The most powerful force that customer-centered organizations have is the energy of their employees. Alternatively, we can easily recognize the one-dimensional performances of employees that don’t seem to care about their customers.
Recently, my wife and I talked with a waiter that was taking our dinner orders. Although he was knowledgeable about the restaurant, we could clearly see his lackluster attitude. We’ve all had this experience, of course, so I wanted to find out what that employee was passionate about.
When I commented on his interesting watch, he told us that he primarily used the features that kept him informed about the tides and the phases of the moon. He was a surfer and marine photographer and the restaurant work simply supplemented his income. The excitement in his voice when he was talking about his other work was tangible. He did beautiful photos of beaches and other objects through the funnel of waves and he invited us to see some of them in a gallery nearby. They were works of art.
There is energy in people when they are doing what they are passionate about. That is the way employees behave in Customer 3D™ companies because they are part of a culture that is focused on one purpose—value to the customer. Because this energy pervades the culture, employees can draw on a pool of resources that only helps them be more productive for the customer. The attitudes are contagious and ideas build on other successes. They love their work and they keep a sense of wonder about how they can continue to expand their performance to a new dimension.
There are many reasons to re-orient your organization to embrace Customer 3D™. If you are trying to decide whether the transformation is worth it, the phenomenal new energy that you will see in your employees is reason enough.
