A lesson in relationships.
I spend more time in – customers, prospects, partners, influencers, employees – the market ecosystem. I was in the ASEAN region. And, this post is about an experience from a meeting with one of our long-standing customers. That day I learned a lesson in relationships.
The project with this customer was not going well. And, had recovered from the brink of collapse. But it had a long distance to travel to be a success. And, this was my first visit to the customer.
The director who was also the founder’s daughter and the project head met me. I had asked the director to drive the agenda. And, the meeting agenda was as below:
- A presentation by the director of her company for 30 mins.
- Project, challenges, issues & current status, for 15 mins.
- A YouTube video in the conclusion.
After this formal event, they took us out for lunch to a vegetarian restaurant. We spent a good hour together. And, did not discuss business or project issues.
I thanked them and said “I am sorry for the trouble you experienced. We will get this rectified.“
And, the director’s response was: “Get the smile back on my people, Mr. Surya, and everything is forgotten.“
That day I met some wonderful people. It is unlikely I will ever forget this meeting. It had a profound impact on me.
“To be a leader you have got to lead human beings with affection,” said JRD Tata to R.M.Lala about his dealing with his colleagues. (Excerpts from the book In Search of Ethical Leadership)
That day I learned a Lesson in Relationships.
very touching video, tell me more please.
one of the biggest challenges when leading a team is that they only focus on doing whats written down on the spec document… customer service cannot be taught in my view… you need to have the empathy strand running within you …. or the company must empower & reward such behaviour. Virgin Airlines is the best example of that….
one of the biggest challenges when leading a team is that they only focus on doing whats written down on the spec document… customer service cannot be taught in my view… you need to have the empathy strand running within you …. or the company must empower & reward such behaviour. Virgin Airlines is the best example of that….
one of the biggest challenges when leading a team is that they only focus on doing whats written down on the spec document… customer service cannot be taught in my view… you need to have the empathy strand running within you …. or the company must empower & reward such behaviour which rarely do. Virgin Airlines is the best example of that….
customer experience cannot be taught … the empathy strand has to be in you to deliver that extra mile.
from an organisation perspective; you need an environment that empowers and rewards such behaviour which is a rarity. Virgin Airlines is a good example of it