How Interpretation Can Lead To Wildly Different Actions

We had an interesting discussion at our office today about one of our key principles/premises. We have 10 that we hang our hat on that help all employees know how to BE in our company.

Well the one we started chatting about was "Lexus Mentality." For me, this one is a strong one because I see Lexus as a company that is strongly founded in their quality that they won't negotiate with you. They are 100% committed to providing the best running car that doesn't need to be in the shop. Because of this committment they know that people come back again and again. We are not just buying the car; we are buying the peace of mind that comes in knowing the car will run the same way every day with no exceptions.

The fact that it comes in a great package with cool extras is a bonus- the icing on the cake. Imagine though if they decided to negotiate with people and offer a version that has lower level pieces. The entire meaning to Lexus gets lost. It no longer fits its brand. Hmm, come to mind that is exactly what Kitchen Aid did with their mixers so they could sell them to Walmart and Target as well as high end stores. When the plastic pieces started to bust, people didn't equate it with the store they bought it or the price they bought it for. No, they assumed that Kitchen Aid meant the same quality no matter what the store was.

So for me...Lexus Mentality meant unsacrificable quality.

To another person, it meant arrogance- a company that is not willing to bend and is snootty enough to lose you as a client if you don't play by their rules. Hmmm...do you see a problem here?

Always make sure your premises/principles are concrete enough that they create a visual that all people align with. Since our motto is "our clients are our friends" you can see how the arrogant snooty impression would be one we would never want someone to embrace. Without the dialogue we would have "assumed" all people had the same interpretation.

The solution? We modified it to say "Lexus Quality Mentality" so all people focus on providing the best.

TAKE ACTION:
Challenge yourself to make sure your principles and values are so clear they help all at your office "be" what they need to "be" in order to "do" what they need to "


Anne Warfield http://www.impressionmanagement.com/