Don't Leave Home Without Them

Customer Servces

Don't Leave Home Without Them
by T. Scott  Gross



Somewhere along the line, people got the idea that the standards of behavior that they use to rule personal behavior change once they enter the office. Not so. And millions of business people are once again thinking about the importance of ethics in the work place.

Today, business people are making a big deal out of an issue that for a while seemed to be a thing of the past. Maybe the Boomers are at last growing up. More likely, this new interest in business etiquette and behavior is due to the fact that the Boomers are at last taking charge.

Today's enlightened managers would not dream of calling a secretary "Honey," asking someone to make them coffee or use language that is off-color or sexist. The blue or risque stories that were de rigueur in our father's days (Moms didn't work and if they did they weren't in control and can't be blamed) is regarded as crude today. Perhaps we are at last growing up.

Beyond simple manners and common courtesy, managers are taking interest in the more subtle points of business ethics. They are even beginning to make a point of bringing their personal values to the work place.

Visit Sam's Club headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas and you will see how Sam Walton felt about the need to make an issue out of ethics. Vendors who call to present their wares are reminded by huge signs posted in every meeting room that there are definite rules of ethics that must be observed. There will be no gifts accepted of any kind. No merchandise samples for personal use, no tickets or golf trips. Even lunch or dinner, if absolutely necessary, must be "Dutch treat." Sample merchandise may be left but it will be donated to charity. In other words, Sam Walton wanted to be certain that no decision to purchase would be bought.

Other companies are beginning to incorporate human values into their mission statements and corporate cultures. Southwest Airlines is built on a foundation of teamwork and fun. If those concepts seem too elementary for your theory-drenched management

expertise, then consider the even more basic fact that Southwest Airlines happens to have been the only major airline in the U.S. to have turned a profit in 1992.

Signature Flight Support based in Orlando is another values-driven company and Thrifty Car Rental has begun a crusade to make customer service a core value along with the idea of fun and teamwork in the work place. The winners in this unfolding decade will be those companies that remember to put their people and customers first. Thrifty and Signature are just two examples of a list that's growing fast as heads up managers finally realize that good ethics are also good business.

Beyond such human values as honesty, openness and sharing, some folks have gone so far as to use the word "love" in the context of business. It may seem hard to believe but even the Dallas Cowboys were admonished by their coach not to forget what made them Super Bowl Champions. 'Don't forget that it was your love for one another that got you here,' was the gist of his post game locker room speech.

We had the privilege to present to the January Managers' meeting of Lone Star Ice Stores in San Antonio and were amazed to discover that it was more than clever marketing and inspired leadership that made their recent performance so stellar. It was love and teamwork. We saw it with our own eyes. Grown people who were all too happy to hug and even shed a tear or two in celebration of the successes of their teammates.

In our own operation, our employees and customers often heard the phrase, "Don't forget to love one another." In fact, that was usually the last thing I'd say to our crew when I left

the store. And it was the phrase that we used to end each of our radio commercials.

In the end, business is still business. You have to make the hard decisions to survive. But I believe that it is the making of the soft decisions that allow you to prosper.

Until next time, go for the brass ring, work hard. But whatever you do, don't forget to love one another.


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T. Scott Gross. All right reserved. For information contact Frog Pond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@frogpond.com.