How good are you at driving change? Do you have a thorough understanding of the wants and needs of your customer, and do you have analytics in place to rate the quality of what you deliver (and do)?

This month Fortune magazine featured J. D. Power, the pioneer for providing auto industries with customer opinions. This concept was initially met with resistance by Detroit carmakers, but the Japanese automakers were extremely interested in having a better understanding of the American consumer and their input on quality. (U.S. manufacturers later became a client because they determined that internal surveys weren’t always accurate.)

Research and surveys have changed throughout the years and are likely to continue to do so, but the intent remains the same. Surveys, when used correctly, provide a vast amount of information. They provide input for decision making, for developing new strategies, for setting goals and measures, and for determining what needs to change.

Not only do you need to understand your customer, you must understand your employees.

J.D. Power’s Leadership Advice

  1. Be accessible to your employees. He suggests walking around after normal business hours and do a “check-in”. Find out what’s being worked on, ask if any difficulties have been encountered, and ask for THEIR suggestions.
  2. Hold internal focus groups. Have mixed level employee meetings and be open when issues are brought up; no one is allowed to criticize.
  3. Hire problem solvers. Don’t limit yourself to hiring experts only. You also want those with “intellectual curiosity” and the characteristics for solving problems.

Power is proud of his impact improving the quality of products and services, and for “customer satisfaction” becoming a key component for success.

Do you use surveys to help drive change and improve satisfaction levels for both your customers and your employees?

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.

QwikTip for Getting Along With Peers

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.

Learn More About QwikCoach

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