Several weeks ago I ran short on cash while buying a coffee.
I apologised to the operator and said I would return with the right money shortly. She said ‘don’t worry take the coffee and pay me later.'
It’s not surprising that a vendor would behave that way but it was still so refreshing to just be trusted as a consumer. It seems like so many businesses think consumers are ‘trying to get one over’ on them. Naturally the café now has a loyal customer for life.
It occurred to me the exact same concept applies to workplaces too. Just swap out the word employee for customer. When employees are trusted and treated like adults, they appreciate it just as much. The result: loyal employees who want to stick around forever.
Southwest Airlines founder Herbert D. Kelleher has a similar theory. He says, ‘You have to treat your employees like customers.’
When Mr. Kelleher, 77, entered the main meeting room for the last time as the head of Southwest Airlines, shareholders gave him the kind of standing ovation usually reserved for rock stars.
The Southwest pilots union is also in the process of negotiating a new contract with management. But not only did the Southwest pilots not set up a picket line, they took out a full page ad in USA Today thanking Mr. Kelleher for all he had done.
‘The pilots of Southwest Airlines want to express our sentiment to Herb that it has been an honour and a privilege to be a part of his aviation legacy,’ said the union president, Carl Kowitzky, in a statement…
But when he brought up the pilots ad, and when he talked about how much the company’s employees meant to him, he wept. ‘I’m lucky for having all of these years with all of you,’ he said. More than a few people in the audience wept right along with him.
No surprise there, either. Over the years, whenever reporters would ask him the secret to Southwest’s success, Mr. Kelleher had a stock response. ‘You have to treat your employees like customers,’ he told Fortune in 2001.
‘When you treat them right, then they will treat your outside customers right. Further they give their best even when you’re not watching. That has been a powerful competitive weapon for us’.
As he stepped away from the company this week, his line didn’t change.
‘There isn’t any customer satisfaction without employee satisfaction’, said Gordon Bethune, the former chief executive of Continental Airlines, and an old friend of Mr. Kelleher’s.
‘He recognised that good employee relations would affect the bottom line. He knew that having employees who wanted to do a good job would drive revenue and lower costs’.
Consistent behaviour by leaders is a key plank in developing proactive and loyal support. Some basic principles need to be observed.
- There is no such thing as a casual conversation in the sense that everything you say will be further considered, interpreted and shared.
Think about the impact of what you say on others, even those who hear it second hand. Think when you comment on any member of the team to another member, and only make positive comments or none at all. - Meet the reasonable expectations of team members on how you should behave toward them. Use less talk about yourself and more focus on their needs in achieving better outcomes.
- Make sure that your expectations around quality and timeliness are routinely reiterated with the group.
- Generally the positive expectations about your behaviour will include fairness, honesty, consistency and respect for the team members.
- Other expectations should be openness and clear communication highlighted by good listening techniques.
- Don't ignore things that you know everyone is whispering about in the corridors.
- Inform team members of any decision or event that will affect them as a team or individually as urgently and openly as possible.
- Be prepared to say sorry
- Do not have favourites.
- Deal with problems, misunderstandings and issues as quickly as possible
How much do your people trust you?
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