a) That he / she really wants to make this place customer-centric
b) That he / she really cares about the long term
c) That he / she really wants us to be team players
*******
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RICHARD J WOOD
RICHARD J WOOD
Educated in Toowoomba, Richard Wood commenced his career establishing his own practice in March 1996. With an entrepreneurial spirit and vision as Managing Partner, he has developed and guided Vistage Corporate Advisory to where it is today.
Unlike traditional accountants, Richard (pictured above) does not position himself as external to his clients' businesses. Where possible, he becomes a part of the client -- knowing as much about their operations and corporate and marketing challenges as possible.
This provides a sound foundation from which to develop financial and accountancy strategies which are tailored to meet their individual requirements. Importantly, it also allows Richard to identify business opportunities for his clients on a progressive basis, and combat any commercial threats before they take effect.
Richard has extensive financing and joint venture experience. As a majority shareholder and director of a number of private companies, he is keenly aware of the need to monitor unit-based profitability and to implement sophisticated financial management systems.
A deep thinker, passionate about the potential that lies within individuals and their businesses, Richard has been instrumental in creating opportunities that have inspired success for his clients, colleagues and peers.
A proven entrepreneur now focused on working with other entrepreneurs, Richard's commercial experience and business nous has led him to develop a distinctive suite of financial management solutions and products; including Optimist. He is driven to generate positive growth and wealth for his clients by focusing on activity based financial information, shareholder value and the true story behind the finance information that is generated. He has been influential in achieving significant results for his clients and their businesses, using strategic vision, big picture analysis, consistent monitoring and mentoring systems.
Richard believes that when business owners start to fear growth it is due to uncertainty. Unlocking these uncertainties and providing a clear platform for change recreates hope and the confidence to grow. Clear vision helps clear thinking. By relating activity to financial outcomes, he has the ability to provide a whole new way of thinking about strategy to drive financial performance.
Richard is a connected and valued strategic advisor to his clients and is driven to ensure he can empower them with peace of mind, confidence to grow and banker confidence.
Qualifications & Memberships
> Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
> Bachelor of Laws (Banking & Finance)
> Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants
> Member, Institute of Management
> Member, Institute of Corporate Managers, Secretaries and Administrators
> Member, Australian Institute of Certified Practising Accountants
> Member, Institute of Company Directors
10 comments:
Sadly for some, it would take accepting a position with a competitor -- a three for one benefit!
This is a deceptively complex question.
It seems simple at first because we all have a tendency to answer instinctively from within our own paradigm: "What would motivate me?"
Most of us are mature and emotionally healthy enough (I hope) to recognise that what motivates us, does not necessarily motivate others.
But that's only part of the problem ...
Within any apparently homogeneous group, there are very likely to be generational differences at play when it comes to motivation as well.
For example, ask a 65 year old lawyer what's going to motivate him to dedicate long hours to the firm, and he is going to think like a 65 year old person who has experiences of being able to count on large organisations.
Pose the same question to a baby boomer of the same race who might have cut his teeth questioning those same societal organisations, and you're likely to get answers based on a very different paradigm.
And if you pose a question like that to a Gen X'er (or Gen Y now entering the workforce) you're very likely to get a blank stare because we have a very different experience of the longevity of any organisation.
Now, to really blow you mind, factor in that in each of the four examples above I used the adjective "he" on purpose.
Change it to "She" and you get a very different paradigm -- four different paradigms, actually.
I have some experience working with managers of large & mid-size firms to help them devise individual motivational plans for each team-member.
Beware of any simple answers about what motivates your associates, partners or staff that their boss wants the place to be client-centric, will even exist in the long-term, and/or that the team members will still be around a few years from now.
Respectfully,
RJON ROBINS
www.HowToMakeItRain.com
RJON, the question doesn't ask what would motivate each of us.
It asks what it would take for us to be convinced the boss is serious in what he/ she asks for.
I believe that's a different question.
It's asking about actions by superiors that make us trust their words and motives.
Well, a boss convinced me he was serious about making this place customer-centric when he spent half his day going and asking clients what we could do better and then followed up with some pretty serious action.
I'll take a more serious stab at it this time.
I think Hal Rosenbluth had it right.
He created an organisation that focused on employees first and the customers were the big winners -- the employees not only realised it, but it was a source of pride for them.
How great would it feel to work for the best customer service organisation in the world?
From a management perspective, you build that organisation by focusing on those who are actually closest to the customer and delivering the service -- day in and day out.
It seems to me that all Rosenbluth Travel employees (before the company was eventually sold to American Express) would have answered a resounding yes to all three questions.
I would imagine it's a big reason AE purchased the company as well.
The simple answer is to change what's being measured, talked about and rewarded by "the boss".
While at IBM I had the opportunity to specialise in the area of customer relationship management consulting.
We documented a wide range of best practices regarding "customer focused".
For example, an associate's and a firm's "hours billed" is certainly important and will certainly be included in the monthly reports circulated among management and senior staffers.
But, is there also some real, quantifiable measurement of customer satisfaction -- especially tied to the actions of individual associates -- also regularly included in those reports?
Are special rewards and bonuses to associates and teams -- at least partially -- based on customer satisfaction measurements?
How do the firm's monthly and quarterly financial results impact the recognition and reward structure?
Does "the boss" obsessively focus on the quarterly financials to the exclusion of other acts and occurrences related to the firm's stated vision and mission?
Are individual and team personal and professional development accomplishments included in the monthly reports?
Are personal and professional development accomplishments recognised and rewarded with even half the enthusiasm as the signing of a new contract?
What's being measured in the regularly scheduled performance appraisals?
What weight is the success of the team or teams to which an associate given in determining the result of the appraisal.
What is actually measured and rewarded dictates staff's perceptions and behavior; period.
Everything else is just talk.
Leo, you describe what Rosenbluth achieved, but not how he did it.
What were the cruial CEO actions that led to the outcome?
The book that describes exactly how he did it is called The Customer Comes Second by Hal Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin Peters.
To your point, the concept is easy to grasp, but the book describes all that goes into creating that culture.
As one would imagine, it was an enormous commitment.
The book was an easy read.
I would highly recommend it!
Gotta side with Jennifer on this one.
I know a boss is serious about something when they walk the talk.
Particularly if they do something that will genuinely cost them.
I am going to tackle this one:
"That he/ she really wants us to be team players"
- Well, the boss has to be a team player. They have to work with the team. Not get too chummy but definitely roll up their sleeves up and muck in.
- They have to let the team make certain decisions. Not just ask advice but actually let the team decide and stand by their decision.
- Support good behaviour & step on the bad. This probably should not be public but to tell individuals when they are doing good or getting out of line.
Measurement may have a place here but teamwork is pretty hard to measure fairly.
I would suggest that care should be taken that measures don't impede team work (e.g. competitive goals set between those who are supposed to co-operate).
As far as team player motivation, I think group rewards/ recognition are good.
The other two are fairly difficult.
In fact, the whole question is complicated and depends on many things.
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