A friend was complaining about very poor treatment by one of the support departments in her company. She said, "Don't they realize that we are their customers? They wouldn't exist without us!" Then she went on to say, "Peter Drucker talked about this: Who is our customer? Why don't they pay attention to that?" She was right.
Father of Modern Management, Peter Drucker, suggested that there were 5 key questions that businesses should ask themselves to get them on the path to success. These questions can also be used to guide departments, and individuals, to success. Here they are:
1. What is our mission? This question gets companies and units to focus on their purpose - the "why" of their existence. Just as companies should have a mission (and should reflect regularly on whether they are staying true to that mission), departments and individuals can have missions. A personal mission can help provide meaning and purpose to our work and our careers. My personal work mission is to "advance knowledge of leadership and organizational psychology through research and education" - it's what I'm trying to do with this post.
2. Who is our customer? This is what had my friend so upset. We need to realize who our customer is in order to focus our work efforts and to do good work. Often groups and individuals have multiple customers, and it is important to recognize who they are.
3. What does our customer value? This is critical for companies - and for individuals. If our work provides value to our customer - we produce a good product, give stellar service, solve their problem - they will remember it. We will have done a good job, and we will have happy customers (and happy bosses).
4. What are our results? It is important for companies and individuals to measure success, and also understand when we fall short. Drucker was a big proponent of setting goals and measuring their attainment. We need to understand the impact of our work - it not only gives meaning to our work, but it helps us to provide work of the highest quality. For example, I will know the results of my "education effort" with this post by the number of you, my customers, who read this, and will know the quality of my work by your comments.
5. What is our plan? Organizations and individuals should always be forward-thinking. We need a plan to guide us - and a meaningful plan ("just getting through the work day" is an attitude that can kill your worklife). Set career goals. Decide where you want to be in 5, 10, 20 years. Improve the quality of your work in measurable ways.
Five simple, but profound, questions. Continually respond to these questions, and your worklife and your organization will be a success.
Follow me on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/ronriggio
