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Case offers blueprint to become a game changer

David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 12, 2011

NAPLES, Fla. - Former La-Z-Boy executive and current business consultant John Case gave attendees at Furniture/Today's packed Leadership Conference here the tools they need to change the game.
In a well-received keynote address, Case tackled the conference theme of "game changers" by posing this question: Are you in the game?
He explained how he kept Electrolux Home Products of North America in the game when he became CEO of the company in 2004 after leaving his job as president of La-Z-Boy Residential, and he also talked about his recent work with Thinking Dimensions Global, a consulting firm in which he is a partner.

"Top company officials may have surprisingly different views of the products their company offers."

John Case,
Thinking Dimensions Global

     Case identified six decisions that attendees need to make if they want to change the game in their businesses:
     ► What products do we want to offer?
     That sounds like an easy question to answer, but it's not, Case said. Top company officials may have surprisingly different views of the products their company offers, he said. This question enables you to analyze the fundamentals of the business, Case said.
     ► What markets do we serve?
     The key here is that top company officials need to be in agreement on the markets that are being served, he said. He said that his careful analysis of the various markets served by Electrolux found an aftermarket business that enjoyed high margins and offered promising growth opportunities.
     ► What are our capabilities?
     Case said Electrolux created an advantage in the aftermarket category by becoming an expert in the segment. The company beefed up staffing, introduced a branding partnership with Arm & Hammer and positioned the business for growth.
     ► What are the common goals we are all working on?
     Case said the goals of the company must be understood by everyone, and said people should be held accountable for their piece of the goals. It is also important, he said, that the core values of the company must be adhered to, and that there is communication up and down the chain of command.
     Focus is critical, Case asserted. He cited a German proverb: "The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing." And he added this bit of wisdom, from an unknown author: "If you chase two rabbits, both will escape."
     Electrolux was focused on the development of the aftermarket business, which was one of three key goals for company, Case said.
     ► What are we each going to do to achieve those goals?
     Accountability enters in here, Case said. He cited a maxim by famed World War II general George Patton to illustrate to best way to get the job done: "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
     ► How will we work together and support one another to achieve our goals?
     The Arm & Hammer branded aftermarket products successfully introduced by Electrolux at Wal-mart remain on the shelves of that retailer, Case said, and Electolux has tripled its high-margin aftermarket business.
     Case said that integrity issues are a challenge these days, "plaguing us more than ever." He cited the scandals surrounding Bernie Madoff and former Enron leader Ken Lay, and the big bonuses paid to executives at AIG, as recent examples from the financial and business worlds.
     And he added more words of wisdom, including a Japanese proverb: "The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour." He also recalled the words of former U.S. senator Alan Simpson: "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters."
     Case concluded by asserting that there is little risk in trying to change the game: "It's riskier to do nothing."

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