Defining Journey

After Vision comes Journey. Always start with Vision. Vision is the why behind your organization – your reason for existing and the better future you want to see/create. But after clarifying the Why you must clarify the What. What are you going to do? Simon Sinek would encourage you to communicate in a different order, and I would agree. But in the design or transformation process of an organization, it is important to clarify Why then What. (we will get to How in a minute)

The Journey encompasses 3 steps: Strategize, Standardize, and Optimize

• Strategize. Step 1 in the Journey is the strategy. To any destination there are multiple paths. So which path(s) will you take to reach your vision? Which path(s) will you NOT take? This is a surprisingly overlooked step in many organizations. Many organizations have a strategy to differentiate from competitors and a strategy to make money, but they don’t have a strategy to achieve their vision. When this happens (which is sadly more common than you would imagine) it communicates to internal and external stakeholders that the organization’s vision doesn’t really matter. A Vision with no plan to achieve it is just a waste of everyone’s time. 

Years ago, I worked with a non-profit who had a very compelling mission. During a strategic planning I was facilitating for them, they said, 

“We exist to end [insert terrible thing here]”

“Great!” I responded, “How do you do that?”

“We run training seminars all across the country.” they responded proudly.

“Ok, great. How do those training seminars end [insert terrible thing here]?” I inquired.

“We have no idea,” they sheepishly replied, “but they probably don’t do very much.”

Sadly, many organizations say they exist for one purpose (their Vision) and then engage in a number of activities that have nothing to do with their Vision statement. Stop and take a moment to reflect on your organization’s Vision. What is your plan to achieve it?

• Standardize. Once you have decided on your strategy, you can begin to see the 3-5 things that your organization must do consistently well to achieve your vision. For example, at Chick-fil-A some of the core processes are:

• Food Prep: there is a right and a wrong way to make a sandwich.

• Customer Service: yes, they have standardized and quantified friendliness.

• Food Safety: handling produce, dairy & chicken properly so no one gets sick.

For a tax preparation business, the core processes might be:

• Client Management: acquiring, onboarding, and managing clients.

• Tax Preparation: completing all the appropriate tax forms correctly and on time.

• Document Management: receiving, storing, processing, and protecting all the sensitive client documents.

These key processes should be standardized, documented, distributed, and every relevant employee should be trained to follow the standards.

What are the 3-5 things your organization needs to do very well every time?

• Optimize. The final step in the Journey is Optimization. Once you have a strategy and standard operating procedures, great organizations look for ways to create a great experience for their customers. In many organizations this is called the customer journey or customer experience. 

For example, I was working through this idea with a wealth management firm. Their key processes were:

• Sales: meeting and acquiring new clients

• Client Management: getting to know their clients and matching them with the right financial products for their current and future needs.

• Financial Management: creating, sourcing, and maintaining good products.

• Compliance: Doing everything with the highest legal and ethical standards to build trust and keep everyone out of jail.  

Sounds good. But everyone in the Wealth Management industry says they do these things! So, what is the difference? Yes, these key processes are important and must be done consistently well. Firms who don’t do these well will go out of business. But if everyone does these 4 things well, there will be no differentiation, no brand loyalty, and no growth. 

We looked at the best producers in the firm and studied what they did to create a large and loyal base of clients. These tips, tools, and personalized touches then became the standard for every wealth manager in the firm. First, they standardized their processes, then they optimized them.

What does it feel like for your customers to interact with your organization? What would you like your customers to feel?