Over the years I have done many talks and speeches about culture and the advantages its brings in business. Culturally led businesses outperform those that do not work on culture – it is that simple. What comes up the most? What exactly is an Outside-In® organization? I often start with the story of leaders in a boardroom. The leaders like to make decisions; to decide their own fate right? In fact, it is the role of the leadership team to know what is going on and to make decisions on the strategic direction of the business. As leaders we do make those decisions and set that tone.

A question we should all be asking ourselves is, “how many times are those decisions made with customer input or made based on employee perspective of those that are closest to the customer?”. The answer is: NOT often enough.

As leaders, the real momentum comes when your team knows they can speak up. That they can share what a customer said. That they can tell you when a policy is harmful (or just plain stupid). This kind of environment does not come about about overnight. It needs to be created and cultivated by leaders that believe in it and encourage it with their words and their actions. Too hard? Maybe. I know all of the arguments: Staff won’t see what they are not responsible for or what they are not measured by. It is not their job. They don’t have the training or inclination. We need their production, not their ideas! That is my job as leader. Some of those arguments may be true. However, you should view this as your competitive advantage or secret weapon that other companies won’t bother to implement or think to copy.

Imagine a world where every employee takes a few minutes each day to ask “what did we learn from the marketplace or customer today?”. Perhaps planning and asking the question is the easy part of all this. Imagine also that everyone asks the question and knows that you really want and value the answer. That is an Outside-In® company in its simplest state. Where the front lines run the show. Where good information is not lost; it is cherished and respected. Our job as a leader? Set the tone. Help folks interpret what they hear. Share any knowledge that gives the employee more context on what they observed. Help everyone understand the value. That today’s tidbit is tomorrows trend. And tomorrows trend is a customer solution or product line. Or business unit. Or next business.

Start by asking the question in a team meeting. What did we learn about the marketplace today or this week or this month?

Try this! More help on this in the next blog…

The daily huddle in your business drives the questions that get to the core of your business and how it will compete tomorrow. Most of us in business know enough to realize that our products five years out have not even been considered. Why not start right now? It is cheap – if not free.