Krulak’s Law of Leadership states that the future of an organization is in the hands of the privates in the field, not the generals back home.

People have seldom changed their minds about a country, a brand, or a company because of the CEO or President. Most of the time, it is the customer and consumer facing personnel that swing perceptions.

When you arrive at a country, the first place that shapes perception is the airport. Quite often, the infrastructure is what first greets you – the tunnels, the walkway, the escalators, the lifts, the stairs, and the toilets. Most of these infrastructure are managed by the least paid people in the airport, but in countries that understand the criticality of their role, they find systemic ways to show these people that their work has value. They build metrics around their performance, incentivize exemplary performance and give them perks that even the CEO will not mind having.

When you are visiting a company or conference, it is the way you are treated by the driver that picks you up, the quality of accommodation you have and the logistics arrangements throughout your stay that leaves a lasting impression. In fact, they are the biggest determinants of how much of you will come to that conference or company. Most of this is handled by the least paid people in the organization, quite frequently, 3rd parties. Companies that understand this, build infrastructure around these people that makes them feel a sense of belonging, create metrics around their performance and celebrate top performers.

When you are being introduced to a brand or engaging with an already familiar brand, the people that produced that bottle or carton you are holding and the people that are doing trade marketing to you and offering smiles for a chance at your choice, are usually the least paid in the organization. A lot of them are actually 3rd parties. Yet the companies that win have found ways to make this people feel like owners of the brand. They use words like my company, my brand, my boss, but they are not talking about the actual 3rd party company that employs them, but the company they represent to the public. Great companies have found ways to build trust with these people, prioritize their feedback and actively seek ways to celebrate them.

The real heroes of wars are on the battlefield. Most times, money is not their greatest reward, because they are many and capital is limited. Great companies have studied enough human psychology to understand that you can never pay people enough for their time, even the CEO wants more money. But you can offer rewards just as priceless as time, rewards like dignity, education, trust, responsibility, alternatives and care. This does not negate making sure they are paid a living wage to ensure they can also afford your brand.

HT to Seth Godin for bringing this to my consciousness.

– Osasu oviawe