One of Southwest Airlines' mottoes is: "At Southwest Airlines, the customer is number TWO!" (Cue the pom poms everyone!) On a similar theme, Hal Rosenbluth, the CEO of the corporate travel agency Rosenbluth International, wrote a book that sums up the secret to their success: Put the Customer Second; Put Your People First, and Watch 'em Kick Butt. 

 

It's not the usual "the customer is king" approach. But hey, it works. And, it's so insanely simple you'd think that everyone would have it figured out by now: Hire the right people with the right attitude (which means you need to make it like Ft. Knox to get into your organization), offer the right training and tools, set crystal clear expectations, and treat employees the way you'd treat your most important, passionate, loyal customers. Then watch employees treat customers with the same caring commitment and passion they themselves are receiving. Stir, set on simmer, sprinkle in generous helpings of humor, and voila - smokin' hot success!    

 

So what if every person in your organization filled in the blank: "My organization puts ____________ first, above all else." 

 

What answers might you get?  Profits . . . process . . .  politics . . . safety . . .the environment . . . people?  It might be worthwhile finding out.