In sports, winning is pretty clear. You either win because of superior ability or you lose. In business, it’s not that simple. As business managers, we have to decide what ‘winning’ is and is not for our company – and make sure our employees know what is and is not acceptable. The reality is that not everyone was raised the same way, or with the same moral code. We have to establish and enforce a standard of winning that reflects what we want for our company in the long term.
Many years ago, I knew a colleague who would do anything to win: lie, cheat, misrepresent, whatever. It only “worked” for him in the short term. Another designer we worked for would contract to bill his clients cost plus 30 percent. Then he would set up several shell companies to hide additional markups. A client found out and told the rest. He had to close his business and move away.
Winning can’t be the only consideration. An ethical standard of winning helps us build a strong and trustworthy reputation. Instilling that standard in our workforce is essential for maintaining our reputation. Our employees are the faces of our company, representing us in every customer interaction.
Educate your employees in your company’s standard of winning. Outline for them what are and are not acceptable wins. My favorite win? Helping the customer by providing them with a bit more than they expect. Anything we do that gets us to that proverbial “win-win” situation with a customer builds our reputation. The last thing we want is a reputation as a cutthroat, self-centered business interested only in our bottom line.
A few years ago I was shopping for a just released new model car. A local dealer insisted that I had to buy the car before test driving it. When I questioned him, he then said I needed an appointment to drive it. The next weekend I drove to Thousand Oaks. The new dealer said, “Ray, walk around. Choose the one you like and take it for a drive.” When I chose the one I wanted he tossed me the keys and said, “Enjoy the drive.” That first dealer wasn’t interested in me. He lost my business – then and for the foreseeable future. The second dealer? He got a loyal customer happy to sing his praises. A win-win situation all around.