I recently asked a gathering of school board association executives “Who are your customers?” It’s a simple question with a counterintuitive answer. The two most common answers from this group were: Our kids (students) The parents of our kids These answers make sense if you consider that the service you are delivering is to the people that pay for it through taxes, bonds, and levies. But if you look at a school district as a developer of products for a rapidly changing market

For the last several years, my company has engaged thousands of parents, teachers, administrators, students, and community partners in interviews, focus groups, and other feedback activities. Among the questions I have asked them is this: “Does your school district (or organization)  listen to you?” On the surface, that might sound like a dumb question. Afterall, if they are participating in a focus group or one-on-one interview, doesn’t the activity itself constitute clear p