Derek Huether

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Never forget moms are stakeholders

I think it is only fitting to write a post about the most important stakeholder on the planet, Mom.  When giving gifts on Mother's Day, as children, we did simple things like made a card by hand, offered breakfast in bed, or picked flowers from the yard.  Our goal, from my perspective, was we tried to deliver what we thought our moms  (stakeholders) wanted.  As a father of a 4-year-old, my perspective of Mother's Day has now changed, though my son views the gifts (deliverables) as I did many years ago. This year, I thought my wife would enjoy some kind of gadget. Perhaps she would enjoy a day at the spa or  some other complicated gift.  What my wife did this year was very apropos.  She proactively said she did not want any gadgets this year, notably a camera, iPad, or something I would like.  Our son, clever as he is, sang her a song and made her a necklace.  Taking his lead, I took the three of us to my wife's favorite place to eat and tried to give her some alone time later in the day.

So, where am I going with this?  Find out what is valuable to your stakeholders and customers.  What you think has the greatest value may not be the same thing.  I know, I sound like a broken record.  But it's true!  Listen to what they say; deliver on what they want or need!