The link between culture and customers is still on my mind, so I’m sharing some more thoughts on the subject. Sometimes getting employees to love customers can be a huge challenge. We know all too well that if the majority of employees in a business dislike the customers, the end may be near for that business. Customers may be the lifeblood of a business, but employees make up the system that transports the blood.

Customers may be the lifeblood of a business, but employees make up the system that transports the blood.

Let’s start at the beginning. Why might employees dislike customers in the first place? Maybe employees are unhappy in their work environment and so, pass on their disgruntlement to the customers. Disgruntled employees who are disenchanted with the business for all sorts of reasons, both justified and unjustified, exact revenge, at times, on customers who are not at fault. Another reason may be that employees lack the skills to engage effectively with customers. How about the possibility that the employees are unsuited to their roles, or may be misplaced within the customer interaction journey? Finally, some businesses may operate in a way that suppresses cultural vitality and so, the natural fallout will be lethargic encounters with customers.

On the other hand, some customers are not saints. They may be downright unpleasant, disruptive and challenging. Some delight in belittling frontline employees and at times, go out of their way to make a scene, just to embarrass employees. Oh and another thing; there’s also those customers who are the most hard to please individuals on the planet. Nothing makes them happy. These are generally, the customers from hell and more often than not, they are energized by conflict.

Getting employees to love customers is therefore, a delicate issue. The first order of business when taking on this task, is to conduct an internal sweep to ensure that all is well with the culture. If the culture of the business is toxic, then a detox would be in order and all offending parties, conditions and ailments should be purged, permanently. This may sound like an extreme prescription, but trust me, in the long run it’s going to lay the foundation for a healthy, oxygenated climate, where employees flourish.

Getting employees to love customers is therefore, a delicate issue. The first order of business when taking on this task, is to conduct an internal sweep to ensure that all is well with the culture.

Twenty months ago, we were in the throes of a worldwide threat to life, living and livelihood. It’s been well documented that it was a time of reckoning for many individuals who had their lives disrupted in the most violent way. In the world of work, employees began to redefine what success meant to them and many, to this day, have put a premium on peace of mind, self-care and a rejection of the rat race. People have begun to redefine “what matters” to them and to reconstruct their lives around what personal balance means to them, as well. Business culture is under major scrutiny in the role it plays in supporting or suppressing mental health and personal happiness. Culture matters now, more than ever.

A follow-on action to releasing cultural vitality, would be to ensure that the business begins to function as a centre of excellence, so that operationally, there is a sense of urgency, teamworking and customer centricity. When these ground-level, moving parts are synchronized, there is a seamlessness to the way in which day to day tasks are executed.

A follow-on action to releasing cultural vitality, would be to ensure that the business begins to function as a centre of excellence, so that operationally, there is a sense of urgency, teamworking and customer centricity.

Of course, becoming a centre of excellence is predicated on effective leadership and competent management talent. On the leadership end, a transformational methodology sets a good tone for activating a compelling vision, values and the pursuit of the purpose of the business. On the managerial end, a change management methodology is useful in demonstrating that all management is change management. If a business is not tethered to continuous improvement, its bottom line will be sending smoke signals about declining profitability.

One more thing. Releasing talent through training and development pays great dividends for a business, especially if employees have been hand-picked and recruited for their rising star potential.

One of the best gifts that a business can give to its customers, is an eager to serve employee and one of the best gifts that a business can give to itself is an employee who loves the customers.