When a company is managed properly, a sense of humanity prevails; after all, companies are human creations, run by humans. But far too many firms operate like some terrifying Frankenstein-style mashup of a human being. The result scares customers, as it should. If you spot a company like this – whether you are a customer or employee – running away may be your best move.
The head doesn't know what the body is doing.
In department after department, day-to-day activities are grossly out of touch with the supposed strategy of the firm. The result is a flailing creature, wobbling down the road, wasting time and energy, and scaring the heck out of the "local townspeople."
Management says one thing, but rewards far different behaviors. They say: we're all about customers. They reward: sell, sell, sell.
As I write these words, there are four days left in the month. Any company that tells its sales force to "go all out" to deliver sales before the end of the month is making a conscious decision to ignore customer needs in favor of company profits. That's scary, because if you hurt customers, they tend to – you guessed it – run away.
The voice isn't genuine.
An organization focused on the needs of other people speaks with a genuine human voice. But a company obsessed with sales quotas and pushing products sounds like a creature without a brain. Its attempts to sound human are jarring and off-putting.
"If 250,000 people like our Facebook page, then one lucky customer will win $1,250," roars the ugly creature. What's in it for the other 249,999?
The creature has no heart.
Companies are people serving people. Each of us have needs and emotions. Many of us have other human beings who depend upon us. But too many business decisions ignore – or minimize – human needs, and reduce situations down to nothing more than numbers.
The best organizations both foster loyalty among their employees and offer loyalty in return. When times get tough, they band together instead of attacking each other (yes, laying off a loyal and capable employee is like attacking your own self.)
Heart is what drives people forward. A company without a heart will never compete as successfully as one whose heart is beating strongly.
Feedback gets ignored.
A Frankenstein company fears feedback; it just sounds like angry people chasing the creature down the road. Such a firm thinks feedback equals complaints, and "complaints waste time."
Wrong, ugly monster.
The reality is that feedback tells a company how to get stronger and more competitive. It's like free advice. The faster and better a company gets at acting on feedback, the more human it will seem. The simplest definition of corporate intelligence is having something of value to say, and knowing what will be of value to different people.
In previous decades, Frankenstein companies could lumber through the world, because many firms were just too large to overcome these challenges. We accepted such subhuman behavior from companies.
Today, technology makes it possible to aim much higher, and social media creates a compelling reason to do so, because individuals are so quick to spread the word about companies that frighten them.
This Halloween, ditch the corporate monsters.
If you want to hear more from me, just click the Follow button below. You can also download my free guides at Kasanoff.com, or read my book with Michael Hinshaw Smart Customers, Stupid Companies. On Twitter, I'm @NowPossible.
