We all know successful organisations are about engaging people, employees, partners, and customers, but many businesses find it difficult to convert this knowledge into action. To genuinely make things different and create a sustainable change, managers have to change their way of looking at themselves relative to their work. In the words of Gandhi “we have to be the change we want to see in the world.” People being the change is what makes real change possible.

Managers have to take a fresh look at what the organisation values most and how value added is measured. The first management job is to create a work context where talented people in the business can work together to deliver exceptional value added for customers, as defined now and redefined in the future. Make the necessary changes so your people can be different and act differently to different customer preferences and requests, depending on the nature of your business.

A good example is US shoe and clothing retailer Zappos. It is completely focused on ensuring its customers’ experiences are “wow!” It uses modern networking tools (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social media, including the… telephone), to “develop more personal, emotional connections with customers and employees.” It is able to act quickly on customer intelligence received and to implement changes. It is currently working on offering web pages where customers can create their own bespoke shopping experience. Zappos is thriving due to its emphasis on customer experience excellence.

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