As Q3 closes and the new financial year looms closer, many of our clients are all busy in strategic planning mode. To help the process, here are our top three strategy models & frameworks which we utilise in our strategy development solutions.  

1. 5 Elements of Strategy (Hambrick & Frederickson, 2001) – Useful for considering the broader strategic picture. 

2. McKinsey’s 7 S Framework (Waterman & Tom Peters, 1980) – A diagnostic model to look at the soft and hard elements of strategy. 

3. Greiner’s Growth Model (Greiner, L.E., 1998) – Designed for exploring the dynamics of the different phases an organisation develops through.

What was your first job?

At uni, I worked for a clothing chain store. I vividly remember winning the “sales performer of the year” award. The MD said in his speech “this person is someone special, someone who can do anything they set their mind to”. I was shocked when it turned out to be me. It is so important to have people believe in you in the early stages of your career.

Who do you most admire and why?

I am inspired by entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs; individuals who take big risks, follow their own path and do something memorable. I admire people who are highly talented and a bit different.

What’s your number one tip for managing a business?

Firmly believe in something. Your desire, energy and drive will catch on to the people around you.

What has been the most challenging task of your professional career?

Starting Maximus in my late 20’s, post-9/11, in a flat market. The first few years were exciting, but very challenging.

What is the best deal you’ve ever secured?

I was on a bid team that won a $17M contract when I was just 25 years old. The deal was a market changing move and it gave me a real confidence boost. It also kick-started my passion for Business Development.

What was your worst deal?

We lost a contract which had spanned over eight years because we stopped paying attention to the client. It was a big blow as they are, to this day, one of the best clients we have ever had. It was their way of saying, “you stopped looking after my needs”. It taught me never to take advantage of an advocate and to remember and recognise the people who have supported you.

How has your industry changed in the past five years?

Large, established management consultancies have shifted from a focus on strategy development and broadened their offerings to include more strategy execution solutions. I think these firms started to realise that many organisations were struggling to actually implement and deliver on the strategies that they were proposing.

There has also been a lot of M&A activity in our market; and as one of the few remaining boutique management consultancies, we have created a real niche in our space.

How much time do you spend at your desk?

Not very much. I can go a whole day without even hitting my desk as I prioritise spending most of my time with my people and my clients. I also make time for reflecting, thinking and working on the business, and for me, it works best to make this time offsite.

How do spend your downtime?

I have an amazing husband and two spectacular children. I spend as much time as I can with them, as well as with friends and family. I also love to keep fit, and I try to travel whenever I can.

How do you improve your skills?

As a management consultant, I am lucky to get exposure to the latest strategies of leading organisations, every day. I have also invested heavily in coaches in the past and this year I plan to go to Harvard to complete a program specific for service firms.

Is the customer always right?

Not always. One of my principles is focus on the right solution for a customer. Not necessarily what they ask for initially but what will get them the outcome they want and need. This said, I use a collaborative approach that takes the client on the journey with me.

Where do you do your best thinking?

Out of the office, where my mind is free to roam.

If you were PM for the day, the first thing you would do is….

Build a better pipeline of talent for this country.

Featured in BRW’s Entrepreneur of the Year, April 2012

Objectives

As a result of increasing competition and a drop in demand for core products, the organisation identified a need to embed an exceptional Member Service Framework that would increase the understanding of member needs and improve the experience of their customer base.

The Maximus Solution

The Maximus solution was weighted around how member needs were likely to change over the coming decade; the subsequent impact on the business; and how it could meet these challenges.

Maximus addressed the service culture from both sides – customers and front line staff – then worked in partnership with the client organisation to design a multi-dimensional solution encompassing: strategy, culture, core behaviours, leadership capabilities, processes, support tools and metrics.

A key element was ensuring lasting behaviour change. Maximus’ solution involved agreeing on a new, whole-of-organisation member experience vision and a core set of skills and behaviours to support that vision. Maximus then devised and delivered a series of interactive behavioural transformation programs tailored specifically to each business division. These programs were piloted across three business units.

The Maximus Framework

Maximus’ holistic, multi-disciplinary approach began by mapping out the customer journey. Maximus then worked closely with the organisation’s people to align the whole business with the goal of improving customer experience.

Outcomes to Date

Maximus’ customer experience solutions are dynamic, interactive and ROI driven. In turn, the outcome achieved is a more customer centric organisation, with a measurable and sustainable improvement in customer satisfaction, employee engagement and sales results.

Before, during and after the pilot behavioural transformation programs, Maximus conducted a comprehensive ROI study in order to measure the outcomes. The key results from one pilot business division (a sales centre), eight months after the program included:

• Sales revenue targets exceeded by $2.4M (+14.8%)
• 110% increase in up-sell and cross-sell transactions
• Customer service KPIs exceeded by 4.6%

All key metrics are continuing to trend upwards, indicating that they are sustainable. Maximus is now working with other business divisions to embed this new approach to customer centricity throughout the organisation.

Personalisation and mobilisation are just two of the global megatrends identified recently by the CSIRO as impacting every organisation over the next decade. These two trends will drive fundamental changes in behaviour, tipping the scales for customers to be even more discerning, educated and demanding than they are today. We predict organisations will experience even greater challenges in the quest to build brand loyalty and sustainable customer relationships.

In such a dynamic marketplace, customer centric businesses will thrive. While others struggle, they will retain and grow customers by delivering on-target solutions that satisfy their customers’ expectations every time.

What does customer centricity mean?

Put simply, creating a customer centric culture is all about understanding your brand value and delivering it consistently to customers. This doesn’t mean doing everything customers want. It means focusing on what they value most, in line with your overall business strategy and brand promise. For example, the most important thing for a budget airline customer is price. While passengers might like extra leg room, they don’t want it at the expense of low airfares.

Many elements make up the customer centricity journey, and every Maximus client is at a different stage. So we start by helping to define what being customer centric means for your organisation and investigating how well you are meeting your customers’ expectations. We frequently find a large gap between the two.

It’s a fact that many companies believe they are delighting customers when their culture and systems are designed to disappoint them. In a global survey by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, 56% of companies described themselves as customer centric. Only 12% of their customers agreed. Our customer experience program helps businesses to close the gap.

Creating a customer centric culture

Redesigning your organisation to put customers at the centre of every business decision can be challenging, especially if your business is product-focused, highly diversified or change-resistant.

Sometimes, we work with clients that have tried and failed. Some have addressed the issue from a cultural standpoint; others have revised their strategy and execution. Both approaches have flaws: they either lack the essential customer perspective or they neglect the people element.

To provide an independent, external perspective, some organisations engage external management consultants, yet many consultancies miss the point: that to build a customer centric company, you don’t work from the inside out, you work from the outside in. In other words, your starting point shouldn’t be your business strategy, or processes, or even your people – it should be your customers. This is where Maximus starts.

Our holistic, multi-disciplinary approach begins by mapping your customer’s journey. Then we work with your people to align your whole business with the goal of improving customer experience.

While every customer centricity program must include a robust review of your strategy, operating model, technologies, processes, and policies, the key to true success will be your people. We go beyond the strategy and process elements that many management consultancies focus on – we also work across several important human capital levers.

These include organisational change management, leadership and mind-set solutions, and customer-focused development programs, reward systems and internal communications. By the end of our program of work, every individual understands the role they play in delivering your customer service vision and the behaviours they need to model.

Maximus’ customer experience program is dynamic, interactive and ROI driven. It is also challenging and sometimes uncomfortable. In return, the outcome is a more customer centric organisation, with a measurable and sustainable improvement in customer satisfaction, employee engagement and sales results.

Putting members first leads to increased revenues

Maximus recently enabled a leading Australian Member Services organisation with a wide-ranging portfolio to achieve better customer centricity. We worked closely with them to devise, pilot and implement a comprehensive member experience improvement solution for all their business units. Just eight months into the program, the first pilot business reports that customer satisfaction has improved significantly and sales are more than $2M above target.

The solution was weighted around how Member needs were likely to change over the coming decade; the subsequent impact on the business units; and how they could meet these challenges. The organisation was vulnerable to increased competition, yet research identified several growth opportunities if it got to know its customers better, increased brand awareness and standardised the customer experience across its diverse businesses.
The organisation knew where it wanted to go, and engaged Maximus to help it get there.

Firstly, we immersed ourselves in its service culture from both sides – customers and front line staff. Then we worked in partnership with our client to design a multi-dimensional solution encompassing: strategy, culture, core behaviours, leadership capabilities, processes, support tools, and metrics. We created a clear brand for the solution that generated awareness, excitement and engagement.

A key element was mind-set shifts and lasting behaviour change. While recent acquisitions had introduced new products and services, they had led to inconsistencies in service levels and values. Maximus’ solution involved agreeing on a new, whole-of-organisation customer experience vision and a core set of skills and behaviours to support that vision. As part of the initiative, Maximus devised and delivered a series of interactive behavioural transformation programs that we tailored to the needs of everyone from sales centre staff and managers to blue collar workers.

We piloted the program with three business units and are now working with other parts of the business. Before, during and after the program we conducted a comprehensive ROI study to measure the outcomes. The key results from one sales centre eight months into the program included:

• Sales revenue targets exceeded by $2.4M
• 110% increase in up-sell and cross-sell transactions
• Customer service KPIs exceeded by 4.6%

All key metrics are continuing to trend upwards, indicating that they are sustainable.

A Customer Centric Organisation:

• Has a clear, customer-centred vision with top down support.
• Makes every business decision in alignment with this vision.
• Knows what customers expect because it asks them.
• Tailors its products and services to what customers want.
• Meets customer expectations with every interaction.
• Regularly measures customer satisfaction and changes accordingly.
• Clearly communicates the importance of customer centric behaviour to every employee.
• Measures and rewards customer centric competencies and performance.
• Employs and promotes people who support customer centricity.
• Expects suppliers and partners to model customer centric behaviours.

________________
1 Hajkowicz, S and Moody, J, 2010, Our future world. An analysis of global trends, shocks and scenarios, CSIRO, Canberra

The Maximus Solution

After spending a significant amount of time immersed in the business, Maximus identified a two-tiered approach to the organisation’s leadership development, consisting of an Advanced Leadership Development Program (ALDP) for senior managers and a Leadership Development Program (LDP) for middle managers.

The solution was highly customised to the specific business context of the organisation. Content and case studies were built around the luxury cosmetic and fragrance industry, market, and economic outlook across Australia and globally. All programs were delivered in keeping with the strategic goals of the organisation and with the organisational values that made the company so unique.

The most defining aspect of the program was the approach to innovation. This largely centred on “Business Unusual” projects, in which the participating leaders identified and then executed on ideas which would generate significant return for the business.

Outcomes to Date

Financial Return:

This initiative has recognised a return of over $6 million (10,000%) with a payback period of approximately two to three years. This largely surrounded value recognised from implementation of various “Business Unusual” Projects, alongside the introduction of new technologies to streamline process and cut costs.

Shifts in Behaviour:

As a result of this work, constructive leadership behaviours are expected and understood across the organisation. Where previously there was somewhat of a ‘relaxed’ leadership culture, emphasis was placed on developing leaders who could balance their support of others with a healthy level of challenge.

Australia was founded on innovation and natural entrepreneurial spirit is now part of our DNA. Every day, innovative people generate ideas in every Australian organisation. Realising the value of these ideas is something that few organisations do well; they lack formal processes for collecting, qualifying and prioritising ideas based on strategic and financial returns.

By investing time and effort into channelling smart, results-focused thinking, you can gain a competitive edge and secure a more sustainable future for your business.

You should aim to create a culture of innovation, with robust processes that underpin and crystallize the value of ideas. Innovative businesses grow regardless of how the economic landscape looks. Why?  Because they are clearly differentiated, they invest cleverly through different market cycles, they seize growth opportunities and they respond quickly to changing markets.

But how do you turn a reactive, risk-aware operation into a proactive, progressive, entrepreneurial enterprise?

Ensure top-down support

As an innovative management consultancy, Maximus is often approached by companies wanting to transform their businesses and leverage further growth opportunities. We work with medium and large organisations to create a platform for bottom-up innovation that aligns with their overarching business strategy and their risk profile.

Because innovation means different things to different organisations, our innovation programs are highly customised. We always start at the top, because executive leadership support is essential for true culture change. Every senior executive must be on the same page around the balance of innovation and risk. Clear parameters must be defined to empower different business areas and teams to step outside their comfort zones, encouraging entrepreneurial skills and exercise lateral thinking that may otherwise be regarded as too risky. This must be balanced with the ‘business as usual’ requirements of meeting KPIs, targets and performance initiatives.

Leaders within innovative cultures have to be able to operate across two horizons: the here and now, the next horizon of growth and, ideally, the horizon beyond that.

Discover millions in extra revenue

Recently, we helped a leading insurance company to identify new initiatives worth over $10 million using innovation as a catalyst for improved business performance. In an industry that is highly competitive, this organisation was looking for immediate, credible and innovative ideas to make it stand out and create new platforms for growth and business improvement. Given the insurance industry is naturally averse to risk, our approach was to engage a cross-section of key business leaders across the top two layers of the organisation to focus on ‘business unusual’ initiatives. These would either return improvements to the bottom line within a key time horizon, or create value through business growth opportunities within a predetermined timeframe.

The solution spanned several months. It involved intensive, innovation-oriented events with executives and senior leaders; business unusual projects; integration with the organisation’s strategy and planning team; and alignment to an ROI framework. As part of the solution, the Group identified 16 ideas that aligned with their business strategy and had a strong financial payback. Their teams developed seven of these ideas into business cases with an estimated total revenue potential of $12.7 million year on year. Several of these initiatives were implemented immediately.

As well as helping our client to uncover and fast track nearly $13 million of previously-hidden revenue-generating ideas, our innovation program kick-started a focus on innovation that cascaded through the whole company. It now has a pipeline of other ideas that can be implemented in the future; a framework for identifying, fostering and implementing new ideas; and a workforce that understands their ideas are valued. In other words, it is well on its way to being an innovative organisation.

Right now, innovation should be high on every company’s agenda. Over the next decade, fundamental demographic, consumption, lifestyle and technology changes will transform the whole world, including Australia. Already, they are causing a seismic shift in the global economic landscape that is affecting every sector. These changes present great opportunities for Australian companies. We will all be forced to rethink the products and services we offer and how we deliver and market them. In this environment, organisations that take a strategic, commercially focused approach to innovation will not only survive, they will thrive.

How to harness innovation:

• Define what innovation means to your organisation.
• Ensure members of your Executive Team understand and are aligned in terms of what good innovation looks like for your business.
• Engage your broader Leadership Group to think-tank innovative concepts regularly and build a bottoms-up culture of idea generation.
• Leverage your strategy teams and business experts to work with your high potential leaders to turn concepts into strong business cases.
• Prioritise good, ROI-focused ideas and gain executive agreement on value-based investing.
• Create a culture that supports the continual flow of new ideas and strong feedback loops.

www.maximus.com.au

A message from our Managing Director, Vanessa Gavan…

I started this business 10 years ago with an exciting vision. It has been a fast and furious decade, full or amazing experiences, fierce challenges and great people.

When I reflect on the past decade, the phenomenal business people we have come to know, the transformational projects we have delivered, and the enjoyment we have experienced working together, I feel very fortunate.

On behalf of the team at Maximus, I’d like to thank all of the wonderful clients and contacts who have partnered with us. You have come to be ‘friends of Maximus’ and we enjoy working with you every day. You are an essential part of our story, and we look forward to achieving even bigger and brighter things together, in the next 10 years.

I feel excited, energised and motivated to continue this inspiring journey of working with you

Kind Regards,

Vanessa Gavan

Maximus is now taking bookings for the 2012 calendar of public programs.

Maximus public programs are designed to help leaders at all levels to motivate their teams, drive high-performance and achieve both individual and organisational growth. Designed and facilitated by business consultants, Maximus public programs contain a mix of strategy, theory, coaching and practical simulations, to have a direct and immediate impact on the business bottom-line.

What to expect from a Maximus public program:

• Highly practical, with business scenarios and simulations
• Facilitated by business professionals, for business professionals
• A maximum of 12 participants per program – a tutorial environment, not a lecture
• 1:1 professional coaching
• Individual assessments using leading diagnostics
• Extensive networking opportunities
• Access to our Self-Development Guide, an online, self-coaching toolkit featuring a range of best-practice professional development strategies, activities, techniques and tools

Available Programs

Building Leadership Presence – Maximus and NIDA Senior Leader Program
Target Audience: Senior Leaders – C-Level, MD, GM
Diagnostic: LSI

In partnership with the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Maximus offers an intensive and rigorous senior leadership experience to extend strategic thinking, increase personal effectiveness, sharpen negotiation skills and fine-tune persuasive powers, to more effectively lead an organisation.

Upcoming Dates

Strategic OD and Business Results – Organisational Development Practice Program
Target Audience: OD Managers/ HR professionals
Diagnostic: MBIT

A first in the Australian market, the Maximus and ITC OD Practice Program combines cutting-edge academic theory with a practical approach, to significantly enhance future business strategy and optimise organisational growth. This program is accredited by the ITC (a division of the University of Wollongong).

Upcoming dates

For more information please contact:
02 9216 2800
info@maximus.com.au

By Natalie Braid, Senior Project Manager

I’ve recently discovered the phenomenon termed ‘Deep Survival’ – why some people who are faced with life and death situations survive and others perish.

A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald (‘Deep survival: why some cheat death at the extremes of pain’ by Glenda Kwek. September 29, 2011) provided a number examples of Deep Survival, such as Lincoln Hall, a veteran Sydney climber who was left for dead while descending from the summit of Mount Everest in 2006 and Ricardo Sirutis, a Colombian executive who went missing for 10 days while bushwalking on Moreton Island in Queensland in 2005 – wearing only shorts, a shirt and sandals.

There are many stories of individuals who have overcome unbelievable odds, and through inner-strength, have pulled themselves to safety.  But why? What makes these people different? Does this ability to survive translate into the business world? The commonalities of survival stories seem to come down to four key behaviours:

1. Be prepared

In survival situations this means knowing the conditions you are getting yourself into, letting people know where you are going, when you will check in and having the correct equipment.

To be successful in the business world this translates to planning to become what you plan to become. No one stumbles across success. You have to know what you are trying to achieve.

First you have to understand yourself. Leverage your strengths and strengthen your key weaknesses. Then visualise what it is you want to achieve.  Successful people whether consciously or unconsciously, attract the success they want by visualising their goals as already accomplished. Lastly, be sure you have the correct equipment in your personal toolkit, be it skills, knowledge or networks.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”  – Colin Powell

2. Practice

In emergency situations, such as in the event of a fire, it’s proven that having evacuation strategies in place, and walking everyone through them ensures a better chance of survival – you need to go through what you would do in a crisis situation. Bear Grylls (Man vs Wild) caters to those who want to be prepared for any situation in which they may find themselves. The series features Grylls dropped into inhospitable places, to demonstrate localised survival techniques.

In a work environment, this would be demonstrated through practice – honing those skills determined to lead to success. This can be accomplished through activities such as goal setting, time management, and decision making. Setting specific and measurable goals with milestones and preparing an action plan to achieve them.

The difference between your average person and a successful one is often shown to be due to concerted effort to improve. By continually stretching themselves just beyond their current abilities and identifying specific elements that require improvement, driven people focus on just those things until they’re improved.  Then it’s on to the next aspect.

“By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart. – Confucius

3. Be visible

Make it easier for rescuers (or supporters) to find you. Whether in remote environments or corporate life, no one succeeds by ‘hiding their light under a bushel’.  For survival, this means not walking away from the site of the crashed plane or car, wearing bright clothing or carrying a mirror.

In corporate life it means don’t conceal your talents or abilities. Being visible or sharing your skills with others increases your sphere for success. Talking about your objective with others – or ‘sending it out to the universe’ – reaffirms your intentions, to others and yourself.

You may discover others who can assist you on your journey. Whether increasing your networks, or a trusted advisor or mentor who can provide you with feedback.  Feedback on results cannot always be determined in isolation. In many situations, a teacher, coach, or mentor is vital for providing crucial, impartial, feedback to ensure you are heading in the right direction.

“Without promotion something terrible happens… Nothing!”
– P.T. Barnum

4. Be determined

Psychologist Jim McLennan from LaTrobe University said a key aspect of “deep survival” was the ability to control fear and keep a level head. “Instead of either fleeing without thinking, or freezing and huddling and becoming passive, they kept looking out for danger and for opportunities to escape. They don’t give up,” he said.

To be successful you have to know you are focused – you decide what you are going to do and you have to do it.

“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Failure can be a key ingredient in success. If you traced the footsteps of a successful person, you would likely pass the remnants of multiple failures. Those who don’t achieve success most likely quit after their failure. If you want to succeed where other people fail, you have to step right over failure and keep walking. The people who don’t make it let failure defeat them.

Success is possible for anyone who is willing to achieve it. There are many who want success, but you have to be willing.  Your outlook and the way you define success, opportunity, and work play a large role in determining your outcome.

So what are you doing to drive engagement, further development and build high performance in your organisation?

Introducing the Imprint Self-Development Guide…

A fraction of the price of its competitors, the Imprint Self-Development Guide is an interactive learning portal featuring over 600 professional development strategies, activities, techniques and tools. Individual, divisional and company packages are available to suit your business needs.

With a flexible approach to development, the Self-Development Guide reduces the vast landscape of business and learning activities and resources to a manageable format, and relates it to a development framework aimed at individual effectiveness.

Organisations and managers can seamlessly drive ‘on-the-job’ learning and tap into the real potential of their people.

System Overview

Designed by OD experts with over 15 years experience in Learning and Development, the Imprint Self-Development Guide facilitates accelerated development across 27 behavioural competencies, which have been shown to be key indicators of success in any organisational role.

Components of the Self-Development Guide

Containing over 600 activities and resources, all entries are coded into one of three levels; Individuals/Emerging Leaders, Operational Leaders and Senior Leaders, and include:

• Strategy documents
• Models and frameworks
• Tools and templates
• Multimedia (web links, movies, training videos)
• Leadership theories and techniques
• Diagnostics and assessment tools
• Case studies

Click here for more information, or to book your obligation-free system demonstration!