I am always so ceaselessly curious about how others live
their life. In no time at all I am hooked to the point of obsession on any and
all interviews, whether the focus is on a celebrity, professional, politician, or
just a random, ordinary person (of which I think more interviews should be
focused on!). Learning how people organize, lead and experience their life is insightful.
Recently I read Fast Company’s feature on Ron Johnson,
former CEO of JC Penney, and current CEO of the Startup ‘Enjoy’. I had never
heard of Enjoy so, already, this interview had me intrigued. Coming from a professional
career that saw its (arguably) biggest success at Apple, Johnson has modeled ‘Enjoy’
after the Genius Bar. I encourage you to read the full article if you’re curious
about the premise of this startup.
I will say this, I applaud the way Enjoy values their
employees. In a world where the share/freelance economy increasingly reigns, it’s
refreshing to see a company that treats their employees like individual
contractors, but pays them a salary, offers stock options and covers health
benefits.
My favourite part of the article was not focused on Enjoy,
but instead the personal ethos of Johnson when it comes to customer experience:
"Most love is not emotional love. It’s rooted in
compassion or help. Look at the Genius Bar. You’re just helping people. And so
that’s what my governor is: How do you create an environment where you feel
this love? Because love is contagious."
Though Johnson’s interpretation comes from a biblical source,
I would argue this perspective works really well in a completely secular way.
Empathy is so key when engaging with customers of any kind. The age old adage
of “treat others the way you would want to be treated” is powerful in retail
and should not be overlooked in training, staffing and employment decisions.
