I ran across a couple of articles on some great leaders that are using the lean thinking style – simple, customer-centric management and marketing to revolutionize their large businesses. It seems to me that if Proctor and Gamble can recover from an entrenched old-style culture in an international multi-language setting that your small business should be able to take a dose of the same medicine to create loyal customers, high customer retention rates, customer evangelists and high profits for your company. So, here are some excerpts from this great article to whet your appetite. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did (next article on Warren Buffett is in my next post).
How’s this for the KISS principle of leadership? "The consumer is
boss," Procter & Gamble Chief Executive A. G. Lafley says simply of
the business mantra he endlessly repeats to his employees.–
Take, for example, a recent meeting he had with his executive
speechwriter, Greg Icenhower. The two got together to complete an
unfinished paper by Drucker."Greg was immediately thinking about all the usual stuff," recalls
Lafley. "Where should we publish? When should we publish? How should we
organize the piece?""So I said, ‘Greg, let’s begin at the beginning. Who is the piece for?’"
–
The proof of Lafley’s approach is plain enough. Since he took the
helm, P&G has not only doubled the number of new products with
elements originated outside the company but also more than doubled its
portfolio of billion-dollar brands-and its stock price.How’s that for a simple recipe for success?
Read the full article here: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061022/30lafley.htm
