zoom in: core relationships

Peter Drucker defines a customer as anyone who can say "no". So if I subscribe to that, I now have lots more customers than I was previously aware of. People all around me can say no to what I am trying to do, to understand, and to engage with my passion.

If my boss is my boss, then I might pout when I feel like she is "manipulating an angle" to please a heavy hitting donor.

But if my boss is my customer and I'm sold out to customer service, then if an "angle" has to be worked, I'll work that angle like my "account" depended on it. I might not even try to figure out what the angle is or even acknowledge it, but I'll have a good idea how to work it. And I'll see how well it works out.

And if my colleague is just my colleague, I might try to "out wit, out last, and out play" so that more of my ideas get tread and I don't have to include him in collaboration.

But if my colleague (who has no real authority or position over me) is my customer, then I'll figure out what he is passionate about (even, or especially if I don't "get it" or even if I disagree with it or get digestion from it), and I'll find ways to incorporate it into what I'm doing and make my success dependent on it. I'll come up with some sort of customer satisfaction survey in my head (Even if it's a: "Hey, man, thanks for including me") and that'll be important to me.

Rule 1. The customer isn't always right.

Rule 2. The customer is never wrong.

Rule 3. You can't change rule #2.

Now. Let's really zoom in.

If I treat my wife like my wife, then I'll have a not bad marriage. We might end up in a couple counseling sessions, but there won't be any whispers of divorce or anything, though.

But, and this is weird, my wife is my customer. And I'm sold out to customer service. I don't get to flip the switch off when I come home. OK, maybe I can flip it off for 15 minutes or so. But then it's back on. I have to figure out what things are distractions for her and what things are valuable opportunities. I have to seek out time when we can just talk. I have to figure out what it is that she dreams about and how I can make those dreams come true. Yes, what I'm saying is that I have to treat her like a customer.

It's the most important account that I have.

And it's only a problem if I have been "treating my customers" aka engaging others in discipleship opportunities as a means to some end or as an angle to work.

Instead of engaging others in discipleship opportunities because that's what I was created to do.

I'm kinda scared either way.

Maybe it's a Lent thing.