From the Top Down and the Bottom Up

As I outlined in my previous blog post, Flight Path for Success, the incident that took place on United Flight #3411 and the ensuing response could have been avoided. It would have entailed United putting the customer first, empowering team members to do the right thing and owning its mistakes. This incident also signaled a CEO that was out of touch with his customers.

Regardless of the size of your organization, a connection to one’s customers is critical to the success of any business. When you understand customer behaviors - for instance, what motivates them to engage, what causes them to look for services elsewhere - you will have a greater chance for success and a better handle on how to make a course correction when needed. You also demonstrate to your team that you personally care about the business.

One way to ensure this type of connection is to focus on your organizational structure. You want to keep the management layers between leaders and customers to as few as possible. For example, in most cases at Jupiter Medical Center there are only three-and-half layers between me and the patient. As a leadership team, a (relatively) flat organization allows us to have a real handle on who our patients are as well as what their needs are. We also continually look for opportunities where we can engage directly with them. Whether that is spending time in our clinics or treatment facilities or doing frequent rounds to each floor of the hospital.

Another way to maintain a connection is to provide a space to hear suggestions on new or improved customer service initiatives. Sometimes these are in the form of town halls or small group meetings with my team, but hearing from team members like this on how to continue to provide world-class service to customers is critical. Not only do we discover new and exciting opportunities to engage customers but you empower your team to take ownership of customer relationships.

In addition to listening to your team, you also need to be proactive in listening to the customer first hand. Consistent with this thought, Jupiter Medical Center has a Patient and Family Advisory Council that consists of former patients and their family members who volunteer their time and input to help improve the experience for others. This council ensures the patient’s voice and needs are integrated into hospital committees, task forces and daily decision making. In its second year, the council has grown to 15 members and has made a great impact on the organization.  

For us at Jupiter Medical Center, connection with our customer is simply embedded in our culture. We care for the health and wellness of our community one patient at a time. At the end of the day, this type of culture makes a difference - and our scores don't lie. We continue to rank #1 in overall patient satisfaction in Palm Beach and Martin County for the past 7 years as well as being #1 in likelihood to recommend. This alone outpaces the national and statewide averages but has also allowed us to remain the preferred institution in our community.

But for any organization, the bottom line is that a connection to your customers is critical and it starts from the top down. Think about it: as a leader, understanding the customer is our primary job. If we cannot stay attuned to the needs of the customer, then how can we expect our business to thrive?

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Flight Path to Success

Last week, a video surfaced showing a passenger physically dragged from an oversold United Flight when he refused to give up his seat for a United employee. Not surprisingly, this incident caused outrage and disgust as evident from the backlash on social media, calls for a United boycott and plummet in the airline’s stock price.

As someone leading a customer care driven business, I believe that what happened on United flight #3411 and the ensuing response could have been avoided. While there has been a great deal of Monday morning quarterbacking, it is useful to use the United incident as a vehicle. Specifically, it’s an opportunity to reinforce what can be done to deliver high quality care and service that focuses on the consumer, to build a workplace that empowers employees and to make a positive impact on the community it serves.

With that in mind, let’s review those key ingredients to building a world-class company that provides the best service possible:

• Put the customer first. United failed to put the customer first that afternoon. While the airline might have been thinking about those customers waiting for a flight crew in Louisville, they did so at the expense of the passengers in Chicago. As a provider, your number one priority must be the customer. You must always lead with “what can I do to ensure that the customer gets what they need and has the best experience possible?” Not only is this the right thing to do, it builds your business. In addition, you are likely to retain the customer, and find that they become a passionate advocate for your business - recommending your services to friends, colleagues and family. The “likely to recommend” metric is critical in my field and one we strive to meet and exceed every day.

• Empower employees to do the right thing. I must admit that I found it completely baffling that at no time did an employee - from the gate agent to ground crew to flight crew to the pilots - step in to deescalate the situation and find an alternative solution. Why didn’t anyone do what was right? I can only assume that United employees have not been empowered to feel like they can take control and make on-the-spot decisions when needed.  You must make employees feel empowered. They must believe they are capable and qualified to make a call that is in the best interest of the customer and the business when needed. Not only does it protect your employees but it breeds loyalty and a sense of ownership in the organization.

• Have systems in place that you review regularly. I understand bumping passengers is necessary from time to time. Things like headwinds that cause weight restrictions and broken equipment are unavoidable.  And overselling seats is more likely to ensure maximum profitability. However, if you know an area of your business has the potential to negatively affect customers and that the repercussions are likely to cost more than the perceived profit, you might want to think of alternative solutions. For example, if flights out of Chicago have a significantly higher chance of overselling, consider decreasing the number of seats sold beyond capacity. Or if you consider my field - healthcare, and realize that things get backed up in your urgent care clinic starting at 3 pm, consider reducing the number of late afternoon appointments. My recommendation is that you should reevaluate your business for opportunities to maximize growth and productivity and minimize opportunities for dissatisfaction and disruption on a quarterly basis.

• If you make a mistake, own it. If all else fails and a mistake still occurs, own it. We all make mistakes but it is the way we account for them that speaks volumes. Had the CEO of United immediately and profusely apologized, offering meaningful compensation and recompense, some of the fallout could have been avoided. Instead he doubled down, made excuses and attacked the injured customer. I realize there can be certain barriers (legal) standing in the way of an apology but at the end of the day, there is nothing more powerful than admitting that you made a mistake.

Building a business is challenging and there are times when there are forces beyond your control that prevent you from giving your best to your customers. But a situation like the one that occurred with United is completely avoidable. If you follow some key guiding principles, you, your employees and your organization will find yourselves on the flight path to a successful journey. 

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Top 7 Things to Remember in the New Year

The beginning of the new year provides not only the opportunity to reflect on last year achievements, but to get pumped up for what lies ahead. Since this is my first foray into the blogging world in 2017, I want to thank you for your support and engagement over the past several months.

As we begin another year, I thought it would make sense to reflect on some of my previous posts as a way to help set leadership goals. When setting your goals for 2017, think about how you want to lead and collaborate with team members in the coming months. Here are some leadership tips to help you have the most productive and positive year yet:

1. Be authentic. This is simple. Be honest and straightforward. Don’t ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself. In doing so, you will build a foundation of respect and honesty with and within your team, allowing for greater loyalty and productivity.
2. Be accountable. Take responsibility for every step on the path to achieving the task at hand and embrace and accept the outcomes of these decisions - whatever they may be. By doing this, you will develop an unparalleled trust with and among your team - they will know you mean what you say, that you have their back and that you can be trusted.
3. Don’t get stuck under the squeaky wheel. We tend to spend a lot of time focused on the employee who makes the most noise and proves to be most difficult. Instead, start focusing your energy on those who demonstrate the desire and ability to contribute to your organization.
4. Improvise - all of the time. Much of your success will come from your ability to be flexible and improvise when it comes to your business. How you embrace change and capitalize on new realities effecting your business can make all the difference in the work you do.
5. Play with others and get outside of your own backyard. You never know where you will find the next best idea. Take time to go and learn from others outside your sector. While industries outside your own might operate on a different scale than your company and there will certainly be aspects of their business that will not apply to your work, there is still a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained from them. We can learn from their systems, their culture, their processes and their leadership style.
6. Work as a team. Managers who work collectively with fellow team members to identify a change or goal, then create and execute a plan to work through the change or achieve that goal, are the ones who will be successful. The reality is that in today’s workplace, you can have fantastic ideas and innovative strategies to grow your business and lead your market…but if you don’t have dedicated team members that are invested in its execution, you won’t get where you want to go.
7. Focus on being sustainable. The world is rapidly changing and so is business. In order to survive and thrive, focus your energy on swimming with the tide. Figure out how to maximize your strengths and the work you do in relation to what is happening in the world around you.

And so, as you begin the year, I encourage you to take some time to map out your leadership strategy. Spending a few minutes now to think about how you want to lead, will pay off big in the months ahead.

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