I was on my way to an appointment at a large manufacturing company a few months ago. As I walked toward the door, an employee stormed out of the front office, slamming the door and muttering loudly about what he thought of the company. The receptionist ignored me for several minutes while talking to a colleague about the fact that she was sick of doing the manager’s dirty work. In my interview with the Human Resources Manager, she mentioned that the company really didn’t care about improving things; that they only cared about making a profit. Do you think that I had the desire to do business with them?
There is a quote in Ken Blanchard’s book Leading at a Higher Level that I really like.
“Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people.”
It is your job as the leader of your team to ensure that your customer is taken care of. But really, your job is to take care of your people so that they are happy in their jobs and happy to take care of your customers. If you don’t, who knows what the customer really sees?