Our business environment has, for the last few decades, had the privilege of offering the people in our working society job security in exchange for obedience and loyalty. No longer is that the case nor the desire. A historic chain reaction is under way. Enormous changes in the business environment are forcing deep changes in the ways companies operate and consequently treat their workforce. The rise of the sophisticated customer is the major factor in this chain reaction.
Customers care nothing for our management structure, our strategic plan, or our financial structure.
Customers want an excellent product. They want a safe product. Customers also want a reliable and competitively-priced product from a company that can be trusted, which is comprised of individuals who have integrity and listen to their needs. Bureaucracy frustrates people the world over and has generated widespread distrust of institutions and situational fixes. Customers and employers will gravitate toward businesses led by principled leaders who base their actions on strong personal values and commitments that are consistent from one person to the next.