Got a problem? I'm all ears.

Listening to the voice of the customer:

Having had the opportunity during my career to wear the hats of customer, vendor and consultant I've learned the biggest problem is that the suppliers are not listening to what the customers really need and assume that they will be happy with a solution that gives them what they wanted instead.

In many cases, if the customer knew what they needed, they wouldn't need you to help them sort it out.

A good solution provider will listen to the customer's needs and determine how to craft a solution that addresses all the areas the customer believes that they want addressed while also addressing other areas they may not have even thought about or knew that they needed to address.

Listening to the voice of the employee:

If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers. A recent post in the Harvard Business Review gives some tips on "How to Really Listen to Your Employees." In my experience, one of the pitfalls of leaders  who don't listen is that they soon find themselves surrounded by employees who have nothing to say.

Silence is not golden when it comes to the feedback you receive from your organization. Without open communication and reciprocation the ideas for innovation become stagnant, one-sided or non-existent.

Listening to the voice of the shareholder:

Shareholders also have a voice. While you may not have the opportunity to listen to them individually, you can listen to the collective and ensure that you are operating in a manner that is aligned with their values while also producing the financial results anticipated.

For instance, if you know the collective voice of your shareholders have environmental concerns you implement monitoring and measure your business practices against the standards deemed acceptable by the majority.

But you can't stop there. You must also find the audience and platform to share the results to make sure that your shareholders know you were listening.

Listening to the voice of integrity:

At the end of the day, the most important voice you can listen to is the voice of integrity that comes from within. If you are the customer, and you got what you wanted, don't complain that the supplier didn't give you what you need.

If you are the supplier, give the customer what they need and want and do so at a fair and reasonable cost to assure that the customer remains competitive with their peers. 

If you are a consultant don't drag out the development of your solutions just to tag on billable hours. There is always room for continuous improvement. Complete your project on-time, under budget and there will no doubt be more work to fill your schedule.

Got a problem? Schedule a no risk consultation. I'm all ears.