How good are you at Customer Focus?

Did you know that Customer Focus is a competency that you can develop? We define the Customer Focus competency as, "Anticipating, meeting and/or exceeding customer needs, wants and expectations." Who do you know who is highly skilled at Customer Focus?

With practice, you can grow and develop this skill just like other "hard skills" you might be good at like cooking, public speaking, employee coaching, or playing golf.

How do I grow as a leader: Customer Focus?

Those with a highly developed skill of Customer Focus exhibit the following:

• Strives to anticipate, identify and understand customers' wants, needs and concerns.
• Responds to customers with a sense of urgency.
• Follows through on customer requests.
• Is patient and courteous with customers.
• Resolves issues and complaints to the satisfaction of customers.
• Expends extraordinary effort to satisfy customers.
• Develops relationships with customers.
• Partners with customers to assist them in achieving their objectives.
• Acts as an advocate for customers' needs.
• Takes professional risks for the sake of customers' needs.

Behaviorally, it comes more naturally and requires less focus for some of us to effectively focus on customers. For the rest of us, it is a skill we may need to invest energy into developing in order to be more effective. Our Driving Forces will reward for some skills and not others. If your job or your environment demands something from you that isn't naturally present in your Behaviors or Driving Forces, you can develop it in your Competencies. 

What about you? How developed are you at the competency of Customer Focus? What about the people on your team? Is this something you want your team to be strong in?