It’s been an interesting week, full of examples of businesses that focus on “What” versus “Who.”
What exactly do I mean by that?
Well, “What” is all about data, numbers, and other measurables. All meant to drive the business forward… or so one-dimensional managers think. The thing about “What” is that it is like counting beads on a Chinese Abacus; youwill get quantitative data points that only give you a tiny portion of the picture.
I call it “Fly Vision.” Fly vision is what an insect sees when it buzzes around the room. When it lands on the television screen, it will see, possibly, some brightness and maybe, some tiny pixels. It will never see what is playing on the TV set though. That is what happens when you only pay attention to “What.”
“Who” on the other hand pays attention to the emotional, cultural and non-tangible elements brought to the table by people – customers, employees, vendors, partners and other stakeholders in the business. Customers make all their decisions based on “Who” (relationships and emotions). So do employees as they are constantly driven by management to pay attention to customer needs (relationships). Employees also bring their own emotional needs to the table everyday – it is not all about the pay cheque.
In the manager’s world of “Fly Vision,” when you focus only on the “Who,” you get a different picture of the TV but it is still not the whole picture. You may have a cool place for the team to hang out but… Something is still missing.
World class, enlightened leaders understand that they must plan for and execute on the “What” and the “Who.” That way, they get to see the whole picture and their business thrives because of it. Happy employees will deliver satisfied customers which will in turn, deliver favorable results. The “What” and the “Who.”
The others just sit back and wonder, “Why is no one getting what I want to do? Why are sales falling and customers leaving?”
