I Am Really Frustrated! Why Can’t My Boss See The Need to Change?

Rachel has a problem. Her boss can’t see the need to change. She is frustrated and doesn’t know what to do. Lucky for her, she listens to our podcast and took advantage of our “Help! I’m in a Pickle!” segment for our advice on what to do. 

In this episode, we explore what Rachel, or anyone who champions Customer Experience but doesn’t have the support they need from above, can do to convince her boss that there is a need for change. We share strategies and tactics anyone can use to motivate the person they report to without getting written up on their boss’s weekly report. 

Key Ideas to Improve your Customer Experience

Much of the advice we share isn’t all that different from what we share about Customer Experience. After all, in both cases, you are trying to get people to do something that you want, and that requires motivation. 

Like customers, your boss has values and metrics they think are important. They have priorities and time constraints like everyone else does, too. Persuading people requires making the change as important to them as it is to you to move Customer Experience up the priorities and give it the time and resources it needs to facilitate the customer-driven growth you want.  

Here are some key moments from the discussion:

• 02:54   We read Rachel’s email about how her boss does not use the organization’s mission and values in his decision making and she wants him to.
• 06:29   Colin shares two essential points about getting any person to do anything, customer, co-worker, or otherwise.   
• 09:11   Ryan explains how using measurement to motivate change, like a monthly update on achievement of these goals, keeps the mission and values top of mind for everyone.    
• 16:07  Colin also suggest researching the competition and seeing how they use their mission and values, then report that to the boss.    
• 18:13  Ryan suggests using the principles behind “nudging” to help the boss understand the importance of using the mission and values more in their leadership.  
• 20:45  Ryan suggests using social pressure by getting other employees excited about the mission and values, too, so it’s harder for your leadership to ignore. 
• 22:13  Colin shares a real-world example of using Social Proof to influence the leadership to come around to the organization’s new way of thinking through intra-company program where future invites were recommended by previous attendees.
• 25:02 We encourage everyone to remember that leadership can come from anywhere, so don’t be afraid lead others, no matter where you rank in the organization.  

 

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Customer Experience Information & Resources

LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has 289,000 followers of his work. Shaw is Founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, which helps organizations unlock growth by discovering customers' hidden, unmet needs that drive value ($). The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy LLC as one of the best management consultancies for the last two years. Follow Colin on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. 

Why Customers Buy: As an official "Influencer" on LinkedIn, Colin writes a regular newsletter on all things Customer Experience. Click here to join the other 22,000 subscribers. 

Experience Health Check: You already have an experience, even if you weren't deliberate about it. Our Experience Health Check can help you understand what you have today. Colin or one of our team can assess your digital or physical Customer Experience, interacting with your organization as a customer to define what is good and what needs improving. Then, they will provide a list of recommendations for critical next steps for your organization. Click here to learn more. 

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