The Employee Experience

CHAPTER 1You’re Digging in the Wrong Place

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

—LEO TOLSTOY

The customer. It’s any person or group receiving a service from an individual or organization. If you run a company, it’s the person buying your T-shirts, pizza, or software. In healthcare, it’s the patient. In education, it’s the student. The customer in a not-for-profit may be the child in a remote village who receives food and medical care. In any case, the customer is the reason every organization exists—the reason people have a job to come to. So why are so many organizations (and people) doing such a terrible job giving the customer a wonderful experience?

We’re not talking about you, of course. Or maybe we are. Because most organizations have the same problem: They are desperate to win their customers’ loyalty and affection, but don’t know how to do it. Bribery with discounts doesn’t work. Innovation doesn’t work, because their competitors just out-innovate them. So they spend fortunes and waste years fishing for something that does work—and usually fail.

Still, a comparatively few organizations are getting it right. They win their customers’ loyalty and affection. They build brands that seem impervious to harm. What’s their secret? It’s right in front of them, and it’s right in front of you, too. It’s your employees. They are the secret to thrilled customers who boost profits, provide referrals, and who keep coming back. The trouble is, ...