Are you a Chief Customer Benefit Officer?
Will the current market turbulence have impact on organizational set ups and leadership roles? Yes.
Now companies need to simultaneously manage cost cutting, protect core business and be adaptable to changing market demand. I.e., they will need to handle efficiency and exploration at the same time. But, with an organization that is slimmer and with less resources than before. And at the same time losing a lot of valuable time and money in wasteful meeting – as pointed out in a recent article.
How to manage core business efficiency and evolve with new market demand in challenging times? One of the answers must be relentless focus on customers.
Could this be the time for the Chief Customer Benefit Officer, a CCBO?
A CCBO would have the role to facilitate the organizational focus and narrative around customer benefits. Its job would be to, despite internal turmoil and rapid market changes, ensure the organizations focus on the customer, and the market evolution - and the benefits the organization can and should provide. No matter what. And always better than current and new competition.
Wait, is this not the same as an CXO or Head of Innovation?
No.
Like a CXO or Head of Innovation, a CCBO is a leader working across verticals, but a CCBO does not need to “own” CX programs, Innovation Processes, Personas or Portfolios – but they should facilitate customer benefit focus within all of them.
A CCBO’s primary role should be to:
Instill crystal clarity about the customer in focus to protect core business.
Facilitate the organization focus on customer benefits, so that only activities that serves customer benefits are prioritized – from R&D and IT roadmaps to sales and marketing plans and activities.
Remind the organization to look for the short to mid-term emerging customer demand, so the organization does not fall behind on the business model innovations that will hit most markets the next couple of years.
If this role existed, what would be required from the individual? Well at least three qualities:
Move seamlessly between strategy and 1-5 year planning, as well as operational execution – always asking questions without trying to steer operational details.
Be an excellent facilitator and storyteller. A person that can bring all type of co-workers to see the same future with excitement.
Work extremely close with the CFO and the CHRO, since organizational funds and behavior must run in the same direction.
Now, this was a fun thought experiment. But perhaps we don’t need more C-suite titles? But, wouldn’t it be cool if the CCBO would be a brief to future CEOs?
Just a thought!
