When I reflect on career success, I can measure it in dollars, in terms of salary or in revenue for Hallmark Business Connections. That leaves me feeling proud, but if I stopped there it wouldn’t be enough. Revenue goals are expected to be beaten each quarter, every year. So in that way, it’s never a truly achievable goal. It’s only when I reflect on my job in terms of our company vision that I start feeling accomplished: “We create a more meaningful business world by making a genuine difference in how well businesses manage their relationships.”
Instead of thinking about my job in terms of dollars, I think of the number of relationships I help make better. That’s the currency I measure my career’s worth in. That’s what energizes me in the morning and affects every encounter I have during the workday.
Yet how often do you see work equated to drudgery? Despite that popular “It’s time to make the donuts” drudgery perception, a General Social Survey reported that nearly 75 percent of Americans would still work even if they could afford to quit. Why? Because our jobs give us the opportunity to use our talents to generate self-worth and give value to the lives of others. So if you’re looking to create more loyal customers who can’t wait to pass along great reviews and feedback about your company, start by focusing your energies on your front-line employees. By keeping these employees engaged, with an eye toward the big-picture vision, they’ll inevitably make a difference for each and every customer. That’s just how business relationships roll.
In the video “Employee Engagement: The Domino Effect on Customers,” I share some startling statistics I found in a recent Gallup Survey on the State of the Global Workplace and explore the connection between your employees’ attitudes and their effect on your customers. Take a look and let me know what you think.
