Page 53 - Hard Goals

44 HARD Goals

porate philosophy, which includes a list of “Ten things we know
10
to be true.” Here’s number one on that list:

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.
While many companies claim to put their customers fi rst,
few are able to resist the temptation to make small sacrifi ces
to increase shareholder value. From its inception, Google has
steadfastly refused to make any change that does not offer a

benefit to the users who come to the site:

The interface is clear and simple.
Pages load instantly.
Placement in search results is never sold to anyone.
Advertising on the site must offer relevant content and not
be a distraction.

The italicizing above is mine, and it’s to make a point. Every
company on earth puts the word customer or patient or user
in its mission statement. It looks great embossed on a plaque
hanging in the boardroom or lobby, but are we actually will-
ing to put it into our goals? Would we make sacrifi ces to serve
that customer, patient, user, or whoever we state as our higher
purpose?
Companies that tend to make the most money over time do
so by delivering the most value to somebody they consider big-
ger than themselves, not by sacrifi cing the customer to immedi-
ately increase shareholder value. Sure, you can pop your stock
for a quarter here or there through fi nancial narcissism, but it
will eventually come back to bite you. Not only will your cus-
tomers eventually revolt, but your best employees won’t give