Customer, Boss or Worker-Who Should Be 1st?
Customer, Boss or Worker? Who comes first in practice?
I think if I tell you that you need to meet with your direct reports at least monthly, you might roll your eyes. We know it is important. But we do not often get it done. It does not have the jazz of the full blown fire fighting we often live by. Sometimes we have so much fire fighting that we cannot take time for these apparently non urgent matters.
These simple meetings are one of the most important activities you can take on each month.
It can lower fire fighting until you have time to make your company great.
Most companies talk about putting the customer first. Some of the companies do it in one way or another. I never see companies advertising they serve the boss first, but I often see it. I have rarely seen any company but one I was leading putting the worker first. Many bosses feel pretty proud about giving workers a job and feel gratitude should fill workers hearts. They did not understand where customer service comes from.
If you own a 100 or 10,000 person company, you can put the customer first because you feel ownership because you are the owner. But your failure to put the workers first harmed their heart to have the ownership you want them to feel. So you are serving the customer while most of your workers are working to take home a pay check and not really working for the customer at all. This happens despite what the walls of your business say.
Putting Workers First Gets Customer Boss Worker Sorted Best
If you put the workers first, then they will have the energy and the passion to put the customer first. Then you will have a whole business working for the customer. Finally, you will have a company that consistently puts the customer first which can make the boss happy. Naturally, each stakeholder needs some special attention, but one can get us all to some degree as well.
So make time to start making once a month meetings with your direct reports and have your direct reports do it for their people to. Because when you care enough to hear from them, then they will care enough for your customers.
Of course if you meet with them monthly so you can be condescending, then do not do the meetings.
If you can meet with them because you believe they are valuable and deserve to be heard and understood, then go ahead. It is the first step to less fire fighting in your future. You might then have some time to think how to better serve the customer. Go ahead, take a step toward a better future.
Then, take a look at leadership in your company. Is it the kind of leadership that makes the workers glad to come to work because they are empowered and able to be known and also know? We place leaders in companies only after looking closely at each candidate. 2 hour interviews are common. Later, we do background checks with teeth. We know no other recruiter who kicks candidates out in the background check. Not just you need good leaders. Your workers do as well. Learn more about Recruitment Talent Acquisition,