I apologize if the title of this post has been used before by someone else. It feels like I’ve heard it before but couldn’t find its genesis. It’s a concept that’s been kicking around in my head for a while now and seems like this is the perfect time to address it.

The idea of creating a rich, inviting customer and member experience isn’t exactly new. Companies like Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Nordstroms have been doing it for a while. And the reasons why creating a passion-provoking experience can catapult an association or business into the stratosphere have been well-chronicled. However as managers and organizational leaders, we tend to focus exclusively on creating this passion on the outside of the business. That’s where the custo/members are, right? And without them, we wouldn’t have a business in the first place.

So what about the folks who exist within the organization? Aren’t they entitled to some of that passion-provoking stuff, too? Absolutely! Excluding our people from the equation is a surefire path to failure.

Today’s managers and executives have to commit to making their organizations the best place to work. If you want to inspire passion in custo/members, it has to be a part of each touchpoint experience and it’s hard to accomplish this when the employee could care less about making it happen. You can’t fake enthusiasm no matter how hard you try.

Stephen Covey writes:

Some organizations talk a lot about the customer, and then neglect the
employees who deal with the customer. This mindset produces unmotivated
employees, worker-manager disputes and poor business results.

Exactly.