Growing a Business

HPMD Quotes & Sources

"There's no way to instill a positive customer service ethic before you embody a positive employee ethic. Responsiveness in, responsiveness out."

"At Smith and Hawken we have developed a set of guidelines that have helped us as we have grown--simple phrases that are at the heart of our company's "culture." We aren't a company of goals, standards, procedures and exhortation. The rah-rah stuff is absent. Instead, we have concentrated on hiring people who embody the quality of service we strive for. It is difficult to teach someone to be helpful and to serve others if he or she is misanthropic to begin with. When we did get around to writing down our service guidelines, we were surprised by them. They almost say more about our attitude toward ourselves than toward our customers. The customer comes first? Not really the employee comes first. Employees' attitudes towards customers reflect their treatment by their employers. They cannot serve unless served. There is no way to instill a positive customer service ethic before you embody a positive employee ethic. Responsiveness in, responsiveness out." --Paul Hawken, "Growing the Business", Fireside, 1987, pp. 196-197.

Considering reframing this as "service in, service out" and "care in, care out". Are you an organization that cares for each other?

Short Quote:

"There's no way to instill a positive customer service ethic before you embody a positive employee ethic. Responsiveness in, responsiveness out." -- Paul Hawken

Author:	Hawken, Paul
Title:	Growing a Business
Periodical:
Volume:
Number:
Publisher:	Fireside
Place (City):	New York
Publication Date:	1987
Pages:	197
Source Type:	Book
Quote Number:	4
Categories:	Customer Service