Ep. 149: The Genworth Financial Team
The entertaining Genworth Financial team joins us from OPEX Week 2020 to tell us their enterprise\u2019s transformation story\u2014or journey, more accurately. Kathleen starts off by explaining her view of the company 15 years ago: \u201cIt was a very siloed organization. It was very much command and control; very hierarchical. We were focused very much on our processes, like manufacturing, because we came from GE.\u201d Sometimes, as Martijn is quick to interject, they were focusing on the wrong processes. Their new goal was to focus on the customer and increase associate empathy. The leadership team achieved this with some creative physical props that mimic certain hardships their clients experience. However, leading by fear negatively impacts the service a customer receives as well, so Genworth devised a new workforce strategy. \u201cIf you really truly believe that the customer is the most important person--because he or she pays your salary--then the front line employees are the most important people, and therefore, your team leaders are the most important leaders. Most people leave their leader. They don't leave the organization.\u201d The team details how they achieved this monumental task.