Once a year, my Insead group colleagues and I meet somewhere in the world for 3-4 days. It is a routine that not only gives us a break when we can see one other again, but also the chance to reflect on the past year, the future, our happy moments, our fears, and what keeps us awake at night. Those people come from New Zealand, India, The Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Mauritius, Denmark, Hawaii, Russia, Malaysia – so it is a diverse cohort. They are all CEOs of large firms and it is very gratifying that they make the time for this meeting.
This year the meeting was in Chiang Rai, Thailand. We slept in 3 hotels, visited a handful of places, we rode our bicycles through Chiang Rai together with a guide, we saw 2 impressive temples, we ate in the most diverse restaurants (some with bamboo worms in the menu). Everywhere I went, the people there impressed me. They were simple and they seemed happy that we were there, that we were their guests.
I had great experiences in other countries as well; in Singapore, people behaved impeccably, very professionally, even though they seemed more distant than in Chiang Rai. A person from our group (form Asia) behaved differently. She spoke with the hotel and restaurant staff in a direct manner, imperative even, as if she was commanding. It seemed to me as if she was abusing her status as a client and behaving in an ugly manner.
It might be because I am myself a contractor that I am so sensitive to this aspect, having had good and bad experiences. I was fortunate to have good clients, people who always behaved amiably, as if we were friends. And this makes the responsibility even greater from my point of view. No one wants to disappoint a friend. These kinds of relationships make you feel special and ready to do your job as well as possible afterwards.
There are also people who behave badly, who treat us as if we are here to be insulted by them. Not long ago, I had a consultancy project and I noticed that an employee of the firm was talking to a client on the phone. When the conversation finished, the employee started to cry. How can someone behave in such a way with another human being? We are like hyenas who sense the smell of blood and attack their victims. When we feel that someone does not answer with the same aggressiveness we quickly go for the attack.
I noticed a trend in companies for better customer orientation, a need at a strategic level to remind ourselves where the money comes from, who buys our products or services and why it is essential to have the customer in our minds. Beyond the strategic direction, it is essential that we care about what we do and about the people in front of us (or the other end of the line). Neither the client nor the contractor is the commander, but just two beings who at some point could need each other’s help. If we abuse them now, it may be that in a year or two the roles will switch.
To properly greet someone, to treat the other with respect, to show that we care have become skills under development, instead of being a part of who we are. A French classic (17th or 18th century) wrote: “Common sense is the most wide-spread thing in the world”. Someone else added in the 20th century: “That is why we each have so little of it”.