Matt Tomsho wrote a great post about customers that I wanted to share with you.

What if everyone was a Customer?

The dictionary definition (at least dictionary.com's definition) of a customer is, "a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron."  Let's make that a little broader and say "a person who provides something of value to another to obtain something else of value." This way we include more classic transactions like barter.

When you broaden the definition of customer like that, something interesting happens. The universe of who is a customer broadens as well. In barter, aren't both parties customers?  Each of us is providing something of value to the other, so we are each other's customers! The vendor literally becomes our customer.

Let's take this a step further. Using that broad definition, we can redefine the employer/employee relationship.  Isn't the employer the customer of the employee? The employer is exchanging something of value (money and benefits in this case), to obtain the employee's services.  Before you laugh at that, how does a free-lancer or consultant refer to the companies they provide their services to? As customers! Why shouldn't a "regular" employee think the same way?

Now let's get really crazy with this. Again, using that broad definition, we can also say the employee is the customer of the employer. They are "purchasing" the "coin of the realm" from the employer by providing the currency of their service. The only differentiation from barter is the use of currency rather than equally valued services or products.

This thought experiment is not to suggest we should become a "barter" economy, but rather to re-examine buyer/seller, employer/employee relationships. What if everyone, vendors, employers, and employees were all treated as customers by each other? We all know that businesses tend to thrive when they provide excellent customer service. How much more vital could a business be if it extended that to its vendors and employees? What we traditionally call vendors should already be extending great service to their clients, but what if employees acted as vendors and treated their employers as customers?

Imagine a world where the object of the employer is not to get the most out of an employee for the least cost, and the object of the employee was not to get the most pay out of an employer for the least amount of work. Imagine a world where providing true value on all sides was the objective.

What could be achieved if everyone was a customer?

About Matt:  Matt is an author and speaker based in Pittsburgh, PA.  He helps people become more effective in all they are doing, both personal and professional. You can find out more about what he calls “crypto-effectology” at his website: http://mjtomsho.com and his blog: http://mjtomsho.com/blog. He is also the author of  Leadership Starts With You. Fast Action Steps to Unlocking Your True Leadership Potential. Check his site for more information about it.

I read an article that a good friend of mine, Matt Tomsho wrote and I wanted to share it with you about motivation and loyalty; two words that are often abused. Matthew Tomsho is an author and speaker based in Pittsburgh, PA.  He helps people become more effective in all they are doing, both personal and professional. You can find out more about what he calls “crypto-effectology” at his website: http://mjtomsho.com and his blog: http://mjtomsho.com/blog. He is also the author of soon-to be- released book, Leadership Starts With You. Fast Action Steps to Unlocking Your True Leadership Potential. Check his site for more information about it.

His article:

How do you motivate people?  How do you inspire loyalty? 

Like definitions of leadership there are more answers to those questions than there are people with answers.  I will be covering specific strategies and tactics regarding motivation and loyalty in my next book, but no matter what strategies and tactics you decide on, one thing you must do is match your actions with your words.   This seems so obvious, and yet so often it ends up as one of those "simple but hard" things that plague so many leaders.  It is so easy to hang some motivational posters and write an inspirational mission statement, but it is really hard work to put those fancy words into actions.  However, the cost of not doing it is high.

Motivation and loyalty require trust. I find it amusing when people say that “trust must be earned” (usually implying that the employee or team member must earn it). The very act of offering someone a job or asking them to join your team, and more importantly, the reciprocal act of accepting your offer means that some measure of trust has already been given.  The question is not “how do you earn trust?” but rather “will you increase that trust or destroy it?” We all know how an employee or team member can destroy trust, but what about the person or persons “in charge”?

Do you “live” your mission statement? Do you believe the pretty words on those motivational posters? If not, then get rid of them. Nothing will destroy trust which in turn de-motivates and ensures a lack of loyalty, than creating an illusion of trust and then betraying it. People want to know what to expect. If the actions you take are counter to expectations you built, don’t be surprised when no one seems motivated or loyal; they simply can’t trust you.