#4 of 30-day writing challenge, a reflection on a quote, “Treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.”

“Treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” This Steven Covey quote from 7 Habits of Highly Successful People made me reconsider how I should be treating my employees for better business growth.

I have not mistreated my employees over the years; far from it, I have always been relatively moderate in my approach to them, neither too passive nor too aggressive, just a bit plain on reflection. I certainly had not thought it correlated towards my management approach with how our customers should get treated. But I guess if I have been relatively moderate, plain, perhaps even dull, boring and absent of consideration, this undoubtedly must impact how they see the business as being acceptable.

If I ask an employee how they are? But go even further, asking how their family is? And then listen, really listen for their actual response and take a genuine interest, this will be more impactful at this moment, sure, but this has to be ongoing and honest.

Sharing is the key. By communicating what we see, hear, touch and feel with our fellow beings, we change the shape of our workplace dynamics from top-down leadership to a more circular interconnected network that expands to involve our customers, families, friends, creating our community.

If I am to lead by being uninspired, uncaring, insensitive and without empathy, how can I expect more from others? And to treat themselves, their colleagues, their customers any better? To manage is not enough; to set tasks and goals is not enough; to treat someone as I expect to be treated is still not enough. I have to go further than this. I have to treat my employees better than I wish to because they need it. They deserve it. They will appreciate genuine acts of kindness. They will pass this on, and the business will be the better for it.

See my post digital communication for related content