A four-letter word typically refers to the obscene and the taboo. In our personal lives, if we were to treat love as a four-letter word, we would be viewed as an oddity. But, have you noticed how our business attitudes are so different?
Let’s look at just two examples:
- “I love you!” — Human Resources taboo (relationships at work, sexual harrassment, stalking)
- “I love this team!” — management taboo (overly emotional employees, touchy-feely)
I just finished reading two books from Steve Farber: Radical Leap & Radical Edge (both were published on April Fool’s day??) and was re-inspired with the power of love in business and the work place. I knew that Southwest Airlines was a big proponent of “LUV” and had remembered reading that Love is the Killer App. But, for what ever reason, it didn’t touch me as deeply.
The Golden Rule is the foundational belief that you should act or do as you want others to act or do. Why is it so hard for us to love our customers? Why is it so hard for us to pursue relationships with our customers in the same way we pursue intimate relationships in our personal lives?
Imagine the power that would unleashed from your customer base if you were passionately pursuing a relationship with them.
The Customer Evangelists provided a Mark Cuban quote in their book that is, for now at least, my favorite quote.
“A good business is like a good lover. First you ask your partner what you want. Then you give it to them. Then you ask them if they liked it. If they did, you give it to them again.”
I’ve probably misquoted in some way… as I’m trying to do this from memory, but it should get the point across. It is so rare in today’s world that we enter into our business relationships with the same honesty, vulnerability, and affection that is required for a passionate long term relationship in our personal lives. If we if we can’t take the steps necessary to start that process in business, how can we ever expect to experience the full potential that our customers bring to the table?
