Category: OutsideIn

The North Star Metric and Why You Need It Now

Have you got a North Star metric? It’s one of the essential things for any company looking to innovate and drive growth. If you haven’t created one yet, it is time to seriously figure it out. And today, I will be explaining what a North Star metric is, why it’s essential, and how to come up with one.

The North Star metric is the most critical. It is that Metric that would consistently deliver Successful Customer Outcomes (SCO’s) and drive sustainable growth if you focus on above all else.

For Facebook is ‘daily active users,’ Airbnb is ‘nights booked,’ and for the BP Group, ours is ‘monthly organization upskilling.’

Why is having one important?


Because delivering SCO’s and driving change is a lot of work, and it’s easy to dilute effort and resources on things that don’t move the needle. Additionally, getting distracted with the latest and shiniest new ideas is a common problem. Having a North Star metric keeps everyone in your company focused on the most critical Measure for your company’s success. Chosen wisely, it will connect the dots from the front line to the top team

Creating Your North Star metric

You may already have created it in your Successful Customer Outcome Canvas®[1] (SCOC®). Even if you haven’t yet the steps are straightforward by examining your current key performance indicators and assessing what could be a lead Metric. Examine the metrics in the context of what creates the best outcome, for the business and the customer. It is especially effective when you aggregate the SCOC’s against all your customer categories and bringing out the most significant ones and deciding decide which is the most essential Metric.

Defining that North Star metric can have a considerable impact not only on your immediate customers but on how your company operates overall.

Your North Star metric will be different from other organizations, as is how it’s rolled out and communicated.

Connect the dots, Draw the Lines

Anyone involved in delivering Successful Customer Outcomes and driving growth for your company, from the ‘C’ suite to the marketing team to the operations team and all of your external agencies, should be clear on your North Star metric and their role in driving it forward. If you don’t have one and your success maybe isn’t where it needs to be, perhaps you should consider defining one for your organization.

  • Set up a time with key stakeholders,
  • Identify your customer categories,
  • Agree on the SMART needs,
  • Choose the most important one, then
  • Brainstorm what it should be across the entire organization.

It starts with understanding who are your best customers are and why. You will need to cut through all distractions and noise to identify the one metric that will have the most significant and most sustainable impact on your business performance.

It’s a significant process, and sometimes it can be challenging to see the forest for the trees.

It will take a concerted effort, but it is one of the most worthwhile things an organization can do to connect the strategy to execution. Realistically isn’t that desirable for every organization seeking to make winning systematic?

The Guiding Light

The North Star metric becomes the guiding light. It is tangible, objective, and touches everyone and everything. It is a simple concept and as a result everyone can understand it.

You can explore the North Star Alignment approach within the Certified Outside-In Masters® program. Review the short video introduction here:
https://cemnext.com/oi2020

[1] The Successful Customer Outcome Canvas® is a technique within the CEMMethod®. This technique and its companion approach can be reviewed here. https://cemnext.com/customergame

Other Useful Resources

I have just done a 3 minute explainer video for Outside-In – see it here:
https://experienceprofessional.com/oivideo

How to become Outside-In
Step #1 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now  

Step #2 – Get The Training:

Certified Outside-In Master® | https://cemnext.com/oi2020
Certified Process Professional Master®  | https://bit.ly/CPPM21  
Accredited Customer Experience Master®  | https://bit.ly/ACXM2021  

Step #3 – Get the Software:

The Experience Manager | https://bit.ly/TEM2021  

Step #4 – Connect With The Community:

LinkedIn | https://bit.ly/Steve2021

Blog | https://bit.ly/CXO2021

BPG Website | https://bit.ly/BPG2021

Steve Towers Web  |  https://bit.ly/SBT2021

Twitter | https://bit.ly/SteveTowersTwitter

YouTube | https://bit.ly/ST_Youtube

The Crazy Secret of the Worlds Top Five…

Hey Hey!

I just wanted to reach out, so you don’t miss out on this limited time offer on my new book Outside-In The Secret of the 21st c. leading companies.

You might be thinking, what is Outside-In?

To sum it up, ‘Outside-In The Secret’ reveals the fundamental difference between the top-performing companies and the failing also-rans. It is a massive shift in perspective that revolutionizes work forever.

The insights shared are based on my work and research with companies like BMW, Emirates, Zara, Zappos, and Amazon over the last two decades.

But hey, don’t just hear it from me…

So, I have codified the learning and the ‘Secret’ approaches, tips, tricks, and hacks to make them accessible to all. Initially published in 2010 and it is now wholly updated as Edition 10!

My colleague and BP Group co-founder says this…

Why You Should Read Outside-In The Secret

You may be wondering why you should invest your precious time reading this book. With all the pressures of the current business climate, why will this investment be worthwhile?

I’d like you for a moment to think of ‘high jumping.’ This is a sport that has been pursued actively from the Ancient Greeks in the original Olympics to modern times. And for nearly 3,000 years, people jumped using similar techniques. Then an innovator, Dick Fosbery, thought of a new approach that was incredibly simple and yet at the same time delivered ‘breakthrough performance’ levels enabling him to win the gold medal in the 1968 Olympic high jump bar. He leaped over the bar backward, overturning thousands of years of ‘best practice.’

So I would like you to give yourself permission to consider that you, too, can achieve ‘breakthrough performance’ in your own business endeavors. In this book, ‘Outside-In,’ Steve Towers will introduce you to some remarkable concepts that at first seem simple and obvious, and yet when applied, will allow you to win the gold medal in your own field of business.

John Corr, Director, Alix Partners, London, England.

And Guess What? Do you want something special?

It is FREE for a short period of time…

This is what you need to do RIGHT NOW to get your copy:

http://bit.ly/OI2021now

First — go to this website and let him know where to ship it to (you’ll have to pay a tiny shipping fee):

http://bit.ly/OI2021now

Second — you should probably post on FB, tweet, and let EVERYONE else you know about it ASAP (because this cool book promo will be over soon…).

http://bit.ly/OI2021now

This book will be sold retail in 2021 at $30, but you can get it FREE now.

Just go here to see what you need to do next:

http://bit.ly/OI2021now

But you MUST get your copy of this book now. The last time I made an offer like this, I ran out of books within a week ….

So go get your copy now:

http://bit.ly/OI2021now

To Your Success!

P.S. — this book is the real deal. James Dodkins said that it’s: “the map that will allow you to turn your specialized knowledge, talents, and abilities coupled with this new perspective into a way of working that transforms you and your company! This is one of the shortcuts of the New Stellar Performers.” — and TODAY, you can get it for free, right here:

http://bit.ly/OI2021now

My previous book, Dare! Became an Amazon Number 1 Best Seller in February 2020. This book Outside-In The Secret will also be… get your FREE copy here:
http://bit.ly/OI2021now



Learn the 8 questions that transform your Customer & Employee Experiences forever

FREE webinar from the BP Group
Access this FREE webinar featuring the OUTSIDE-IN STRATEGIC MATRIX (OISM) and the SUCCESSFUL CUSTOMER OUTCOME CANVAS (SCOC)

Access this powerful toolkit with downloadable templates to use immediately.

Keeping it Simple works best

What will they do for me?

Change your perspective to looking at your life and work to the Outside-In (the way guys like Jeff Bezos and Gary Vaynerchuk do). You will probably never think of the world in the same way again.

Signup here now – https://cemnext.com/customergame

Here are some of the testimonials that talk about the approaches:
You have impacted the lives of many of us in the Business Process Management community, in a big way in our career journey. Our success can be attributed to your insights on Outside-In Thinking and Customer Experience, among others.
Mashaba Mulaudzi, Manager Process Innovation, South Africa

What an amazing journey to Accredited ACX Coach,
this experience has completely transformed how we measure, collaborate, communicate and innovate with the customer in mind. Keen to guide the next willing souls on this journey.
Durrel Ramrathan, ACX Master Coach

A year after CPP training in London just wanted to shoot a note of my continued gratitude. Hope to remain involved in the CX events and work with you again..that training was beyond invaluable.
Juliana Coates – Member Services, University of Albany, New York

I’m writing to endorse BPGroups Certified Process Professional Masters program. It completely changed the way I think about a process.

Steve Towers and the BP Group taught us amazing secret techniques of process improvement. The program provided me with the ability to apply all the learnings immediately after the training. Very effective training with a wealth of knowledge to share. This is a must training for everyone who’s interested in making a process better!
Maria T Ferreira AVP – Client Experience Process Improvement at Citi

Signup here now – https://cemnext.com/customergame

SEVEN STEPS TO ENSURE YOUR PROCESSES AND CX ARE TIP-TOP FOR 2020

INTRODUCING… the much requested (and anticipated) now available ONLINE Outside-In training.

To compliment our globally successful classroom program (now 118 countries with 100,000+ certified professionals) I am running SIX online live sessions over SIX weeks.

If you are already qualified it is 80% NEW STUFF. If you are not then COME ON DOWN. Early Bird registration now Open.

Download the one-pager here
Early Bird registration now Open.

How much do you need to know to know you know you know enough?

Knowing what you don’t know is a great starting point

>> We start out not knowing what we don’t know

>> We then get a bit better and we know what we don’t know

>> It gets better, we then know what we know

>> And ultimately, we then don’t know what we know

Think about when you were learning to drive…

As kids traveling with Mum and Dad, they drive the car and we get there (eventually)

We then get to teenage and start to drive that same car – OMG – the gas pedal, the watching, friggin hell the other road users, the SPEED, the signals!

And then we settle into it, it starts to become second nature, until

We do the Route 66 road trip, enjoy the bars, the people, however we don’t remember much but arrived safe and well because there was no blood on the hood!

So what? The CEMMethod feels the same!!

And yes it is a helluva ride, but you will get there. It’s proven.

Join us soon in Denver, Washington DC, London, Dubai, Johannesburg or Melbourne.

Seriously, you gotta know this stuff to know you don’t (spooky eh?)

Podcast with Roland Naidoo | Live stream – rockstar.cx | Business Awards…

Live broadcast with James Dodkins  Rockstar.cx


This was an interview across the continents
(I am currently in Colorado, James is in England)
https://www.facebook.com/JDODKINS/videos/1425739797553815/

Do get along to the link – James will be hosting CX Rockstars from all over the globe 🙂

Business Leader in South Africa provides his views on Customer Centricity

Roland Naidoo, Senior Executive, Multichoice
Roland Naidoo, Senior Executive, Multichoice

 

Roland Naidoo (ACX Master) is a highly respected senior executive in the global entertainments business. As part of a podcast hosted by Futurology…

https://itunes.apple.com/za/podcast/futurology/id1078860959?mt=2&i=1000397468049

You can reach Roland here to progress the discussion:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roland-naidoo-b403a029/

Award won by yours truly!

I was deeply honoured by the PEX community at the annual conference in Florida last month and received the Global Community 2018 Award. Needless to say (but I will) this is as much down to you guys and your great transformational work, so I graciously excepted the Award on your behalf. Thank you so much :

See the snapshot here: https://buff.ly/2EEE9Im

Next time we will be reviewing highlights of the upcoming 2018 conferences…

What do you mean when you say ‘Outside-In’?

Outside-In is a regular theme during most of my keynotes, not least this last week here in Florida. A question asked from the floor related to the 30-second elevator test “can you explain to the CEO what this stuff is, why it is different, and how it reframes the work we do?”. I guess I was about to fudge and say this needs more than 30 seconds, and then remembered my two-slide explanation!
So, for those guys looking for a simple explanation, these two slides will do the job. I have put a bit of narrative in there also.

120+ in Florida at the keynote, 16 January 2018

Steve Towers Florida keynote
Florida keynote to top team of major global industrial corporation

The old, industrial-age traditional way of doing business.
We make products (and services). We look for the market to sell them in. We segment customers by circumstance and pitch our products to those segments. We add variations to the products to better fit certain niche segments. We build back-end systems and digital capabilities in this increasingly complex world. We are rigid, functionally oriented and abhor change.

Old Industrial Age thinking model

 

The new Outside-In customer-centric way.
We identify the customers we would like to do business with. We understand their needs (even when they may not know them themselves) and specific Successful Customer Outcomes (SCO’s).
We categorise customers by need. We then create the capability to deliver to these categories the SCO’s (both products, people and digital). Progressively we manage new and existing customer expectations to deliver success without exception. We are agile, innovative and attuned to 21st century needs.
21st century Outside-In business model

Let me know if this works for you.

Ciao, Steve

For the curious, the original slides came from a deck presented as a keynote in Sydney, Australia 3 years ago.
You can access that here:  http://bit.ly/SydneyPEX

Why it is time for the Outside-In Education System Revolution

Is the education system letting your kids down? Are the young folks joining us in the workplace equipped for the Digital Customer Age? Do you suspect ‘education’ is broken?

Watch this amazing video that puts education on trial… thanks to Tanguy Petre, CPP Champion @tpetre0168 for spotting this terrific and scary piece 🙂


Join us to learn the Secrets of Apples, Googles, Zara, Zappos and Emirates success

Accredited CX Professional, Masters & Champions (ACXP, ACXM, ACXC) Program

An internationally recognized program with proven track record delivered by been there and done it coaches more than 180 times, in 64 cities with delegates from 118 countries.
The program, now in its eleventh year, utilizes the BP Groups approaches and framework to help you and your organization win the triple crown – simultaneously reduce costs, grow revenues and enhance service.
Producing Immediate and sustainable business results across any industry and sector.

Become a qualified CPP-Master or ACXP and demonstrate your professionalism http://www.bpgroup.org/training.html

Get Foundations for Customer Centricity with compliments

One from the archives in 2007 before Holacracy became a fashion 😉
Strange to think we didn’t have iphones or even smart phones then.
(That’s my excuse for the vid quality).

Improving your Lot (No not real estate)

Achieving personal success is naturally, one would think, a precursor to delivering amazing results in the business environment. Or so it would seem, however many business approaches and techniques are taught in a vacuum isolated away from the you and me, the individual. So that was what the phenomenally growing www.successfulpersonaloutcomes.com series is all about.

Since it’s launch 3 months ago we have delivered more than 100,000 video downloads and reached into the hearts and minds of so many aspiring folks, who if you like me believe so much business improvement misses that vital ingredient – the you and me. The SPO series addresses head on how to achieve personal success. Get that right and everything else will follow.

So time to pay homage to my inspirators (is that actually a word?) that encouraged my successful career and enable me to share some of those hard won secrets so that you too can achieve extraordinary things and live your life to its full potential.

Pleasingly I am still younger than any and all of these guys…

Richard Bandler

Richard Bandler
The co-founder of NLP and an inspiration over the last five decades.
Author of numerous books and materials that variously help you transform the way you see and experience the world.

He helped me see beyond the limiting hallucinations around our business and personal lives.

John Grinder
John Grinder
The other co-founder of NLP. Worked with Richard Bandler to formulate and explore NLP. The more sober of the two he eventually went his separate way to explore the meanings and structure beyond NLP. 
His fine language structures will help you to reframe the way you describe the world so others can have better life experiences.
 
Steve Andreas & Steve Towers
Steve Andreas
My truest mentor. In fact he helped Bandler and Grinder structure much of their work and his enormous modesty and insights continue to help people see and feel better.
Shunning the limelight of Bandler and Grinder he has been and continues to be a global inspiration to many.
Steve’s softly spoken ways helped me explore those inner resources that we can all discover with a little help.
Charles Faulkner

Charles Faulkner
Brilliant and witty his teachings occasionally run ahead of his students, only to later reveal those ‘ah-ah’ moments that change the world forever.

A gifted speaker and coach he pushes you to ask for more. He helps you to seek the truth beyond your previous limitations and in doing so be a better you.

Wilf Proudfoot

Wilf Proudfoot
Now this guy was a genius. In so many walks of life he redefined our world. He created pirate radio. He launched the world’s first supermarkets. As a Member of Parliament and politician he steered Britain to decimalisation (you need to understand the British to see what an achievement that was!).

He is an unsung hero to many in so many different ways. For me he introduced a new universe of thinking and practice. It was Wilfs inspiration that brought me to Colorado. It was his teachings that opened the door to Customer Centric and Outside-In thinking. He is most likely the reason why I enjoy doing all this stuff.


Virginia Satir
Our paths never crossed however her work around family and child therapies has inspired so many to bring that learning into our everyday lives. Virginia inspired me to become a Medical Hypnotherapist to explore how we can help each other help each other. Her work and writings are still fresh and incisive as a recommended read on the journey to self knowledge on behalf of others.


Conclusion
I would encourage you to explore these folks (Google/Wikipedia etc.) and drawdown just some of their works. At the least it will add color to your life, and if you are receptive will potentially change your universe forever.

God bless you all,
Steve

www.successfulpersonaloutcomes.com – a personal self improvement series.
www.bpgroup.org – a not for profit business club helping businesses transform
www.cemmethod.com – a business methodology inspired by customers and Outside-In thinking
www.stevebtowers.com – that’s me that is 🙂


Join us to learn the Secrets of Apples, Googles, Zara, Zappos and Emirates success

Certified Process Professional Masters Champions (CPP-Master) Program

An internationally recognized program with proven track record delivered by been there and done it coaches more than 150 times, in 57 cities with delegates from 108 countries.
The program, now in its tenth year, utilizes the BP Groups approaches and framework to help you and your organization win the triple crown – simultaneously reduce costs, grow revenues and enhance service.
Producing Immediate and sustainable business results across any industry and sector.

Become a qualified CPP-Master and demonstrate your professionalism http://www.bpgroup.org/book-class.html