Build to Last

While reading “Built to Last” – Successful Habits of Visionary Companies,” I made a few notes to mark which of the fundamental principles explained in the book can inspire Customer Success professionals to create visionary CS organizations.

I wish to focus on three core principles. Each one is briefly described, and then I share a few takeaways from the customer success point of view.

Idea #1: “More than Profits”

In short, the book suggests that visionary companies pursue both profits and ideology. Profitability is necessary for the organization to exist and fulfill its purpose, but there is more than just profit. Visionary companies have their core ideology and purpose clearly defined, and they are used to inspire and guide the people on all fronts.

The CS angle:

CS organizations pursue revenue as part of the company’s overall business targets. This is important, but at the same time, I would like CS organizations to have clear objectives and values. The general purpose of any CS team is to make their customers successful and help them achieve their targets. This can be further fine-tuned, and ultimately, ideology and sense of purpose become a mindset for CS professionals who know why they do what they do (and it is not just about revenue).

Idea #2:  “Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs)”

BHAGs (“bee-hags”) are a powerful mechanism to stimulate progress. Effective BHAGs are clear and compelling and are aligned with the core ideology. Once achieved, the goals are constantly replaced by another to raise the bar even higher. This mechanism drives organizations to achieve an increasing goal commitment and belief level, consequently falling well outside their comfort zone.

The CS angle:

One can claim that a CS team has its goals like any other team. However, CS is a relatively new domain with a potentially wide range of goals and objectives. As such, goals should be carefully defined, keeping the CS team focused. In this regard, I would like to emphasize two essential takeaways:

• The CS Executive should be part of the management team, actively strategizing and defining the plans. From there, I expect the CS executives to derive their team's BHAGs while aligning them to the company’s targets.

• The CS team should “lead by example” and demonstrate to the rest of the organization that they can go outside their comfort zone and constantly improve their performance. Driving customers to be successful is a showcase of the company’s value; metaphorically, the CS team can become the lighthouse that the rest of the organization will be looking at.

Idea #3: “Good Enough Never Is“

In visionary companies, continuous improvement is not just a program or a process. It is a mindset, a way of life, and it means doing everything possible to make the company better tomorrow than it is today. Visionary companies embed mechanisms to create discomfort and instill ruthless self-discipline to combat complacency.

The CS angle:

Good BHAGs set high standards for the CS team to operateat, and the team is expected to achieve them. This is where planning meets execution. CS teams can only achieve ambitious goals if they commit to self-discipline. Furthermore, they leverage appropriate tools and processes to monitor their activities, perform self-assessment, conclude lessons learned, and consequently adjust and improve.

Customer management is the one place where complacency can be easily spotted (by customers) and potentially devastatingly impact. With constant technological changes, business environments, and customer expectations, CS teams cannot just be “good enough.” Excellent customer management means we are “ahead of the game” and ready to help and support customers when their circumstances change (and they constantly change).

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"Built to Last” – Successful Habits of Visionary Companies was written by Collins and Porras https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_to_Last:_Successful_Habits_of_Visionary_Companies