I saw an article the other day with the headline “Shareholders vs. Customers: Who Comes First?” That got me thinking. What was the answer to this question posed by the author of the article?  My conclusion: You don’t have to choose.

If you want to create long-term shareholder value in any business, you must meet your customer’s need. That means delivering a product or service with the best mix of price, convenience, quality, and service. Look, there’s a reason both Wal-Mart and Macy’s can exist. Or why both BMW and Hyundai can be successful. These companies have found the right mix of those ingredients above to attract a loyal customer base.

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In the movies the leading man often was portrayed as the strong, silent type. A man of few words, but those words carried a lot of weight. Think Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry muttering, “Go ahead.  Make my day.”

But as I was reminded recently, in business being a man of few words isn’t such a great thing. Our senior management team just went through a 360-degree leadership assessment. One of the things I learned about myself through the process is that I haven’t been very good about providing feedback. Frankly, I wasn’t all that surprised by the finding. Disappointed in myself, but not surprised.

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The greater Nashville metro area, where our company is headquartered, experienced widespread flooding during the first days of May. The devastation was significant. In fact, Tennessee’s governor asked that 53 counties across the state be declared federal disaster areas.

When something like this happens, everyone is affected by it in varying degrees. Some of us were merely inconvenienced by the torrential rains, the road closings, and the chaos the flooding caused. Others had minor damage to property that was quickly cleaned up and life returned to normal. But for those who returned to their homes to find them submerged in water, the flood was a devastating tragedy. And for those who worked at companies that were hit by the flood waters, many are without a job for the foreseeable future.  Imagine the effect on those whose homes and jobs were impacted by the flood!

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