In a way Americans have it all wrong when it comes to totem poles.
From a career standpoint, the “bottom of the totem pole” is the last place we want to be. From a capitalistic standpoint however, it’s precisely the place that should be showered with significance. After all, the bottom of a totem pole is the pivotal position of constant client facing.
Let’s explore the roots of the totem pole metaphor for a minute because it didn’t just spout from the ground for no odd reason. While the true meaning behind the vertical ordering of a tribal totem pole remains debatable, it’s widely accepted that the best designs were reserved for the top with the art’s intricate value moderately decreasing as you moved down the pole.
No matter how incredibly spellbinding the sculpture at the top of a totem pole is however, anyone touring Native American reservations without a folding ladder is most likely going to settle their sights on the beauty at the bottom, with their squinting only lending a slight idea as to what kind of splendor spans above.
It’s the same with business. Clients have the option of researching every mission of every company and reading every interview with every CEO to understand a business they might engage with but realistically almost all of our prospects are going to get their glance at our work from our staff’s front lines and make a decision from there.
This is why it is imperative to have your front line team members know your company’s mission by heart, provide service with your company’s values at heart, and continuously connect to your clients from heart, to heart. Our eQ growth methodology diagram features four connected circles aligned vertically so that it looks like a chain-link totem pole. In the top circle is the CEO, in the circle below is Management, then Front Line Staff is in the next circle, and rounding off below is the Client. The Front Line Staff’s circle is the only one to intersect with the Client’s circle revealing that this is the focal point where the ever-critical client experience most often takes place.
Hence why eQ encourages the CEO of an organization to not only create the definitive story of the company’s mission and values but also implement it widely to every section of the totem pole – or every circle of the corporate link – so that the true purpose of a company is imprinted in the minds of Management, in the actions of the Front Line, and in the loyalties of the Client.
A quick anecdote might further exemplify the trickle down totem pole effect. Last week, eQ’s Front Liner Kristin, our Client Services Specialist, went to Starbucks so that we could surprise two of our clients with their favorite lattes during a meeting in our office. While Kristin was waiting at the drink bar of the acclaimed coffee chain, the barista looked over at her and said: “3 minutes.” Puzzled by what he meant, Kristin replied: “Excuse me?” He repeated himself: “3 MIN-UTES.” So Kristin decided to take a guess: “Oh until the lattes are ready?” He replied: “No, 3 minutes until I get to leave this place.”
Now read any article about Starbucks or any interview with CEO Howard Schultz and the mission of Starbucks proves to be as ground-in as a bag of Columbian beans prepared for automatic drip. Specifically, Starbucks states: “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”
But who cares about what’s being purported at the top of the totem pole in Seattle when the bottom in Baltimore is announcing the countdown to clock-out – or the treasured time when this poor barista would be fantastically freed of dealing with coffee and clients. What this front line partner was displaying in our one neighborhood at this time was not the Starbuck’s story. So much for the mission because not even two cups could inspire or nurture our one person Kristin after this client experience.
So while it might not be an ambitious American’s ideal destination, the bottom of the totem pole must be a business leader’s top target when effectively conveying the company’s story. Remember that your front line staff is in the corporate chain circle that comes closest to your clients. Thus, getting to the bottom of the totem pole also gets you to the bottom of your business’s bottom line.
Kristen Zatina is a writing specialist at entreQuest with an interest in everyday client experiences on which businesses can capitalize.
