casual, in polo shirts and slacks. He wanted them to dress nicer, but he didn’t want to come into his new business and be a hard nose right away. So, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just showed up at the dealership every day in a suit. By the end of the first week, a couple of the guys had upgraded their attire, and by the end of the second week, all of them were dressed in suits. And he never said a word!
It’s a great reminder that you can drive change – lasting change – when you do a few simple, yet often forgotten, things. Troy didn’t talk about any conversations he had with the staff after the two weeks, but I can only imagine he applauded their actions.
To drive lasting change…
Yes, change is hard. But it’s not impossible. These four things are important and work together. Just remember this: leaders can’t expect to see change happen if all they do is talk about the changes but don’t do things differently themselves. Case in point: if you’re talking about transforming your culture to one that is customer-centric, yet you continue to push staff to make their quarterly numbers and reinforce behaviors that speak to a focus on growth at all cost – sans focusing on the customer experience – then you’re not walking the walk.
Talk is cheap.
If you cannot prove it by your action(s), you do not mean it. -Murad S. Shah
Annette Franz, CCXP is the founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc., a leading consulting service for the major voice of the customer (VOC) platforms, helping clients in a variety of industries. She is an internationally recognized customer experience thought leader, coach, keynote speaker, and author of Customer Understanding: Three Ways to Put the “Customer” in Customer Experience (and at the Heart of Your Business).
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors go to customerserviceblog.com.
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