Billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has built his global business empire on unique principles prioritizing people. While the common saying “The customer is always right” holds some importance, Branson stands by a different philosophy.
He’s famously quoted as saying, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”
This leadership principle can be applied in various business contexts, from startups to established corporations, by fostering a positive work culture and investing in doing whatever it takes to help your employees succeed.
Why put your employees ahead of your clients/customers?
Business leaders have been trying to figure out how to keep customers coming back for years. But here’s the thing: That’s not the right question to ask if you want to grow your business. Instead, the focus should be on keeping employees happy and satisfied so they keep doing the kind of work that makes customers want to stick around.
It’s a fact: How you treat your employees directly influences how your customers feel about your business. Numerous studies have shown that happy employees lead to happy customers. This underscores the critical role of employee satisfaction in customer retention, making it a top priority for any business.
My company teaches that leadership starts from the bottom, not the top. Managers are trained to prioritize the needs of front-line employees because they are the closest to the customer. So, what’s a simple approach to ensuring this bottom-up equation works? We teach three underlying principles that will get the best out of your employees so that the customer experience is off-the-charts:
Help employees feel connected at work
Research continues to explore and validate the critical link between employee connectedness and engagement. What does it mean for employees to feel a connection in the workplace?
- You connect them to the company’s mission, values, and leadership vision
- You connect them to their co-workers and managers through authentic relationships
- You connect them to their work so they feel like they’re making a positive impact on the company’s goals
- You connect them to their aspirations — that they’re growing and developing in ways that mean something to them
Tap into your employees’ strengths and gifts
Managers would benefit from taking the time to recognize and understand the unique strengths, gifts, and talents of their employees. They should then create and assign meaningful tasks that go beyond the limitations of a static job description.
Richard Branson suggests that managers should first understand their employees’ motivations and aspirations, and then engage in meaningful conversations with them to design their jobs in a way that allows them to tap into their intrinsic motivation.
This intrinsic motivation stems from their passion that comes from within, from their hearts. Branson says, “With you and your employees approaching your work with renewed energy and commitment, you’ll find that there’s little that you can’t accomplish together.”
Boost your employees’ well-being
It’s no longer possible, if it ever was, to ignore the rest of our lives while being productive at work. Leaders and managers who fail to prioritize employee well-being can expect to see rising rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, the latter of which is defined by the Harvard Business Review as “being on the job but, because of illness or other medical conditions, not fully functioning.” HR has traditionally handled well-being, but it’s time for a collective effort. It should be on the agenda of every manager and leader to prioritize well-being as a critical driver of company growth.
In an age where customers still rule, Branson has created a non-hierarchical, family-like environment where people love coming to work. Branson’s philosophy is that happy and fulfilled employees lead to satisfied customers who keep returning for more.
