The Strategic Supervisor: Winning the Hearts and Minds of the Customer During Crisis Situations

In the late 1990s, the Marine Corps introduced a groundbreaking concept called “The Strategic Corporal” which dramatically impacted the way our military views its larger mission. A “strategic corporal” is a small unit leader who not only knows how to win the fight, but also how to win the peace as well. Without understanding the vital need to interact in a positive way with the local populace, it is easy to “win the battle” in combat while still “losing the war” by failing to gain public support for the overall mission.In the utilities industry, we encounter much the same situation and must be vigilant that we don’t focus only on the technical task at hand (e.g. fixing a water line break) while losing the war for public opinion by through inattention to our customer’s needs. The development of “Strategic Supervisors” trained in this area ensures that the overall strategic goals of the Utility are a success as well.