Be the Consultant, Not the Waitress

Last night, my family went to dinner to celebrate the birthday of my oldest son. As a family with five children (and two grandmas present), we kept our waitress very busy with requests for drinks, napkins, condiments and the like.

Fortunately for us, our waitress was very patient and kept a smile on her face the whole time, even though she was under some pressure to serve a number of tables in our area. For her efforts, we added some extra to her tip to show our appreciation. Since the restaurant pays very little, the service help usually works very hard to impress the clientele in hopes of increasing their take-home pay.

In my experience, many CI managers work much like our waitress. Hopefully, you are not in the majority here. Too many people expect the CI group to be a passive, order-taking bunch. It is disappointing to see the number of CI requests that come through our company for data that has a miniscule chance of making a difference.

You can’t always say, “No” to CI requests. But, you should have a broader view of the landscape. Start by listening. But, make sure that you understand the actual business problems before anything else. Find out why the requested information is necessary. Relate the business problem to revenue generation, market share or operational efficiencies. (If you can’t, push back.) If there is no plan, what is the likelihood that the information you collect will be used?

Be a guiding force in the types of information that are collected. And, be proactive. Create CI programs that will regularly feed high quality information into different departments.

You aren’t working for tips. Be a strategic thinker, improve the bottom line and make a difference.

Share your ideas with me. Call me at 801.838.9600 x5050.