The energy in the room at our September Wake Up West Coast Breakfast was palpable, as our members gave their full attention to our featured speaker, Ken Wasco of Gordon Foods. His topic? Attitude is Everything. On the surface, one might wonder how this message could inspire such a visceral response from the audience. Of course we want our employees to have a “good attitude”, right? But as Ken led the group through his thought process, it became clear that the message was more than attitude. It was about relationships, and the how they are the cornerstone to achieving success within your business.
At the Chamber, we’re reading the Book, “The Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership” as a staff. Before the book even gets into chapter one, the author introduces the concept of a Manager vs. a Leader. One can be a Manager without being a Leader, and conversely, can be a Leader without being a Manager. What’s the difference? Relationships. A Leader puts forth the effort to build relationships within the organization, which, in turn, inspires trust. A focus on intentional listening and making people centered decisions leads to a loyal, energized staff that top-down Managers, who rely on transactional interactions, will seldom experience. A Leader inspires the “good attitude” in their staff.
While loyal employees should be a goal of any organization, it’s the “attitude” that emanates from the staff that helps build that same loyalty within the customers, clients, members, donors, etc. of an organization or business. Ken Wasco bluntly stated that “Customer Service is Dead.” He explained that Customer Service denotes a transactional experience for the recipient It’s one and done. Instead, he continued, it’s the focus on the “Customer Journey” that makes all the difference in the success of a business. While on the Journey, customers are greeted with and treated to employees with the “good attitude” that comes from the example of an effective Leader. The employees become the vessel by which the relationship with the customer is developed. Their “attitude” feeds the relationships and in turns develops a loyal customer base that will choose your business or organization over another because they appreciate the relationship they have developed with your team.
In Chamber lingo, “good attitude” is evident throughout the Core Values that we live by. In fact, one of our values is called, Contagious Energy with a Positive Attitude. While there’s never been a doubt that our staff is comprised of people with vitality and positivity, the word “attitude” in that phrase now has an even greater impact. Beyond innate cheerfulness, it’s the leadership and intentional relationship building at the core of the Chamber that sparks the “attitude”, and helps us build long lasting connections with our members, and makes us lifetime loyal partners.