9 Subjects Business Schools Should Teach (But They Dont)

9 Subjects Business Schools Should Teach (But They Don't) The gap between school teachings and what is REALLY needed for organizations to thrive and survive in the new markets that are unfolding is WIDE and is getting WIDER.Approaching CHASM proportions in fact.As an executive leader, I made it a priority to engage with business students and graduates on a regular basis. I needed to know where the talent was; who I should keep my eyes on for employment.evalBased on my experience, my conclusion is thatgraduates aren’t ready!Straight out of school they are ill-prepared to add the value required to enable our organizations to be remarkable, compelling, indispensable and unforgettable.They are not being taught enough of the “right stuff”.They are getting traditional pedagogy jammed down their throats by professors who have limited, if no, practical experience running a business in the real world.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comThese principles MUST be espoused by business schoolsif graduates are to be relevant to business in today’s markets. 1. Execution is the keyto winningevalA business plan without flawless execution is worthless. It’s one thing to define WHAT has to be done, but without a detailed implementation plan and accountability, nothing happens and strategic intent remains a dream.2. Customer learning is a competitive advantageWe need more than periodic market research to keep pace with how customers are changing; we require acontinuous process of “going deep” to monitor minute by minute what people desire.evalOrganizations today succeed by providing what makes people happy; what they want, covet and “lust for” in their lives. Satisfying what they “need” is no longer a recipe for sustainable competitive advantage.3. Serve people don’t service themYou service computers; you SERVE people.Amazing and remarkable organizations put the customer ahead of themselves; they exist to SERVE others.They build operations system to make engagement easy; they create policies and procedures that enable transa ctions not control customer behaviour.4. Perfect solutions don’t existThe business world is too complex to be “formularized”. Flawed solutions that excite people beat those that may be theoretically pristine but don’t meet the practical realities of the specific organization and the market it serves. Imperfection rules andbe imperfect fastis the guiding mantra.evalThe more failures with a heathy dose of learning from them = more successes. Punish failure ONLY if you want compliance, policy-pushers and order takers.5. The frontline is the bossevalPeople who control the customer experienceare the really important people, not the executives. Build your hierarchy to serve them.6. Screw-ups can create customer loyaltyAsuccessful WOW! service recovery from an OOPS! results in a more loyal customer than if the screw-up never happened.Andwhen someone is screwed over,“I’m sorry” is THE most strategic phrase ever and is the heart of a mind-blowing service recovery.7. Erect barri ers to customer exitIgnore the competition and creating barriers to competitive entry. You can’t control the competition; if they want to attack you they will. The right strategy is toprevent customers from LEAVINGand you won’t have to worry about the hordes entering.8. Lose a sale Build a business curricula around these subjects;old school teaching gets a failing grade.