The industry axiom that the customer is always right—may not always actually be right.
Motivational speaker Simon Sinek says the correct formula lies in how bosses approach the workforce, not their clientele in a video message published by Big Think.
“It’s employees that we’re asking to give their blood, sweat and tears to advance our vision,” Sinek says in the video. “It’s a leader’s responsibility to take care of the people first and the people will take care of each other and the customer.”
Sinek, an author of several books on leadership, points out that the companies with the best customer service records are companies that place a high premium on the well-being of their employees.
Sinek isn’t alone in his thinking. In the 2016 New York Times bestseller, Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, author Charles Duhigg agreed the most successful companies, like Google, are those that make employees feel psychologically safe—or safe to take ownership of their work in an environment where they won’t be punished if something goes wrong.
While Sinek acknowledges that the point of any company is to make money, he explains environments that make employees feel valued breed the most efficient workforce.
“The irony is these great companies actually care first about their own people, their employees,” Sinek said. “And they expect their employees to care about their customers.” Watch to his take below.
—RealClearLife Staff
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
