Building Customer-Centricity: Aligning Teams With Vision

The Gist

Cultural alignment matters. Organizational vision and values drive customer-centric practices.
Vision drives action. Understanding "why" shapes employee behaviors and customer interactions.
Leadership example crucial. Managers and leaders setting examples improve customer-centricity.

In my past 24 years, I have had the privilege of working in various roles, including cross-functional and leadership positions. A few factors have stood out as differentiators in how organizations approach their customers. There are straightforward methods to being customer-centric, but they must align with the company's core vision, goals and values. Let's take a deeper look at building customer-centricity.

Blueprints for Customer-Centricity: Unveiling the Organizational 'Why'

Achieving or being perceived positively in terms of customer-centricity can be accomplished in several ways, for instance — gathering and analyzing the Voice of the Customer (VoC), conducting one-on-one meetings and enhancing accessibility.

However, today I will discuss my experience with the foundational principle that supports the blueprint of this approach: the "WHY" behind organizational goals.

Unlocking 'Why': From Values to Action

What is the "Why" and how does it help?

This "why" gradually becomes the overarching key differentiator. Often, setting a goal is critical when very few employees are aware of the organization's values and vision, or the essence behind those words. Let me share an example — when I started my career at General Electric (GE), values like integrity, energy, and leading by example weren't just words on the wall. There were consistent training sessions for each batch of employees across various departments that focused on two aspects: understanding the essence of these values — what lies beyond their simple definitions — and how to enact these values in daily actions.

So, here's what it did for me — I improved at collaborating, gained clearer thinking, and it began to show in my conversations with internal stakeholders (thanks to our managers and senior leaders who led by example). I gradually became more solution-oriented, and all this, my dear friends, was reflected in my interactions with our customers. Yes, it took some time because it is a process, and customer-centricity starts with a feeling and a belief that translate into daily actions, like consistent training and mentoring.

Startups' Misstep: Tech Claims vs. True Values

What surprises me is that I often see startups with smaller teams not prioritizing this exercise, later merely adopting technology to proclaim themselves as "customer-centric organizations." It doesn’t work that way. If our leadership, team, and colleagues are not aligned in understanding the same core values, vision, and the "why" behind them, then it's a challenge. For example, in our education system, teachers often instruct us to "focus" without explaining "why" we should focus or "how" to effectively focus, leading us to act without fully understanding the Reason to Believe (RTB) in that cause.

This image features a 3D illustration of a bridge constructed from jigsaw puzzle pieces. The bridge arches from one end to the other, symbolically connecting two points. The puzzle pieces are mostly in grayscale, with a few in red, adding a visual highlight in piece about building customer-centricity. — If our leadership, team, and colleagues are not aligned in understanding the same core values, vision, and the "why" behind them, then it's a challenge. VERSUSstudio on Adobe Stock Photos

When we consistently understood the "why" behind our organizational vision, goals, and the importance of customer-centricity, and how every employee is crucial in embedding this into our DNA, it became easier. This understanding naturally reflected in our interactions with customers, influencing our voice and approach.

Instilling 'Why': Key to Impeccable Execution

Impeccable execution is possible only if organizations consistently strive to instill the "why" of their customer-centricity among their team members. I am convinced that this understanding will gradually manifest across all areas — including our people, creative outputs, communications, social media, and UI/UX — leading to deeper, actionable insights from the Voice of the Customer (VoC).

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