8 Must-Read Posts to Start Your CX Strategy on the Right Foot

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Does your company place top priority on culture and employees?

I’ve asked this question many times over the last several years – over the last 25 years. I’ve said more times than I can remember: “Quite simply, without employees, you have no customer experience.” Companies have to put employees first. They have to make sure employees have a great experience. And yet… they don’t.

I’m encouraged that more and more consultants and thought leaders are talking about the importance of focusing on the employee experience and culture these days. Together, we’ll make a dent!

I look forward to sharing the link to a webinar I recorded just before the holidays that’s all about culture and employee experience. Stay tuned for that link – it’s coming soon!

In the meantime, here are some blogs I wrote in 2017 to get the thought processes flowing. Companies need to focus on these areas – for the sake of the employees, the customers, and the business.

Leadership
We Have a Crisis in Leadership

Culture
7 Pillars of a Strong Culture
Culture – The Soul of the Organization
Mission, Vision, Guiding Principles, Values. Oh My!
Signs You Work in a Toxic Environment

Employees
The Candidate Experience and the Customer Experience
Where Do Your Employees Fall in Order of Importance
Employee Engagement: A Confluence of Passion and Purpose

Some questions to consider as you look at your strategy for 2018:

  • Are your executives aligned? Do they work together as a team?
  • Are they committed to employees and the employee experience?
  • Do they model the behavior they want to see within the organization?
  • Have you defined your core values?
  • Are the values communicated and integrated into all your employees do?
  • Can your employees recite your mission, vision, and purpose?
  • Have you developed a Culture Ambassadors program?
  • Is your culture one that attracts great talent and keeps existing employees excited to come to work every day?
  • Do you have an employee listening program? And act on the feedback?
  • Do you map employee journeys? And use the findings to improve the employee experience?
  • Is the candidate experience on anyone’s radar?

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, start building your to-do list! You’ve got your work cut out for you this year! If you think you can deliver a great customer experience without first focusing on the employee experience and creating a culture where people come first, you’re wrong. Time to revisit your strategy!

Until I came to IBM, I probably would have told you that culture was just one among several important elements in any organization’s makeup and success — along with vision, strategy, marketing, financials, and the like. I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game, it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value. -Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Former CEO of IBM

Read the original post here.