Can Golden Retriever be your Strategy Advisor?

5 pointers for business leaders from this exemplar of strategy

As business leaders with a constraint of time, we make decisions with breakneck speed. We implement in the blink of an eye. We innovate. We execute. We tend to be nimble, spontaneous, and mission driven. It’s part of who we are. But there comes a time in life and business, when we need to take a step back, breathe, slow down, and think it through more cautiously than usual — a situation like the pandemic which we are in now. Who do we look up to then — war time CEOs or military leaders?

Have you ever thought of your friend, the golden retriever?

This breed demonstrates and delivers on the five behavioral aspects every organization needs to consider in present day.

They practice open innovation. You will often find them co-creating a playful learning atmosphere with new customers, whether they are adorable children or venerable elderly people. In this regard, Wipro has been instrumental in generating more than one million novel ideas till date.

They have customers at heart. Consequentially, customers love them too. The golden retriever isn’t merely focused on customer satisfaction but looks out for creative ways to delight the customer every single day. Likewise, Nestle has been active in identifying and incorporating state-of-the-art methods to gratify customers and employees even in turbulent times.

They demonstrate agility. In their relentless drive to acquire new customers (people caressing them), the golden retrievers test ever contemporary techniques. Doesn’t this flexible approach sound like Netflix’s own — flatter organisation, malleable rules, and quick adaption based on feedback from potential customers?

They can be banked on. It is an arduous errand to find a more trusted companion than the golden retriever. A befitting example is L’Oreal that has been consistently ranked as one of the most trusted companies known for creating unique experiences, building privileged relationships and delivering products of the highest quality.

They are helpful and reassuring. Airports and universities have been clever in utilizing these uncanny traits of the golden retriever to assist stressed customers and learners respectively. Recognizing that your stakeholders may be anxious and doing them a good turn is rewarding for everyone and can make a big difference in mutual success. The impressive COVID-19 response framework of Linkedin.com is worth applause in this respect.