I remember the first time I heard the expression ‘internal customer’. It was during the mid-1990’s, and it totally changed my relationship with my team. Up until then, I had always tried to be supportive, and only directive where necessary, because that is who I am naturally, but when someone introduced m to the concept of the ‘internal customer’ I was hooked, and became sure that my ideas on leadership and getting the best out of people were on the right lines. If you are a leader of people in an organisation, then those people are your internal customers. How would that idea change the way you feel about your people, and how you treat them and behave towards them?
One of my favourite quotes is ‘The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, and the last is to say ‘Thank you’. In between, the leader becomes a servant’. It’s attributed to Max du Pre, and I can’t find out anything about him apart from the fact that he said that. I guess that is enough of a legacy. If people are quoting something I said in a hundred years time, I would be happy!
I have spoken about this at great length with many friends. Most of them agree that the job of a leader is to ensure that their team have a goal, that they have the resources and skills to achieve that goal, and then the leader rolls up their sleeves and asks what they can do to help make it happen. How can you make that work with your team? What do you need to change about your behaviour in order to be seen as a leader?