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What Makes for "Winning"?

There is a difference between relationships that are "transactional" in nature and those that are "transformational." The latter are those that last for a long time and create value for all the parties involved. As you might suspect, transformational relationships are a little more difficult to achieve, but the payoff is higher.

I had the great honor last week of having been invited to moderate a panel at the "Winning Workplaces" conference in Chicago. My panelists and I talked about the differences between relationships that were "transactional" in nature and those that are "transformational."

The latter are those that last for a long time and create value for all the parties involved. As you might suspect, transformational relationships are a little more difficult to achieve - but the payoff is higher - more business - more loyalty - more referrals and a willingness to go to bat for one another.

One is about "closing the sale" and the other about "opening the door to a long term relationship."

One is about what can I get and the other about what can I give. I heard some great stories of companies that held tight to their values, and companies that fearlessly fired employees and even customers for being out of alignment with their strongly held value systems. My heart just opened wide as I watched this year's winners leap up to the podium to accept their awards. I do have to admit getting choked up as I watched some very happy employees beam as their accomplishments were shared on slides for all to see and learn.

While I didn't get to nearly as many sessions as I would have liked to I can tell you I heard some similar themes emerge.

I'll sum them up briefly for today's tip. The common themes were:

Great Hiring - Knowing your culture and who fits in and who doesn't. The winning companies were willing to wait to hire the right person, often rejecting 99 for every right one. And sometimes - when they came across a "right person" hired them even though a job had not yet become available. Peter Drucker used to say there was never a wrong time to hire the right person.

High Standards - Our Winning Workplaces set the standards and the expectations high and make them clear. People know what it takes to succeed and what it takes to fail there.

Shared Values - Values are clear, defined and used daily. When people clearly understand the values and how they can be used to make decisions - even difficult ones - they can react quicker to the needs of the customers. Values show through in all relationships, with all stakeholders, inside and outside the company.

Transparency - Many of the winners are open book companies - sharing the financials with everyone on the team. And even the ones that don't go quite that far, share much more than some would think wise. By sharing how decisions are made, and what the financial condition of the company is and how much things cost, you are treating employees as intelligent business people and expect them to act that way. People always rise - or fall - according to our expectations of them.

Inclusiveness - It's partially the result of transparency, and partially an understand of how much it means to people to "belong." When we include people in our thinking process, ask their opinion and value it when we get it, we give a strong message that they matter. Inclusiveness builds great teams.

Creativity - There's an emotional safety in these companies that gives people permission to take risk and try things that are out of the ordinary. Many of the companies represented there did have a tough last year but were thriving despite of it. Those companies asked their employees for the creative input and came up with new products and new marketing that helped keep them flourishing in the downturn. Their optimism helped!

Fun - You couldn't avoid noticing that these people had fun - whether they were pitching in to build houses in their "off time" or working together to win an award, they were smiling. Hard work was no deterrent to a good time for these dedicated teams. The passion and commitment caused an energy and excitement that had everyone talking about FUN.

Spirit - When people work for a cause that's outside of themselves there is a spirit present - a connectedness that doesn't exist in those who are just out for themselves. When positivity exists in large measures, people connect in a special way that transcends ordinary interaction. When people share "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" ( a Jim Collins term) they feel elevated and energized.

Over and over again I heard people saying the same thing Culture IS Competitive Advantage. A strong powerful focused culture is detected and appreciated by the customers. In many cases the culture of the company is what kept the customers close.

Everyone I met and spoke to had one thing in common - they all KNEW without a shadow of a doubt the strong connection between people and profitability in their companies. Many were bold enough to say the employee comes first - yes, even before the customer, knowing that excited, empowered, educated, energized employees will keep the customers engaged and coming back for more.

May your workplace be a winning one,

JoAnna

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach® a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of "Winning at Customer Retention, 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION."

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.