Once there was a king who kept 10 wild dogs locked away in a dungeon under his castle to torture his enemies or his ministers who made the slightest mistake. Over the years, many of his ministers had been maimed or killed because of the king’s savage treatment.
One day, the king discovered a mistake in a document he was about to sign, and he grew very angry. He ordered his guards to hurl the minister in with the dogs, but the minister pleaded, “I have served you loyally for more than 10 years!”
The king said, “No matter. In with the dogs, you go.”
The minister quickly said, “Please grant me one favor. Give me 10 days to arrange my affairs before carrying out your sentence.”
The king agreed.
Then the minister immediately went down to the dungeon to ask the guard if he could feed the dogs himself. “I want to look in their eyes before they devour me,” he said. For the next 10 days, he fed the dogs, cleaned them and took the best care of them.
When the 10 days were up, the minister was thrown in the pit, but the dogs licked and nuzzled him as a friend.
The king was enraged and demanded, “What have you done to my savage dogs?”
The minister said, “I served them for 10 days, and they did not forget my service. Yet I served you for 10 years, and you forgot my loyalty at the first mistake. What does that tell you?”
The king finally realized the error of his ways and immediately ordered both the minister and dogs to be freed.
One of the first qualities that I look for in both employees and friends is loyalty. Someone can be a great worker, but if he or she isn’t loyal, their employment puts the company in jeopardy.
My philosophy is this: Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if they do the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will support them. You will take an interest in their career advancement and give them the tools they need to perform effectively.
In return, you as the employer can expect that your workforce is prepared to give their best effort every day.
Fostering employee loyalty is the first step to creating customer loyalty. Most businesses depend on loyal customers for their bread and butter, and occasionally for their gravy as well. We all have customers who will buy from us even when they can get a lower price somewhere else, or quicker turnaround, or better service. But change all those “ors” into “ands,” and your customers will start to question your loyalty to them. The same holds true for employees. You can’t keep them guessing how they will be treated and expect them to give their best to you.
Frederick Reichheld, author of “Loyalty Rules!,” believes that loyalty is the fuel that drives financial success. Based on extensive research into companies from online startups to established institutions such as Harley Davidson, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Cisco Systems, Dell Computer, Intuit and others, Reichheld reveals six bedrock principles of loyalty upon which true leaders build enduring enterprises:
1. Play to win/win. Never profit at the expense of partners.
2. Be picky: Membership must be a privilege.
3. Keep it simple: Reduce complexity for speed and flexibility.
4. Reward the right results: Worthy partners deserve worthy goals.
5. Listen hard and talk straight: Insist on honest, two-way communication and learning.
6. Preach what you practice: Explain your principles, then live by them.
The people in your network should be able to depend on your loyalty as well.
Mackay’s Moral: Employees should be encouraged to ask questions, but they should never have to question your loyalty.
Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com.
