Tag: How To Manage

In the first minute of my first class in business school at Westminster College, it became apparent. The professor wrote on the board, the purpose of business is to ______  _____.  The rest of the class answered in unison “make money” and received a positive nod from the professor.  I said “serve people”, earning me a roomful of skeptical looks.  

After class, I approached the professor. “The goal of business is to provide something of value to a consumer. Above all, satisfactory service must happen or the business isn’t going to be paid (or stay paid). Service comes first. ”  He stood his ground.  Looking back, what I wish I had said was- 

Different people have different missions, our missions direct our actions.

Great Leaders recognize their team members as their most important customers. Great service only happens when employees willingly give it because they feel satisfied. As a result, their positive actions toward customers are the manifestation. It’s clear that our mission directs our actions in our professional conduct.  Ethical choices are always directed by their impact on people.

I stood alone in my MBA Business Ethics class arguing on behalf of the consumer. My classmates argued for business profits. In one memorable case, a manufacturer refused voluntary recall on cars they knew exploded during collisions because of the additional expense. Yet, my classmates also said they would not buy the exploding car for themselves. If we object to how we are treated as customers, we should not treat our customers the same way! 

Mission directing Actions example

In 1982, tainted bottles of Tylenol resulted in several deaths. The poisoning happened after the bottles were on shelves and did not directly involve the manufacturer Johnson and Johnson.  J&J spent $20 million to recall their product!  Was this the right decision?   Yes!  J&J’s decision to recall Tylenol, and introduce tamper resistant caplets and containers, set a new standard for product safety, benefitting millions of customers. Tylenol increased their pain reliever market share from 35 to 37%. Today, Tylenol is an industry leader with a 37% market share. History has proven Johnson and Johnson made a wise decision in taking care of customers first.

Great Leaders Know Our Mission Directs Our Action

1. Take care of your people first

2. Always Act in the best interest of your customers

3. Taking care of number 1 and number 2 results in Financial Strength

Links

https://whatgreatleadersknow.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/10/us/4.9-billion-jury-verdict-in-gm-fuel-tank-case.html