The term “customer” may sound cold and impersonal when referring to people with whom we have relationships in your personal life, but it provides a powerful mental model. Think for a moment about how you treat your customers in business:
· They’re your top priority—they’re the reason you exist.
· You are sensitive to their needs, problems, and concerns.
· You consistently deliver high-quality goods and services to please them.
· You have a vested interest in their success.
· You address problems quickly.
· You know that if you don’t deliver quality you risk losing them to the competition.
· You’re always looking for creative, new ways of “wowing” your customers—it’s a never-ending process.
Beyond the workplace, I use the word “customer” to describe meaningful relationships. Imagine what life would be like if you treated the people in your life as “customers” in business. It is a powerful reminder that the people you come into contact with on a regular basis, whether at home, work, school, on the streets, or any other place, are human beings with special needs and wants. Keep in mind that if you don’t take care of your customer’s needs and wants, they’ll take their “business” elsewhere. The cost of losing customers is high. It can be tallied in how it manifests itself—broken relationships, estrangement, separation, divorce, and so on. Cultivating and nourishing your customer relationships is a big step towards “loving your neighbor”.
We, too, have many customers in our personal lives—some obvious, others not so obvious. God (or however you define your spirituality and faith), self, spouse, children, significant other, parents, friends, acquaintances, relatives, roommate(s), boss, coworkers, employees, landlord, fellow citizens, commuters, public service officials, teachers, and so on.
After listing the people in your life as customers, rank them by class. Admittedly, ranking those in our personal lives may seem calculating. But given our limited human resources, we need to prioritize and allocate. We can’t be all things to all people.
Use these categories to create your lists:
God and Self
The first and highest priority class of customers has two members—God and self. For myself, the reason God is my top priority customer is that God made us, and “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Caring for yourself is not a selfish act. In my book, “The 3rd Power: The Faith Formula to Sooth the Soul and Restore the Spirit,” it is an implementation of Me Power (the Self) that enables you to actively pursue We Power (your Community).
Vital Few
The vital few are those with whom you have the closest relationship. You interact with them on a frequent, if not daily, basis. They are your top priority. These are the people indirectly responsible for your happiness, well-being, and fulfillment in life.
Important Several
The important several are the people in your life with whom you have occasional, but ongoing, contact—whether through work, school, or outside activities (clubs, sports, groups, organizations, etc.) The relationship is casual but important enough to monitor its quality.
Useful Many
The useful many are the people in our lives with whom we have random or sporadic contact. They may include people you know on a first-name basis or the nameless, sometimes faceless, people we meet briefly or never at all. They represent the world at large—humanity.
When we are stretched too thin, we wind up providing only mediocre levels of “customer service” and no one is happy. By reassessing our relationships on a regular basis, we ensure that everyone on our list, including ourselves, receives the appropriate level of customer service. If you’re actively serving more than a dozen customers regularly, consider reducing the number, or at least creating some distance between you and them. Of course, you must be compassionate and diplomatic when whittling down your list, but for your sake and the sake of your most valued customers, you need to budget yourself. Quality relationships demand substantial investment.
For more on this topic, buy “The 3rd Power: The Faith Formula to Sooth the Soul and Restore the Spirit” at Amazon.
