What Would Buddha Do – Part 3

Continuing in the series, here’s what Buddha would have said about being an employer, effectively handling customers and capital & assets.

Buddha’s Basics on being a good boss or employer

• Assign work employees can manage.
• Keep them challenged by assigning special projects, cross training, or job rotation.
• Give employees free food and enough money. Productivity and health are related.
• Support them in sickness.
• Share the bounty. Profit-sharing and other means of sharing the wealth will let your people know you appreciate their efforts.
• Grant leave when appropriate. People are not machines and should not be treated as such.
• Recognize that every person learns differently and at a different pace.

Buddha’s tips on effective handling of customers

• Buddha would see customer service staff as the most important people in the organization.
• Customer service staff need to practice compassion.
• Make the customer’s day and it will make yours.
• Listen. Take notes so the customer will not have to repeat his story to your boss.
• Emphasize what you can do for the customer, not what you can’t do.
• Get help from a coworker or from your boss.
• Commit to what you can do to fix the problem.
• Keep to your commitment and do what you said you would do.
• You need customers to survive. Do not deliver anything less than quality.

Buddha’s notes on capital & assets

• Never abandon what can still be useful.
• Select and hire carefully. People must be cultivated for long-term, and not dumped at the first sign of tough times.
• Be moderate in consuming resources. Recycle paper.
• Real success depends on the virtue and character of leaders.
• Never give money to those who would misuse it. Give it first to the shareholders and employees who helped you make the profit.