Want to Wow Your Customers Daily?

I was a non-profit executive in a previous life. One of my bosses was a wise human. She was a role model of servant leadership and was a rich source of actionable inspiration daily.

One of her mantras was “Wow your employees first.” If you expect your team members to wow their customers in every interaction, those employees had to be wow’ed first.

We saw this firsthand in our work with our centers. Members would come in to swim, use the gym, take exercise classes, bring their children to childcare, drop off their teenagers for cool programs, etc. When those members interacted with engaged, talented team members, members were pleased . . . thankful . . . excited . . . and more.

When those members interacted with grumpy, distant team members, members would be frustrated . . . surprised . . . angry . . . and worse.

The key influencer on employee attitude, confidence, and engagement was then - as it is now - in the hands of formal leaders.

What must leaders do to “wow employees” today?

We coach leaders to demonstrate respect and validation to every team leader and team member. Your team members bring ideas, efforts, and contributions to your workplace every day. If those employees are recognized, listened to, supported, and coached, they’ll feel valued.

If those employees are ignored, dismissed, demeaned, and disrespected, they’ll feel worthless, maybe even abandoned.

Valued employees love serving others. Disrespected employees struggle to serve others. We can’t blame them for feeling that way.

Our research shows that employees who feel respected and validated at work have higher engagement (by 40%), higher customer service ratings (by 40%), stay with those validating leaders longer (by 35%), brag about how cool their workplace is (by 35%), and deliver better results (by 35%).

This positive impact doesn’t happen overnight. It only happens when leaders care and show respect to their team leaders and team members.

Want employees to wow your customers? Wow your employees first.

Learn more at GoodComesFirst.com.