As the new year approaches, your company might be thinking of turning its focus to developing and reshaping new strategies. Strategizing often entails brainstorming sessions led by senior leaders but doesn’t always take the customer or team development into consideration. So, why not consider a new approach this year?
The time investment required to dig beneath the surface and discover customers’ wants and needs holds many companies back from seeking a deeper insight into how exactly they can support the best interests of those who support them.
Here’s how your company can focus on team development to gain insight on your customers and make a positive impact in 2022.
Put the Client First
Without loyal customers and employees, no business would survive. So when it comes to planning your 2022 strategy, every decision you make should focus on the following question: How will our customers be impacted by this decision?
Go beyond data compilation and put yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself what resources are available or unavailable to them. What do they expect and need from me? How can my company make a positive impact on the community?
Now, ask those same questions about your employees. Understanding their workarounds for unaddressed challenges (both internally and externally) will give you insight into their needs and how they’re currently solving those needs for themselves.
From there, you can establish ways to facilitate team development, foster meaningful workplace dialogue, and strategize more effectively. Solving these everyday challenges not only creates efficiency but also builds loyalty and relationships.
Be Transparent
Mistakes happen, whether as a result of miscommunication, an oversight in quality assurance, or a team development conflict. What’s important is that you own up to those mistakes and make a clear plan to avoid them in the future.
Two weeks into Mary Barra’s new role as the Chairman and CEO of General Motors (and the first female CEO of a major automotive company), for example, the company faced a scandal when a defective ignition switch caused more than 100 deaths.
Instead of deflecting blame or twisting the facts, Barra held the company responsible and implemented new policies to prevent the situation from happening again. Unsurprisingly, her advice to graduating students at the University of Michigan was to address problems right away — otherwise, they’ll only get bigger.
Likewise, consider whether there are any problems within your company that you might be ignoring. Try making a list of obstacles, then get your team together to work on a plan to overcome them.
Be Curious
Effective team development requires insightful leaders to exhibit an underlying curiosity and desire to know more. A good leader actively takes the initiative to learn new information, which demonstrates engagement and loyalty to company goals.
Keeping your skills and knowledge up to date will give you the competitive edge you need to lead effectively and stimulate new ways of thinking in colleagues. Examine how these skills will help achieve long-term goals — like fostering team development and building stronger customer relationships — and identify the skills needed to achieve them.
By creating an environment that encourages the free flow of new knowledge and perspectives, you can openly examine mistakes and see setbacks as opportunities to learn and build solutions that will better serve employees and customers alike.
Focus on Team Development
Reid Hoffman, the Cofounder of LinkedIn, co-authored The Alliance, a book that explores the employer–employee relationship. He advises being open and learning what your employees care about to strengthen team development and build trust.
To offset the power dynamics, Hoffman suggests leading with integrity by first opening up about your own goals. Share your perceived strengths and weaknesses and be open to feedback. Above all else, be a courageous leader who follows through with what you discover. No one wants to follow a leader who pontificates but takes little action.
By diving into the mindset of both your customers and your employees, you can gain a better understanding of their wants and needs. Equipped with that deeper insight, you can then strategize and execute to make a positive impact on your community in the new year.
Is your team dedicated to gaining insight into your customers and prioritizing team development in 2022? Contact The CrossGroup for help creating an effective strategy!
