“Word Nerd Wednesday” is a weekly series that uses language to help us think differently and solve old problems in new ways.
It’s #wordnerdwednesday again! Here’s where my head is today.
When the question of who should own customer experience comes up (which it does at least once a week) I try to steer people away from the word ownership to stewardship. The latter is more:
Human. A steward looks beyond the bottom line. Their sense of responsibility is moral as much as monetary. If you want to build an empathetic culture, that tone matters.
External. The authority that comes with being a steward is not yours to keep. It’s not even about you. Others gave you the power to make decisions to facilitate their best interest.
Long-term. A steward’s goal is to pass a healthy business on to the next generation. Their decisions may not bear fruit until after they’re gone, but it doesn’t matter. They do what’s right regardless.
These are important nuances for your #leadership team to think about. CX efforts rarely succeed if they’re just about money. It has to be personal. An executive I worked with captured that notion perfectly with these words: “The worst thing I can hear from a customer is they’re disappointed in us. That’s not just a business issue. It’s a gut-punch.”
Do those in charge at your organization feel the same way? If not, what can you do to change it?
