Aspects of Relational Leadership

Welcome to my blog which will feature discussion regarding aspects of relational leadership. I will comment and elaborate on parts of my book The Relational Leader that will help readers better implement the model. Over time I will comment on related leadership and management issues that I think will be of interest.

While not specifically addressed in the book, the concept of customer focus is certainly important in the world of relational leadership. The core of the model is people. People are defined broadly and absolutely include customers. I experienced the essence of customer focus a couple of days ago. Let me tell you about it.

I was hand washing a white cotton sweater that I particularly like. While running the water to rinse it out, I noticed a brown spot forming where the water was hitting the sweater. All of a sudden, I remembered that the city was flushing out the water mains and warned of rust coming out of the faucets during this process. I examined the sweater and noticed there was discoloration throughout the fabric. I was truly disappointed and had no idea what I could do to reverse the damage.

I decided to call the city water department and that is where the story of customer focus begins. My call was answered by a cheerful person. When I told her my problem, she told me that she would connect me to a person who could help. I was immediately connected to another cheerful person who asked me a couple of questions and told me that she would be able to help. She asked for my address and then told me that someone would be by soon to deliver a package that I could add to my water. If I washed the sweater again in this solution the rust stains would go away. Wow, was I delighted.

Within 15 minutes the door bell rang and there stood another water department employee with a big smile and two packets of the miracle substance in his hand. He told me that there was instructions in the bag and all I had to do was to follow them. He wished me well and then left with a smile on face.

Back to the sink, I ran the water and found there was still rust running. I don't know a lot about washing clothes but I didn't think this would be good for my sweater even with the miracle product that I held in my hands.

So I called the water department again, got the same lively, helpful person. No she was not annoyed that I was calling again. She told me not to attempt anything until I got the water running clear. I should go to my tub and run the water full tilt from there until it ran clear and then proceed to wash the sweater again.

Great ending - my sweater looks as good as the day I purchased it. The water department produced a happy and thoroughly satisfied customer!

You know this could have gone a different way. I am sure the folks at the department had many calls from people like me. And in many organizations not committed to customer focus, I would have been treated much differently. We have all experienced "the attitude" of employees who do not hold customers as the purpose of their work. It almost always ends up poorly for the customer.

Virtually every time I encounter a Newark, Delaware city employee, I come away with the same feeling. It makes me feel like the tax dollars I pay are well spent, in fact I think they are the best return I get for a dollar spent.

It really doesn't take any more effort to be pleasant and helpful and the return to the organization is clear. I have a poster I first saw in the office of a senior executive at Delmarva Power 25 years ago. I hung a copy of it in my office and preached its content to staff regularly thereafter. It could be summed up with this portion of the verse, "The customer is not an interuption of our work, the customer is the purpose of our work!"