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“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” — Ronald Reagan

Being a leader in customer service (working hard to serve others), generating excitement, innovation, and a focus on continuous improvement, like I teach, creates a culture that’s hard to build otherwise.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, born in Brooklyn, New York to a single mother, was raised by his aunt and uncle in Chicago. After his aunt died, Ellison dropped out of college and moved to California to work odd jobs for the next eight years. He founded software development company Oracle in 1977, which is now one of the largest technology companies in the world.

Leonardo Del Vecchio, one of five children, was eventually sent to an orphanage because his widowed mother couldn’t care for him. He would later work in a factory making molds of auto parts and eyeglass frames. At the age of 23, Del Vecchio opened his own molding shop, which expanded to become the world’s largest maker of sunglasses and prescription eyewear, including the brands Ray-Ban and Oakley.

Before the age of 10, John Paul DeJoria, a first-generation American, sold Christmas cards and newspapers to help support his family. He was eventually sent to live in a foster home and even spent some time in a gang before joining the military. With a $700 dollar loan, DeJoria created John Paul Mitchell Systems and sold the shampoo door-to-door while living in his car. He later started Patron Tequila, and now invests in other industries.

Starbuck’s Howard Schultz, in an interview with British tabloid Mirror, said: “Growing up in a housing project I always felt like I was living on the other side of the tracks. I wanted to climb over that fence and achieve something beyond what people were saying was possible.” Schultz ended up winning a football scholarship to the University of Northern Michigan and went to work for Xerox after graduation. He then took over a coffee shop called Starbucks, which at the time had only 60 shops. Schultz became the company’s CEO in 1987 and grew the coffee chain to more than 16,000 outlets worldwide.

Accomplishing Goals

These four gentlemen went through personal and financial difficulties but kept on looking forward to accomplishing their goals and making a difference. Their financial status is in the billions for each of them, but their goal was to “make a difference” in people’s lives. They did what Mark Cuban did — they worked harder.

According to Cuban, “It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone.” Hard work is the great equalizer. Making a meaningful difference in other people’s lives requires significant effort. Hard work can always be your difference. Because how hard you work is the one thing you can always control. In my book, Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service, I expound on the value of hard work and service. Great leaders know that service is what your customer says it is.

Here are five questions to ask yourself about your customer’s perception of your company:

1. What business are we in? Usually you conclude that you are in the business of providing customers with a variety of “services.” Make a list. Many firms still do not realize that they are in the service business.
2. Do we have customer needs and wants at heart? Identify all market segments and all customer groups. It is important to determine the needs and wants of all customers.
3. Are we listening? Set up the systems for listening to customers. The way to find out what they want is to make it easy for them to communicate with you.
4. Do we communicate? Be proactive and try to eliminate problems before they happen. Having a strategy based on delight or “wow” is not likely to pay as well as a strategy that eliminates disappointment first.
5. Are we using swiftness? Are you eliminating friction so it is easy for customers to conduct business with you and want to come back? A true competitive advantage goes to leaders of companies that get it right.

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].