In April 2023 I have held a webinar together with Awards International about silo thinking. Silo thinking is both a global top CX issue and a global top business issue; A bad customer experience and a bad employee experience causes an ineffective and inefficient operation. As an outcome: a high churn, a bad CLV (Customer Lifetime Value), complaints and so on. In this blog I’ll cover the following topics. What causes silo thinking? What are the different types of silo thinking? How does silo thinking affects the business? What’s the difference of silo thinking related to short money businesses and related to long term money businesses? How to solve silo thinking? Read on!

• Silo thinking?
• Different types of silo thinking
• Characteristics silo thinking, long term money and short money
• How to solve silo thinking
• More information and the author

Silo thinking?

What customers wants is “get their jobs done”. They don’t care how an organization is organized. They want a seamless – brand – experience across all touchpoints, without any hassle. But organizations are still organizing the business in a “vertical way”. For example, management and KPI’s per department. As a result; A bad customers experience, a bad employee experience and a bad business outcome.

• Bad customer experience. A bad customer experience due the customers “horizontal journey” across the – vertically organized – departments. Customers falls between two stools, the different departments because there is not or a bad handover between departments; There’re no cross-department processes and no cross-border collaboration. For example, a handover from sales (an order with specs) to production. Or a handover from marketing leads to sales for the follow up.
• Bad employee experience. A bad employee experience because the staff must serve unsatisfied customers. It is very hard for the staff to find the right information which is in the head or system from the other departments. The staff cannot pay the right attention to the right customers because of the silo issues.
• A bad business outcome. A bad business outcome: to say it short, an ineffective and inefficient operation. Which leads to a high churn, a bad CLV (Customer Lifetime Value), a lot of complaints, and so on.

Different types of silo thinking

A summary of different types of silo thinking, mostly they are in the “mix”: a combination of different silo’s.

• channel silos: different brand experience per touchpoint / silo
• data silos: mismatching/ missing data
• goal silos: KPI’s per silo
• metrics silos: metrics per silo
• operational silos: quality, timing or work doesn’t match recipient’s needs
• organizational silos: the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing
• process silos: processes per silo, no end 2 end processes
• regional silos: different – global- business cultures
• tech silos: incompatible or stand- alone technology per silo
• vision silos: strategy and vision per silo
• IT silos: digitization and IT projects to serve the customers fails.

Characteristics silo thinking, long term money and short money

The characteristics for silo thinking are in my point of view related to the “DNA” of the business. Is it a “long term money” driven business or a “short term money” driven business.

Long term money

In my experience, silo thinking is most of the times an explicit issue; It harms CX initiatives like cross department collaboration. I see the following needs with silo issues with long term money businesses:

• journey mapping initiatives to overcome silo thinking. E.g., drive cross department collaboration
• silo thinking as a part of the CX strategy
• with VoC analysis, what is the perception of the customer?

Short term money

In my experience, silo thinking is most of the times an implicit issue. It becomes an explicit issue at the moment it harms the business (very) hard and there is a high sense of urgency. I see the following needs with silo issues with short term money businesses with a high sense of urgency:

• a lot of complaints due a bad handover because of limited processes and collaboration between departments
• high operational cost due an ineffective – silo driven – operation
• high churn due unsatisfied customers and unsatisfied employees
• missed opportunities, it is very hard to achieve cross selling
• a bad reputation

How to solve silo thinking

Solving silo thinking is in my opinion also related to long term money and short-term money.

Solving silo thinking with long term money business

An approach with the CXPA framework. Depending on the context and the starting position, start with one – or in connection – pillars:

• understand
  • journey mapping current state
  • VoC, solicited & unsolicited feedback
• experience
  • touchpoint optimization, outcome Journey mapping: translation in CRM
  • brand Promise
• measure
  • set up surveys
• innovate
  • future state journey
  • close the loop

Including a strategy to establish a culture with cross department collaboration with a a new style of leadership (servant leadership).

Solving silo thinking with short term money business

An approach with solving the issues; Complaints, high operational cost, establish selling, issues to succeed with digitization projects (IT-silos).

For example:

• with CRM connect the silo’s including a change – cross department collaboration, leadership – strategy.
• with Biz Dev Ops (or tribes, chapters and squads) manage the collaboration between business and IT

In the current economic downturn, turning business issues in short term solutions as a first step for a long term CX & EX strategy.

More information and the author

The Judge club offers frequent webinars about different CX subjects. From Awards International point of view, reflect and learn of the best of the best through the different Customer Experience Awards. Exchange views about silo thinking? Please contact the author:

Edwin Best

• Global trusted advisor customer centric business
• Gulf Customer Experience Awards: judge, chair, ambassador
• International Customer Experience Awards: judge, chair, ambassador, steerco

The power of OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) lies in their ability to generate both immediate results and long-term impacts. We can cultivate a customer-centric mindset throughout our organization by shifting our focus to how each person’s role creates a valuable effect.

In a recent blog post on our OKR Asia platform, we explored the significance of elevating Customer & Employee Experience as two of five company objectives. These objectives have proven to be the most common and impactful regarding OKRs. In this article, our main focus is how we can place customer achievements at the heart of our OKRs and inspire everyone to strive for customer satisfaction.

Key Areas of Focus:

• Customer-Centric Mission & Vision (North Star)
• Customer Value-Driven Strategy
• Cross-Functional OKRs with Lagging Indicators

Customer-Centric Mission & Vision (North Star)

To effectively incorporate OKRs that measure customer success, our company’s mission, vision, and values must be centered around the customer. In industries like pharmaceuticals and retail, customer satisfaction and engagement take top priority. Every individual in our organization is responsible for serving the customer. As highlighted in our previous blog post, “Branding vs. Reality: How Do Customers Perceive It?” our focus extends beyond market share, profit, and branding. We motivate and enable our entire organization to strive for customer satisfaction in the short and long term.

To achieve this, it is crucial for every member of our company, regardless of their role in front-office, back-office, or support teams, to understand their impact and leverage in influencing a great customer experience. Clear communication from management emphasizing our customer-centric values as the core of our organization is paramount.

Customer Value-Driven Strategy

Value mapping is excellent for developing our company’s strategy and roadmap. It helps us connect our existing products and services with future offerings, clearly explaining why it is essential for both our organization and our customers to move in a specific direction. We establish long-term objectives by defining value-based results on a strategic level, such as satisfaction levels and repeat customer ratios. This enables us to break down our OKRs, allowing each department, team, or cross-functional working group to contribute to these overarching values.

As depicted in the graph above, linking our value map to customer profiles or personas creates a relatable framework for specific customer groups. This framework serves as motivation for our teams. Furthermore, sharing customer success data with our couples is crucial, as we will explore in the next chapter on OKR setup and measurement.

Cross-Functional OKRs with Lagging Indicators

By identifying company OKRs that measure the work results of our teams (leading indicators) and their impact on customers or the market (lagging indicators), we establish a clear connection between team outcomes and customer values.

For instance, if our objective is to increase market share in a specific online segment within Q1, our IT & Product team plays a crucial role in programming the necessary functions, focusing on quality and timely delivery. However, it is important to emphasize that delivery should occur well before the end of Q1, as our key result is not merely the completion of functions but the genuine increase in market share. Additionally, the IT & Product team should monitor lagging KRs to gauge how clients perceive the new functionalities, such as through survey benchmarks, and determine their desired impact on market share.

Therefore, we advocate for establishing cross-functional agile teams or squads responsible for the end-to-end customer journey and feature development. By leveraging a mix of expertise from Product, IT, Marketing, and Operations, these teams ensure that features are built and tested based on customer feedback. They also measure customer perception and ongoing business impact through lagging/external or impact KRs.

This approach is highly effective as it connects each team to customer-related key results, fostering a sense of responsibility for client and market impact. It goes beyond merely completing tasks and passing them on to other departments like Marketing, Sales, Operations, or Customer Service.

For more information on fostering a customer-centric culture with OKRs and measuring customer-related results to ensure team accountability for customer success, please don’t hesitate to contact us here or contact carsten@asiapmo.com.

This blog post was written by Carsten Ley, an Entrepreneur, Enabler, and Project Lead specializing in Employee Experience, Project & Business Transformation. Carsten has led large-scale project implementations for renowned companies such as Deloitte Germany, VW Mexico, Rolls-Royce UK, and Lazada Vietnam. In 2018, Carsten founded Asia PMO, a consulting firm dedicated to efficiently implementing company objectives and improving customer and employee experiences, fostering a result- and team-oriented environment.

Today’s ever-evolving business environment has put forward one crystal clear message: agility is not merely a benefit; it’s essential. But what is business agility, and why has it become a linchpin for modern success?

Business agility refers to the ability of an organisation to swiftly adapt to market changes, internally and externally. It encompasses prompt decision-making, the rapid development of new products or services, and effective adjustment to disruptions, all while maintaining continuous business operations. Simply put, an agile business is one that is equipped to navigate the changing tides of its industry, regardless of how turbulent the waters may get.

Why is agility so crucial in today’s business landscape?

The digital age has ushered in unprecedented levels of market volatility and competitiveness. Consumer needs are shifting faster than ever, and businesses that cannot pivot quickly find themselves lagging. In such a landscape, agility provides the capacity to foresee, respond to, and capitalise on these changing conditions. By being agile, businesses can seize opportunities, counter threats more effectively, and thereby maintain a competitive edge.

So, how does a business go about nurturing agility?

Anchor Operations to Customer Centricity

By consistently placing the customer at the heart of decision-making, businesses can ensure their operations remain relevant and effective. After all, understanding and addressing customer needs is the most fail-proof strategy for business success.

Anchoring your operations in customer-centricity means continuously asking: “How does this benefit the customer?” Amazon is a prime example of this principle. They built their entire business model around their mission statement: “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.” This customer-first approach has seen them continuously innovate, from introducing one-click shopping and customer reviews in the late ’90s to pioneering drone delivery services, all in response to consumer demands and habits.

Continuous Improvement Focused on Simplicity

By refining and simplifying processes, businesses can be more responsive and adaptive, thereby increasing overall agility. Streamlined operations reduce complexity, allowing for faster responses to changes and improvements in productivity.

Toyota’s ‘Kaizen’ approach is an excellent illustration of continuous improvement centred on simplicity. Kaizen, a Japanese word meaning “change for better,” involves making small, incremental changes to processes, which lead to substantial improvements over time. For instance, Toyota empowered each employee to halt the production line if they spotted an issue. Though this resulted in many temporary stoppages, it also led to quicker issue resolution, ultimately enhancing productivity and reducing long-term downtime.

Fail Fast and Learn Quickly

Lastly, adopt a mindset of failing fast and learning quickly by integrating mitigated risk management. This approach encourages quick experimentation, propelling businesses towards innovative solutions while minimising negative impact. This fosters a culture of creativity and resilience, key ingredients in the recipe for agility.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is a fitting example of mitigated risk management. SpaceX conducts many small, relatively low-cost tests of its rocket technology. While many of these tests fail, they provide valuable data that guides future design decisions without incurring the massive costs of a failed full-scale launch. This method allows SpaceX to innovate at a faster pace and at a lower cost than more traditional aerospace companies.

Business agility is no longer a luxury; it’s imperative for survival and growth. By anchoring operations in customer-centricity, embracing continuous improvement, and adopting a fail-fast mentality, businesses can foster agility, ensuring they remain competitive and resilient in the face of change. To be successful, this requires an innovation culture and the organisational structures to support that culture.

Today, the question isn’t whether your business can afford to be agile—it’s whether your business can afford not to be.

—

We share practical tips to help businesses become more agile at both an organisational and individual level in our webinar here: https://bit.ly/Webinar-Agility

If you want to get ahead by getting to grips with the human side of innovation, sign up to learn more here: https://bit.ly/Innovation-Waitlist

—

About Zuleka

Spurred by her 18-year career delivering business transformation and change in fast-moving corporations with ambitious mandates, Zuleka Kaysan founded The Cornerstone Advisory to democratise innovation. She helps visionary leaders elevate their performance through an integrated approach; enhanced customer experience, innovative service design, and a fit-for-purpose culture.

Connect with Zuleka here: www.linkedin.com/in/Zuleka

In recent years, Digital transformation has become an increasingly common trend globally, gaining significant importance due to the rapid advancement of technology and the increasing adoption of digital solutions by customers and businesses. Digital transformation is beginning to be perceived as more and more important given the wide range of benefits it provides:

1. Improved efficiency and lower cost: Automating processes and workflow increases efficiency and productivity while reducing manual labor costs.
2. Improved customer experience: Digital solutions make the lives of customers more accessible and more convenient. This is even more pronounced with the onset of the pandemic.
3. Competitive advantage: Digital products provide businesses with a competitive edge, enabling them to offer innovative products and services and reach customers in new ways.
4. Data-driven insights and Agility: Digital solutions leave behind digital footprints, enabling businesses to collect and analyze large amounts of data and providing valuable insights into their business operations. This, in turn, helps companies make agile, real-time, data-driven decisions.

Digital transformation often involves a range of technology initiatives to drive business growth and innovation. Looking at the trends across the industry, some of the joint initiatives companies operate as part of their digital transformation efforts include cloud adoption, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), Robotic Process Automation, and Big Data Analytics. While these are just a few examples of the critical initiatives that companies drive as part of their digital transformation efforts, an up-and-coming technology that has gained much attention in recent years is “Process Mining.”

What is Process Mining?

Process mining is a powerful tool that combines the power of technologies such as data science, big data analytics, machine learning, and process engineering. It is a data-driven approach that allows businesses and large-scale enterprises to map their process (an X-Ray for the company), analyze it, and identify opportunities for improvement.

The first step in process mining typically involves collecting digital footprints and data across various ERP, CRM, or BPM systems. This data is transformed into event logs using unique identifiers and timestamps to create a digital process map which can then be analyzed using process mining.

Process mining can be broadly classified into three main areas: process discovery, process conformance, and process intelligence:

1. Process discovery involves the creation of process models from the event logs. This helps businesses use data from the different systems involved to visualize their processes “as executed” and identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and variations in these processes.
2. Process conformance builds on the capabilities of process discovery. It enables organizations to compare the actual or “as executed” processes against the expected or “as designed” strategies based on the process models. Different factors, such as user preferences or system limitations can cause these variations. With process conformance, deviations from the expected processes and their corresponding root causes can be identified.
3. Process Intelligence enables companies to incorporate proactive capabilities into their processes through process automation and data science. One such example is process mining in combination with data science and machine learning models to help businesses proactively identify and avoid potential delays and bottlenecks in their processes based on historical trends.

Process mining has benefited companies, helping them unleash the power of digital transformation to drive significant improvements across their businesses. For example, ABB has leveraged Process mining to monitor their Order to Cash, Purchase to Pay, and complaint-to-resolution processes. With operations in over 100 countries and spanning several ERP systems, process mining has helped ABB monitor millions of transactions across the globe and derive unique insights that have helped improve its existing processes. Other notable examples involve using Process mining by Comcast to save $85 million, an 800% improvement in touchless orders for L’Oréal, reduced British Telecom’s customer service cycle times by 60%, and improved customer satisfaction in Dell Tech Support by 120 bps.

Process mining has proven to be a simple yet effective tool for process management. With the availability of large amounts of data, and advancements in RPA, data science, and machine learning, process mining is here to stay. It helps companies and businesses derive immense value from their data.

Background

With the emerge of new the concepts surrounding the customers’ needs, meeting their expectations then exceeding their expectations, enterprises started hiring people to gather intelligence to better understand the customers’ behaviors, demographics…etc. Then a new direction surfaced talking about the customer journey, for the purpose of discovering the customers’ needs throughout their journey. What is the customer journey? The customer journey starts from the minute the customer decides to interact with an organization until this interaction/transaction ends yet continues. The journey includes all touch points whether it’s verbal, nonverbal and/or nonphysical, and that was what customer experience was all about. The emerge of digitalization and AI solutions were the tools that enabled the enhancement of this journey, customize the experiences and touch point on the needs of the customers, provide them with needs that match their likings and preferences before they ask for them. With all the above being said, what else should organizations do? How can they maintain their customers?

If we focus on Retail Shops & Shopping Malls, and ask:
“What happened to Brick & Mortar in the past three years?

• Shopping malls got affected by the pandemic.
• Customers’ behaviors shifted and started accepting digital solutions.
• Brick & Mortal received a hit!

What are the next steps that should be taken? Begin by asking these questions:

1. Should we close?
2. Should we change our line of business?
3. Should we remain the same, “it’s a temporary phase”
4. Should we shift to e-commerce

THE 4-STEP MODEL

STEP 1 – Identify

• Re-identify your customers: Who are your customers now? And not who were your customers?
• Re-define your tenants mix: Does the mix provide the correct balance?
• Re-identify your objective: Where do you want to position yourselves? Should you settle?
  Should you be innovators? Should you wait for others first and do the same?

Moments of Truth

• People go online to buy, go to store to shop
  • Elevate Retail
  • Showcase the products
  • Connect both worlds
  • Offer Seamless experiences

• People who feel they matter buy more
  • Train people more
  • Use AI
  • Go digital by identifying your customers
  • Build the emotional bond
  • Customize the experience

How to Bonnect?

Personally, I would love to go somewhere and find the attention, yet if I feel the attention is fake, I would immediately appreciate a more genuine attention. Service is always measured by the level of satisfaction, understanding customers’ behaviors nowadays are measured by the emerged technologies of AI and digitalization. But we are depending on machines, and missing the “human element”.

The human side is always key, we have all learned the basic of communication that comprises of:

Sender > Message > Receiver (with feedback relation between sender and receiver)

And the message being (Verbal, Body Language, and Tone).

We need not forget the above important basics, we are acquiring all the above through our digital channels, connecting with customers, understanding their needs, and again connecting with them until customers feel that you understand them better than their own selves.

YES! YOU are connecting! But are you maintaining? Are you building loyalty?

Some experts would agree that this is how you build loyalty. I would disagree to a certain level.

I would call this temporary loyalty? Are we after temporary loyalty?

What does Temporary loyalty mean?

As long as an organization is able to identify the customers’ needs, customize their experiences, it will definitely maintain the customers’ loyalty. But what happens next, the minute a competitor was able to identify those needs and provide customized experiences, customers will shift their loyalty to the place where they find better options, preferences that match their likings. Again, you are connecting, but the question is: ARE YOU BONDING?

Are you bonding enough? What bond should you build?

The strongest bond one person can have with another person, is a bond that is based on emotions?

How many of us have had friends for a very long period of time, but when we think deeply about our relation with some friends, we would say? Do I really have things in common with my friend? Why are we friends? Haven’t our habits, preferences changed over the years? Yet how come we are still friends? This is a very simple example… The answer lies in the “Bond” between those two friends, what is the bond that is so intact and keeps them friends although they have different interests?

The bond is purely emotional that was being built over the years and no one was able to break it. It was built on deep feelings that neither interests, nor differences in perspectives could break it.

Touching the emotional side, and building an emotional bond should be the new direction.

How can you build an emotional bond with your customers?

BABY STEPS!

1. Start by utilizing your data in a different way, you already have the digital tools that enable you to connect with your customers and understand their needs?
2. Start looking at the data from a different angle, focus on understanding your customers’ trend.
3. Focus on the reasons behind their choices. Are their reasons cost-based, quality-based, service-based, experience-based, needs-based…etc.?
4. Explore these choices and start to connect with the emotions behind these choices.
5. Then tackle topics, events, campaigns, experiences that would touch the emotional side of these choices.
6. Open up with your customers, be transparent, show them your weaknesses, and share your story so that they can share theirs.

Recently we had a chance to talk to Faran Niaz, one of the most prominent members of our community, and discuss the ins and outs of judging at an awards programme. Read the interview in full to find out how Faran prepares for scoring an initiative and what advice he has for fellow judges.

1. How to prepare for the finals?

There are two parts of judging: the written part, and the physical presentation, either online or in person. And both of them need to be dealt with differently. This is how I do it; in any given situation, I used to have five to seven (maximum) entries that I would assess. So, before scoring, I read each entry twice to tell me which is a stronger story and which is a stronger case. If you go question by question, the story is breaking, so I read it as a story.

I make sure that the story is very clearly written and relevant to the subject; I make sure that all the answers are related to the topic. Secondly, every result should be backed and presented by facts. If someone says I’ve improved my NPS, I want to see the scores. I want to see the scores of at least the last couple of years just to see a trend. And then, they need to relate why the scores were improved. So, you need to be clear that if you’re scoring something, there has to be a fact behind it.

Also, do not judge the entries according to global standards; judge the entries according to each other. So, if I have five entries, my job as a judge is to judge these five and find the best out of them five. I’m not trying to find the best in the world, but the best of these five. The example that I always give: if you have a race of five runners, whoever wins the race, wins. Read all the entries first, two times, then score, and then evaluate, and you should be very clear about who the best is in your mind.

2. How to perform at your best during the presentations?

Join the presentation with zero preconceived notions. I have already judged the written and know who’s the best in my written. But, to my surprise and in my experience (over 30 years), I’ve seen some of the worst presentations with the best-written entries, and some of the best presentations with the worst-written entries. So both of them are different. If you’re judging physically or online, make sure you know about the companies but don’t have a preconceived notion. This is a new day, a new presentation, and you have to judge them according to what you will see now.

Also, listen to the presentation. What am I listening to? If somebody says I have done a great job, it needs to be backed by facts: there should be facts and pictures, videos, and passion. I’m looking for passion, presentation style, and who’s presenting. Look at the material, make sure that you know the company has achieved what they are talking about. And since you’ve already done the written, you will know if there is a match or a mismatch.

3. How to know what to ask in the Q&A session (after the presentation)?

You can only ask a question if you are attentive if you’re listening. So, if you’re sitting there and just watching, and you’re not taking your notes, you will not be able to ask a question. Also, if someone says We did an amazing job, I go back and ask – how? So, a question needs to be something that is now clear, that will make them think and give you more facts. An intelligent question can totally change your mind. If you’re unclear about something, you ask a question, and you get the clarity, and you say – okay, now I can score properly because now I have all the information I need.

Ask for things that are missing. So, your question needs to be something that is missing or something that can add value to the presentation that’s already been done. Don’t ask a question for the sake of it; judges know it, we all know it, and the people presenting will also know you are asking a question for the sake of asking.

4. How to summarise the initiative in the Feedback Report?

What is the importance of this summary? Let’s be clear: the summary is not going to win or lose the award; the award is won or lost on the score, not on the summary. But we, as judges, should add value in the report because it goes directly to the company. I try to put my comments of what was good and what was bad.

So, if the numbers are missing, if the facts are missing, I just write: the facts are missing, I have nothing additional to score or I wish they would have given me an analysis to see how the numbers improved; I could not see that. The improvement may be one per cent, which is nothing, and there comes another company with improvement of twenty percent. Or, if there was something good, I write that the facts are there, they did I did a great job. My suggestion is to write it with bullet points instead of writing it as a paragraph. Whatever you write in there, think from the perspective of the company or the organisation that can learn something from it and improve or keep doing the same.

Do you want to be featured in a TJC interview or submit a guest blog article about your area of expertise? Don’t hesitate – get in touch with Ana Veljkovic and she will provide you with all the details!

Business communities are individuals or businesses connected by a common industry, profession, or trade. They often come together to share knowledge and resources and support one another in their professional endeavours. Business communities can take many forms, including local chamber of commerce groups, online forums or discussion groups, and industry-specific associations.

The Benefits of Joining a Business Community

There are many benefits to joining a business community, whether it is a local group or an online forum. Some of the key benefits include:

Networking opportunities: Business communities provide a platform for individuals to connect with like-minded professionals and build relationships that can be valuable in their careers. These relationships can provide valuable mentorship, advice, and opportunities for collaboration.

Access to resources and information: Business communities often have access to a wealth of resources and knowledge to help individuals and businesses grow and succeed. This might include industry-specific data, research reports, or access to experts and thought leaders.

Professional development opportunities: Many business communities offer events and activities that provide opportunities for professional development. These can include workshops, seminars, and training programs that help members stay up-to-date on the latest trends and techniques in their fields.

Support and encouragement: Being a part of a business community can provide a sense of belonging and support as members encourage and motivate one another to achieve their goals. This sense of Community can be precious for those who are self-employed or working in a small business, where the lack of a traditional office environment can be isolating.

The Importance of Business Communities in the Global Business Landscape

Building connections and relationships within the business community are more important in today’s global business landscape. The international business community is a vast and diverse network of professionals. It allows you to tap into a wealth of knowledge and resources to help you achieve your goals.

In addition, being a part of the global business community can help you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in your industry and give you a competitive edge in the marketplace. It can also open up opportunities for international collaboration and expansion.

Finding the Right Business Community for You

With so many business communities available, it can be overwhelming to try and find the right one for you. Here are a few tips to help you find the right business community:

Identify your goals and interests: Before looking for a business community, it is crucial to identify them. For example, what are you hoping to achieve by joining a business community? Are you looking for networking opportunities, access to resources and information, or professional development opportunities? Knowing your goals will help you narrow down your options and find a community that aligns with your needs.

Look for a community that fits your style: Not all business communities are the same, and it is essential to find one that fits your style and personality. For example, some communities may be more formal and structured, while others may be more laid back and casual. Consider what type of Community you feel most comfortable in and look for one that matches your preferences.

Consider the size of the Community: Business communities can range from small, local groups to large, international organizations. The size of the Community may influence the type and frequency of events and activities, as well as the diversity of the membership. Consider what size of Community would be most beneficial for you.

The Judge Club: A Global Community of Business Professionals

The Judge Club is a global community of business professionals committed to supporting one another in their professional endeavours. Founded by a group of experienced business leaders, The Judge Club aims to provide its members with the resources and support they need to succeed in their careers.

The Judge Club offers a variety of activities and events for its members, including networking events, workshops, and educational programs. These events allow members to connect and learn from experts in their fields. In addition, The Judge Club has a solid online presence, with a LinkedIn page and website that provide resources and information for its members.

Members of The Judge Club come from various industries and professions and represent diverse backgrounds and experiences. This diversity is one of the Community’s strengths, as it allows members to learn from one another and benefit from a wide range of perspectives.

In the words of one Judge Club member: “The Judge Club has been an invaluable resource for me in my career. The Community’s events and activities have helped me connect with other professionals and learn from experts in my field. I am grateful to be a part of such a supportive and dynamic community.”

Conclusion

Business communities are an essential resource for professionals looking to grow and succeed in their careers. Whether you are just starting your profession or an experienced business leader, a business community can provide you with the connections, resources, and support you need to achieve your goals. The Judge Club is a thriving global community of business professionals dedicated to supporting its members and helping them succeed. If you are interested in joining The Judge Club or learning more about the Community, visit our  LinkedIn page or website.

If you want to suggest a topic for a guest article on TJC blog, or would like to be featured in an interview, contact Ana Veljkovic for more details!

Today as we look at the business world, we all have an opportunity to make a difference.
 
Whether you are a business owner of a small or medium size enterprise, or working for an employer, regardless of your title in your organisation – YOU make a difference.
 
Maybe you have a dream of something you want to achieve in the foreseeable future. It could be to launch your own business, scale your existing business to the next level. Whether you want to grow your team, develop a new product or offering, whatever it is……. We have good news for you.
 
As a business growth consultant, I have found that there are 5 things you need to achieve your goals and make a difference in your world.
 
These elements are as important now than ever — in our changing, uncertain world.
 

1. A strategy for success

 
According to research, no or poor strategic planning is one of the top 3 reasons why companies fail. Never underestimate the power of vision and strategy. Together they can be a powerful force.
 
A vision is just a dream without a plan. Strategic planning is a must when it comes to building a and scaling a business, an opportunity, a product, team.
 

2. Support and Encouragement

 
You cannot do it alone. We know that teamwork makes the dream work.
 
All the changes in our world over the last year has proven that collaboration is here to stay – working together makes us smarter together.
 

3. Accountability

 
Often in business we need a mentor, a trusted advisor to talk things through with — someone outside of the immediate setting, someone who can look at opportunities and challenges with a fresh pair of eyes, to not only bring strategic insight and support but also to keep us accountable to our goals and plans. As a business growth consultant, that is exactly what I do for my clients.
 

4. Flexibility

 
Innovation and agility are very important. For instance, Awards International and The Judge Club adjusted from a very much “live in the room” model to an online presence. This is innovation and agility at its best. It shows the great leadership of Neil Skehel and his team.
 
During these changing times, opportunities have increased for some. Geography is now history. You do not have to be in the same location or country to serve your client. Around 50% of my clients are now international. The world has changed. You need to change with it.
 

5. Action

 
Highly effective people don’t wait and see – rather they MAKE and SEE.
 
Many companies are now looking at scaling their business. Recent research also shows that more companies are now looking to increase their teams over the next 12 months. They are not waiting – they are making things happen.
 

We want to support your business growth and success.

 
At the Judges Club, we want to support every Judge to be as successful as they can be in their business.
 
Therefore, we are now launching The Judges Club – Business Growth Group that will help business owners and leaders like yourself develop the 5 elements above and achieve lasting business success.
 

Our Vision

 
Our main goal is to empower and equip The Judges Club Members with a strategy for business growth and success. We want to help you scale your business.
 

Our Purpose

 
We want to provide a rich resource of content, wisdom, insight, support, strategy, and experience for business owners to scale their business for growth and success. Also, those with a leadership and management role to develop their strengths and those of their teams, so that everyone has the support they need for career progression.
 

A Group You Can Count On

 
Our business growth group will be a community that provides interactive training, discussion, support, collaboration and sharing of resources for each other’s success.
 
This community will also be a safe environment to discuss personal business challenges and remedies.
 
We know that the more we engage, the more we can add and takeaway.
 

We will meet on the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday each month from 12-1.15pm.

 

Our Culture

 
We know the importance of having a healthy culture if an organisation is to be successful. The culture we will look to build is:
 

• Respect for each other.
• A focus on completing and not competing against each other.
• Encouragement for everyone to bring their very best to the table. We are stronger together.
• Collaboration with our strengths for the benefit of each other. As I work with businesses, I have too often noted that with good leadership talent does not come and GO – Rather it comes and GROWS.
• Fostering growth, a strong and positive mindset, developing the talents within each other.

 
I am honoured to have been asked to lead this – The Judges Club, Business Growth Group.
 
So if you are a small or medium size enterprise and would like to benefit from being part of this elite business group, which will provide a rich resource for growth and success, please do let me know at tony@keepthinkingbig.com
 
 

It was a rough year; filled with the unknown, unexpected crises, uncontrollable circumstances and inevitable change.

Many felt the need for support in a way they never have before. I believe it made us find the inner strength we didn’t even know we had, and in many cases led us to become better people.

Many businesses needed to change the way they work. In fact, didn’t we all need to change? We needed to adapt to a situation we knew nothing about; we needed to lean on using technology to survive and were rushed into acquiring new knowledge and skills.

I am in constant communication with so many different professionals; people coming from different countries, cultures and industries. Suddenly we all shared the same agony. We were no longer just partners, clients, employees, employers – we were people first.

Through our conversations, I noticed something remarkable – the desire to help others has become a priority. I spoke to so many professionals who were eager to contribute with their experience and knowledge, hoping it will help other businesses during the crisis.

Business professionals grasped the need to learn something new and sharing knowledge has quickly become the perfect way to achieve that. This was the moment I realised that the direction of The Judge Club (TJC) should change course.

I knew people who wanted to help, and I knew those who needed the help; so I believed it was about time we got those people together.

We completely transformed our business with the use of technology that allows us to get people together. We even put some of our projects on hold in order to help others.

Since May 2020, The Judge Club has gathered business professionals from all over the world LIVE Online on SIX different occasions.

HOW TJC HELPED?

1. We had a dozen business experts who shared their valuable experiences, knowledge, and practical tools and tips with fellow professionals.

• Paul Corke: Founder and Leadership Architect at Leadership Architecture

“How to build resilience and cope with stress during times of uncertainty and change”.

• Haydn Bratt: Business Design Specialist at Mindset Leadership LLP

“The Link between Leadership and Customer Experience.”

• Kim Adele: Executive Director at Kim Adele Ltd.

“Benefits of the Virtual Watercooler”.

• Nicole Bachmann: Founding Partner at Haywood Mann

“Empowerment as a consequence of C-19 – how the necessities of virtual working have impacted practical leadership”.

• Sarah Walker: Smith, Chief Executive at Shakespeare Martineau

“The New Abnormal”

• Tony Lynch: Managing Director at Keep Thinking Big

“What’s the one thing that the last three UK recessions all had in common – that we should all be aware of?”.

• Olga Potapsteva: Executive Director, Memberships, Customer Institute at European Customer Consultancy

“Building trust in CX tools: certification from the Customer Institute.”

“CX Inspired Report”.

• Fleur Hicks: Managing Director at onefourzero

“Agility in the face of adversity”.

• Fiona Cameron: Director at Sticky Change

“Turning healthy lockdown habits into BAU”.

• Chloe Woolger, Commercial Director, CX and Tim Pritchard, Managing Director, Customer Experience at Kantar

“2020: a year in review for the CX industry”

• What the ideal customer experience should look like
  • Predictions on the state of the marketplace in the year ahead
  • What brands must do to succeed in the face of the challenges we all still face.

2. We had more than 100 professionals joining live discussion rooms in which different relevant topics were covered:

• Coping with Change and Self-isolation During Lock Down and its Effect on Future
• How Can Managers Improve CX with their Leadership?
• How to Engage Employees Online; Not only to Survive but Thrive
• Engagement – helped or hindered by virtual working?
• The new abnormal will need a shift from words to action and more collaboration across businesses – how can we achieve both?
• Developing a business strategy – what are the key things we need to consider?
• What Proves the Value Of Customer Experience?
• Will the growth in decline change after COVID-19?​
• How do we sustain healthy business practices after lockdown?
• Customer Experience VS Human Experience
• CX feedback survey response rate – increasing or decreasing?
• CX improvement during the lockdown

3. We organised 10 Winsight webinars, disclosing remarkable innovations and achievements throughout the year:

• Link to register and listen:
  • https://awardsinternational.com/winsight-webinars-recordings/

The Judge Club has enabled professionals to be the very best they can be and reach goals by inspiring them to learn.

It’s not just about allowing people to connect ­– it’s about connecting the right people to make an impact. This is a true virtue of The Judge Club and is the main reason I’m proud to be ‘the face’ behind this organisation.

With 2020 out of the way, the time has come to continue with our planned projects.

The most important one was to create a place that would allow people from all over the world to connect, share knowledge, grow business, and shape futures from the comfort of their homes and offices, wherever they may be!

Human touch has become too important to be forgotten. We have all learned a lot in 2020 – we were forced to!

Now, if we combine what we have learned through our experiences before, during, and – hopefully soon – after Covid, and get together with other professionals regularly to exchange expertise, imagine the difference that will make. There’s nothing like working with professionals on problem-solving activities and getting unique perspectives from real experts.

Not being able to get together physically has its disadvantages, of course. However, it’s important to understand the benefits of using technology to connect. The people you can meet this way come from different cultures, industries, and backgrounds; the most diverse expertise you can imagine in one place!

If things didn’t go the way they did last year, we might have never had the opportunity to meet them and benefit from their insight.

I’m proud to be part of a group that has helped and supported so many during this time of crisis and I’m incredibly excited to be working closely with our valued members of The Judge Club.

If you would like to know more about The Judge Club or have any questions about how you can contribute or participate, feel free to contact me on: ana.v@awardsinternational.com

Picture Source: Thank you to Ken Huang for sharing his photo on Unsplash

 

According to the Cambridge dictionary, to “Judge” is to form, give, or have an opinion, or to decide about something or someone, especially after thinking carefully. I agree with this, as it is technically, what a “judge” must do. Be that for a court of law, at a sporting event, fashion show or for an awards programme as I am. It’s from this perspective that I share my views.

 

Judging companies, teams, personalities and entries can’t happen without context and deciding why you like something. This for many will sound rather obvious; even so, the fact is there is more to judging than what “meets the eye”. You yourself will feel and experience a gear change.

 

Taking on this responsibility and giving something back to industry and to the many professionals you meet on your metaphoric road to judging – has been the key driver for me. Therefore, I became a business awards judge.

 

Metrics are just as important as personal insights & experience and you will have a framework to guide you through this. Each time you take on such a responsibility, you will independently read and securely go through each entry…guaranteed you will learn something new.

 

If you have a Business-to-Business, Consumer-to-Consumer or a mixture of both – your experience will bring something new to the team. Ready to change gears? – find out how to get involved here.