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Introduction
If the person whose working for your company is not given the right tools, is not looked after, is not appreciated, they’re not going to do things with a smile, and therefore the customer will be treated in a way in which they don’t want to come back for more. So my philosophy has always been, if you can put your staff first, your customers second, and your shareholders third, effectively in the end the shareholders do well, the customers do better, and your staff are happy – Richard Branson.
Global companies including Google, Alibaba, Virgin, Facebook, LinkedIn, FedEx Corporation, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, and Costco Wholesale Corporation follow the philosophy of “employees first, customers second, and shareholders third”.
Globally, the trend is changing rapidly. Previously organizations emphasized skills and abilities rather than the attitude in employment interviews. But presently, they emphasize attitude rather than the skills and abilities. Similarly, they emphasized the philosophy of “customers first and employees second”. But presently, they emphasize the philosophy of “employees first and customers second”.
There are innumerable advantages by adopting the philosophy of “employees first, customers second, and shareholders third”. Here are some of them. It values people as people not as workers. It enhances productivity and performance. It minimizes employee attrition and maximizes employee engagement and retention. It decreases stress and encourages work-life balance. It builds brand image for organizations. Hence, adopting this philosophy is ideal in the current global business environment.
Keep people before profit
When organizations keep people before profit, it indicates that they emphasize the importance of human resources. Previously it was the machine behind the people mattered. Presently, it is the people behind the machine matters. That means people are the key to improving organizational bottom lines. When we look at chief executive officers (CEOs) who kept people before profit, Richard Branson of Virgin Group, Jack Ma of Alibaba Group, Frederick W. Smith of FedEx Corporation, Herb D. Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, John Mackey of Whole Foods, Craig Jelinek of Costco Wholesale Corporation, and Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group come to our mind.
A good leader[1] sweats bullets in his office, whereas he tells the repair person to fix the air conditioning in his employee’s offices first. At the...