The Wins For The Company, Customers And Colleagues Approach

There are many way to build successful companies. Some aim to get wins for the company, wins for the customers and wins for the colleagues.

Sometimes it is necessary to concentrate on one of these areas, but it is vital to recognise the circular nature of this approach. Over the long haul it is important to get wins for all these groups of stakeholders.

Companies that focus only on wins for their shareholders may alienate their customers and colleagues.

Focusing only on wins for the customers may build a good reputation but not produce profits.

Focusing only on wins for the colleagues may build a happy work place but the company may go bankrupt.

This circular approach is more likely to build a sustainable and successful company. Let’s explore these themes.

Wins For Company

Imagine that you are running a company. It will be important to make enough profit:

To keep the company going and deliver high professional standards;

To pay its stakeholders – its employees, backers and suppliers;

To build a good reputation and invest in shaping a positive future.

You can encourage your people to bear these things in mind when working with customers. This leads to the next step.

Wins For Customers

Great companies build on their strengths and do superb work that helps their stakeholders to achieve success. Bearing this in mind, it is important to encourage they people:

To understand the customer’s goals;

To provide great service and do superb work;

To help the customer to achieve their goals.

It is important to do this in a way provides wins for the company and protects the wellbeing of its people. This leads to the next step.

Wins For The Colleagues

Great companies create a positive environment in which motivated people can perform at their best. One approach they take is to encourage and enable them:

To build on their strengths and do satisfying work;

To deliver success for themselves, their colleagues, their customers and the company;

To continue to develop so that they can shape their future careers inside outside the company.

The latter point may sound counter-intuitive, but it is one that has been followed by many of the companies with whom I have worked.

They recognise that people want to keep developing. Whenever possible, they aim to provide those opportunities within their company. There may come a time, however, when a person wants to move on.

Such companies find that helping people to develop leads to them becoming a preferred employer. This helps to attract people who want to perform at their best.

Great companies continue to get wins for the company, wins for the customers and wins for the customers. As mentioned earlier, it is important to focus on all three areas.

Can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the win-win-win approach? How can you do this in your own way? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.

Wins For Colleagues