Job for the CEO or top dog..........

I sometimes get asked what do I see as the role of the top person in an organisation?

The best answer I have ever heard to this question was provided by my friend Gerry Egan 'the role of the CEO is to set the strategy for the business and pick the people capable of delivering it - job done'.

So I will continue to provide this explanation to my clients until somebody comes up with something better.

STOP trying to delight your customers

The idea that delighting customers is the only way to compete has become so entrenched that managers rarely examine it.

Ask yourself how often do you patronise a company because of it's over-the-top service?

Well a major research study in the Harvard Business Review this month has destroyed the myth that delighting customers is the holy grail of competitive advantage. The research shows that the answer is to make it easy for customers to buy from you and to solve their problems. No need for bells and whistles!

There, another business 'truth' destroyed.