SHRM26 Debrief · Modern Employee Experience · #1428
The Cherry on Top™, Building a Culture of Value
with Steve Gilliland
"Customers and members don't come first. Employees do."
What it was about
Organizations build a culture of value one person at a time by treating employees the way they want customers treated, since employees who feel valued by leadership are the ones who pass that value on to customers and members.
By the numbers
over 3,000 different things
number of distinct responses collected in the speaker's pre-COVID survey asking people what adds value to them
Key notes
- Put employees first, not customers or members, because the way employees are treated by leadership determines how they treat everyone else.
- Add value in small, personal moments (a note, a card, holding an elevator, remembering a name) rather than waiting for big gestures.
- Elevate your circle: you are the average of the three people you spend the most time with, so surround yourself with people whose character you want to reflect.
The contrarian takeThe speaker argues against the common business mantra of 'customer first' or 'members first,' asserting instead that employees must come first because employee treatment is what actually determines the quality of customer and member experience.
Take this back Monday
Do this for your team
Personally thank one housekeeping, facilities, or front-desk employee by name this week — culture is defined by how invisible staff get treated.
Say this in your next leadership meeting
Customers don't come first, employees do — how we treat our people is exactly how they'll treat everyone else.
Watch out for
- Hiring people based on where they've been and what they've done, then wanting to fire them later for who they are, instead of hiring for attitude and character.
- Prioritizing customers or members over employees, assuming that produces loyalty when it actually undermines it.
- Being physically present but mentally absent for employees, family, or key moments (e.g., missing a child's goal while checking a phone).
Fun fact · Steve Gilliland
He's an eight-time bestselling author, named Author of the Year by Advantage/Forbes for his book Enjoy The Ride.
If this landed, see these
↳ Go deeperThe EX - Moments That Matter: Designing Interactions That Drive Trust and BelongingTurns 'small moments matter' into a mapped pyramid of hiring-to-exit moments that build trust.⇄ The counterpointEmployee Experience & Technology: How Self-Service Portals, Mobile Apps, & Digital Tools Are Changing ExpectationsEmployees increasingly judge experience by app-like self-service, not just personal gestures.✦ The unexpected oneThe Benefit That Quietly Shapes How Work Gets DoneSame argument, different domain: an overlooked benefit hides outsized impact, just like small gestures do.