By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
This is like answering, “What came 1st? The chicken or the egg.” Here, I provide you with a roadmap for answering this question.
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Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. I coach people. I help you perform at a high level during your job search and in your new role.
I call it very simply career job search leadership coaching. And, by the way, if you’re interested in my coaching you, the easiest way to do so is to reach out to me through LinkedIn at LinkedIn.com forward slash i n forward slash TheBigGameHunter. Let’s connect there.
And once we’re connected, message me. And if you just have a couple of questions, the two easiest ways to reach out to me, skip LinkedIn. I’ll just say there’s an app called magnify m-a-g-n-i-f-i that’s available for iOS devices.
That’s a video Q&A platform. And then there’s PrestoExperts.com. That’s voice only. Now, coming back to the question, how do you balance customer needs with the needs of the business when making decisions? This is the chicken and the egg question.
And there’s a philosophical difference in different camps. And obviously, you have to come up with a textured answer. So, we all know that unless the customer is satisfied, unless they buy stuff from you, at a margin that makes sense, there is no business.
You go out of business. On the other hand, if you torture your employees and make it an unbearable environment, well, you don’t have employees to do anything either. So, there’s a balancing act.
And that’s really the way you’re going to present it when answering the question. And you could start off by saying, look, Jeff Bezos at Amazon and Herb Kelleher at Southwest have done a magnificent job of focusing on customers and focusing on employees. I remember the Kelleher story when he . . . Southwestern customer service people received a complaint letter from a woman who didn’t like the food that was served, didn’t like the way the seating was done on the flights, complained about a whole host of things.
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And it got kicked up the chain of command until it got to his desk. And he picked up a pen and manually wrote back, Dear Ms. So and So, we will miss you. Obviously, you have to have your employees backs or else they feel betrayed.
They’re out on the firing lines, dealing with stuff. And there’s an expectation that management supports them. So, there’s the dance that goes on.
On the other hand, Amazon is a very tough, demanding environment. And they’re focused on the customers and there’s a culture there. So, profits are an important part of this.
But employee satisfaction is another element of it. So, how do you balance the needs of the customer with the needs of the business, which I include the employees on and profits as well? And the answer is, you build as fast as you can, in great services you can, while at the same time focusing on employee satisfaction. I hate using engagement because to me, that’s like a minimal requirement is being engaged.
But employees and their care and feeding, so that everyone is satisfied. Now, there are times where you may have to make a tough decision. But our values as an organization are care for the employee and care for the customer concurrently.
Because my belief is that without one, you don’t have the other. They’re not mutually exclusive. So, you focus on the fact that they’re not mutually exclusive.
And that’s really the key to answering this question. So, I hope you find this helpful. I hope you give it a great review.
And, again, if you have a question for me, reach out to me through the magnify app for iOS or through PrestoExperts.com. And if you’re interested in my coaching, you connect with me on LinkedIn at LinkedIn.com forward slash IN forward slash TheBigGameHunter. Let me also say that if you’d like to take classes on Skillshare at Skillshare.com and you become a premium member, use the link in the show notes, you’ll get two months free in order to take the classes. Have a great day.
Take care
