Who Comes First, the Customer or the Employee? Did the chicken or the egg come first? It is an age-old debate. But as an entrepreneur, should you value your employees or customers first?
By Joanna Knight Edited by Micah Zimmerman
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Which came first? It's a fierce dinner table debate. Dinosaurs laid eggs, so they came first. But did the chicken egg come first?
One much simpler problem to discuss is whether the customer or the employee came first.
Which came first is a lot simpler to answer. It is likely to be the customer. You have the idea; someone buys something, you grow and you employ. But back to which is more important. It is a dilemma for many when allocating resources, priorities, etc. But it shouldn't be.
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Lose-lose
Given Great Resignations, re-evaluations and the next Great Something on the horizon, many organizations prioritize their employees, focusing on their well-being, engagement and investment to keep hold of the good eggs.
Prioritize this above all else, and you're setting yourself up for a fall. You could have the happiest people in the land, committed, engaged, and even ambassadors attracting recruits. But if they don't provide the customer experience and deliver results, you will lose customers and won't have a business.
On the flip side, if you focus entirely on the customer and treat them like celebrities, you will likely lose your good eggs to other businesses that value them more.
It's a catch-22. I understand that the two examples above are extreme. However, they demonstrate the point: not that one is more important than the other, but that they are inextricably connected. Both customers and employees are equally important.
Related: Employee Experience Matters More Than Ever. Here's How to Elevate It.
Win-win
So, instead of asking which is more important, how about valuing all people? What would it look like if we treated all our people — including customers, employees, partners and stakeholders — as celebrities? This is undoubtedly the win-win solution we are searching for.
It may blow the mind of some, but the world of work is evolving. It's time to get with the program. Whatever your industry, people are your most valuable asset.
It is a mutually beneficial relationship. Sometimes it will be a balancing act, but in looking at your business as people-based over process-based, you look after the people you employ and the people who do the work. You must see your customers and clients as an extension of your organization and culture.
That way, they are connected; the thinking is joined together. Your culture is relevant to everyone and unites them. Your purpose is to provide solutions, build long-term customer relationships and act as a connection and value in your people. Your values give people the ground rules and path to follow.
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Employees versus customers. Which is more important?
People do business with people. Make people your strategy, and you don't have to choose customers over employees or vice versa. In the ever-evolving business landscape, people-powered businesses tick many boxes.
A people-based approach that extends its culture to its customers represents a business full of empowered, inspired people who are continually learning and growing. How do we achieve this? By valuing everyone for the individual they are and what they can contribute. Then equip them with the tools to be the very best that they can be.
The same goes for your customers — your valued partners. Get to know them, listen and understand their business and industry requirements, show empathy and genuine support, and work together to succeed and innovate.
In maximizing the potential of everyone involved — customers and employees — you are creating a business model that will stand the test of this agile, turn-on-a-dime environment we live in.
So, I cannot answer which is more important. What I can proffer is a change of question. Why does one have to be more important than the other? Can they not be two equally significant strategic priorities that govern all you do? Put people at the heart of the matter, customers and employees, stakeholders and partners, and harness the power of what people can achieve and what businesses can learn.
