Did you ever have an idea about a favorite product that you wanted to share with the powers that be at a large company? Well last Friday evening I did just that! I sent out a tweet to Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla suggesting a feature that would be extremely helpful for my Model S. To my surprise, thirty minutes later he replied back letting me know that he would add that feature very soon in an OTA (over the air) update to all Tesla vehicles. Now this article is not to gloat (my VP of Sales and Marketing says, “yes it is”) that "Elon" replied back to my tweet, its just the opposite. This article is to reaffirm my belief that all CEO's or executive leadership should be accessible and willing to listen to what our customers have to say. And whether we are comfortable with that or not, It is ultimately our customers and their loyalty that make our businesses successful. It’s not all us. If we aren’t accessible to our customers then someone will be whether it’s on social media or via phone call. If we’re not available to listen then we’ll eventually lose their business to someone who is. It is so important to listen to what our customers have to say all the times. They are smart and they know in most cases what needs to be changed to make our products and services better. They are the community and they are our customer. Embrace the accessibility and feedback whether good or bad. We MUST be accessible at all times. That's what separates good leaders and GREAT leaders.
