Desperately seeking customer-centric managers

Don’t worry, nobody’s got lost nor is missing. What I’m addressing instead is a positive signal because a rising number of companies have realized that they need customer-centric managers to foster and spread Customer Culture. Therefore they are actively looking for them internally, within the organization, or externally. Let’s focus on the latter scenario to delve together into related implications and opportunities.

Think over these examples

Below 3 excerpts of job ads being recently published by companies; these positions cover different European markets (Italy, France and Spain). Have a look at them to see how clear and coherent they are.

1° Note: this employer is looking for a professional with a ‘strong customer-centric approach’. However the lack of any other explanation regarding their specific expectations make this requirement generic and subjective. Therefore the risk of misunderstanding with potential candidates is quite high.

2° Note: here instead we can see a difference compared to the first example. In fact the requirement is linked to a clear goal – ‘foster a culture of […]’. Moreover, both terms culture and client focus are being explained to prevent wrong assumptions. That being said, they’d better also specify whether they require a strong collaboration with the team, or especially cross-departments.

3° Note: in this last job ad the requirement is complete and essential because it shows what the company is looking for, where (aka in what areas the manager will cultivate the new mindset). Ultimately, the addition of further information provides a full, clear picture.

Over to you

Hiring customer-centric managers as enablers and facilitators is definitely a good move. However if you want to spread Customer Culture across your organization consistently, you can’t rely just on them. You need to get supported because they will face some internal resistance, explicit or silent it be. Therefore, make sure that your top management is fully aligned with the new Culture in order to overcome reluctancy and move towards a consistent mindset evolution.