It was never about you.

No matter how much you "positioned" and drafted your mission statement, your customers actually decided how your brand makes them feel. It was always that way, maybe before you had some control to the barriers to competition, but today’s interconnected market leaves that assumption in the dust.

Your customers want satisfaction. More specifically, they want the thing closest to their expectations. Did you set that expectation? You’d like to think so, but it’s every single thing that connects to their unique view on the world that did that. You may or may not have played a role, so maybe it wasn’t up to you to begin with.

You also want satisfaction. Your expectation is returns for the hard work, investment, innovations…the whole enchilada. And your employees and partners want it too. Who gets more, who gets less? Can everyone get some?

Yes.

If you measure your efficiency against an ideal that all of you can agree on, then you are so on your way. Most of us think of efficiency in terms of saving a few bucks, but it is so much more. True efficiency is getting what you expect, the "just right" without any waste. Just right satisfies everyone. Think about it. When you get more, you get confused and disillusioned (sudden celebrity, anyone?); and when you get less…Do I really have to tell you?

But when you get just what you want both your ears look forward to the corners of your mouth…If not outward, definitely on the inside. Satisfaction rules. True efficiency can get you there. Exactly how I’m not gonna tell you here…I need to be satisfied too don’t I?