One of the common elements in businesses across the country— and in fact across the world—is that when you have the right people doing the right things, your business will be successful. It is also true that it is a “team” of employees that works to satisfy your customers— not one person or one department.

Employees need to know what it is you are trying to do with the business. What is the “rallying cry” for your company? This is that mysterious thing that makes everyone in the company work to their capabilities.

When you know what that is, it is rather intriguing to add that your employees will work harder to satisfy a customer need or demand than they will to satisfy you, the boss. That point is often met with a fair amount of skepticism, but it’s true. The customer gets more attention and respect from your employees than you. But isn’t that a good thing? Of course it is. In fact, one of my favorite customer service expressions is “Passionate people perform.”

You have the responsibility, if not the obligation, to provide everything that employees need to be able to do a good job.

In my consulting work, one of the questions that I ask every worker— including bosses—is, “What is it that stands in your way of doing a good job?” Another approach I use is to ask, “What are the grumbles or the gripes you have with your work?”

They are revealing questions. They come from the book Sacred Cows Make Better Burgers. The two questions start good conversations about what needs to be done to make the service to customers better. After all, employees will become cynical if you don’t provide the tools and training to help them to be better at their work, won’t they?

“If you look after your employees properly, they will look after you.”

Providing such tools is a critical point that many companies overlook. What is the training, technology, or tools the company possesses to make the employees productive and happy in their work? This is what keeps employees with you. Knowing how to satisfy customer needs and having the tools, systems, and training to be able to do it is critical to employee retention. And, likewise, employee retention is one of the driving forces behind keeping your customers happy.

Determining what training and tools and technology are necessary comes from a simple place.What are the areas in your business where you have to excel? This is determined by your customers. They tell you what they want and need. You then have to establish the methods and systems so they can succeed. Really quite simple, isn’t it?

If you care enough to serve the customer properly and you care enough to enable your employees to do so, the normal conclusion is that the employees will stay with you. You will become the employer who is the attraction in the marketplace—the job that everyone wants. This makes recruitment quite easy. So start by retaining your talented people by providing everything that is necessary for them to excel at their work. Never forget you don’t manage people, you lead them.

So where do you go to find the right people? Of course it depends on the job. It could be high schools, trade schools, or universities. And it doesn’t matter how large you are in the marketplace. You need to have pride in what you do. In the ground water industries, we keep people safe by providing them clean drinking water. This is a rather significant responsibility, isn’t it?

That will provide an attraction for talented people, and once they get to see your operation and talk to your other employees, it should be a done deal. There is an old truth, “If you look after your employees properly, they will look after you.”

It is really that simple. You get what you earn or what you deserve.What choice are you going to make? Remember, the decisions you make will be with you for a long time. The choice is yours.