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Glenn Barres

Co-Founder, Idea Sponge, Inc.

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What inspires loyalty within the organizations you work with?

This can be customer loyalty for a brand AND/OR employee loyalty towards an employer.

Please feel free to share stories that help us understand why as well as what are the key elements to this feeling of loyalty.

Related Talks:
Topics: Entrepreneurs Start-ups leadership loyalty sustainability
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    Adriaan Braam 20+

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    May 6 2012: Seems to me, any loyalty or connection is based on some kind of love.

    Love works the same way as electicity, it is not a one-way street. In order for both to work, they need to go both ways.
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    Abel Conlget

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    May 6 2012: I will use my perspective,.......you are loyal for one main reason,...not to die,....you learn very quick how to respon and how to listen,....then you grow with the guys around you.......then like birds you flow together,....I guess it is what you do,...many jobs,...and many backrounds will always have a different out come..........to the your question.....
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    Ayd Asraf 30+

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    May 6 2012: Honestly i cannot find or express for an answer better than this amazing TED Talk
    http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
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    Ivana Kordic

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    May 6 2012: Management which recognizes that WHAT we achieve (reflected in quarterly reports, profits, clients - things you can measure and put a number to) must not whipe out the importance of HOW we came to do it (sharing responsibility in decision making, creating an environment in which people feel they are a valuable part of the process, that their opinion matters - therefore, things which are difficult to quantify and chart).
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    Mathieu Isidro 10+

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    May 4 2012: Fascinating question!
    In some places I've felt it and in others not.
    My experience has been that loyalty from an employee to his organization comes from many different factors. Respect for one's colleagues who must be competent/ethical, and the same goes for one's boss. From the management: space to be heard (respected), autonomy in one's daily work and the liberty to be creative and make some decisions, and this requires trust. And most of all, I think, the feeling that one is making a difference through his organisation. In that sense, I have a hard time believing you can feel this when working in the private sector in a profit-making organisation, although some companies are obviously better than others (The usual example being Google, Apple, etc.). It seems to me this loyalty is easier to feel if you work for international organizations, NGOs, etc. where you feel you are taking part in something that is bigger than you.
    Cheers!
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    Swapna Raghavan

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    May 4 2012: Well! I believe generalizing one particular aspect will not create loyalty among all. Everyone are different and have different reasons for being loyal with the company. The only way to find out is to have a clear communication between the employees and the employer. The responsibility can be distributed with the respective department Managers in a large firm and in small companies, it is easier to find out.

    Some work for the salary and some continue to work when they are recognized and rewarded for their endeavors, while some work for the perks and some simply for the Brand. I would conclude that loyalty is an individual thing and everyone does not prefer frequent changes.

  • Michelle Lam

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    May 2 2012: Hi Bharath,

    Thank you for your advice and I am planning on having a meeting to discuss some concerns. I am not overly concerned with losing my job as I think I pull in a decent amount of production for the practice, and we are quite limited in our area for veterinarians and good ones at that. But it works both ways. I am unfortunately limited in options near by as well, but I am not letting that stop me.

    Best wishes,
    Michelle
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    PhuongThao Lopez

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    May 2 2012: I'm in small business. What inspires loyalty from our customers is: quality, cleanliness, and comfort at an affordable price + a smile. And from our employees it is: share, fair, and care.
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    Andres Aullet 10+

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    May 1 2012: Hello Glenn,

    In my view it is impossible to have loyalty to an organization or to a brand. Humans can be loyal to other humans, even to some animals (our pets, usually), but to try to extend the term "loyalty" and bring under its umbrella a brand, or a company creates ambiguity around it

    If you have a great job, and you respect and admire many of your co-workers, it is very likely that you will develop a feeling of loyalty towards them. This is not, however, loyalty towards a particular employer, but loyalty towards specific individuals.

    If all those individuals are removed from the company, i would suspect that this feeling of loyalty would be greatly diminished. Work ethics could replace it, as we all try to do our best and work in an honest and efficient way. But work ethics does not equal loyalty

    Brand "loyalty" is a different kind of monster. We humans are creatures of ritual, and our brains prefer the things that we know over things unknown. If i have used an apple computer for years and someone comes with a "pear" brand of computer, even if i see them to be identical in functionality, my subconscious will drive me to prefer the one i know. Marketing specialists know this fact very well, and exploit it to create the perception of "brand loyalty". They also use our subconscious weakness against peer pressure and our subconscious need to feel that we belong to the "in" group. I would not call this drive "loyalty"

    Have you ever felt loyalty for an organization completely independent from its individuals? or, have you ever felt loyalty towards a brand (excluding that "loyalty" based on peer pressure or group belonging) and such loyalty not being the result of an interaction with another individual?

    To me, understanding these two facts can form the basis of developing and fostering loyalty within individuals in an organization, and developing loyalty from a customer through their personal experiences with support or sales staff.

    cheers

  • Mary Harris

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    Apr 30 2012: In my experience I find people want to be respected and heard no matter what our station in life. We all want to know that what we do and who we are makes a difference. We all want to be appreciated, some publicly and others privately. When the employee feels they are valued by the employer,( not just employee #32478), and we take the time to see them as a person and appreciate thier contributions, add to that a sense of purpose and I believe you have a recipe for loyalty.

    • Ayoka Oyedeji

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      May 2 2012: I agree, when people feel appreciated they tend to be loyal.
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    Ryan Ingogia

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    Apr 30 2012: Let me start by saying that I have tried to work for large corporations and have discovered that primarily due to the decision making process and the overall treatment of employees that Corporate America is not for me. The last company I worked for was a small family owned company. I was treated with respect and I was empowered to make decisions (right or wrong). I would have to face the realistic consequences of my wrong decisions, but nothing out of line. My ideas were heard and considered even if all of them were not implemented. I suppose the long story short is that I was treated as part of the company and not as an employee. I was unfortunately let go due to the closing of an office, but still feel a loyalty toward them.

  • John Penn

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    Apr 29 2012: For me trust and loyalty go hand in hand. Loyalty is inspired by the honesty and sincerity with which someone (employer or brand) acts for our MUTUAL benefit.

    Story:
    When I was a teen, I worked in a fast food restaurant. Our manager was very demanding. She expected hard work, high quality, good service, cleanliness, attention to detail, etc. We had a lot of loyal customers and she taught us to treat them right.

    One day a customer came into the store, and started verbally abusing our cashier to the point of tears. When our manager came out, the customer apparently expected our manager to "address" her unreasonable demands.
    Our manager instead threw this ex-customer out of our store telling her that she was not welcome back. She would not tolerate anyone abusing her employees.

    Our manager demanded a lot from us, but she was very loyal to us, and we were very loyal to her.

    She is one of the best managers I have ever had.
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    Marian Palandri

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    Apr 28 2012: I do not know this loyalty, you speak of. I see as much loyalty as is required to stay within the shared behaviors protocols. Anything more than that, is a bonus. Loyalty is somehow linked to your pay cheque - no?
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    Bharath Kumar Kunjibettu 10+

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    Apr 28 2012: Hi Glenn,
    Admire your question,Well according to me , transparency between the employee and employer is definitely going to create loyalty within any organization. The senior management/board of directors has to be completely frank about their profit and loss statements with the employees of the organization.
    Transparency between manager and employee and clear communication will definitively inspire loyalty within the organizations
    Creating more recreational activities like fun at work within the organization will definitively help employee build a good relationship with the organization

    Regards,
    Bharath

    • Michelle Lam

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      Apr 29 2012: Hi Bharath,

      I am an associate veterinarian and I agree with what you say. It is not for lack of effort that I have tried to be a leader and inspire my coworkers. Unfortunately, the low morale and disgruntled employees comes from a problem deep within the organization and stems from a boss who does not know how to manage a practice. I am not given any authority or power to change anything, but I try and keep a positive attitude. I had started to plan some fun activities outside of work to rebuild good relationships, but then it fell apart.

      How do you inspire the boss to want to build a happy workplace?? I have had numerous talks and discussions, to no avail. To be quite honest, I think that is what is burning me out more than anything. His lack of concern for the well-being of his staff. He is not open about his P&L and instead, keeps me and the other associate in the dark and we have not had any mention of raises or bonuses in 2 years. I just started with this practice 2 years ago, and things seem to be going well enough for the boss to have a second home with sailboat and hire an au pair for his kids. Other concerns are questionable ethics regarding some decisions the boss has made, and I cannot trust his motives.

      Thanks,
      Michelle
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        Bharath Kumar Kunjibettu 10+

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        Apr 30 2012: Hello Michelle,
        I completely understand your concerns . In such a case, take a meeting request with your manager and openly discuss the issue.Don't be worried about losing your job as there are lot of opportunities in this whole world. I m sure , there is some thing bothering your boss , we just need to understand that. Do a regular follow up with your boss , he would be more than happy to help you.

        Regards,
        Bharath
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    Chetan Somani

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    Apr 28 2012: core values and ambience!!

  • Willie Hegmans

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    Apr 28 2012: Money,stability and career opportunities.

    I have talked about this with many of my friends who either just started working (a couple of years) or who have their own companies. It always comes down to either 1 of the three named above or a combination of those three.
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    Luo Ying

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    Apr 28 2012: I guess benefits are vital. Moreover , the working conditions should be comfortable .
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    Bernard Seremonia

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    Apr 28 2012: As far as my experiences are:

    1. Act by reducing the ego as often as possible. All tasks carried out as what it is but without the accompanying too high for ego.

    - Benefits: (attitude) controlling ego unconsciously has an effect on our attitude to be more calm and exudes a friendly and give an honest response of tolerance from others.

    2. Instead of trying to enforce loyalty to the company or to defend the company, i'd rather to defend the main objective in the work that is to be able to share the goodness, for the family, yourself or friends.

    - Benefits: People always tend to unconsciously narrowed in the quality, so if we put the area of ​​corporate loyalty, then over time, will be narrowed to personal loyalty (ego) and we will fail to get the benefits as described in point 1.

    But by extending the work to share their goals, so hopefully always broader than loyalty to the company, so the area of ​​corporate loyalty was also obtained, and when there is narrowing of loyalty, then the narrowing is not so fast, and enough for us to realize there is a decrease in the quality of ourselves and quickly make a correction without stuck to the narrowing of the area of ​​corporate loyalty or merely personal interest.

    These two important actions when performed by the top brass at the company, it will emit a friendly working atmosphere, tolerance, which may end up to the loyalty of a vast and difficult (not easy) to fade so quickly.

    The secret behind this is: controlling ego. By mastery controlling ego, we can dominate wisely without the other person feel dominated. And for ourselves, it prevents us from being excessive, and enables us to intuitively act in a fair way. Soon, (hope) this will inspire loyalty silently.

    Why the key of this lies in maintaining a proper ego. I think this is because the simple truth i believe that "OUR FALLACIES CENTERED ON DIFFERENT LEVEL OF ARROGANCE".

    But in the end there is no such perfect people, (hope) this is the best that can be done.
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      Glenn Barres

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      Apr 28 2012: Great reply. To me too much ego also spoils the fun. I have been a fiercely loyal employee in the past and it always went bad when the boss had too much ego and not enough brains lol.

      Thanks
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        Bernard Seremonia

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        Apr 29 2012: Thank you for bringing up the question , cheers :)
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    Anne Dagen 10+

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    Apr 27 2012: Customer loyalty rarely exists. What actually happens is repeat transactions. People will buy because a product is good, or the outlet is convenient, or because something has become fashionable. That doesn't mean that they either want or have a personal relationship with the supplier, which is what loyalty implies.

    Currently many companies put a lot of effort into sales and marketing in order to acquire and retain customers, but undervalue the product quality and delivery which is what customers want. All the talk of customer loyalty programmes suggests that companies don't understand the fundamentals of what customers are looking for.
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    Katerina Verman

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    Apr 27 2012: Loyality is a great word and smb must deserve it. When companies are displaying their loyality to the staff or to the concrete person, then for sure this company can expect this loyality in return. For example, when company highly values every employee, doesn't think to pay or not to pay for their job, provides training and career enhancement, then employees are glad to thank the company with their loyality, because they view their future and person development in this company which will benefit both company and staff.

    • Ryota Kawai

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      Apr 28 2012: As you say, loyality between companies and employees comes from benefit on both sides. But it is difficult to continue such a good relation because companies and staffs are seeking for each benefit.
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        Katerina Verman

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        Apr 28 2012: No i mean that loyality will lead to benefit for each side. If company is loyal to employee, employee will be loyal to company which will make both sides prosper.
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    Vivek Trivedi 10+

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    Apr 27 2012: In order to become loyal for company, it is important to see your higher management sticking with the company for years... in case they are moving out at regular intervals, faith of lower management decreases. Its important for any organization to keep hold on its higher management, and having a retention policy of at-least 5 years for them. Those who have climbed the corporate ladder by their seniority and not by merit, shall be excluded from this practice.

  • Jose V Balaguer

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    Apr 26 2012: On employer/employees loyalty a fair treatment and recognition are crucial since they ARE the company.
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    winnie mata

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    Apr 25 2012: In my personal experience having worked for 5 companies in 10years, I was not able to give my loyalty to those companies I have worked with that cannot give me security of tenure, (3 companies of 5) I thought that I might spend a lot of my strength, my talent and skills for them but will not get benefit and security in the end.

    However, I have worked in 1 of those company for almost 6 years, at first I was not enjoying my work there being a non-accounting graduate working in accounting department but later on, I was able to learn the job and enjoy the company of my office mates and my boss and enjoying other work assigned to me. I was able to like then love the job and the office, until there was a change in the management. In this new management, I felt I that my freedom was suppressed and I felt like the new management has lessen the trust in me and I felt like they count whatever good things they gave us and so I realized to expand my territory by searching for other better company until I was invited to join the government office. I hope here, I can better see myself being loyal in serving people than my office, for now its too early to say..
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    Adriana Bevacqua

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    Apr 25 2012: What inspires loyalty from me as an employee is....fair, simple and clear direction
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      Don Wesley 50+

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      May 1 2012: Hi, we meet again.
      It takes magnificent management to provide "fair, simple and clear direction."
      I know it, because I have seen it, time and time again.
      A leader that takes you where you wouldn't go on your own; who has great ideas and the ability to make them happen and leaves you feeling and believing that the situation is fair, simple and the direction clear.
      I gladly declare that your brief comment, Adriana, is very helpful

      Don

  • Ryota Kawai

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    Apr 22 2012: Loyalty was the most important factor for working with Japanese companies. But time is changing.
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    Ayan Ghoshal

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    Apr 19 2012: Loyalty comes from the quality of your delivery . Be it your employee or customer . But often we fail to understand this simple thing in our actions and practices .
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    Heather White 10+

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    Apr 18 2012: I have just finished reading a very interesting e-book.

    "The Cost of Bad Behaviour: How Incivility is Damaging Your Business and What to Do about It." (2009) by Christine Pearson and Christine Porath

    Their 10 year research project is presented in this short book. I can see the seeds of rudeness actually developing into full blown workplace bullying.

    A company's insurance company should run confidential staff and customer surveys into this issue - the results shuld be used to base the cost of their future policies.

  • Vijay Kumar

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    Apr 18 2012: At inter-personal level "mutual respect" is the key term which inspires loyalty but beneath the surface lie self assessed cost-benefit analysis & inertia of complacence.
    Most of the times these factors influence my loyalty OR shift in my loyalty!
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    roberto gonzalez

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    Apr 17 2012: Loyalty like respect, sincerity and others are like two way streets, if an organization is loyal to you then you will respond in kind.
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