Leadership on the Front Line in the Best Practice Organization

Managers are the linchpins connecting the daily actionseveryone who works in and for that business.
of a workforce with corporate vision. Yet mostEffective leadership on the front line begins at the top.
companies complain about the gap that existsFront-line employees may have the most contact and,
between corporate strategy and the daily worktherefore, impact with customers but top leaders
performed on the front lines. In response, companycreate the work environment. Managers at every level
vision, values and goals are hung on the walls; HRmust become leaders who ensure that the daily
beefs up training and everyone hopes for the best.actions of a loyal workforce produce pre-determined
Yet the gap remains. Why?results, including customer loyalty. Managers must learn
Ideally, your organization operates on a commitment tohow to enlist front-line workers in the constant effort
identifying and serving the needs of customers near orto identify waste in processes, make improvements in
far, and excellence in the quality and selection ofproduction, increase organizational and product/service
products and services you offer. This is surelyvalue, while maximizing performance - because these
articulated somehow in your vision and mission, if youresults serve the best interests of customers.
have one. Such commitment is necessary whetherClosing the Gap
your organization is privately held, publicly traded or- What if each employee improved his or her ability to
public service, for profit or not-for-profit, manufacturerdiscern the customer-centered value of each decision,
or professional service; it must be true for YOU andaction or behavior he or she takes on a daily basis?
your business unit: whether you sit in the executive- What if you could turn the Corporate Code of
office, stand on the factory floor, or manage a teamConduct into tangible goals, attitudes, behaviors and
somewhere in between.habits of employees?
"The function of business is to attract and maintain- What if employees' discretionary actions were
customers". - Peter Druckerconsistently aligned with company goals?
Peter Drucker, perhaps the world's most respected- How about... Individual accountability for quality and
business-intelligent mind, accepts that "the function ofexcellence?
business is to attract and maintain customers" while- ...Personal discipline to take action that contributes to
making a profit (attracting and maintaining donors whilecorporate good?
remaining financially viable for non-profits). But his- ...Communication that is "On-Purpose"?
emphasis - and your priority and focus - must be the- ...Individual and team goal-setting that is in sync with
customer. As an integral part of this commitment tocorporate standards and practices?
excellence, everyone from top leadership to productionInitially, focus on strategy, defining where you are now,
workers, ideally, will focus on value from the viewpointwhere you want to go, and what it takes to get there.
of customers. Not just serving or satisfying customers,If your focus is to create loyal customers, you need to
which is where too many companies have limited theiralign your leadership system (the people side of the
sights, and not just external customers but employeesequation) and your operating systems (the way things
(internal customers), too. "Customer service" is not aflow through your organization) to make them
position, a department or even a particularly usefulcompatible with accomplishing this strategy. To the
performance measure; customer loyalty is the mostdegree you have alignment of these three elements
useful measure of performance. Customer loyalty isthe more likely you are to achieve your strategy.
not just the function of business; it is the function of