Always Serve the Customer
Remember our founding principle “we work in partnership,” always! In all situations do what’s best for the customer, even if it’s to our own detriment.
Happy Holidays!
How apropos to the season for bringing High Performance to the world of service? Always serving the customer is a great mantra, a great responsibility, and a great privilege.
As a business coach, I sign a Coaching Agreement with each new client. After the client signs the agreement we have a contract. It’s more of a “handshake” than a real contract, but it’s a promise nonetheless. It’s a sacred thing, and one of the most important details on that paper is that as their coach, I agree to “listen actively for what’s important to them.”
In that relationship, I’m no longer about me, because I’m all about the client’s results. There is a real privilege and mystique around the whole thing for me. This person has just agreed to “let me in,” and it’s always a gift to me as a human being to partner with another in that way.
In real life, it’s quite uncommon that a person we just met would share intimate details with us about their business and their life. Trust is obviously a huge factor and that is accelerated when I practice always serving the customer. That sets the stage for the coaching relationship and a whole range of extraordinary conversations that accelerate their performance.
As a person with an overly healthy sense of self-preservation, it’s actually a relief to take my attention off myself and put it on someone else. My self-chatter evaporates, and I learn something deeply honest about a new person.Besides, I always see something for myself. I see their bravery and boldness where I tend to play it safe, and that gives me courage. I find new ways to solve problems as they tell me how they got where they are. I learn about an industry I never knew anything about. I’m inspired by how much care they have for their employees. (These examples are consistent with just about 100% of my clients by the way – probably the nature of those leaders who want more.)
In providing helpful observations, guidance, and coaching towards their breakthroughs, I am energized, educated and moved by always serving the customer.
By serving, it’s a win-win!
Please inspire me with your experiences of serving others by replying to this email or commenting on our blog, and we will see you in 2019.
Happy New Year!
Brett
