The Last Domino

Life would be more enjoyable and efficient if people kept their word and tasks were carried out as agreed. If everyone did their best and gave it their all when serving a customer, caring for a patient, inspiring a student, encouraging a jobseeker or supporting a citizen. Everything would run more smoothly without misunderstandings, poorly aligned systems or egos getting in the way. This book explains the phenomenon of ‘weak implementation’ and immediately provides the solution. Line up five dominoes in a row. Knock over the first one and the others will fall. Except the last one, which is just that little bit too far away. If the last domino doesn’t fall, the score is zero. You get nothing but excuses. ‘Not quite’ isn’t enough. How do you build a world where implementation is king? How do you build a company around the customer? How do you learn to think from the perspective of others – outside in? Which obstacles get in the way of implementation? And how do you tackle them in practice? The world of the last domino culminates in customer centricity, where the bland notion of customer satisfaction is replaced by customer addiction: customers who won’t or can’t live without you. Meet Frankenstein customers, ping-pong and Fata Morgana management, meeting tourists and box mentality managers, and discover why implementation really matters. Ignace Van Doorselaere was responsible for mergers, acquisitions and the strategic process at AB InBev, during its transformation from a Belgian brewer to a global player. He then led AB InBev Netherlands, followed by the entire Western Europe division. After that, he spent twelve years as CEO at Van de Velde and finally seven years at Neuhaus. For him, the art of leading companies offers a lab for gaining insights into life, seeking both what is true and what will remain so. This is also the mission of his own company, 4F.