The news in the last couple of days has been the arrival of Jeff Bezos to Bangalore, India. Watching the flamboyance that comes from the founder of Amazon is almost reminiscent of Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic – riding on a lorry, flashing a check, meeting the press, the whole theatrical style. But what has been interesting, even in the interview that I was reading in The Times of India and The Economic Times, is that he used the word 'customer-centric' at least thirty times in the interview, according to the person who interviewed him. He said, "We stay focused on the customer, not the competition. It's the customer who pays us, not our rivals." What a wonderful quote!
This reminded me of an article I read about Roberto Goizueta, who took over as CEO of Coca-Cola in the 1980s. At that time, Pepsi was coming to the fore and all his executives were Pepsi-focused and focused on increasing market share by 0.1% at a time. Roberto met his executives and said; "I think we've got it all wrong. Let's change the equation. Let's ask a different question. What's the average fluid intake of an American per day?"
The answer came back, "Fourteen ounces."
The next question, "What is Coke's share of that?"
The answer, "Two ounces."
"That," Roberto said, "is where we need to focus. We need to figure out how to get that remaining 12 ounces to Coke. Our competition isn't Pepsi. It's the water, tea, coffee, milk and fruit juices that went into the remaining 12 ounces."
That was what galvanized Coke to go far ahead of Pepsi; they ended up putting vending machines in every street corner, sales took a quantum leap and Pepsi has never quite caught up.
But Roberto realized how to be customer-centric and think about the customer and not to concentrate on the rivals.
As I continued to read the interview, I found another interesting part. Bezos says, "In the midst of all the change that is going on, what is it that will stay stable?" The question asked was "What was going to change in the next ten years?" He says, "For me, the real question is: What's not going to change? I know the answer at least from the Indian point of view. The Indian customer, ten years from now will want the same things: vast selection, fair, competitive prices and faster, reliable delivery. That's not going to change; only the quantum will change. What the customer needs stays the same."
It kind of brought this balance to me. On one hand we live in such a fast changing world. Everything seems to be in a state of flux. Yet, on the other hand, there are people who say to watch and find out where the calm is.
Harvard Business School professor, Rosabeth Moss Kanter once said, "Successful companies must develop a culture that keeps moving all the time." When you take that and add it to the equation that both Roberto and Jeff Bezos are talking about, it seems that in the midst of this kind of disruptive economy where change is so normal, one should be able to find the stable points and optimize those stable points.
As I pushed that even further, here's where I think it has some relevance for you and me. As we look at stable points, it comes down to people. Good leadership is also about stability. The first Dean of Harvard Business School, Edwin Frances Gay described leadership as: "Courage, judgment, character and an ability to get things done." Not much has changed in the past 100 years. The same qualities still ring true. People, if they are anchored well, don't change. This made me think that if we want to have stability in a fast-changing world, look for people who have good character, people who are well focused.
Matthew Kelly in his book, "Off Balance" says, "Continuous change is now an accepted part of life and business. The waves of change are constantly crashing on the shore of our lives. But it is a well-defined value structure that allows us to thrive in the midst of the change." It is the unchanging that allows us to make sense of the change. As we look at it, more and more, it's people with character, strong values that are the unchanging force in today's changing world.
Applied vision had this blog and I want to read it verbatim. "What I have experienced with people in all parts of the world – from different cultural and religious backgrounds is the expressed qualities and shared values of family, love, kindness, hospitality, friendship, generosity, fun and humor – being upheld and treasured, despite what is happening in the world around them. Some things aren't meant to change. In these times of rapid change, there is a great need for people who can maintain their equanimity in the midst of earthquakes, nuclear disasters or bank collapses that may come. These people radiate a calming energy that impacts on all around them."
So here's the movement today – from being customer-centric, which has to do with profits and stability in the market place, to just stability for you and me in terms of our own selves, looking for that one commodity, one resource which is good value-centered, character-filled people. I submit to you today – that's who we need to invest in, to surround ourselves with those kind of people. On a horizontal level, that's whom we need to concentrate on, but on a vertical level, there is no better place to be anchored than in an unchanging God, the same yesterday, today and forever. That's my hope and my prayer for all of you on this call.
May I pray with you? Almighty God, bless everyone on this call, everyone who will listen to this. Help us to concentrate on the important things in life. Help us to build good character and values. Help us to be assets to people around us and help us to connect with you, Unchanging God, who will bring stability into our very lives. In Jesus' precious name, we pray these things. Amen.
• Meet the Everything Man," http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/The-everything-man/articleshow/43743647.cms?
• "Tips--A Call to Peace," http://www.appliedvision.com.au/tips/
• Leadership for the 21st Century, First Dean of Harvard Business School: Edwin Frances Gay. http://www.hbs.edu/centennial/businesssummit/leadership/leadership-for-the-21st-century.html
• Matthew Kelly, "Off Balance," http://books.google.co.in/books?id=GFCL_7GjQ4wC&pg=PT43&lpg=PT43&dq=unchanging+in+the+midst+of+change&source=bl&ots=8YnRnlBunJ&sig=J-9_QGTXemr4Rb2qU3THnjrxuQE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3vgpVK7PIY7Y8gWdz4HoDw&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=unchanging%20in%20the%20midst%20of%20change&f=false
• John Jones, DeAnne Aguirre and Matthew Calderone, quoting Rosabeth Moss Kanter in "10 Principles of Change Management."http://www.strategy-business.com/article/rr00006?pg=all
• Unchanging God reference taken from Hebrews 13:8