Part 1: Relationships then ROI

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 - Joe Kiedinger

I’m excited to start this new four-part series on Relationships then ROI (Return On Investment). You may have heard the business axiom, “Culture eats strategy for lunch” (which I will talk more about as the series develops), but right now I want to focus on business relationships.

People are now more than ever interested in relationships over pay. This is especially true of the new generation entering the workforce. Pay is not a person’s #1 motivator for where they work. It’s three or four in most Gallup polls that I’ve encountered. So is it really possible that if I actually care about and take an active interest in the people who work for me that my ROI will then increase? The answer is a resounding, YES!

Consider Southwest Airlines who has been profitable longer than any other airline. The industry is bouncing back now, but just ten years ago, airlines were hurting. Mergers were happening and bankruptcy protection was engaged; it was tough. But then there was Southwest Airlines, the airline love built. Herb Kelleher loved his people; he was like a gentle grandpa welcoming his kids to work. Herb was known to have dressed in clown outfits to entertain the service men and women in the hangers. He knew the power that healthy relationships played on the bottom line.

Even after Herb’s retirement, Southwest (after getting it’s love culture right) used this concept in their advertising. Even their stock ticker on the New York Stock Exchange is LUV! Yes indeed, relationships then ROI should be the focus of all CEOs and senior managers.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What small things can you do today to foster stronger relationships where you work?

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