Working with the Chief Customer Officer at Northeast Utilities, Johnny D. Magwood, has been a great experience. We had a stimulating conversation last week about the challenges and opportunities that surround a shift in organizational culture to one that focuses on the customer. He recalled an experience he had early in his career where the organization he was working for had determined to be more customer-focused. He described that the entrance to the company headquarters doubled as a smoking area for employees. The lobby area where customers passed through on a daily basis was a mine-field of ashtrays and cigarette smoke that individuals had to wade through to make it to their appointments. He wondered what kind of impression that environment made on customers. Rightly so, he assumed customers were left with the notion that the company did not value them and were OK with putting obstacles in the the way of them having a positive experience. Recognizing this issue, management removed all the ashtrays and instructed employees to smoke elsewhere. Within a week, the ashtrays were covertly brought back in and old habits resumed. Eventually, through persistent effort, the smoking area in the lobby was permanently shifted to another area – away from customer’s view but it took awhile longer to shift people’s mindset around building an environment that worked for the customer.